Hello! I recently submitted a request for the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement for my app, and I’m trying to understand what kind of timeline to expect. I’ve seen posts suggesting anywhere from a few days to over a month for approval. Is there a typical review window for this entitlement? And is there anything I can do on my end to help the process move more smoothly? Thanks in advance!

Hello, I'm experiencing a significant delay getting the Family Controls entitlement approved for my Shield Configuration Extension, and I'm hoping someone here can help or has experienced something similar. Background: I'm developing an app that uses the Screen Time API with Family Controls. My main app bundle (lukedev.Bloka) was approved for Family Controls (Distribution) and works perfectly. The Problem My Shield Configuration Extension (lukedev.Bloka.Shield) has been stuck waiting for approval for over 2 weeks: Request ID: 6C8LD22UVM Submitted: November 20, 2025 Status: Still "Submitted" Current State: Only shows "Family Controls (Development)" in capabilities What I've Tried ✅ Submitted entitlement request via the proper channels ✅ Contacted Apple Developer Support (case #102762028251) ✅ Verified the main app has full Family Controls approval ✅ Deleted and regenerated all provisioning profiles multiple times ✅ Confirmed the App ID configuration is correct in the Developer Portal The Issue Without Family Controls (Distribution) approval for the Shield extension, I cannot: Test the complete app functionality on physical devices Submit the app to App Store Connect Move forward with development The error I'm getting during provisioning: Provisioning profile failed qualification Profile doesn't include the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement Questions Has anyone experienced multi-week delays for Shield extension entitlements? Is this normal? Should Shield extensions automatically inherit entitlements from the main app, or do they really require separate approval? The documentation isn't clear on this. Are there any known workarounds to test Shield Configuration Extensions during development while waiting for distribution approval? How can I escalate this request? Developer Support initially told me I already had approval (for the main app) but didn't address the extension's separate bundle ID. Technical Details Xcode: 16.2 Target: iOS 18+ Main App: Family Controls (Distribution) ✅ Approved Shield Extension: Family Controls (Development only) ❌ Stuck Why This Matters The Shield Configuration Extension is a core component of Screen Time API apps - it's not optional. Without it, the app cannot properly display blocking interfaces. The fact that it requires a separate 2+ week approval process (after the main app was already approved) seems like a significant oversight in Apple's review process. Has anyone successfully navigated this situation or found a way to expedite the review? Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Luca

Hi there, I'm trying to work on an architecture where one app exposes an API (Extension Host) that other apps can plugin to. I've been reading all I can from the docs and whatever I can find online. It seemed like iOS26 added the ability to do such a thing (at least in early builds). Is that the case? Has the functionality been walked back such that extensions can only be loaded in iOS from within the single app bundle? My use case is the following: I'm working on an agent app that desires to have 3rd party developers add functionality (think how MCP servers add functionality to LLMs). The 3rd party plugins would be provided in their own app bundles vetted by the AppStore review team, of course, and would only provide hooks, basically, the main app can use to execute functions or get state. This is the best thread I found on the topic, and the subtext is that it needs to be in the same bundle. https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/803896?answerId=865314022#865314022 Let's say for the moment that this isn't possible using ExtensionKit. What's the best way to achieve this? Our current best alternative idea is a hidded WebKit window that runs JS/WASM but that's so hackish. Please let me know, thanks!

I have two apps - say A and B in my AppStore account, deployed in the AppStore. App A has obtained the com.apple.developer.usernotifications.filtering entitlement and this is added to my AppStore account by Apple after approval. Note that this is added for the account, and not for the specific app. Now, my app B also wants this functionality. Followed all the steps as done for app A - adding the already approved entitlement to my app B's identifier, regenerating the profiles, adding the key in the entitlements file, calling the completion handler with empty content like - contentHandler(UNNotificationContent()) Still the notifications show, the filtering is not working. Do I have to request the entitlement for App B separately? Even if I do request again, I am not sure if there is going to be any difference in the steps already done. The difference can only be if Apple has a mapping with the app id internally in their system, for the filtering to work? If I have white-labelled versions of apps A or B, do I have to request again then? Or does Apple restrict only one app to have this entitlement from one AppStore account? Please guide on the next steps here.

