Hi,

as you know the unified push server has a 'registration' component (see here for details; see here for REST APIs) which does the following:

• app registration and adding multiple variations
• registration of an installation, submitted from the device

There are different roles (as also discussed in the above links).... The "app registration" functionality can be only achieved by something like an "admin";

The admin can create a logical app construct on the server ( Sport News mobile ), which has different variations:

• free for iOS/Android (no user required, everybody can install the app)
• paid (same, for both: iOS/Android): User is required, since they pay for extra, exclusive content

Now.... the "logical" app construct on the server get's some ID, when the app has been registered... (similar for each of the variants: iOS/iOS-paid etc...)

This part of the registration needs to be protected, very well (e.g. OAuth); just thinking out loud.... But yeah... only users, with the proper rights should be able to register (update/delete) apps here!!!

Device/Installation registration

However, the other part of the registration (when an installation, from a device, tries to register itself for wanting to receive messages), may be a little more "weak"...

Scenario:

• Someone downloads the free iOS app:
• once he launches the app and he agrees on receiving push messages
• Now... the app should send the generated token (generated by the actual Push Network), to the registration server... (otherwise it can't receive push messages :-) ).

So...... the following information needs to be available.... so that the mobile dev. for the free iOS app can register the token with the server:

• APP ID (+ mobile-variant ID)

Yes, the IDs are needed.... in order to tell the "registration server": Hey, this installation for XYZ wants to receive messages.....

So, the iOS (client SDK) code could look like:

- (void)application:(UIApplication *)application
didRegisterForRemoteNotificationsWithDeviceToken:(NSData *)deviceToken
{
    NSURL *serverURL = [NSURL URLWithString:@"http://pusher.server.com/registry/device/"];

    PushClient *pclient = [PushClient appID:@"1234" mobileID:@"456454"];
    [pclient registerDeviceToken:deviceToken withServer:serverURL success:^(id responseObject) {
        NSLog(@"Registration Success: %@", responseObject);
    } failure:^(NSError *error) {
        NSLog(@"Registration Error: %@", error);
    }];
}

The code above would be used by some customer/user, when they register their app with their running version, of our Unified Push server..... Not sure.... are we concerned about the keys are compiled into the actual app, that everybody could download from the app store ?

We really can't issue a login in the above case, since there may be no user..... and even if the paid app, requires a user..... someone can still first buy the app, and after installation decide to register a new user, from the app...... so the above code is still executed BEFORE the user decides to active/register his account...

Matthias