viewing by Artist ID in the AppStore

2
votes

is there a way to view all the apps by an artist in the AppStore?

more specifically, within an iPhone context? (because these viewArtist?id= links work just fine in a web browser, which then launches iTunes... where they don't seem to work is on an actual iPhone device using the ITMS-style URLs)

in my iPhone apps I've been using the following convention to spawn the AppStore at a specific app:

===============================================

NSString *link;

link = @"itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=346955280";

[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:link]];

===============================================

that bit of code right there successfully spawns the AppStore at the purchase page of the "ViewTi Golf 2010" app for example

but, the company ViewTi-LLC has 4-5 apps out, and I'm wanting to link to their page that shows them all... but it doesn't seem to be working... I've been using the artist-ID 292035113, which I derived from this iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/viewti-llc/id292035113

here are the modified ITMS URL's I've attempted to use:

===============================================

@"itms-apps://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=292035113";

@"itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=292035113";

@"itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=292035113";

===============================================

I didn't actually expect the 3rd link to work, since it is using "viewSoftware" on an artist-ID... but I tried it anyway out of desperation :)

the only viewArtist-style URL that I have gotten to successfully launch within an iPhone is this one: @"itms-apps://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=299857025";

that URL launches some page titled "Michael O'Laughlin Top Podcasts"... I have no idea who that is... I obtained the artist-ID from a google search using the search term: viewArtist+itunes

so apparently viewArtist?id= does work in at least one situation... but for most of the other artist ID's I've tried to use, what happens is an error messagebox pops up saying "Your request could not be completed."

soooooo... I'm wondering, has anybody attempted to do this and get it to work? am I using the wrong URL format?

any help would be greatly appreciated :)

3
iphoneapp-storehyperlink

3 Answers

4
votes

I've been fighting with this for about an hour now and finally found a solution! Try using the following link format: https://itunes.apple.com/artist/id290402113

You'll need to replace my id number with the Artist ID you get back from Apple's link maker service: http://itunes.apple.com/linkmaker

Apple have change link maker so you would have to press on one of your apps and from iTunes copy the link to developer apps. There just search for the ID (number after the id on the url) and replace it above.

This worked on my iPhone 4, 5 & 5s (iOS 5, 6 & 7).

I wish Apple had documented this somewhere!

0
votes

First, find the regular HTTP link through Apple's link maker service: http://itunes.apple.com/linkmaker

Through there, you can find links to both apps and artists.

If you open these links programmatically from your app, however, first the iTunes app is opened and then the AppStore app is opened, so you see two app transitions.

Change the protocol part from http to itms-apps to fix this and jump directly to your artist page :).

(i.e., open a URL to itms-apps://[the link the linkmaker makes])

0
votes

this is they way you want to do it. opens it directly in app store

NSString *iTunesLink = @"itms-apps://itunes.com/apps/companyname/";
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:iTunesLink]];