Background Tasks

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Request the system to launch your app in the background to run tasks using Background Tasks.

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Issue in background notification iOS 18
Issue: I am making an application that stores data locally from notifications fired from the server. Everything works fine in the foreground but the background is having problems with not being triggered when notifications are fired. So we tried firing 2 notifications at the same time, including default and silent types. But the problem continues to arise on ios 18, when firing multiple times like that, the trigger is not handling all notifications, leading to data loss. I tried on ios 15 and it worked fine. Environment: Device or Simulator: Iphone 11 pro max (iOS 18.3.2 Steps to Reproduce: Open app, allow received notification. Move app to background mode or terminate app. Sent 2 notifications: a. Default notification payload: { "aps": { "content-available": 1 }, ”notification”: {…}, “alert”: {..}, “data": "some_value" } b. Silent notification payload: { "aps": { "content-available": 1 }, ”data": "some_value" } What I've Tried: Trigger notification in function: application(_:didReceiveRemoteNotification:fetchCompletionHandler:) Handle write data to local storage in above function, put it in background thread also. Thanks in advance!
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Oct ’25
BGContinuedProcessingTask launchHandler invocation
I'm trying to understand how the API works to perform a function that can continue running if the user closes the app. For a very simple example, consider a function that increments a number on screen every second, counting from 1 to 100, reaching completion at 100. The user can stay in the app for 100s watching it work to completion, or the user can close the app say after 2s and do other things while watching it work to completion in the Live Activity. To do this when the user taps a Start Counting button, you'd 1 Call BGTaskScheduler.shared.register(forTaskWithIdentifier:using:launchHandler:). Question 1: Do I understand correctly, all of the logic to perform this counting operation would exist entirely in the launchHandler block (noting you could call another function you define passing it the task to be able to update its progress)? I am confused because the documentation states "The system runs the block of code for the launch handler when it launches the app in the background." but the app is already open in the foreground. This made me think this block is not going to be invoked until the user closes the app to inform you it's okay to continue processing in the background, but how would you know where to pick up. I want to confirm my thinking was wrong, that all the logic should be in this block from start to completion of the operation, and it's fine even if the app stays in the foreground the whole time. 2 Then you'd create a BGContinuedProcessingTaskRequest and set request.strategy = .fail for this example because you need it to start immediately per the user's explicit tap on the Start Counting button. 3 Call BGTaskScheduler.shared.submit(request). Question 2: If the submit function throws an error, should you handle it by just performing the counting operation logic (call your function without passing a task)? I understand this can happen if for some reason the system couldn't immediately run it, like if there's already too many pending task requests. Seems you should not show an error message to the user, should still perform the request and just not support background continued processing for it (and perhaps consider showing a light warning "this operation can't be continued in the background so keep the app open"). Or should you still queue it up even though the user wants to start counting now? That leads to my next question Question 3: In what scenario would you not want the operation to start immediately (the queue behavior which is the default), given the app is already in the foreground and the user requested some operation? I'm struggling to think of an example, like a button titled Compress Photos Whenever You Can, and it may start immediately or maybe it won't? While waiting for the launchHandler to be invoked, should the UI just show 0% progress or "Pending" until the system can get to this task in the queue? Struggling to understand the use cases here, why make the user wait to start processing when they might not even intend to close the app during the operation? Thanks for any insights! As an aside, a sample project with a couple use cases would have been incredibly helpful to understand how the API is expected to be used.
