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Connecting to Other iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads

The iPhone (and other devices that run the iPhone’s operating system, [called the iOS] including iPod touches and iPads) supports peer-to-peer connectivity, which is an overly complicated way of saying that these devices can communicate with one another directly (as opposed to over a network). Developers can take advantage of this in their applications to enable great functionality, especially multiplayer gaming, information sharing, and other collaborative activities.

Unlike Internet or Bluetooth connections, you don’t access the peer-to-peer configuration directly. Instead, you use applications that have this capability built into them.

There are two ways that iOS devices can communicate with each other: via a Wi-Fi network or via Bluetooth. The method you use in any specific situation depends on the application you are using.

If the application you want to use communicates over a Wi-Fi network, such as a network you use to access the Internet, all the devices with which you want to communicate must be on that same network. If the application uses Bluetooth, you must enable Bluetooth on each device and configure them so they can communicate with one another.

Also, each device that will be communicating via the application must have the application installed on it. (See Chapter 15 for help finding and installing applications.)

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