HockeyApp has released the next major version of its SDK for Mac developers, HockeyApp 2.0. This update brings the Mac SDK up to parity with the iOS version, which received similar updates last month.
The new SDK can send precise backtrace reports to developers when the app crashes during testing. This enables developers to accurately pinpoint where their code is messing up and crucially reduces time spent in debugging. The company claims that is the only crash reporting solution that offers the most flexibility in supporting all three types of logging.
In addition, for convenience, the SDK is now code signed. This removes the hassle off of app developers of having to do this extra step; code-signing is often an annoying pain-point in the development process. In addition, HockeyApp have combined their crash reporting tool with the SDK to make creating production builds even easier. Code signing is a requirement for apps submitted to the Mac App Store, so any developer targeting this distribution method will benefit from this change.
Finally, the API has been modernised to match the iOS API. This should help developers share their testing codebases between platforms, a big productivity boon for developers who target both iOS and OS X.
All in all, these updates streamline the beta testing process for developers that use the HockeyApp service, which in turn results in better apps for end-users. Full details of the changes can be found on the company blog.