Hi, Since Xcode 26.2 beta 1, till now (I thought RC or actual release will solve this issue) I have problems exporting archive to appstore via Xcode Cloud (locally everything works and using Xcode 26.2 I was able to submit app to AppStore). Build is archived successfully but during export I get an error Exporting for App Store Distribution failed. Please download the logs artifact for more information. In xcodebuild-export-archive.log I see multiple attempts & errors like this 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040644840Z 2025-12-13 00:29:33.900 xcodebuild[10889:58988] DVTServices: Sending request 9A4173F4-CD87-4A76-95FC-501B4D11EF22 to <http://172.16.55.70:8089/services/v1/capabilities> for session DVTFoundation.DVTServicesSessionProxy. 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040647258Z Method: POST 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040648780Z 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040650230Z Headers: 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040651730Z { 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040653539Z Accept = "application/vnd.api+json"; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040655403Z "Accept-Encoding" = "gzip, deflate"; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040673847Z "Content-Length" = 124; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040675883Z "Content-Type" = "application/vnd.api+json"; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040677903Z "User-Agent" = Xcode; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040681998Z "X-HTTP-Method-Override" = GET; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040684468Z "X-Xcode-Version" = "26.2 (17C52)"; 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040686326Z } 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040688028Z 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040689711Z Payload: 2025-12-13T08:29:34.040692163Z {"urlEncodedQueryParams":"teamId=8CKLLLC9UE&filter%5BreferenceType%5D=bundle&filter%5BincludeRequestable%5D=true&limit=200"} 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308538247Z 2025-12-13 00:29:34.208 xcodebuild[10889:58988] DVTServices: Received response for 9A4173F4-CD87-4A76-95FC-501B4D11EF22 @ <http://172.16.55.70:8089/services/v1/capabilities>. Code = 0 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308555026Z 2025-12-13 00:29:34.208 xcodebuild[10889:58988] DVTServices: Response payload: { 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308557639Z "errors" : [ { 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308569919Z "id" : "0316154c-332b-4f9d-a90a-5770d4f8dc1a", 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308573588Z "status" : "400", 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308575871Z "code" : "PARAMETER_ERROR.INVALID", 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308578343Z "title" : "A parameter has an invalid value", 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308581767Z "detail" : "A parameter 'filter[includeRequestable]' has an invalid value : ''includeRequestable' is not a valid field name.'", 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308584989Z "source" : { 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308587270Z "parameter" : "filter[includeRequestable]" 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308589531Z } 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308591437Z } ] 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308593381Z } 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308595389Z 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308597297Z 2025-12-13T08:29:34.308600188Z 2025-12-13 00:29:34.208 xcodebuild[10889:58988] DVTServices: Could not fetch capabilities from network due to error: error = 'A parameter has an invalid value' When I use Xcode 26.1.1 to export the same commit, eveything works and workflow sends build to AppStoreConnect, any ideas what might cause this issue? Unfortunately I need to use Xcode 26.2 if I want to use tabViewBottomAccessory(isEnabled:content:) bcs even though this api is available since iOS 26.1, it's not available in Xcode 26.1

“Side Button Access” Capability cannot be found under capabilities and when trying to add the entitlement com.apple.developer.side-button-access.allow manually, I got the invalid entitlement error. Xcode: 26.2, MacOS: 26.2.

I´m tring to integrate InApp push provisioning but when I send the information from the issuer to SDK to add my debit card to wallet I saw this error: PKPassKitErrorDomain Code 2 error Looking in the forum I found how to see part of the logs to get more detail on the error and I found: POST https://pr-pod9-smp-device.apple.com:443/broker/v4/devices/04131B65D01590022288082867404947F3CCA674C3D41F3C/cards/683986c983984251b9aecfc8ff51d88a/enable 'Error Domain=PKPaymentWebServiceErrorDomain Code=0 "Error inesperado." UserInfo={PKErrorHTTPResponseStatusCodeKey=500, NSLocalizedDescription=Error inesperado.