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Oct ’25
Background Task Scheduler
Hello, An application I am working on would like to schedule push notifications for a medication reminder app. I am trying to use BGTaskScheduler to wake up periodically and submit the notifications based on the user's medication schedule. I set up the task registration in my AppDelegate's didFinishLaunchingWithOptions method: BGTaskScheduler.shared.register( forTaskWithIdentifier: backgroundTaskIdentifier, using: nil) { task in self.scheduleNotifications() task.setTaskCompleted(success: true) self.scheduleAppRefresh() } scheduleAppRefresh() I then schedule the task using: func scheduleAppRefresh() { let request = BGAppRefreshTaskRequest(identifier: backgroundTaskIdentifier) request.earliestBeginDate = Date(timeIntervalSinceNow: 60 * 1) do { try BGTaskScheduler.shared.submit(request) } catch { } } In my testing, I can see the background task getting called once, but if I do not launch the application during the day. The background task does not get called the next day. Is there something else I need to add to get repeated calls from the BGTaskScheduler? Thank You, JR
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Oct ’25
Privileged Helper is denied permission to open raw device
Hello, appreciate any help here. Objective: perform a scoped write to a removable block device (using low-level system frameworks in C). Issue: launchd-run privileged helper (as root) denied permission to open block device. Manual 'sudo ./helper' call succeeds, however. Importantly: the entire process works flawlessly if the main app is granted Full Disk Access in Privacy & Security. However, this should be completely unnecessary for this objective, as scoped access should be sufficient, and FDA is in fact not required for other apps which perform this task. Architecture and flow: Main GUI process collects ISO path and target removable device path (queried via IOKit). Main GUI process installs a Privileged Helper via SMJobBless. The Privileged Helper is started on demand by launchd as root (UID 0, EUID 0). Main GUI process communicates selected ISO and device paths to Privileged Helper via XPC. Privileged Helper conducts security and sanity checks, unmounts volumes from target device via DiskArbitration. Privileged Helper obtains file handles to ISO and target block device (e.g.: "/dev/disk4"). Privileged Helper performs a byte-by-byte write to the target block device. Problematic area: Simplified example using C syscalls (via Zig): const path = "/dev/disk5"; // Note that even with readonly flag this fails const fd = c.open(path, c.O_RDONLY, @as(c_uint, 0)); defer _ = c.close(fd); if (fd < 0) { const err_num = c.__error().*; const err_str = c.strerror(err_num); log("open() failed with errno {}: {s}", .{ err_num, err_str }); } Output (when run by launchd - UID 0, EUID 0, domain: system): open() failed with errno 1: Operation not permitted Simplified example with Zig open interface: const directory = try std.fs.openDirAbsolute(deviceDir, .{ .no_follow = true }); const device = try directory.openFile("/dev/disk5", .{ .mode = .read_write, .lock = .exclusive }); errdefer device.close(); Output (when run by launchd - UID 0, EUID 0, domain: system): Error: error.AccessDenied Running the same examples by manually launching the binary with a test argument succeeds: sudo ./helper "/dev/disk5" ... Notable points: Both Main GUI process and the Privileged Helper binary are codesigned (via codesign ...). Privileged Helper has both Info.plist and Launchd.plist symbols exported into its binary. Privileged Helper has no codesign flags (e.g.: for hardened runtime or others): CodeDirectory v=20400 size=8130 flags=0x0(none) hashes=248+2 location=embedded Output of sudo launchctl print system/<helper-bundle-id> shows nothing of interest to indicate any security restrictions. Appreciate any advice here!
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Oct ’25
iOS blocks 100% notification for app in the background
I created my app. One of its functionality is receive remote notification in the background (it receives it from Firebase Cloud Messaging via APNS) and replies with device location data. This is "boat tracking and alarm" type of app. It worked well both on my iPhone (where I use the same Apple ID as on developer's account) and on my son's iPad (different Apple ID). After the first review, when app was rejected with some remarks, background remote notifications completely stopped working on my iPhone. It looks like my iPhone put the app in permanent sleep. It never receives the background notifications. It receives them though in 2 case: when I open the app (it is no longer in background) when location is changed (it wakes app in the background). But the app should also respond when the device is stable at the position (I use both: precise and Significant Location Change. In the latter case changes are very rare). Btw, I scheduled a background task, not location, and it also never gets executed, so this workaround does not work. I describe it, so any Apple engineer does not get confused, verifying that these remote notifications reach the device. NO, they never get through when app is in the background (THIS IS THE PROBLEM), not that they are never delivered (the are, in the foreground). And the proof that it is not a problem with the app or remote notification construction is: they work on another drives (iPad) with no issues. Sometimes they are very delayed, sometimes almost instant. But usually they work. they worked the same way on my iPhone (with my developer's Apple ID) before the first rejection, and I haven't messed with messaging functionality since then. Now I am over with the last hope I had. I finally got my app release in App Store. I hoped official version would release some blockade my iOS put on my app. But unfortunately not. Official version works the same way as the test one. It works fine (receiving notifications in the background) on my son's iPad and it does not receive any background notification on my iPhone (100% block rate). Can anyone help me how can I reset my apps limits, the iOS created for my app? It seems that the rejection was a sparkle here - this is just a hint. I can provide any system logs for Apple engineers from both devices (iPhone and iPad) if you would like to check this case.
