List of APIs that require declared reasons now available
July 27, 2023
Apple is committed to protecting user privacy on our platforms. We know that there are a small set of APIs that can be misused to collect data about users’ devices through fingerprinting, which is prohibited by our Developer Program License Agreement. To prevent the misuse of these APIs, we announced at WWDC23 that developers will need to declare the reasons for using these APIs in their app’s privacy manifest. This will help ensure that apps only use these APIs for their intended purpose. As part of this process, you’ll need to select one or more approved reasons that accurately reflect how your app uses the API, and your app can only use the API for the reasons you’ve selected.
Starting in fall 2023, when you upload a new app or app update to App Store Connect that uses an API (including from third-party SDKs) that requires a reason, you’ll receive a notice if you haven’t provided an approved reason in your app’s privacy manifest. And starting in spring 2024, in order to upload your new app or app update to App Store Connect, you’ll be required to include an approved reason in the app’s privacy manifest which accurately reflects how your app uses the API.
If you have a use case for an API with required reasons that isn’t already covered by an approved reason and the use case directly benefits the people using your app, let us know.