We have received some information that with the release of iOS 18, there have been notable changes in how this API behaves, can apple team shed some light on this? on ios 17 this worked without much issues, what has changed on ios 18?

I’m encountering an issue while reading/writing shared preferences using UserDefaults with an App Group in my iOS Message Extension. The following error appears in the console: `Couldn't read values in CFPrefsPlistSource<0x3034e7f80> (Domain: [MyAppGroup], User: kCFPreferencesAnyUser, ByHost: Yes, Container: (null), Contents Need Refresh: Yes): Using kCFPreferencesAnyUser with a container is only allowed for System Containers, detaching from cfprefsd. I have correctly enabled the App Group in both my containing app and the Message Extension, and I am using UserDefaults(suiteName:) to access shared preferences. However, I keep getting this error when trying to read/write values. Has anyone encountered this before? How can I properly configure my app group preferences to avoid this issue? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

A message filter extension is only forwarded SMSs by the OS for filtering, iMessages aren't. But what is the situation with RCS messages? Will they be filterable by a message filtering extension?

Hi Team, The Messages app is not working in the latest macOS Sequoia 15.0.1. We are unable to send messages or sync them when the VPN/TransparentAppProxy is connected. It was working fine in macOS 15.0 and earlier. A few users have reported the issue here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255802764?sortBy=rank

In my Catalyst app I use func setupMailComposer() { // Check if the device can send email guard MFMailComposeViewController.canSendMail() else { print("Mail services are not available") showMailErrorAlert() return } // Create and configure the mail composer let mailComposeVC = MFMailComposeViewController() mailComposeVC.mailComposeDelegate = self // Set the email details mailComposeVC.setToRecipients(["example@example.com"]) mailComposeVC.setSubject("Subject for your email") mailComposeVC.setMessageBody("This is the body of the email.", isHTML: false) // Attach a file (optional) if let filePath = Bundle.main.path(forResource: "example", ofType: "pdf"), let fileData = try? Data(contentsOf: URL(fileURLWithPath: filePath)) { mailComposeVC.addAttachmentData(fileData, mimeType: "application/pdf", fileName: "example.pdf") } // Present the mail composer self.present(mailComposeVC, animated: true, completion: nil) } Since I have updated to macOS 15.1 the canSendMail() function returns false although I have configured Apple Mail (like before in 15.0 where it worked flawlessly).

We have been having problems with our app clip not working when sharing through iMessage. The app and app clip are published and work correctly when scanning a QR code that points to the URL: https://www.coderus.com/locations?loc=1 however if this same URL is shared through the iMessage app, a link to the website displays and not the app clip card. We have confirmed that: AASA file is available and has the type application/json Both devices are above iOS 14 Both devices are in each other's contacts The website has the meta tag for the smart app clip banner The website has a meta tag for the og:image Launch experiences have been configured on AppStoreConnect - as said before, the QR codes work correctly The link leads to a 404 page, I wasn't sure if there needs to be an actual page that the link points to as app clips seem to work fine without when scanning the QR code through the camera app.

I am trying to set up a message filter extension that will use shared web credentials for basic auth when calling to its ILMessageFilterExtensionNetworkURL. I have associated domains set up for both "messagefilter:" and "webcredentials:" and the message filter IS correctly calling the ILMessageFilterExtensionNetworkURL with each message - so that part is working. As detailed here, I have set up Shared Web Credentials and my view controller is using SecAddSharedWebCredential() to save the creds to the correct domain. Using Authorization services, the creds are auto-filled into my app's login screen. When I go under Settings > Passwords, I see the creds are saved and they are the correct creds to the corrent website that matches ILMessageFilterExtensionNetworkURL. Regardless of all of this, the deferQueryRequestToNetwork() refuses to use the creds and implement Basic Auth in its URL call. It makes the call to the correct URL, it just won't use the Shared Web Creds for basic auth. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone! I was implementing a MFMessageComposeViewController to send messages. Currently I'm observing behaviour that attachments button is always disabled. But thing is that I'm showing MFMessageComposeViewController only when canSendText() && canSendAttachments() are true. if MFMessageComposeViewController.canSendText() && MFMessageComposeViewController.canSendAttachments() { let composeVC = MFMessageComposeViewController() composeVC.messageComposeDelegate = self composeVC.body = "Test message" self.present(composeVC, animated: true, completion: nil) } I've checked that mms are enabled.

