How to make my iphone app icon update like the weather app icon?

Question

I have an application that I'm currently building that requires me to display a visual update on the application it self. example:

The weather app displays 14 degrees celcius and some clouds as its application icon. When the weather changes there is an update to the way the icon looks without having to open the weather app. The applications icon changes to reflect the update in weather. You can then open the weather app to get more information if need be.

In my application I need to have an update system like that which shows the user information without opening the application. If they would like more information they can open the application then.

I have no idea how to accomplish this task at the moment. I hope someone will be able to help or point me in the right direction. Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

You can't do what you are proposing. As far as I know the weather app always displays 23 degrees C. I know the iCal app displays the date but this is done using private API's only allowed for use by Apple since there is no way to do this with the public SDK.

You can however display badge numbers like the AppStore app does to display the number of available updates.

Answer 2

You can specify a "badge" (like unread messages on the mail app icon), but you can't change the icon of your app programmatically using the public SDK.