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Setting up the IVA for iOS app messaging

Updated on March 23, 2022

Ensure that users can message with Pega Intelligent Virtual Assistant™ (IVA) from a native iOS app by using Pega Mobile Messaging SDK. As a result, you make your mobile app user experience seamless and more interactive.

Users can instantly interact with the chatbot from your iOS app to get support with a car rental service, for example, to request more information about the availability of cars in a city.
Before you begin:
You access Digital Messaging Manager in the Digital Messaging channel to configure individual messaging accounts from one place for your application.

If your security team requires JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication for communication between your IVA for Digital Messaging and social messaging platforms, you can configure this alternative security method for your channel. JWT authentication is an industry-standard method that permits the sender to sign a request with a unique token that the receiver later verifies, to ensure that the obtained request is valid and that the token did not expire.

Note: After you update Pega Platform or Pega Customer Service, to use the latest Digital Messaging Manager features, save your existing Digital Messaging channel.
  1. In the navigation pane of App Studio, click Channels.
  2. In the Current channel interfaces section, click the icon that represents your existing Digital Messaging channel.
  3. In the Digital Messaging channel, click the Connection tab.
  4. Click Manage connections.
  5. In the Digital Messaging Manager window, click Add Connection, and then click the iOS App Messaging icon.
  6. On the General tab, in the Name field, enter a name for the iOS App Messaging connection.
  7. Click Save.
  8. Optional: To configure the chat context data to display to CSRs when they interact with users:
    1. Click the Context data tab.
    2. In the General information section, select the context data to capture during interaction with a user:
      Context dataDescription
      IP addressThe IP address of the mobile device.
      LocationThe physical location of the mobile device based on GPS settings.
      Device/OSThe mobile operating system and the device type.
    3. Click Save.
  9. Optional: To configure security options for iOS app messaging:
    1. Click the Security tab.
    2. Optional: To sign requests during communication between IVA for Digital Messaging and your iOS app, in the JWT Secret section, click Show JWT Secret, and then use this key for your token during JWT authentication.
      You select the JWT authentication method for the Digital Messaging channel in the application rule. For more information, see Configuring Digital Messaging channel security.
  10. Click the Installation tab.
  11. Copy the generated values for Api id and Api url to a file.
  12. Click Download iOS SDK to download Pega Mobile Messaging SDK for iOS to your computer.
    Pega Mobile Messaging SDK helps you embed web messaging in your native iOS app.
    For example: The following figure shows the installation settings for an iOS app messaging connection in Digital Messaging Manager:
    Installation tab settings for an iOS app messaging connection in a Digital Messaging channel.
    The configuration settings for an iOS app messaging connection on the Installation tab.
  13. Optional: To configure the ability to receive messages in your iOS app when a user is away:
    Note: Pega Mobile Messaging SDK for iOS does not send push notifications directly to devices.
    1. Click the Push notifications tab.
    2. In the URL field, enter the Webhook URL for your iOS app.
    3. In the Custom headers section, in the Header key field, enter a header key.
    4. In the Header value field, enter a header value.
    5. Click Add.
    6. To add more headers, repeat steps 13.c through 13.e.
What to do next: In Xcode, prepare your native iOS app for messaging with the chatbot:
  • Set up Pega Mobile Messaging SDK that you downloaded in step 12 for iOS app development.
  • Add custom Swift code that uses Pega Mobile Messaging SDK in your iOS app project, and include the Api id and Api url values from step 11.
  • Build your iOS app.
For more information, see Mobile Messaging SDK configuration in your iOS app project.

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