I want to use features described in the background assets WWDC22 session (https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2022/110403/). In earlier versions of Xcode 14 beta there used to be a background asset extension target type, however this got removed in beta 5 and has still not been put back even though Xcode 14 RC is released. With Xcode 14 beta 4, if the background asset target was chosen then a bunch of template code was created, same as happens with any extension type. But if the background asset extension target type isn't even present in the Xcode 14 RC, how is one supposed to create an extension and use this new feature?

I have an app update that is completely ready for submission. This update incorporates a subscription for new functionality. I'm unable to submit as the subscription is stuck in the "Prepare for submission" state instead of going to "Ready to submit" and I'm unable to include it with my app. After doing some research, I found that the banking information on my developer account is broken. I tried to update and fix this information. However, I get an error saying that it is unable to find "Bank of America". I suspect this is causing everything else to be stuck in the "Prepare for submission" state. Does anyone know how to work around this issue or can someone at Apple give me an ETA as to when things will be fixed. This issue is delaying my release. - Ken

I have been implementing a share extension for my app and have added the activation rule NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount. While testing I've noticed that my app will appear in the Share Sheet as a viable target when the max count is exceeded by up to 2 additional photos. For example if I set max to 4 then my app will appear in the share sheet when the user is sharing 1-6 images. On its own this wouldn't be too problematic, I figured I could put some validation in the extension that specifies the user has exceeded the allowed number. But while debugging the extension under this scenario I noticed that the inputItems array on the NSExtensionContext will only contain the number of items I've defined as the max, and silently drop the extra items. I'm sure users will see this as a bug with my app "losing" the extra images since the OS/Share Sheet provides my app as a valid target. My entire Info.plist <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>NSExtensionAttributes</key> <dict> <key>NSExtensionActivationRule</key> <dict> <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsWebURLWithMaxCount</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount</key> <integer>4</integer> </dict> </dict> <key>NSExtensionPointIdentifier</key> <string>com.apple.share-services</string> <key>NSExtensionPrincipalClass</key> <string>$(PRODUCT_MODULE_NAME).ShareViewController</string> </dict> </plist> Entire code implementation of the extension class ShareViewController: UIViewController { override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() if let extensionContext { debugPrint(extensionContext) } } } Edit: I've been testing on iOS 26.5 with a minimum deployment of iOS 26.0

Hi everyone, First, I'd like to say that I'm really excited about the direction FSKit is taking. Having a modern, user-space filesystem framework on macOS is a huge improvement, and I'm currently working on porting an existing cross-platform FUSE-based filesystem to use it. One challenge I've run into is automated testing. Our project has Linux, Windows, and macOS CI. On Linux, we can perform real mount/unmount integration tests on every commit. On Windows, we can do the same using WinFsp. However, on GitHub-hosted macOS runners, it appears that filesystem extensions still require interactive approval or registration before they can be mounted. This makes it difficult to validate the actual mount lifecycle in ephemeral CI environments. We can still compile and unit test our filesystem logic, but we can't exercise the final "mount a filesystem and verify it behaves correctly" integration tests without a self-hosted Mac. I'm curious whether this is the expected long-term workflow, or whether Apple has plans to make this easier for developers. Some questions I have are: Is unattended registration of an FSKit filesystem extension in CI something that's being considered? Are there plans to support ephemeral CI environments such as GitHub Actions without requiring manual interaction? Is there a recommended approach for automated integration testing of FSKit filesystems today that I'm overlooking? More generally, what does Apple envision as the best practice for projects that want to continuously test real filesystem mounts? I completely understand the security motivations for requiring user approval on end-user systems. My question is specifically about trusted development and CI environments where the machine is temporary and exists solely for automated testing. Thanks for any guidance, and thanks to the FSKit team for the work that's gone into making user-space filesystems a first-class experience on macOS.

I am writing a share extension for my app so users can share images from other apps. I have added the NSExtensionActivationSupportsImageWithMaxCount key to the NSExtensionActivationRule dictionary but I am wondering if there is a way to define the activation rule to say I will accept any number of images, and not have it constrained by a maximum value. Looking at the documentation I've noticed that attachments seem to be the only option that defines a minimum count (NSExtensionActivationSupportsAttachmentsWithMinCount). Is there an undocumented equivalent for images or some particular combination to use? I know I could set the max to be some very high number like 999, but I'm just wondering if there is an "official" supported way to achieve a min count defined on the extensions rules.

