I have an app that uses a Share Extension that allows the user to share videos, from Files and Photos etc., the video URL and some related data is then persisted with SwiftData and synchronized with CloudKit. This code has worked consistently for a long time although recently, with iOS 26 and recent builds of iOS 18, I have observed that the video is either not saved to SwiftData (iOS 26.0), or available locally when the app is opened on the same device where the share occurred, but not synchronized to other devices (iOS 18.7 and iOS 26.1 beta). Assuming the video is opened locally after being shared into the app, it is typically synchronized with CloudKit to other devices although it's not as reliable as it should be. Is there a reliable approach in the Share Extension to ensure that the data is saved to the local SwiftData database and then synchronized with CloudKit. I suspect it could be that the lifetime of the Share Extension has become even more constrained in recent OS updates that the process ends before it has the opportunity to save and synchronize the data. Any thoughts on how to ensure this is reliable would be greatly appreciated. The data saved is not too large as it consists only of the video URL and not the data of the video itself.

[Question] Inconsistent Call Directory number matching across regions (Japan, Taiwan, U.S.) We’re developing a Call Directory extension and observed inconsistent number matching depending on carrier region and number format. Environment Device: iPhone (iOS 26.0) Call Directory Extension: Custom implementation Carrier A: Japan carrier SIM Carrier B: Taiwan carrier SIM Numbers added to Call Directory patterns: +81 120 580 2XXX +81 704 336 2XXX Observed Behavior (Japan Carrier SIM) Incoming call from +81 120 580 2XXX → Caller name not displayed (Call Directory match failed). Entering 0120 580 2XXX in the Phone app dialer → Name displayed correctly. Incoming call from +81 704 336 2XXX → Caller name displayed correctly. Entering 070 4336 2XXX in the Phone app dialer → Name displayed correctly. Observed Behavior (Taiwan Carrier SIM) Entering +81 120 580 2XXX in the dialer → Name not displayed until the call button is pressed. Entering +81 704 336 2XXX in the dialer → Name displayed immediately, before the call is placed. Steps to Reproduce For Japan carrier: Use a device running iOS 26 with a Japanese SIM card. Add the following numbers to the Call Directory extension: +81 120 580 2XXX and +81 704 336 2XXX Receive an incoming call from +81 120 580 2XXX → ❌ Caller name not displayed. Open the Phone app and enter 0120 580 2XXX → ✅ Caller name displayed. Receive an incoming call from +81 704 336 2XXX → ✅ Caller name displayed. Open the Phone app and enter 070 4336 2XXX → ✅ Caller name displayed. For Taiwan carrier: 7. Insert a Taiwan SIM card (keep the same Call Directory patterns). 8. Enter +81 120 580 2XXX → ❌ Name not shown until the call button is pressed. 9. Enter +81 704 336 2XXX → ✅ Name shown immediately. Expected Result For both numbers: Caller name from Call Directory should display consistently: a) On incoming calls. b) When entering the full number in the dialer (before pressing call). Behavior should be consistent across regions (Japan, Taiwan, United States). Actual Result Region / Carrier Number Pattern Incoming Call Dialer (Local Format) Japan +81 120 580 2XXX ❌ Not shown ✅ Shown (0120 580 2XXX) Japan +81 704 336 2XXX ✅ Shown ✅ Shown (070 4336 2XXX) Taiwan +81 120 580 2XXX N/A ❌ Not shown until call Taiwan +81 704 336 2XXX N/A ✅ Shown immediately Questions How should numbers be formatted or stored in the Call Directory patterns so that they match both incoming calls and dialer input consistently across regions? Are there region-specific number normalization rules (e.g., Japan’s 0-prefixed local dialing or Taiwan’s international format handling)? Is there an official guideline or recommendation for formatting phone numbers in Call Directory extensions (e.g., E.164 vs local format) to ensure consistent matching? Notes The inconsistent behavior appears to be related to how iOS normalizes numbers per carrier region and local dialing conventions. In Japan, incoming calls from mobile numbers starting with 070 match correctly, while 0120 (toll-free) fails unless entered in local format.