I'm developing a watchOS nap app that detects when the user falls asleep by monitoring heart rate changes. == Technical Implementation == HKWorkoutSession (.mindAndBody) for background execution HKAnchoredObjectQuery for real-time heart rate data CoreMotion for movement detection == Battery Considerations == Heart rate monitoring ONLY active when user explicitly starts a session Monitoring continues until user is awakened OR 60-minute limit is reached If no sleep detected within 60 minutes, session auto-ends (user may have abandoned or forgotten to stop) App displays clear UI indicating monitoring is active Typical session: 15-30 minutes, keeping battery usage minimal == The Problem == HKWorkoutSession affects Activity Rings during the session. Users receive "Exercise goal reached" notifications while resting — confusing. == What I've Tried == Not using HKLiveWorkoutBuilder → Activity Rings still affected Using builder but not calling finishWorkout() (per https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/780220) → Activity Rings still affected WKExtendedRuntimeSession (self-care type) (per https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/721077) → Only ~10 min runtime, need up to 60 min HKObserverQuery + enableBackgroundDelivery (per https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/779101) → ~4 updates/hour, too slow for real-time detection Audio background session for continuous processing (suggested in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/130287) → Concerned about App Store rejection for non-audio app; if official approves this technical route, I can implement in this direction Some online resources mention "Health Monitoring Entitlement" from WWDC 2019 Session 251, but I could not find any official documentation for this entitlement. Apple Developer Support also confirmed they cannot locate it? == My Question == Is there any supported way to: Monitor heart rate in background for up to 60 minutes WITHOUT affecting Activity Rings or creating workout records? If this requires a special entitlement or API access, please advise on the application process. Or allow me to submit a code-level support request. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I have an open NFC Value-Added Services entitlement case (17370116) with Apple Wallet Entitlements. My request was acknowledged, information provided, but the case appears to have been split into duplicates and stalled. Is there a way to have the case consolidated and routed back to the Wallet Entitlements team?

Environment: Device: iPhone 15 iOS Version: 26.2 Xcode Version: (add your version) Signing: Automatic with Apple Developer account Problem: When calling NFCTagReaderSession.begin(), the session immediately fails with error code 2: "Missing required entitlement". This happens even though: NFCTagReaderSession.readingAvailable returns true NFCNDEFReaderSession.readingAvailable returns true The session object is created successfully Configuration verified: BonoResidente.entitlements: Info.plist (relevant keys): NFCReaderUsageDescription This app needs NFC permission to read transport cards com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.iso7816.select-identifiers D2760000850101 Apple Developer Portal: App ID com.acalvoelorri.BonoResidente has "NFC Tag Reading" capability enabled Provisioning profiles were regenerated after enabling the capability Xcode: "Near Field Communication Tag Reading" capability added via Signing & Capabilities CODE_SIGN_ENTITLEMENTS correctly points to the entitlements file Automatic signing enabled with valid Development Team Steps taken: Deleted app from device Clean Build Folder (Cmd+Shift+K) Deleted and re-added the NFC capability in Xcode Manually enabled NFC Tag Reading in Apple Developer Portal Rebuilt and reinstalled the app Code: import CoreNFC class NFCReaderService: NSObject, ObservableObject, NFCTagReaderSessionDelegate { @Published var lastReadData: String = "" @Published var isReading: Bool = false private var session: NFCTagReaderSession? func startReading() { guard NFCTagReaderSession.readingAvailable else { lastReadData = "NFC not available on this device" return } session = NFCTagReaderSession( pollingOption: [.iso14443, .iso15693, .iso18092], delegate: self ) session?.alertMessage = "Hold your transport card near the iPhone" session?.begin() isReading = true } func tagReaderSessionDidBecomeActive(_ session: NFCTagReaderSession) { print("NFC session active") } func tagReaderSession(_ session: NFCTagReaderSession, didInvalidateWithError error: Error) { // Error occurs here immediately after begin() print("Error: \(error)") } func tagReaderSession(_ session: NFCTagReaderSession, didDetect tags: [NFCTag]) { // Never reached } } Console logs: ========== NFC DEBUG INFO ========== iOS Version: 26.2 Device Model: iPhone Device Name: iPhone System Name: iOS NFCTagReaderSession.readingAvailable: true NFCNDEFReaderSession.readingAvailable: true Bundle ID: com.acalvoelorri.BonoResidente Creating NFCTagReaderSession with pollingOption: [.iso14443, .iso15693, .iso18092]... Session created: Optional(<NFCTagReaderSession: 0x110fa50e0>) Setting alertMessage... Calling session.begin()... session.begin() completed, isReading = true ========== NFC ERROR DEBUG ========== Full error: Error Domain=NFCError Code=2 "Missing required entitlement" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing required entitlement} Error type: NFCError Localized: Missing required entitlement NSError domain: NFCError NSError code: 2 NSError userInfo: ["NSLocalizedDescription": Missing required entitlement] Questions: Is there a known issue with NFCTagReaderSession entitlements on iOS 26.2? Are there additional entitlements required beyond com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formats with value TAG? How can I verify that the installed app's provisioning profile actually contains the NFC entitlement? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