In the WWDC19 session "Embedding and Sharing Visually Rich Links" it mentions how the Messages app is able to gain access to the LPLinkMetadata provided to the Share Sheet (direct time link) so that it does not have to load the metadata itself. Looking through the NSExtensionContext's inputItems in my share extension and I could not see anything obvious that would allow my own share extension to read the loaded metadata. Am I missing something or is the metadata not made available? To be clear, I am aware of how to use LPMetadataProvider to fetch the metadata. I just want to know if my share extension can make use of the metadata that the Share Sheet has already loaded.

Somewhere since iOS 26, the LockedCameraCapture framework gets in an unpredictable state after opening the main app from the LockedCamera extension using LockedCameraCaptureSession.openApplication(for userActivity:). (Feedback with sample code to reproduce: FB21966835) Opening the extension from the lock screen again doesn’t open the extension but puts the lock screen in a state as if it has. Content updated from LockedCameraCaptureManager.shared.sessionContentUpdates comes in inconsistently, usually needs the app to be opened again or the extension to be opened. This makes using this extension impossible for me as I use it to record video files that manually need to be imported when the app is launched (so not through PhotoKit). Does anybody have a suggestion to circumvent this issue or how to get this fixed?

Hello, I am developing a Safari extension that uses service workers and all works well. When the extension is updated, a new content script is injected into the current open tabs however the service worker connection with the new content script does not get established. I confirmed both the old content script and new one is on the page, but the new one just doesn't execute which means it will not connect to the service worker. In Chrome a newly injected content script does work and in FireFox it is handled by FireFox automatically. How can this be done in Safari? Any help would be appreciated.

These days, we live our lives completely surrounded by and immersed in smartphones. It seems there isn't a single person among us who isn't. This is because we can find all kinds of information, meet friends, and enjoy our leisure time on our smartphones. However, there is one thing we are overlooking. It is the emotion you will feel toward the people around you as you die on the day you come to pass away. What is that emotion? It is regret. That regret is likely the longing to enjoy physical intimacy, conversation, travel, and everyday life more. That is why I am developing an app with a special feature. I am developing an app that helps users self-regulate and maintain moderation in their smartphone usage—something we are addicted to and love so much, yet often fail to realize that it is poison. This app is designed to encourage mutual moderation and provide rewards. Ironically, this app is designed to operate on the smartphone itself. The reason is that if the smartphone is a tiger's den, then to catch the tiger, one must enter the tiger's den. While conceptualizing and proceeding with development, I encountered a completely insurmountable wall. This is because the iPhone cannot accurately measure the screen-off time. I earnestly hope that if there is a team or developer working on the iPhone framework, you can resolve this issue. If you can extend the extension or take measures to allow access to that data within the SDK, I believe I will be able to complete this app. I look forward to your help.

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!

I'm building a Wi-Fi captive portal (web page) that needs the camera to scan a boarding-pass barcode. Inside the iOS Captive Network Assistant (the sign-in pop-up that appears when you join Wi-Fi): getUserMedia() (live camera) doesn't work, and <input type="file" capture="environment"> opens only the photo library, not the camera. The same page works fine in full Safari on the same iPhone. Is camera access intentionally blocked in the CNA, or is there a supported way to use it? Has anyone gotten the camera working inside the captive portal on iOS? Thanks!