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Sep ’25
Private UIKit code causes a crash when the app moves to the background on iOS 26
After iOS 26 was released to the public and our build began rollout, we started seeing a strange crash affect users immediately after the app goes to the background. According to the symbolication provided in Xcode, this appears to be the result of a UICollectionView potentially related to the keyboard and a UIAlertController. I’m not sure how an error somewhere else can cause a crash in our app which does not use UIKit in the background. The feedback associated with this post is: FB20305833. I will attach a sample of the crash report in my next comment.
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Sep ’25
BGContinuedProcessingTask does not work on the official release of iOS 26
The following code worked as expected on iOS 26 RC, but it no longer works on the official release of iOS 26. Is there something I need to change in order to make it work on the official version? Registration BGTaskScheduler.shared.register( forTaskWithIdentifier: taskIdentifier, using: nil ) { task in ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // This closure is not called on the official release of iOS 26 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// let task = task as! BGContinuedProcessingTask var shouldContinue = true task.expirationHandler = { shouldContinue = false } task.progress.totalUnitCount = 100 task.progress.completedUnitCount = 0 while shouldContinue { sleep(1) task.progress.completedUnitCount += 1 task.updateTitle("\(task.progress.completedUnitCount) / \(task.progress.totalUnitCount)", subtitle: "any subtitle") if task.progress.completedUnitCount == task.progress.totalUnitCount { break } } let completed = task.progress.completedUnitCount >= task.progress.totalUnitCount if completed { task.updateTitle("Completed", subtitle: "") } task.setTaskCompleted(success: completed) } Request let request = BGContinuedProcessingTaskRequest( identifier: taskIdentifier, title: "any title", subtitle: "any subtitle", ) request.strategy = .queue try BGTaskScheduler.shared.submit(request) Sample project code: https://github.com/HikaruSato/ExampleBackgroundProcess
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Sep ’25
Are iPad apps that are closed with the red traffic light prevented from running background tasks?
In iOS Background Execution limits, I see this: When the user ‘force quits’ an app by swiping up in the multitasking UI, iOS interprets that to mean that the user doesn’t want the app running at all. iOS also sets a flag that prevents the app from being launched in the background. That flag gets cleared when the user next launches the app manually. However, I see that when I close an app on iPadOS 26 with the red X, the app doesn't appear in the multitasking UI. So are they treated as force closes and prevented from running background tasks?