If the extension uses manifest v3 and a background script in the form of a service worker, then in Safari it is not possible to open the background script debugging window. If I expand the Developer menu in Safari, there is nothing under Web Extension Background Data (or disappear after click), which is an error. In other browsers (Edge, Chrome, Opera, Firefox) this works correctly. If I switch the background script back to non-persistent script mode, everything works fine and from the Developer menu and the Web Extension Background Data submenu I am able to open the background script debugging window for the extension. Am I doing something wrong?

After the first installation (out of AppStore) of the extension in the browser, the content script is correctly inserted into the page (twice for some reason) and a message is sent from the root of the content script to the background script, which responds correctly. However, if an event handler is registered within the content script, within which the message is also sent to the background script, it will never reach the background script. window.addEventListener("message", function (event) { // We only accept messages from ourselves if (event.source !== window) { return; } if (event.data.source && event.data.source === appIdentification) { browser.runtime.sendMessage(event.data); } }, false); It does not matter with what delay the event handler is called (i.e. the background script is not asleep). If I refresh the page or close and reopen the browser and reload the page, everything works correctly and the message sent from the event handler is already delivered to the background script. The event handler is used so that the extension code is uniform for all browsers (Chrome, Safari, Edge, Opera, Firefox), i.e. it is not intended to use externally_connectable for sending messages from the webpage directly to the background script, which Safari should support. The expected behavior is that the extension will work even after the first installation, as is the case with other browsers. Procedure: Enter the test website: https://www.mssf.cz/testapp/check_client.aspx Do the initial installation of the extension (could be downloaded from here: https://1drv.ms/f/c/76f4c93826df41a0/Ej5MQX9ctyhHv_P9_t_6uAwB05ET-nzXuMhPeu56nOgkWg?e=cudqRJ) Set a breakpoint in the event handler for "message" within the content script, open the background script and set a breakpoint in the event handler for onMessage Click on the "Validate certificate" button on the page loaded in point 1 Step through the content script to the point where the message is sent to the background script, the breakpoint within the background script is never hit, which is an error, the message should come to the background script

"The Safari web extension packager enables you to package and distribute your Safari extensions using App Store Connect from any web browser, without requiring a Mac or access to Xcode." I upload the unzipped folder I'd test in Chrome://extensions to the Safari web extension packager in App store connect. I get error: Embedded binary's bundle identifier is not prefixed with the parent app's bundle identifier. The only solution i've seen to this error involves xcode/a mac, being without which doesn't help

Hello, I have a few questions regarding the documentation here: Can this method described in the article be built with Xcode 26 and run on iOS 26? Or is it restricted to run only on iOS 26, since AppExtensionPoint appears to be available starting from iOS 26? Does this approach allow two apps under the same Team ID to communicate with each other? Does this approach also allow two apps under different Team IDs to communicate with each other? Is it mandatory to implement EXAppExtensionBrowserViewController and obtain user consent before using this method to exchange information? In our implementation, we followed the documentation. Inside EXAppExtensionBrowserViewController, we were able to see the Generic Extension from another app and enabled the permission. However, we still get the following error: Failed to connect: Error Domain=NABUExtensionConnector Code=1 "No matching extension found" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=No matching extension found} Could someone clarify whether this is expected behavior, or if we are missing an additional configuration step? Thanks in advance!

My Xcode project has the following configuration: 1 iOS app target 1 Xcode framework target (mach-o-type "Dynamic Library") 5 static libraries Dependencies: All the static libraries are target dependencies of the framework. The framework is the only target dependency of the iOS app. For the iOS app target, within the General tab > Frameworks, Libraries & Embedded content, I've set the framework as "Do not embed" So now I have a dynamic framework which won't be copied to the .app bundle in the build output. As per my understanding, this should result in a runtime error, dyld should not be able to find the framework files as they were not embedded in the final .app bundle. But regardless, my app runs without any errors, using all the methods exposed by the framework. What is the correct understanding here? What exactly does Embed/Do not embed mean (apart from excluding the files from .app bundle) When both settings are specified, is there any priority or precedence of one setting over the other?