Hi, I'm trying to test out an extension I'm building in Xcode and every time I try to test it, Safari crashes immediately. On later versions of Mac OS, e.g. Sequoia, there's no problem. I'm building this extension as part of a Mac Catalyst app that is a hybrid iPad/Mac OS app. On Safari 26.3 (20623.2.7.18.1) I can just add the source tree as a temporary extension and it works fine. But the .appex file for the same thing is causing the older Safari 17.6 (17618.3.11.11.7, 17618) to throw a fit. Trying to get through this with LLMs has focused on whether the extension target is for iOS and Mac OS or just Mac OS alone, and futzing with UIDeviceFamily the Build Settings. But basically it just doesn't work no matter what I do, and Safari shouldn't crash. Here's the .appex's Info.plist after compilation: % defaults read /Users/[username]/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/PlainSite-[gibberish]/Build/Products/Debug-maccatalyst/PlainSite.app/Contents/PlugIns/PlainSiteRecycler.appex/Contents/Info.plist { BuildMachineOSBuild = 21H1320; CFBundleIdentifier = "com.thinkcomputer.[product].[extension]"; CFBundleShortVersionString = "1.0"; CFBundleSupportedPlatforms = ( MacOSX ); CFBundleVersion = 2; DTCompiler = "com.apple.compilers.llvm.clang.1_0"; DTPlatformBuild = 14C18; DTPlatformName = macosx; DTPlatformVersion = "13.1"; DTSDKBuild = 22C55; DTSDKName = "macosx13.1"; DTXcode = 1420; DTXcodeBuild = 14C18; LSMinimumSystemVersion = "12.0"; NSExtension = { NSExtensionAttributes = { SafariWebExtensionPath = src; }; NSExtensionPointIdentifier = "com.apple.Safari.web-extension"; NSExtensionPrincipalClass = "PlainSiteRecycler.SafariWebExtensionHandler"; }; UIDeviceFamily = ( 2, 6 ); } Crash log: Hardware Model: MacBookPro12,1 Process: Safari [44241] Path: /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari Identifier: com.apple.Safari Version: 17.6 (17618.3.11.11.7) Code Type: X86-64 (Native) Role: Background Parent Process: launchd [1] Coalition: com.apple.Safari [1098] Date/Time: 2026-06-12 13:29:10.8546 -0700 Launch Time: 2026-06-12 13:27:27.7047 -0700 OS Version: macOS 12.7.6 (21H1320) Release Type: User Report Version: 104 Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV) Exception Subtype: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x00007ff7b77d1ff8 Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x00007ff7b77d1ff8 VM Region Info: 0x7ff7b77d1ff8 is in 0x7ff7b3fd2000-0x7ff7b77d2000; bytes after start: 58720248 bytes before end: 7 REGION TYPE START - END [ VSIZE] PRT/MAX SHRMOD REGION DETAIL MALLOC_SMALL 7fa313000000-7fa313800000 [ 8192K] rw-/rwx SM=PRV GAP OF 0x54a07d2000 BYTES ---> STACK GUARD 7ff7b3fd2000-7ff7b77d2000 [ 56.0M] ---/rwx SM=NUL ... for thread 0 Stack 7ff7b77d2000-7ff7b7fd2000 [ 8192K] rw-/rwx SM=PRV thread 0 Exception Note: EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY Termination Reason: SIGNAL 11 Segmentation fault: 11 Terminating Process: exc handler [44241] Highlighted by Thread: 0 Backtrace not available No thread state (register information) available Binary Images: 0x0 - 0xffffffffffffffff ??? (*) <00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000> ??? Error Formulating Crash Report: dyld_process_info_create failed with 5 Failed to create CSSymbolicatorRef - corpse still valid ¯_(ツ)/¯ thread_get_state(PAGEIN) returned 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination port thread_get_state(EXCEPTION) returned 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination port thread_get_state(FLAVOR) returned 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination port EOF Full Report {"app_name":"Safari","timestamp":"2026-06-12 13:29:12.00 -0700","app_version":"17.6","slice_uuid":"af2262af-647d-3262-adc8-e52c3ef7579e","build_version":"17618.3.11.11.7","platform":0,"bundleID":"com.apple.Safari","share_with_app_devs":0,"is_first_party":0,"bug_type":"309","os_version":"macOS 12.7.6 (21H1320)","incident_id":"8F871759-8566-49DE-A6F9-EE73128BB836","name":"Safari"} { "uptime" : 100000, "procLaunch" : "2026-06-12 13:27:27.7047 -0700", "procRole" : "Background", "version" : 2, "userID" : 503, "deployVersion" : 210, "modelCode" : "MacBookPro12,1", "procStartAbsTime" : 102649791496150, "coalitionID" : 1098, "osVersion" : { "train" : "macOS 12.7.6", "build" : "21H1320", "releaseType" : "User" }, "captureTime" : "2026-06-12 13:29:10.8546 -0700", "incident" : "8F871759-8566-49DE-A6F9-EE73128BB836", "bug_type" : "309", "pid" : 44241, "procExitAbsTime" : 102752878214260, "cpuType" : "X86-64", "procName" : "Safari", "procPath" : "/Applications/Safari.app/Contents/MacOS/Safari", "bundleInfo" : {"CFBundleShortVersionString":"17.6","CFBundleVersion":"17618.3.11.11.7","CFBundleIdentifier":"com.apple.Safari"}, "buildInfo" : {"ProjectName":"Safari","SourceVersion":"7618003011011007","ProductBuildVersion":"618G22","BuildVersion":"12"}, "storeInfo" : {"deviceIdentifierForVendor":"28124F28-A4EB-556C-A50C-D710162ABDA6","thirdParty":true}, "parentProc" : "launchd", "parentPid" : 1, "coalitionName" : "com.apple.Safari", "crashReporterKey" : "134BE33B-9612-8725-73E0-95998174507F", "wakeTime" : 67008, "sleepWakeUUID" : "F942DC6A-04DF-4EE2-AA9F-DB3EDCB24AC3", "sip" : "enabled", "isCorpse" : 1, "exception" : {"codes":"0x0000000000000002, 0x00007ff7b77d1ff8","rawCodes":[2,140701912080376],"type":"EXC_BAD_ACCESS","signal":"SIGSEGV","subtype":"KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x00007ff7b77d1ff8"}, "termination" : {"flags":0,"code":11,"namespace":"SIGNAL","indicator":"Segmentation fault: 11","byProc":"exc handler","byPid":44241}, "usedImages" : [ { "size" : 0, "source" : "A", "base" : 0, "uuid" : "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" } ], "sharedCache" : { "base" : 140703277129728, "size" : 19331678208, "uuid" : "246818c3-4b9f-3462-bcaf-fdf71975e5fe" }, "legacyInfo" : { "threadHighlighted" : 0 }, "trialInfo" : { "rollouts" : [ { "rolloutId" : "61301e3a61217b3110231469", "factorPackIds" : { "SIRI_FIND_MY_CONFIGURATION_FILES" : "652886aa2c02f032beae8316" }, "deploymentId" : 240000028 }, { "rolloutId" : "5ffde50ce2aacd000d47a95f", "factorPackIds" : { }, "deploymentId" : 240000550 } ], "experiments" : [ ] }, "reportNotes" : [ "dyld_process_info_create failed with 5", "Failed to create CSSymbolicatorRef - corpse still valid ¯\(ツ)_/¯", "thread_get_state(PAGEIN) returned 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination port", "thread_get_state(EXCEPTION) returned 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination port", "thread_get_state(FLAVOR) returned 0x10000003: (ipc/send) invalid destination port" ] } Any help would be greatly appreciated!