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Sep ’25
CallKit UI not invoked after receiving VoIP Push – app killed with NSInternalInconsistencyException
Our VoIP app receives PushKit notifications successfully (callservicesd Delivering 1 VoIP payload appears in logs). However, the app is consistently terminated by the system when running in the background or killed state. The crash is caused by iOS expecting a reportNewIncomingCall to CallKit, but the system reports: *** Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Killing app because it never posted an incoming call to the system after receiving a PushKit VoIP push.' *** Assertion failure in -[PKPushRegistry _terminateAppIfThereAreUnhandledVoIPPushes], PKPushRegistry.m:349 Key Observations: VoIP pushes arrive and are delivered to the app. In foreground, some methods work and CallKit UI sometimes appears. In background/killed state, app is always terminated before CallKit UI shows. Logs confirm the system requires CallKit to be reported immediately inside pushRegistry(_:didReceiveIncomingPushWith:for:completion:). Steps to Reproduce: Run the app with VoIP + CallKit integration. Put app in background (or kill it). Send a VoIP push. Observe system logs and crash: callservicesd: Delivering 1 VoIP payload(s) to application UrgiDoctor: Apps receiving VoIP pushes must post an incoming call via CallKit... error: Killing VoIP app because it failed to post an incoming call in time. Expected Behavior: On receiving a VoIP push, CallKit UI (Accept / Decline screen) should always appear. App should not be killed if reportNewIncomingCall is called in time. Actual Behavior: CallKit UI never appears in background/killed state. App is force-terminated by iOS before user can accept/decline the call. Request: Guidance on the correct sequence for calling reportNewIncomingCall and completionHandler() in pushRegistry. Clarification if any changes in iOS 17/18 affect PushKit + CallKit behavior. Best practices for ensuring CallKit UI always appears reliably after a VoIP push. Environment: iOS 18.5 Simulator + Device Xcode 16.4 Using PushKit + CallKit with VoIP entitlement
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Sep ’25
How can a Network Extension notify or trigger tasks in the main app when it’s backgrounded or killed?
I’m developing a iOS VPN app, and I need to execute a task in the main app even when it’s in the background or killed state. I know the Network Extension continues running during those times. Is there a way for the extension to immediately notify the app or trigger a task on the app side?
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Sep ’25
BGContinuedProcessingTask Notification Error
Hello im creating an expo module using this new API, but the problem i found currently testing this functionality is that when the task fails, the notification error doesn't go away and is always showing the failed task notification even if i start a new task and complete that one. I want to implement this module into the production app but i feel like having always the notification error might confuse our users or find it a bit bothersome. Is there a way for the users to remove this notification? Best regards!
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Sep ’25
App getting stuck after active from background
I got users feed back, sometimes they seem the launch screen after active from background, and the launch screen show more longer than the cold launch. I check the app's log, when this issue happens, it displays a view controller named 'STKPrewarmingViewController', and disappears after about 5 seconds. And form the normal users, app don't have same behavior. It seems app need prewarming after back from background, why? Devices System version: iOS 18.4, app build with Xcode 16. How to fixed this issues? Thanks!
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Sep ’25
[iOS 26 Beta] BGTaskScheduler.supportedResources incorrectly reports no GPU support for BGContinuedProcessingTask on capable hardware
Testing Environment: iOS: 26.0 Beta 7 Xcode: Beta 6 Description: We are implementing the new BGContinuedProcessingTask API introduced in iOS 26. We have followed the official documentation and WWDC session guidance to configure our project. The Background Modes (processing) and Background GPU Access capabilities have been added in Xcode. The com.apple.developer.background-tasks.continued-processing.gpu entitlement is present and set to in the .entitlements file. The provisioning profile details viewed within Xcode explicitly show that the "Background GPU Access" capability and the corresponding entitlement are included. Despite this correct configuration, when running the app on supported hardware (iPhone 16 Pro), a call to BGTaskScheduler.supportedResources.contains(.gpu) consistently returns false. This prevents us from setting request.requiredResources = .gpu. As a result, when the BGContinuedProcessingTask starts without the GPU resource flag, our internal Metal-based exporter attempts to access the GPU and is terminated by the system, throwing an IOGPUMetalError: Insufficient Permission (to submit GPU work from background). We have performed extensive debugging, including a full reset of the provisioning profile (removing/re-adding capabilities, toggling automatic signing, cleaning build folders, and reinstalling the app), but the issue persists. This strongly suggests a bug in the iOS 26 beta where the runtime is failing to correctly validate a valid entitlement. Additionally, we've observed inconsistent behavior across devices. On an A16-based iPad, the task submits successfully (BGTaskScheduler.submit does not throw an error), but the launch handler is never invoked by the system. On the iPhone 16 Pro, the handler is invoked, but we encounter the supportedResources issue described above. This leads us to ask for clarification on the exact hardware requirements for this feature. We hypothesize that it may be limited to devices that support Apple Intelligence (A17 Pro and newer). Could you please confirm this and provide official documentation on the device support criteria? Steps to Reproduce: Create a new Xcode project. In Signing & Capabilities, add "Background Modes" (with "Background processing" checked) and "Background GPU Access". Add a permitted identifier (e.g., "com.company.test.*") to BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers in Info.plist. In application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) or a ViewController's viewDidLoad, log the result of BGTaskScheduler.shared.supportedResources.contains(.gpu). Build and run on a physical, supported device (e.g., iPhone 16 Pro). Expected Results: The log should indicate that BGTaskScheduler.shared.supportedResources.contains(.gpu) returns true. Actual Results: The log shows that BGTaskScheduler.shared.supportedResources.contains(.gpu) returns false.