Question: In the sandbox environment, I attempted to perform an In-App Purchase within an IME (Input Method Extension) using a sandbox test account. The purchase flow completed successfully, and I received the success callback. However, I encountered an issue: no receipt file is generated. I tried checking with both the main app’s bundle and the IME’s bundle, but the receipt file was not found in either case. When I attempted to refresh the receipt using SKReceiptRefreshRequest, it failed with an exception (error code: 0). I would appreciate any guidance on how to resolve this issue.

Hi Apple team, We’re shipping a Live Caller ID Lookup extension on iOS 18 and have a question about the automatic refresh of configuration/PIR parameters. Questions 1. Is there any documented interval/TTL (min/max) for the system’s automatic refresh of /config and PIR parameters, or is it entirely opportunistic (battery/network/usage)? I can’t find a cadence in the IdentityLookup docs. 2. Does iOS honor server cache headers (e.g., Cache-Control/Expires) to influence when it re-fetches? 3. Which events also trigger a refresh (enable/disable in Settings, OS/app update, device reboot, token/epoch change)? 4. Are there rate limits or best-practice limits for calling refreshExtensionContext and refreshPIRParameters?

I’m testing .glassEffect() in a widget on the latest iOS 26 beta, but it seems to have no effect at all — the blur isn’t visible, and in some cases even white text disappears completely. Is this the expected behavior for widgets (i.e. glass effect is not supported), or could this be a bug in the beta? Would appreciate any clarification or pointers. Thanks!

I'm using the LockedCameraCaptureExtension to launch my Camera app from the camera button. Some of our users report our app crashing a few seconds after being launch from the camera button. The call stack is something inside BoardServices [BSServicesConfiguration activateXPCService] I'm not sure how to investigate or fix this, anyone else having the same issue? Basically in my LockedCameraCaptureExtension when it loads I just call openApplication on the LockedCameraCaptureSession to launch into my app. @main struct captureExtension: LockedCameraCaptureExtension { var body: some LockedCameraCaptureExtensionScene { LockedCameraCaptureUIScene { session in Button(action: { Task { await openCamera(session: session) } }, label: { Text("Open Camera") }) .buttonStyle(PlainButtonStyle()) .task { await openCamera(session: session) } } } private func openCamera(session: LockedCameraCaptureSession) async { try? await session.openApplication(for: NSUserActivity(activityType: "com.mycompany.camera")) } }