In 2018, Apple staff noted that Safari App Extensions had no direct API to communicate with the containing app, and suggested app groups or opening a custom URL scheme as workarounds. On iOS Safari Web Extensions, app groups work for persistence, but opening the containing app from the native extension/background flow does not appear reliable. iOS launch policy seems to require a direct user gesture, and I have not found a documented way for the extension flow to reliably continue into the containing app. Is there a supported iOS architecture for completing an extension-initiated workflow in the containing app, or is the intended model to persist data and require the user to manually open the app? My current architecture is: JavaScript in the Safari Web Extension extracts article content from the page. The native Extension Handler receives that content via native messaging. The Extension Handler writes an encoded request into the App Group container. The containing app watches the App Group container using DispatchSource.makeFileSystemObjectSource and processes new requests. This works on macOS. It also works on iOS when the containing app is already running. The problem is that on iOS, if the containing app is not already running, there is no app process to observe the filesystem event or process the request. I have tried treating the Extension Handler as the place to do more work, but in practice it seems suited only for short-lived relay/persistence work. It is not a reliable place for my app’s main processing pipeline, which includes rendering article content and uploading it to a third-party service. My app is a Safari-native “read later” style tool that uploads simplified articles to the reMarkable Cloud. The containing app contains most of the functionality: SwiftUI UI, WebKit/WebPage rendering, account/cloud logic, and upload orchestration. The Safari extension captures the article, but the app needs to run to complete the user-visible workflow. From a user’s perspective, tapping the Safari extension toolbar button is the action that initiates the workflow. Is there any supported way for that user-initiated extension action to launch or wake the containing iOS app so it can process pending App Group requests? Or should Safari Web Extensions on iOS be designed only to persist work and then ask the user to manually open the containing app? If manual app launch is the intended model, it would be helpful for the documentation to state this explicitly. The current tripartite model strongly suggests that the JavaScript extension, native handler, and containing app can collaborate as parts of one workflow, but on iOS the containing app appears to be available only out-of-band unless already running.

