Facebook’s iOS SDK 3.1 now supports iOS 6 integrations including native login and sharing options

Facebook has just updated its iOS SDK to version 3.1, bringing support for iOS 6’s native login and sharing options. This will allow developers to utilize these new components more easily when building Facebook connected apps.

Facebook’s Eddie O’Neill on the new version:

This integration opens up new opportunities for mobile app developers as you can easily build the foundation for a social app, Facebook Login and sharing functionality, into your product.

The Facebook integration in iOS 6 is complementary to the Facebook SDK for iOS. If you are an iOS developer who is just getting started with Facebook, or if you are building with Facebook but haven’t started using our SDK, here’s what you need to know.

Facebook’s iOS SDK v3.0 was launched back in July and brought the first iOS 6 support. This update adds all of the native controls that Apple built right into iOS 6, for quicker an d more fluid integration. These include native Facebook logins and the share sheets for posting status updates, photos and more to Facebook.

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I reviewed the Facebook integration in iOS in our review of iOS 6 and found it to be smooth, but with a lot more backend baggage surrounding permissions and the specific audience that users want to broadcast updates to.

Here’s what I found:

Scoring a prime position as the first social partner of Apple’s iOS was a huge win for Twitter and its developer ecosystem. Facebook’s followup has been executed fairly well, despite the larger number of complications and privacy issues involved. Because Twitter is inherently public, there are a lot of problems that just don’t come up. I mean, look at that disclaimer before you sign in to Facebook, that’s so complicated.

Still, the potential for growth here is big, even for a company as enormous as Facebook. And for developers looking to provide a seamless experience to their users, a system-level single sign-on service will look incredibly attractive.

In addition to login and share sheets, Facebook also offers session management, improved calls to Facebook’s API and advertising analytics.

Image Credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Getty