Ping Identity can support native iOS and Android authentication, but the difficult part is not adding a login button. It is coordinating the authorization flow, redirect handling, token lifecycle, and the handoff between the mobile app and your backend.
Sidekick Interactive learned this while building an EV-charging app in Swift and Kotlin. The project used Ping Identity for user identity and single sign-on (SSO), with a native flow instead of putting the complete login experience inside a web view.
What is Ping Identity?
Ping Identity is an identity and access management platform. It provides capabilities such as authentication, authorization, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, identity management, and identity orchestration for customer, workforce, and partner applications.
The exact integration depends on the Ping product and deployment you use. Ping’s current documentation describes support for PingOne, PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud, PingAM, PingFederate, and OIDC-compliant authorization servers. Start with the Ping product documentation and confirm the server-side flow before choosing a mobile SDK.
Can you use Ping Identity in a native mobile app?
Yes. A native app can use Ping Identity through an OpenID Connect (OIDC) redirect flow or through Ping’s mobile orchestration SDKs. The right option depends on whether you need a standards-based login redirect or an embedded flow driven by PingOne DaVinci or an Advanced Identity Cloud or PingAM journey.
Ping’s Orchestration SDK documentation describes native SDK support for Android with Kotlin and iOS with Swift. It also explains that the SDK can handle the orchestration loop, REST calls, and token management while the app renders the required authentication steps.
For a plain OIDC sign-in, the app typically opens the authorization request in the system browser, receives the redirect, exchanges the authorization code, and uses the resulting tokens to call protected services. This is different from treating a web view as the whole authentication architecture.
Sidekick Interactive’s native Ping Identity case study
Sidekick Interactive integrated Ping Identity into an EV-charging app for both iOS and Android. The mobile clients were written in Swift and Kotlin, and the identity flow connected the app to its backend servers.
The project had a clear goal: let the app authenticate users and maintain a single sign-on flow without making the user repeat the same work across connected services. You can learn more about Sidekick Interactive’s custom mobile app development services and EV-charging app work.
The native integration sequence
The sequence matters more than any individual API call. A practical native Ping Identity integration usually follows these steps:
- Register the mobile client. Configure the application, redirect URI, scopes, and allowed grant type in the Ping environment. A public mobile client should use the authorization code flow with PKCE rather than embedding a client secret in the app.
- Start authentication. Build the authorization request with the required scopes and a cryptographically random state value. PKCE adds a code verifier and challenge so an intercepted authorization code cannot be used by another client.
- Return through the redirect. Configure the iOS and Android app to receive the redirect URI. Validate the returned state before continuing.
- Exchange the code. Send the authorization code and PKCE verifier to the authorization server. The result normally includes an access token and, where configured, a refresh token or an ID token.
- Call the backend. Send the access token as a bearer credential to the API that serves the app. The backend must validate the token’s signature, issuer, audience, expiry, and required scopes before returning protected data.
- Refresh or sign out. Refresh access when the token expires, handle failed refreshes by returning the user to authentication, and revoke or clear credentials during sign-out according to the Ping configuration.
The OAuth 2.0 native app best current practice recommends using an external user-agent, such as the system browser, for authorization. That approach gives the operating system and the identity provider a stronger security boundary than an embedded web view.
Token handling is the hard part
Tokens are not just strings to pass around the app. An access token authorizes API requests, an ID token describes the authenticated session, and a refresh token can create new access tokens. Each one has a different purpose and lifetime.
Keep token handling in one small authentication layer instead of spreading it through view controllers, activities, or API calls. The layer should own storage, refresh coordination, logout, and error mapping. On iOS, use Apple’s AuthenticationServices framework for the system authentication session. On Android, protect locally stored credentials with the Android Keystore system.
Do not log access tokens, refresh tokens, authorization codes, or full authorization responses. Also avoid putting credentials in shared preferences or an unprotected file. Your mobile security review should cover redirect interception, certificate validation, token expiry, refresh races, and what happens when a device is lost.