Hi Apple Developers, I am currently working on a message filtering application and facing issues specifically with filtering RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages. To debug this, I created a sample app that consistently categorizes all incoming messages as "junk." However, the filtering behaviour is inconsistent and not functioning as expected. Here are the key issues observed during testing on iOS versions 18.2.1 and 18.3: Inconsistent Filtering Behavior: When a message is received from an unknown number, it sometimes gets moved to the Junk folder momentarily but is then immediately moved back to the main Messages inbox. In some cases, the message does not get moved to the Junk folder at all, despite the app returning the verdict as "junk." Duplicate Contact Tiles: The Messages app displays two separate conversation tiles for the same mobile number, which is unexpected behavior. I have attached both a sample app and a screen recording that clearly demonstrates the issue. The recording shows that the app categorizes messages as junk, yet they still end up in the main Messages inbox. For reference, my carrier partner is T-Mobile. Please let me know if you need any additional information to investigate this issue further. Looking forward to your insights and guidance. Best regards, Rijul Singhal

Hi, We have a need to provide SIM verification. At present, accessing the phone number bound to the device is not programmatically accessible. Would Apple consider exposing this API via a user consent? Otherwise, what is the suggested approach to verify the SIM card is the correct phone number on an iOS device?

My server that backs my Message Filter Extension stopped receiving messages last night. I thought maybe I had broken something in the iOS code, even though I hadn't touched any of the logic related to filtering. So I rolled back my code to a previous version that was definitely working in both test and production and ran it on my test device, setting a breakpoint on the first line of the func handle(_ queryRequest: ILMessageFilterQueryRequest, context: ILMessageFilterExtensionContext, completion: @escaping (ILMessageFilterQueryResponse) -> Void) method in the extension. When sending a message to it from an unknown number, the breakpoint is never even hit. To ensure it was somehow not my code, I started a new blank app and added the Message Filter Extension target. Running it on my test device, it also doesn't ever hit the breakpoint. Is there some Apple service involved in determining whether to send unknown sender messages to Message Filter Extensions that might be down. Maybe it's a beta issue? I'm on iOS 18.1 Beta 4. But it seems odd that all of my users' devices would be encountering a beta-related issue at essentially the same time.

I'm trying to add an iMessage extension to my app, and upon adding the iMessage App Icon set, I ran into an issue with one specific icon size: 1024x768px, aka 1x 1024x768pt. When I remove this one icon from the icon set, it compiles and runs fine, however I can't push it to the App Store as I get the error: "Asset validation failed. Missing Image Asset. Your app is missing the Large App Icon asset 'AppIcon' in 'Payload/Runner.app/PlugIns/MessagesExtension.appex'." I'm assuming this refers to 1024x768px, as this size placeholder appears upon adding a New Messages Extension Icon to my assets folder, and 1024x1024 is already included and compiles fine with it. However, when I add the 1024x768 icon, and try to run the app, I get the error: "Command CompileAssetCatalog failed with a nonzero exit code" The app icon's filename is correct, it is exactly 1024x768 px, and my contents.json correctly includes : { "filename" : "AppIcon_1024x768.png", "idiom" : "ios-marketing", "platform" : "ios", "scale" : "1x", "size" : "1024x768" } as is the same format for all of my other icons that work. Why am I running into this issue upon inclusion of this one required size? How do I fix it?