Hello, I am exploring an iPadOS product idea for Apple Pencil users and would like to understand the current public API boundary. The user need is a temporary, user-controlled Apple Pencil annotation layer while the user is working in another app or workspace. For example, a student may be reading in Books, Safari, a PDF app, or another educational app and want to write quick Pencil notes directly over the visible material without taking a screenshot or exporting the content first. I understand that PencilKit works inside an app's own UI, and I also understand that iPadOS sandboxing prevents third-party apps from inspecting or modifying other apps. I am not trying to bypass that model. What I am trying to determine is: Is there any current public API, extension point, or entitlement that allows a user-initiated Apple Pencil overlay session across the current iPadOS workspace? If not, is Feedback Assistant the right place to request a new PencilKit / iPadOS entitlement for this use case? Are there existing Apple-recommended patterns for this workflow beyond Quick Note, Screenshot Markup, Split View, Stage Manager, or importing content into the developer's own app? The privacy model I have in mind would be strict: The overlay is user initiated only. A visible system indicator is shown while active. The developer app receives Pencil stroke data only by default. The app cannot inspect the underlying app's view hierarchy, documents, text, or private data. Screen pixels are not captured unless the user grants separate explicit permission. The user can close or clear the overlay at any time. The closest mental model is a system-mediated Pencil annotation layer, not a background screen recorder or a way to control another app. If this is not possible today with public APIs, I would appreciate confirmation so I can file a clear enhancement request through Feedback Assistant. I also filed this as Feedback Assistant report FB23067750. Thank you.

We are working with two types of wallet passes. Provisioning works successfully for one pass type via wallet extensions, but the same process is not functioning for the other. For the second pass type, we are able to generate the required data for pull provisioning and send it to Apple. Additionally, in-app push provisioning for this pass type completes without issue. We would appreciate guidance on how to further debug and resolve this provisioning problem.

We have updated the PNO metadata to include the associatedApplicationIdentifiers for our wallet extensions and the issuer app. While we are able to successfully provision the card to Apple Wallet via pull provisioning, we are unable to retrieve the payment passes that have already been provisioned. How can we address this issue? let passLibrary = PKPassLibrary() let paymentPassLibrary = self.passLibrary.passes(of: .secureElement) paymentPassLibrary is an empty array even though we have passes provisioned.

I'm implementing PHBackgroundResourceUploadExtension to back up photos and videos to our cloud storage service. During testing, I observed that iCloud-optimized photos (where the full-resolution original is stored in iCloud, not on device) do not upload. The upload job appears to silently skip these assets. Questions: Is this behavior intentional/documented? I couldn't find explicit mention of this limitation. If the device only has the optimized/thumbnail version locally, does the system: - Automatically download the full-resolution asset from iCloud before uploading? - Skip the asset entirely? - Return an error via PHAssetResourceUploadJobChangeRequest? For a complete backup solution, should we: - Pre-fetch full-resolution assets using PHAssetResourceManager.requestData(for:options:) before creating upload jobs? - Use a hybrid approach (this extension for local assets + separate logic for iCloud-only assets)? Environment: iOS 26, Xcode 18

I'm implementing a PHBackgroundResourceUploadExtension to back up photos and videos from the user's library to our cloud storage service. Our existing upload infrastructure uses chunked uploads for large files (splitting videos into smaller byte ranges and uploading each chunk separately). This approach: Allows resumable uploads if interrupted Stays within server-side request size limits Provides granular progress tracking Looking at the PHAssetResourceUploadJobChangeRequest.createJob(destination:resource:) API, I don't see a way to specify byte ranges or create multiple jobs for chunks of the same resource. Questions: Does the system handle large files (1GB+) automatically under the hood, or is there a recommended maximum file size for a single upload job? Is there a supported pattern for chunked/resumable uploads, or should the destination URL endpoint handle the entire file in one request? If our server requires chunked uploads (e.g., BITS protocol with CreateSession → Fragment → CloseSession), is this extension the right mechanism, or should we use a different approach for large videos? Any guidance on best practices for large asset uploads would be greatly appreciated. Environment: iOS 26, Xcode 18

I'm developing a PHBackgroundResourceUploadExtension and finding it difficult to debug because the system controls when the extension launches. Current experience: The extension starts at unpredictable times (anywhere from 1 minute to several hours after photos are added) By the time I attach the debugger, the upload may have already completed or failed Breakpoints in init() or early lifecycle methods are often missed Questions: Is there a way to force-launch the extension during development (similar to how we can manually trigger Background App Refresh in Xcode)? Are there any launch arguments or environment variables that put the extension in a debug/eager mode? I tried taking photos/videos, but this doesn't trigged app extension in all cases. Any tips for improving the debug cycle would be greatly appreciated. Environment: iOS 26, Xcode 18

I saw that the Broadcast extension is deprecated in iOS 28, as well as the ReplayKit with nothing mentioned on what is going to be used going forward. I found out that the Screen Capture Kit is mentioned as replacement but is available for macOS only, even though some methods now are marked with iOS 28+ (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/screencapturekit). Will the ScreenCaptureKit be used for screen sharing going forward and replace the Broadcast Extension?