Common problems with Ping Identity in native apps
The most common problems are integration gaps, not a lack of authentication features:
| Problem | What it looks like | Better approach |
|---|---|---|
| Web documentation is treated as mobile documentation | The app tries to reproduce a browser flow inside a web view | Follow the native OIDC and SDK flow for the selected Ping product |
| Redirects are configured inconsistently | Login succeeds on one platform but never returns to the app on the other | Define and test a separate redirect configuration for iOS and Android |
| Token ownership is unclear | Several screens refresh or overwrite credentials at the same time | Give one authentication component responsibility for the token lifecycle |
| Backend validation is skipped | The app accepts a token that the API would not accept | Validate issuer, audience, signature, expiry, and scopes on the server |
| Server changes require an app release | A new authentication step breaks the existing client | Use an orchestration model where the server controls the flow when appropriate |
Ping’s Orchestration SDK model is useful when authentication can change over time. The documentation says the app initializes the SDK, starts a flow or journey, renders callbacks, submits the user’s response, and receives tokens after the flow completes. That keeps more of the authentication sequence on the server instead of hard-coding every step in the mobile client.
What Sidekick Interactive learned from the project
Sidekick Interactive’s first native Ping Identity integration required the team to map the call sequence, understand the token parameters, and connect the identity flow to both the Swift and Kotlin clients. Existing examples helped, but they did not remove the need to understand the complete flow.
The practical lesson is simple: treat identity as part of the app architecture, not as a small login feature. Agree on the Ping configuration, mobile redirect behavior, backend token validation, error states, and logout behavior before implementation begins.
You wouldn’t call a plumber to fix your electrical panel. The same logic applies to mobile identity work. A team building a native app should know how iOS, Android, backend APIs, OIDC, and the selected identity platform fit together.
Should you use Ping Identity for a native app?
Ping Identity is a strong fit when your app needs enterprise identity, SSO, OIDC, multi-factor authentication, or a shared identity layer across mobile, web, and API clients. It is not a shortcut around architecture. You still need a sound redirect design, secure token storage, server-side validation, and platform-specific testing.
If your project uses Swift and Kotlin, plan the integration as one identity contract implemented twice. Keep the user experience native on each platform, keep token ownership centralized, and test the complete journey against the real backend before polishing the surrounding screens.
FAQ
Does Ping Identity work with native iOS apps?
Yes. Ping supports iOS integration with Swift through OIDC redirect flows and mobile SDK options, depending on the Ping product in use. The app must configure a secure redirect, validate the authorization response, and store credentials using platform security controls.
Does Ping Identity work with native Android apps?
Yes. Android apps can integrate with Ping using Kotlin, OIDC, and Ping’s supported mobile SDKs. The implementation must handle redirect intents, PKCE, token refresh, backend authorization, and secure credential storage.
What is the difference between Ping Identity and Ping Identity SSO?
Ping Identity is the broader identity and access management platform. Ping Identity SSO is the single sign-on capability that lets an authenticated user access connected applications without signing in again for each one.
Does a native app need a web view for Ping Identity login?
No. A native app can use an OIDC authorization redirect through the system browser or use a supported Ping orchestration SDK. An embedded web view is not the only way to connect a mobile app to an identity provider.
How should a native app store Ping Identity tokens?
Keep tokens behind a dedicated authentication layer and use the platform’s protected storage. On iOS, use the Keychain and system authentication APIs; on Android, use Android Keystore-backed protection and never write tokens to logs or unprotected files.
What languages can you use for Ping Identity mobile integration?
For native mobile development, the relevant languages are Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android. Ping’s current Orchestration SDK documentation also lists JavaScript and React Native options, but those follow a different application architecture.
Sources & References
- Ping Identity platform: platform capabilities
- Ping developer documentation: product and integration references
- Ping Orchestration SDKs: native SDK flow and platform support
- RFC 8252: OAuth for native apps
- Apple AuthenticationServices: iOS authentication sessions
- Android Keystore: Android key protection