I have opened a case with the apple developer support a month ago and they have not replied, since then I sent multiple other emails and opened more cases requesting them to get a status update about my case. So far I am being ignored, no reply or anything it is very frustrating, what can I do to get someone to help me with the apple developer team?

I want to help contribute a feature in a virtual-machine app in macOS that supports PCIe device passthrough over thunderbolt. I have a question about the entitlements. Since I do not represent the GPU vendors, would I be allowed to get a driver signed that matches GPU vendor IDs? Is there such a thing as wildcard entitlement for PCIDriverKit? I don't want end-users to have to disable SIP to be able to use this. Any suggestions/leads? Thank you.

Hi all, I’m building an iOS app that uses CoreNFC to communicate with a YubiKey 5C NFC over ISO14443 / ISO7816 and send APDUs (e.g. select an applet by AID). Environment • Device: iPhone 13 Pro Max • iOS: 18.6.2 • Xcode: 26.1.1 (17B100) • API: NFCTagReaderSession(pollingOption: .iso14443) using NFCTag.iso7816 What I’m trying to do 1. Start NFCTagReaderSession(.iso14443) 2. Detect tag → connect 3. Send ISO7816 APDUs (SELECT AID, etc.) Issue A — Entitlements / signing If I add ISO7816-related NFC entitlements, Xcode fails signing with an error like: • “Provisioning profile … doesn’t match entitlements file value for com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formats” When I inspect the generated .mobileprovision, I only see something like: • com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formats = [NDEF, TAG, PACE] …and I do not see an ISO7816 / select-identifiers entitlement (and the Developer portal UI doesn’t appear to let me enable it). Questions: 1. Is ISO7816 access under com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formats restricted and requires Apple approval? If yes, what’s the correct request process? 2. Is com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.iso7816.select-identifiers required for sending ISO7816 APDUs? If yes, how do developers obtain it / enable it for an App ID + provisioning profiles? 3. What is the Apple-supported way to configure entitlements/profiles for CoreNFC ISO7816 APDU communication with a token like a YubiKey? Issue B — Runtime NFC error Separately (even when I can run), I intermittently/consistently get: • NFCError Code=104 (“Tag is not connected”) This occurs after the tag is detected/connected when trying to establish a session or send APDUs. I’ve verified: • No phone case interference • Correct placement • Consistent detection “tick” from the phone for "Ready to Scan" prompt after tapping YubiKey 5C NFC device. If helpful, I can share: • A minimal sample project • The exact entitlements I tried • Console logs around the Code 104 failure Thanks!

We are planning to migrate our application from an iOS In‑App Purchase (IAP) subscription flow to an external web purchase flow. The intended user journey is: The user taps a “Subscribe” button in the app. The user is redirected to a web-based checkout to complete the purchase. The user returns to the app, and subscription access is unlocked based on entitlement verification from our backend. Our app is currently listed in the Education category. Before we begin this refactor, we would like confirmation on the following: Entitlements / permissions Do we need to request any specific Apple entitlements or approvals to implement this external purchase flow (e.g., external link or alternative payment related permissions)? Compliance / review requirements Are there any specific App Review compliance checks, disclosures, or review process requirements we must satisfy when moving from IAP to an external purchase flow? If relevant, are there constraints based on app category (Education) or product type (subscription)?

