Device Integration

Purpose

Design the integration strategy for device hardware APIs (camera, sensors, biometrics, Bluetooth, etc.), including permission flows, fallback behavior, and cross-platform abstraction.

Scope Constraints

Reads hardware API documentation, framework references, and permission configurations for integration analysis. Does not modify files or execute code. Does not access device hardware, sensors, or biometric data directly.

Inputs

Feature requirements involving hardware capabilities
Target platforms and OS version minimums
Cross-platform framework (if applicable)
Privacy requirements and data sensitivity

Input Sanitization

No user-provided values are used in commands or file paths. All inputs are treated as read-only analysis targets.

Procedure

Progress Checklist

[ ] Step 1: Inventory required capabilities
[ ] Step 2: Map permission requirements
[ ] Step 3: Design permission flow
[ ] Step 4: Evaluate cross-platform abstraction
[ ] Step 5: Design fallback behavior
[ ] Step 6: Power and performance impact

Step 1: Inventory Required Capabilities

List every hardware API the feature needs:

Camera (photo, video, barcode scanning)
Location (GPS, network-based, background location)
Biometrics (Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint, device PIN fallback)
Bluetooth (BLE scanning, pairing, data transfer)
Sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, barometer)
Push notifications (remote, local, rich notifications)
Haptics (impact, selection, notification feedback)
Other (NFC, ARKit/ARCore, HealthKit)

Step 2: Map Permission Requirements

For each capability, document:

iOS permission: NSCameraUsageDescription, NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription, etc.
Android permission: CAMERA, ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, USE_BIOMETRIC, etc.
Runtime vs install-time: Which permissions need runtime prompts
Purpose strings: User-facing explanation for each permission
Privacy manifest entries: (iOS 17+ privacy manifest requirements)

Step 3: Design Permission Flow

For each permission:

Pre-prompt education: Explain why the permission is needed before the system dialog
First request timing: When in the user flow to request (not on launch — at the moment of need)
Denial handling: What the feature does if permission is denied
Settings redirect: How to guide the user to Settings if they denied and changed their mind
Partial permission: Handle "While Using" vs "Always" for location, "Limited" for photos

Step 4: Evaluate Cross-Platform Abstraction

If using a cross-platform framework:

Identify which APIs have mature cross-platform libraries
Flag which capabilities require native modules or platform-specific code
Assess abstraction quality (does the library expose all platform-specific options?)
Plan for platform differences (Face ID vs fingerprint, iOS haptics vs Android vibration)

Step 5: Design Fallback Behavior

For each capability, define behavior when:

Hardware is absent (no NFC chip, no biometric sensor)
Permission is denied (camera denied, location denied)
Hardware fails (GPS can't get a fix, Bluetooth disconnects)
OS version doesn't support the API

Step 6: Power and Performance Impact

Assess battery and performance cost:

Background location tracking power draw
Continuous sensor polling vs event-driven
Bluetooth scanning intervals and power modes
Camera session lifecycle management

Compaction resilience: If context was lost during a long session, re-read the Inputs section to reconstruct what feature is being analyzed, check the Progress Checklist for completed steps, then resume from the earliest incomplete step.

Output Format

# Device Integration Plan

## Capability Matrix
| Capability | iOS | Android | Cross-Platform Library | Native Required |
|-----------|-----|---------|----------------------|-----------------|
| Camera    | Yes | Yes     | expo-camera          | No              |
| BLE       | Yes | Yes     | react-native-ble-plx | No              |
| Face ID   | Yes | N/A     | expo-local-auth      | Partial         |

## Permission Map
| Capability | iOS Permission | Android Permission | Timing | Purpose String |
|-----------|---------------|-------------------|--------|----------------|
| Camera    | NSCameraUsageDescription | CAMERA | On first scan | "Scan barcodes..." |

## Permission Flow
### [Capability Name]
1. User taps [action]
2. Show education screen: "[Why we need this]"
3. System permission dialog
4. If granted: [proceed]
5. If denied: [fallback behavior]
6. If denied permanently: [settings redirect with instructions]

## Fallback Matrix
| Capability | Hardware Absent | Permission Denied | Hardware Failure |
|-----------|----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
| Camera    | [Fallback]     | [Fallback]        | [Fallback]      |

## Power Impact
| Capability | Active Draw | Mitigation |
|-----------|------------|------------|
| GPS       | ~50mA      | Use significant-change monitoring |

Handoff

Hand off to platform-audit if permission flows or hardware usage need validation against iOS HIG or Material Design guidelines.
Hand off to navigation-design if hardware API interactions require navigation changes such as permission-gated screen flows.

Quality Checks

[ ] Every required permission has a user-facing purpose string
[ ] Permission requests happen at moment of need, not on app launch
[ ] Every capability has fallback behavior for denial, absence, and failure
[ ] Cross-platform libraries are evaluated for API completeness
[ ] Power impact is assessed for continuous-use capabilities
[ ] iOS privacy manifest requirements are addressed (iOS 17+)
[ ] Android runtime vs install-time permissions are correctly categorized

Evolution Notes