We are happy to announce that BlackBerry Dynamics SDK version 4.0 (N-series) has been released! In this release, we have been focusing on enhancements for developer tools and support for new security and compliance policies.
Let’s have look at the release highlights starting from iOS:
iOS
Xcode 9 and Swift 4 support. Sample applications for Swift 4 can be found in the default installation folder: ~/Library/Application/Support/BlackBerry/Good.platform/iOS/Example/swift4
cURL library is upgraded to address a number of security vulnerabilities.
Face ID support enhancement. Administrators can now enable or disable support for Face ID usage independently.
In the case where an application is using the BlackBerry Dynamics N-series SDK for iOS version 4.0, but the management console has not yet been upgraded to UEM 12.8 or GC v.5.0, access to Face ID feature will continue to be controlled by the Touch ID setting (Allow Touch ID for Idle Unlock).
Screen Recording and Sharing Setting support. Administrators can now enable or disable support for iOS Screen Recording and Sharing. In earlier releases, administrators can only block iOS screen recording when devices are managed by UEM and Good Control. In N-Series, we have added a new option to Prevent iOS Screen Recording and Sharing under Data Leakage Prevention Security Policies.
In case where an application is using the BlackBerry Dynamics N-series SDK for iOS version 4.0, but the management console has not yet been upgraded to UEM 12.8 or GC v.5.0, access to the iOS Screen Recording and Sharing setting will be controlled via the DLP setting (Prevent copy from GD apps into non-GD apps).
Cordova
Angular and Ionic Frameworks are now supported. In our previous release, we published a support statement for the use of the Angular and Ionic frameworks with the BlackBerry Dynamics SDK for Cordova and limitations with suggested work arounds. In this release, we removed limitations and blockers and added full support including:
- Support for XMLHttpRequest addEventListener
- Support for loading local resources
Xamarin
Support for Unified Xamarin.Forms. Single code source can now be used to create apps for multiple platforms and will continuously enhance through upcoming releases. We have also added following capabilities for iOS and Android.
- Secure Storage
- Secure Communication
- Inter-Application Data Exchange
- Single Sign-On
New Security Policies
Ban common passwords for the BlackBerry Dynamics container: BlackBerry UEM Administrators can now set the list of banned passwords for the BlackBerry Dynamics container (for example, “password”). This feature is to protect against common or weak passwords that do not meet security standards. Users cannot use the specified passwords when setting a password for the container. Once received by client apps, the BlackBerry Dynamics SDK will initiate banned password check. There is no code change required for the client app developers for this feature.
New options for BlackBerry Dynamics library version compliance:
The following options have been added to this compliance rule in the Good Control Management Console:
- Allow all BlackBerry Dynamics library versions: Apps that use any version of the SDK library are allowed. If this option is enabled, the administrator cannot select specific versions to allow or disallow. By default, this option is disabled.
- Allow unlisted BlackBerry Dynamics library versions: Apps that use versions of the SDK library that are newer than the latest version listed in the compliance rule are allowed. The administrator can still allow or disallow specific versions of the library from the version list. By default, this option is enabled.
In the UEM, the BlackBerry Dynamics library version verification compliance profile setting has moved from a whitelist to a blacklist. If the Admin does not select the “BlackBerry Dynamics library version verification” option, then all BlackBerry Dynamics library versions are allowed by default. If the Admin does select this option, then they can select which library versions cannot be activated. By default, the BlackBerry Dynamics library version verification option is not enabled.
Where to Download New SDKs?
In addition to the highlighted features above, there are several fixed issues in this release. See full details in the What’s new in BlackBerry Dynamics SDK for iOS or Android and get access to the latest features and improvements in the Downloads page of the BlackBerry Developers site. The BlackBerry Dynamics SDK for Cordova and Xamarin are scheduled to be released shortly in mid-April.
Thanks for your time! Stay tuned for our next blog.