I'm seeking help troubleshooting a persistent com.apple.IdentityLookup.error.messagefilter Code=3 error when my Message Filter Extension tries to defer to network. I’ve exhausted Apple documentation and forum posts, and Apple Support has asked me to escalate this via the forums to reach engineering. ✅ My Setup: Xcode: 16.2 macOS: Sequoia 15.3.1 (Apple Silicon Mac mini) Device: iPhone 14 Pro iOS: 18.3.2 (Developer Mode enabled) Tested via: TestFlight install on real device 📦 App Structure: Main App Target (minimal "hello world" logic) Message Filter Extension Target Messages Extension Target Message Reporting Extension Target Notifications Extension Target ✅ Capabilities & Configurations Main App Capabilities: App Groups: group.com.example.shared Network Extensions: Content Filter Associated Domains: messagefilter:my-api.example.com applinks:my-api.example.com Message Filter Capabilities: App Groups: same as main app Network Extensions: Content Filter Associated Domains: same as above 📄 Info.plist Config Main App Info.plist: NSAppTransportSecurity with: NSAllowsArbitraryLoads = YES Exception domain my-api.example.com with: NSIncludesSubdomains = YES NSTemporaryExceptionAllowsInsecureHTTPLoads = YES NSTemporaryExceptionMinimumTLSVersion = TLSv1.2 MessageFilter Info.plist: Same ATS settings as above NSExtension block: <key>NSExtension</key> <dict> <key>NSExtensionAttributes</key> <dict> <key>ILMessageFilterExtensionNetworkURL</key> <string>https://my-api.example.com/api/sms-filter</string> <key>ILClassificationExtensionSMSReportDestination</key> <string>+10000000000</string> </dict> <key>NSExtensionPointIdentifier</key> <string>com.apple.identitylookup.message-filter</string> <key>NSExtensionPrincipalClass</key> <string>$(PRODUCT_MODULE_NAME).MessageFilterExtension</string> </dict> 📜 Entitlements Main App Entitlements <key>com.apple.developer.associated-domains</key> <array> <string>messagefilter:my-api.example.com</string> <string>applinks:my-api.example.com</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>content-filter-provider</string> </array> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key> <array> <string>group.com.example.shared</string> </array> Message Filter Extension Entitlements Identical to main app’s, scoped to the extension. 📄 AASA File (Hosted on https://my-api.example.com/.well-known/apple-app-site-association) Serves as application/json, returns 200 OK, and is reachable on device via Safari. Logs confirm AASA is downloaded and installed successfully during TestFlight install. { "applinks": { "apps": [], "details": [ { "appID": "TEAMID.com.example.app", "paths": ["*"] }, { "appID": "TEAMID.com.example.app.MessageFilter", "paths": ["*"] } ] }, "messagefilter": { "apps": [], "details": [ { "appID": "TEAMID.com.example.app", "filterType": "URL", "domains": ["my-api.example.com"] }, { "appID": "TEAMID.com.example.app.MessageFilter", "filterType": "URL", "domains": ["my-api.example.com"] } ] }, "classificationreport": { "apps": [], "details": [ { "appID": "TEAMID.com.example.app", "domains": ["my-api.example.com"] }, { "appID": "TEAMID.com.example.MessageReporting", "domains": ["my-api.example.com"] } ] } } ❌ The Problem When the extension launches and receives an SMS to classify, logs show: deferQueryRequestToNetwork failed: The operation couldn’t be completed. (com.apple.IdentityLookup.error.messagefilter error 3.) The extension loads, network URL is available, the AASA is installed, and yet the extension is not allowed to defer to network. This occurs every time. 🧪 Other Notes Tried rebuilding everything from scratch Archiving to TestFlight, not running via Xcode Clean entitlements verified using codesign -d --entitlements :- Console logs show no issues with AASA download or validation Any help or insights from Apple engineering or others in the community who have successfully deployed a working Message Filter Extension would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance 🙏

I'm experiencing a conflict between Xcode 16's build requirements and App Store validation for DeviceActivityReport extensions. The Issue: Created a DeviceActivityReport extension using Xcode 16's template Extension builds and runs perfectly locally TestFlight upload fails with Apple saying EXAppExtensionAttributes is incorrect for widget extensions When I remove EXAppExtensionAttributes from Info.plist, local builds fail with: "Appex bundle does not define an EXAppExtensionAttributes dictionary" Current Info.plist (works locally, rejected by App Store): EXAppExtensionAttributes EXExtensionPointIdentifier com.apple.deviceactivityui.report-extension NSExtension NSExtensionPointIdentifier com.apple.deviceactivityui.report-extension NSExtensionPrincipalClass $(PRODUCT_MODULE_NAME).ActivityReportExtension The Problem: Xcode 16's "Device Activity Report Extension" template uses fileSystemSynchronizedGroups which appears to require the EX configuration format. But App Store validation rejects this format. Has anyone successfully uploaded a DeviceActivityReport extension created in Xcode 16? Any workarounds for this conflict between local build requirements and App Store validation? Using: Xcode 16.4, Family Controls entitlement (approved), iOS 18.5 SDK Thanks for any insights!

I've made working Spotlight Import Extension with in macOS 15.5 (24F74). mdimport confirm it's installed, and working. The problem is related to accessing data inside document bundles (package directory) class ImportExtension: CSImportExtension { override func update(_ attributes: CSSearchableItemAttributeSet, forFileAt url: URL) throws { // ERROR: The file "QuickSort.notepad" couldn't be opened because you don't have permission to view it. let fileWrapper = try FileWrapper(url: url) } } forFileAt url points to a bundle. In order to read the metadata the extension needs to load the bundle from url and access its content, however in the sandbox environment,t the url allows only access to the bundle directory itself in particular NSFileWrapper(url: url) fails with error "The file "name.extension" couldn't be opened because you don't have permission to view it.", and effectively prevent from providing useful metadata. Is there a way to access the Document Bundle content in order to read the metadata for Spotlight?