Hello, I would like to seek clarification regarding the availability of the NFC Secure Element (SE) / ISO7816 entitlement by region, specifically for Indonesia. I recently contacted Apple Developer Support regarding the use of NFC for reading ISO7816-compatible cards. I was informed that, at this time, the NFC & Secure Element entitlement is not available in Indonesia. For technical planning and compliance purposes, I would like to confirm the following: Is the NFC Secure Element / ISO7816 entitlement currently restricted by region, and is Indonesia officially unsupported at this time? For apps distributed on the App Store in Indonesia, is Core NFC limited to NDEF and non–Secure Element tag reading only? Are there any publicly supported alternatives or recommended architectural approaches for NFC-based workflows in regions where the Secure Element entitlement is unavailable? Is there any public documentation or guidance that outlines regional availability for NFC Secure Element features? I understand that entitlement approvals and availability may vary by region and are handled on a case-by-case basis. Any clarification from Apple engineers or developers with experience in this area would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and assistance. Best regards.

Hi, happy new year, I'm a Product Manager for a communications app that's currently in testflight. We requested the com.apple.developer.usernotifications.filtering entitlement on December 3rd, and have yet to receive a response from Apple. I understand that the holiday break may have gotten in the way, however it feels like we were lost in the queue as it's been 6 weeks with no response. Our app owner has checked-in inside appstoreconnect but has not received anything back. Is this common? Is there any process for getting a status update? Are we doing something wrong? Without this entitlement we cannot make the device ring in the background. The app is a voice and video messaging platform.

Hi all, I'm building an iOS app extension using ExtensionKit that works exclusively with its containing host app, presenting UI via EXHostViewController. I'd like the extension to have read-only access to the host's task for process introspection purposes. I'm aware this would almost certainly require a special entitlement. I know get-task-allow and the debugger entitlement exist, but those aren't shippable to the App Store. I'm looking for something that could realistically be distributed to end users. My questions: Does an entitlement exist (or is one planned) that would grant an extension limited, read-only access to its host's task—given the extension is already tightly coupled to the host? If not, is this something Apple would consider adding? The use case is an extension that needs to inspect host process state without the ability to modify it. Is there a path to request such an entitlement through the provisioning profile process, or is this fundamentally off the table for App Store distribution? It seems like a reasonable trust boundary given the extension already lives inside the host's app bundle, but I understand the security implications. Any insight appreciated. Thanks!

Hello! I recently submitted a request for the Family Controls (Distribution) for my app, and I’d be super happy if i could have some information about how long this process usually takes so i can plan accordingly. It would help immensly since we want to ship the app as soon as possible. I submitted the request around a week ago. Is there anything I can do on my end to help the process move more smoothly? Thanks in advance!

HI When I try to add Declared Age Range in the capability, there is no such thing... I'm on XCode version 26.2 (17C52)

Hi, I am using a carrier account and have been able to use com.apple.CommCenter.fine-grained entitlement successfully for the past few years. Currently I am trying to use this entitlement in an app clip. but recieving the following error: Validation failed (409) Invalid entitlement. App clip 'xyz.app/AppClips/appClip.app' contains a code signing entitlement 'com.apple.coretelephony.SimAuthentication.allow' that is not supported. Remove the 'com.apple.coretelephony.SimAuthentication.allow' entitlement. (ID: 87f67652-0e22-441d-b7ec-ea4baacab39e) NSUnderlyingError : Validation failed (-19241) Invalid entitlement. App clip 'xyz.app/AppClips/appClip.app' contains a code signing entitlement 'com.apple.coretelephony.SimAuthentication.allow' that is not supported. Remove the 'com.apple.coretelephony.SimAuthentication.allow' entitlement. status : 409 Is it possible to use com.apple.CommCenter.fine-grained entitlement in an app clip? if so do you have any suggestion how to resolve this error?