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Sep ’25
WebRTC Data Channel for Background File Transfer Without Audio/Video
Hello, I’m building an iOS application that supports peer-to-peer file transfer. My goal is to use the WebRTC data channel only (no audio or video) to send files between users. I understand from Apple’s documentation that: • Apps are generally suspended in the background, and arbitrary sockets (like WebRTC) do not continue running. • Background file transfer is officially supported via URLSessionConfiguration.background, which the system manages reliably even if the app is suspended or terminated. • VoIP use cases require CallKit + audio/VoIP background modes, and CallKit must be used for legitimate calls (audio/video). What I want to confirm is: Is it supported for a WebRTC peer connection using only the data channel (no audio/video track, no CallKit call) to continue sending data when the app is in the background or locked? I considered using BGProcessingTask and BGAppRefreshTask, but as far as I can tell, those don’t allow maintaining long-lived sockets for active data transfer. Real-world developer discussions suggest that WebRTC connections are dropped when the app is backgrounded on iOS unless there’s at least one active audio track to keep the session alive. Can someone from Apple confirm if my understanding is correct—that data-only WebRTC connections will be killed in background unless they’re part of an active audio/video call with the appropriate entitlements? Thanks in advance!
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Sep ’25
BGTaskScheduler fails to match unique identifiers to a registered wildcard handler for BGContinuedProcessingTask
Testing Environment: iOS Version: 26.0 Beta 7 Xcode Version: 17.0 Beta 6 Device: iPhone 16 Pro Description: We are implementing the new BGContinuedProcessingTask API and are using the wildcard identifier notation as described in the official documentation. Our Info.plist is correctly configured with a permitted identifier pattern, such as com.our-bundle.export.*. We then register a single launch handler for this exact wildcard pattern. We are performing this registration within a UIViewController, which is a supported pattern as BGContinuedProcessingTask is explicitly exempt from the "register before applicationDidFinishLaunching" requirement, according to the BGTaskScheduler.h header file. The register method correctly returns true, indicating the registration was successful. However, when we then try to submit a task with a unique identifier that matches this pattern (e.g., com.our-bundle.export.UUID), the BGTaskScheduler.shared.submit() call throws an NSInternalInconsistencyException and terminates the app. The error reason is: 'No launch handler registered for task with identifier com.our-bundle.export.UUID'. This indicates that the system is not correctly matching the specific, unique identifier from the submit call to the registered wildcard pattern handler. This behavior contradicts the official documentation. Steps to Reproduce: Create a new Xcode project. In Signing & Capabilities, add "Background Modes" (with "Background processing" checked) and "Background GPU Access". Add a permitted identifier (e.g., "com.company.test.*") to BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers in Info.plist. In a UIViewController's viewDidLoad, register a handler for the wildcard pattern. Check that the register method returns true. Immediately after, try to submit a BGContinuedProcessingTaskRequest with a unique identifier that matches the pattern. Expected Results: The submit call should succeed without crashing, and the task should be scheduled. Actual Results: The app crashes immediately upon calling submit(). The console shows an uncaught NSInternalInconsistencyException with the reason: 'No launch handler registered for task with identifier com.company.test.UUID'. Workaround: The issue can be bypassed if we register a new handler for each unique identifier immediately before submitting a request with that same unique identifier. This strongly suggests the bug is in the system's wildcard pattern-matching logic.
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Sep ’25