Our App Clips have been approved for about a week. However, our App Clips are not loading or previewing in iMessage. My friend and I both have an iPhone with iOS 18. Our App Clip minimum target is iOS 17. For both of us, the App Clip previews aren't loading in iMessage (see image below). But this isn't right—App Clips generally SHOULD preview in iMessage. For reference, when I send my friend an Instagram post URL, the app clip DOES load & preview in iMessage—suggesting it's just an issue with 222's App Clips. In the iMessage screenshot... the top url is https://rsvp.222.place/?id=0034d4c8-7dcd-44bf-89df-6dc1acd806d2 The bottom url is https://appclip.apple.com/id?p=place.twotwotwo.twotwotwo-ios.Clip (default App Clip Link) When I run either of these URLs in App Clip Diagnostics in Settings -> Developer, both of them are marked as approved and ready to go.

Stickerpack runs and builds successfully on iPhone 16 simulator, but on a real iPhone (14 connected trough a cable and with developer options enabled) it builds successfully, but when opening the pack in iMessage, there is nothing shown in the sticker browser and Xcode shows the following error: Could not attach to pid : “662” “com.[name].[name].StickerPackExtension” failed to launch or exited before the debugger could attach to it. Please verify that “com.[name].[name].StickerPackExtension” has a valid code signature that permits it to be launched on “iPhone([name])”. Refer to crash logs and system logs to for more diagnostic information. MORE DETAILS: Could not attach to pid : “662” Domain: IDEDebugSessionErrorDomain Code: 7 Failure Reason: “com.[name].[name].StickerPackExtension” failed to launch or exited before the debugger could attach to it. Please verify that “com.heart.owmStickers.StickerPackExtension” has a valid code signature that permits it to be launched on “iPhone([]name)”. Refer to crash logs and system logs to for more diagnostic information. User Info: { DVTErrorCreationDateKey = "2024-11-24 08:42:49 +0000"; DVTRadarComponentKey = 855031; IDERunOperationFailingWorker = DBGLLDBLauncher; RawUnderlyingErrorMessage = "no such process."; } -- Event Metadata: com.apple.dt.IDERunOperationWorkerFinished : { "device_identifier" = "00008110-0011514A227A401E"; "device_isCoreDevice" = 1; "device_model" = "iPhone14,7"; "device_osBuild" = "18.1 (22B83)"; "device_platform" = "com.apple.platform.iphoneos"; "device_thinningType" = "iPhone14,7"; "dvt_coredevice_version" = "397.24"; "dvt_coresimulator_version" = "987.2"; "dvt_mobiledevice_version" = "1759.60.6"; "launchSession_schemeCommand" = Run; "launchSession_state" = 1; "launchSession_targetArch" = arm64; "operation_duration_ms" = 336; "operation_errorCode" = 7; "operation_errorDomain" = IDEDebugSessionErrorDomain; "operation_errorWorker" = DBGLLDBLauncher; "operation_name" = IDERunOperationWorkerGroup; "param_debugger_attachToExtensions" = 0; "param_debugger_attachToXPC" = 1; "param_debugger_type" = 3; "param_destination_isProxy" = 0; "param_destination_platform" = "com.apple.platform.iphoneos"; "param_diag_113575882_enable" = 0; "param_diag_MainThreadChecker_stopOnIssue" = 0; "param_diag_MallocStackLogging_enableDuringAttach" = 0; "param_diag_MallocStackLogging_enableForXPC" = 0; "param_diag_allowLocationSimulation" = 0; "param_diag_checker_tpc_enable" = 0; "param_diag_gpu_frameCapture_enable" = 0; "param_diag_gpu_shaderValidation_enable" = 0; "param_diag_gpu_validation_enable" = 1; "param_diag_guardMalloc_enable" = 0; "param_diag_memoryGraphOnResourceException" = 0; "param_diag_mtc_enable" = 0; "param_diag_queueDebugging_enable" = 1; "param_diag_runtimeProfile_generate" = 0; "param_diag_sanitizer_asan_enable" = 0; "param_diag_sanitizer_tsan_enable" = 0; "param_diag_sanitizer_tsan_stopOnIssue" = 0; "param_diag_sanitizer_ubsan_enable" = 0; "param_diag_sanitizer_ubsan_stopOnIssue" = 0; "param_diag_showNonLocalizedStrings" = 0; "param_diag_viewDebugging_enabled" = 1; "param_diag_viewDebugging_insertDylibOnLaunch" = 1; "param_install_style" = 2; "param_launcher_UID" = 2; "param_launcher_allowDeviceSensorReplayData" = 0; "param_launcher_kind" = 0; "param_launcher_style" = 99; "param_launcher_substyle" = 0; "param_runnable_appExtensionHostRunMode" = 0; "param_runnable_productType" = "com.apple.product-type.app-extension.messages-sticker-pack"; "param_structuredConsoleMode" = 0; "param_testing_launchedForTesting" = 0; "param_testing_suppressSimulatorApp" = 0; "param_testing_usingCLI" = 0; "sdk_canonicalName" = "iphoneos18.1"; "sdk_osVersion" = "18.1"; "sdk_variant" = iphoneos; } -- System Information macOS Version 15.2 (Build 24C5073e) Xcode 16.1 (23503) (Build 16B40) Timestamp: 2024-11-24T11:42:49+03:00