I get an error when using Share Extension to share images in iOS 26. It works fine in iOS 18. The error message is: Error acquiring assertion: <Error Domain=RBSAssertionErrorDomain Code=2 "Could not find attribute name in domain plist" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Could not find attribute name in domain plist}>. What should I do? My plist file looks like this: NSExtension NSExtensionAttributes NSExtensionActivationRule NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount 1 NSExtensionMainStoryboard MainInterface NSExtensionPointIdentifier com.apple.share-services

I get an error when using Share Extension to share images in iOS 26. It works fine in iOS 18. The error message is: Error acquiring assertion: <Error Domain=RBSAssertionErrorDomain Code=2 "Could not find attribute name in domain plist" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Could not find attribute name in domain plist}>. What should I do? My plist file looks like this: NSExtension NSExtensionAttributes NSExtensionActivationRule NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount 1 NSExtensionMainStoryboard MainInterface NSExtensionPointIdentifier com.apple.share-services

We are in the process of updating our legacy Spotlight MDImporter to the new macOS Spotlight App Extension. The transition works well for standard attributes such as title, textContent, and keywords. However, we encounter an issue when adding custom attributes to the CSSearchableItemAttributeSet. These custom attributes are not being persisted, which means they cannot be queried using a Spotlight NSMetadataQuery. Has anyone an idea on how to append custom attributes so that they are included in the indexed file status, as displayed by the shell command mdimport -t -d3 <path> A sample project illustrating the problem is available here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/t8qg51cr1rpwouxdl900b/2024-09-04-Spotlight-extAttr.zip?rlkey=lg6n9060snw7mrz6jsxfdlnfa&dl=1

Hello! I am working on a screentime app and wondering if anyone has had success achieving reliable background shield application while using com.apple.ManagedSettingsUI.shield-configuration-service? I recently switched from com.apple.deviceactivity.shield-configuration (which worked reliably but isn't accepted by TestFlight) and have not found any consistency getting shields to apply while the app is backgrounded. I believe this is a known limitation of ManagedSettingsUI and want to know if there are successful workarounds or any specific patterns/timing that improve consistency?

Hi all, I'm trying to add Spotlight support to a macOS app that handles custom virtual machine bundles with the .vpvm extension. I’ve followed the current documentation and used the modern CSImportExtension approach with a Spotlight Importer extension target. Here’s what I’ve done: App Info.plist: Declared com.makeprog.vpvm as a UTI conforming to com.apple.package. Registered it under UTExportedTypeDeclarations and CFBundleDocumentTypes. Spotlight Importer Extension: Added a new macOS target using the Spotlight Import Extension template. Set the NSExtensionPointIdentifier to com.apple.spotlight.import. Used CSSupportedContentTypes = com.makeprog.vpvm. Implemented a minimal update(_ attributes:forFileAt:) method that sets displayName, title, and contentDescription. Other steps: Verified that the .appex is embedded under Contents/PlugIns/. Confirmed it appears in mdimport -e output with correct UTI. Used mdimport -m -d2 -t /path/to/file.vpvm, but I still get: Imported '/path/to/file.vpvm' of type 'com.makeprog.vpvm' with no plugIn. The extension is never invoked. I’ve also tried: Ensuring the .vpvm file is a valid directory bundle. Restarting Spotlight / rebuilding index. Ensuring the app and extension are properly signed. Tried installing the app in test virtual machine Question: Has anyone successfully used CSImportExtension for custom UTIs? Is there something additional I need to do for the extension to be recognized and triggered? Any advice or examples would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Hello, I’ve noticed an issue with custom keyboard extensions in iOS 26 that seems specific to native apps. When a custom keyboard is opened in apps like Messages, Notes, or Safari, there’s an extra strip of native grey space around the left, right, and top edges of the keyboard. This extra margin cannot be rendered over by the keyboard’s own views. Interestingly, this behaviour does not occur in third-party apps like Instagram. It also wasn’t present in earlier iOS versions. The result is that keyboards with custom or non-grey backgrounds look visually inconsistent (they appear framed by unwanted grey). Has anyone else run into this? Is this a known change in iOS 26, or could it be a bug? Any guidance or official clarification would be appreciated. Thanks!