Is there a way to call/execute a URL in iOS WITHOUT opening safari?

Question

Here's what I'm trying to do: I have a Vera Lite Z-Wave home controller that can control various Z-Wave devices in my home. I can control actions (e.g. turn on bedroom light) by typing in specific URLs to the home controller on my local network (e.g. http://10.0.1.10/TurnOnBedroomLight). I then saved these action-specific URLs as bookmarks and put them in notification center on my iPhone with an app called Launcher. So whenever I hit the 'Bedroom Light On' button in notification center, it calls that URL on my local network and the light turns on. Now here's my problem: whenever I hit the button, my phone switches from whatever app I'm currently in to Safari, presumably so that it can run the URL. I want a way to stop this, so that the phone calls/runs/executes (I don't know the proper terminology) the URL without switching to the web browser. I just want to hit the button and that's it. Does anybody know if/how this can be done? Thanks so much in advance.

Answer 1

Unfortunately the way that iOS is made you won't be able to do what you want.



Whenever an iOS device sees a web address it will want to open it in the web browser.



The only way you could achieve this is to build your own iOS app, but you will have to get the app you make signed by Apple App Store. So it will probably cost you 100 bucks just to get this working.



What you could do is make a website and build it with tiles that do the different functions. If you code it right you could have it be full screen and look almost like an app, but actually be a website with a Homescreen button that opens in Safari. It pretty much would make you a web based home remote app.

Answer 2

Are there any other browsers that work on iOS? I don't use Apple products myself because they seem to be very restrictive on the sorts of things you can add to an Apple device. Before anybody starts arguing about this comment, this is my view after a few bad experiences with Apple's products in the past.



Obviously there are many websites that do not rely on HTML or similar languages to use the sites. You can always do a lot of work using a telnet session to the required site and port number if Apple has a telnet App. The advantage of a browser is that it handles most of the specific features for accessing websites, If there are other browsers on Apple devices, then you could try those. Accessing many websites without using a browser may prove extremely difficult. However, some sites will work reasonably well using something like telnet.

Answer 3

Look at curl for IOS. Curl is a way to generate http request command line. You might be able to use it without the app or integrate it with your current app (unlikely).

Answer 4

Go to the Apple App store. Search "z-wave". Pick one of the apps. Download and use it. The app integrates the iPhone to the Z-Wave controller. Safari will not launch.

Answer 5

ok ok