Mobile Platform Addendum (I.E., IOS, Android)
Mobile platforms that are not based on a fully-functional Windows platform are not considered to be RP 1210-compliant. That being said, there are many issues surrounding mobile operating system platforms and the conventional implementation of the RP1210 model whereby:
- VDA Vendors provide an RP 1210 installation that can be seen by any RP 1210 application on the platform. This is done via shared INI files and shared library files.
- RP 1210 applications read the shared INI files to present a list of installed VDA devices to the user and allow the user to select which device they are using to connect to the vehicle. The application then loads the correct shared library file and calls common RP1210 functions.
Many of these issues surround the "sandboxed" nature of applications on mobile platforms. The complexities surrounding this "sandbox" will not allow the conventional RP 1210 model to be implemented as it is defined today for the Microsoft Windows-based platforms. Due to these restrictions, any implementation of RP 1210 on a mobile platform will be left up to the application provider to work out the details with VDA vendors such as using statically linked or dynamically linked RP 1210 libraries, which RP 1210 functions and commands must be implemented, and what testing will be done during validation. The application provider may use any or all of this specification to present functionality requirements to potential VDA vendors.
TMC's RP 1210 update Task Force would like the spirit and openness of RP 1210 tc be carried into the mobile field. However, as of today there isn't an implementation methodology that embodies the openness that RP 1210 requires on mobile platforms, so this addendum will be considered optional. Since this implementation is optional, any implementation of RP 1210 on mobile devices will not be considered "RP 1210-compliant" and thereby cannot be considered as part of the Right to Repair (R2R) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding commercial vehicle service information.
In the future, if there is a methodology for implementation of RP 1210 that embodies the conventional intent of the RP 1210 specification then TMC will work with those parties in the inclusion of that into RP 1210 and will reconsider if that implementation can be considered RP 1210-compliant.