I couldn’t create Apple ID account for the past 6 days

We recently began getting reports that when posts are shared via Messages the rich preview will display an unrelated image from an altogether different post. The correct open graph image appears when sharing via every other platform we've tried (Slack, Whatsapp, Twitter/X) and the og:image tag refers to the appropriate image url. The image Messages uses in the rich preview only appears in an unrelated metadata tag that includes data for multiple recent posts. Has anyone else encountered this?

Hi Apple Developers, I am currently working on a message filtering application and facing issues specifically with filtering RCS (Rich Communication Services) messages. To debug this, I created a sample app that consistently categorizes all incoming messages as "junk." However, the filtering behaviour is inconsistent and not functioning as expected. Here are the key issues observed during testing on iOS versions 18.2.1 and 18.3: Inconsistent Filtering Behavior: When a message is received from an unknown number, it sometimes gets moved to the Junk folder momentarily but is then immediately moved back to the main Messages inbox. In some cases, the message does not get moved to the Junk folder at all, despite the app returning the verdict as "junk." Duplicate Contact Tiles: The Messages app displays two separate conversation tiles for the same mobile number, which is unexpected behavior. For reference, my carrier partner is T-Mobile. Please let me know if you need any additional information to investigate this issue further. Looking forward to your insights and guidance. Best regards, Rijul Singhal

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 🙏

Hello, I am developing a messaging filtering app (F-Secre) that includes a Message Filter Extension. The extension correctly identifies and filters spam SMS/iMessage. In iOS 18, when a message was filtered into the Junk folder, the Messages app would correctly display a label beneath it indicating it was filtered by our product, e.g., “Junk filtered by F-Secre”. After updating to the iOS 26 beta (26.0 (23A5330a)), the filtering functionality itself still works—messages are correctly moved to the Junk folder. However, the branding attribution ("filtered by F-Secre") is now missing. The message appears in the Junk folder with no indication of which extension filtered it. This is a regression in user experience, as it removes visibility and credit for our app's work and might confuse users about whether the filtering system is active.

I have a working iMessage app in the app store that does NOT have a companion app. iMessage app only. I now want to add stickers to it. I cannot get this to work; stickers do not show up in the stickers section, nor in the "Manage Sticker Apps" section. Problem exists on Xcode 16, latest OS, on all simulators and devices. I tried adding a new "Sticker App Extension" target to the project. I tried adding just the Stickers.xcassets file to the exsisting iMessage extension and the app itself. I tried googling but all examples and tutorials show how to create a complete stickers app, which works correctly. But I do not want the app. Notable mention: If I create a new "Stickers app" project it works, but if I then try to add an iMessage app extension, THAT does not work so I then have a reverse situation in which the stickers extension DOES work but the iMessage app doesn't. I somehow have the feeling that an app cannot have both an iMessage Extension and a Stickers App Extension but the documentation is, of course, in true Apple style, lacking. So how to add a Sticker App Extension to an existing app with an iMessage Extension?