Hi everyone,
I’m trying to register fonts system-wide using CTFontManagerRegisterFontURLs with the .persistent scope. The fonts are delivered through Apple-Hosted Background Assets (since On-Demand Resources are deprecated).
Process-level registration works perfectly, but persistent registration triggers a system “Install Fonts” prompt, and tapping Install causes the app to crash immediately.
I’m wondering if anyone has successfully used Apple-Hosted Background Assets to provide persistent, system-wide installable fonts, or if this is a current OS limitation/bug.
What I Expect
Fonts delivered through Apple-Hosted Background Assets should be eligible for system-wide installation
Tap “Install” should install fonts into Settings → Fonts just like app-bundled or ODR fonts
App should not crash
Why This Matters
According to:
WWDC 2019: Font Management and Text Scaling
Developers can build font provider apps that install fonts system-wide, using bundled or On-Demand Resources.
WWDC 2025: Discover Apple-Hosted Background Assets
On-Demand Resources are deprecated, and AHBAs are the modern replacement.
Therefore, persistent font installation via Apple-Hosted Background Assets appears to be the intended path moving forward.
Question
Is this a known limitation or bug in iOS?
Should .persistent font installation work with Apple-Hosted Background Assets?
Do we need additional entitlement, manifest configuration, or packaging rules?
Any guidance or confirmation from Apple engineers would be greatly appreciated.
Additional Info
I submitted a Feedback including a minimal reproducible sample project:
FB21109320
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Processes & Concurrency
Tags:
Core Text
Background Assets
Typography
Concurrency