Discuss how to secure user data, respect user data preferences, support iCloud Private Relay and Mail Privacy Protection, replace CAPTCHAs with Private Access Tokens, and more. Ask about Privacy nutrition labels, Privacy manifests, and more.

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Handling ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest
An ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest rejection email looks as follows: ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest- Your app includes "<path/to/SDK>", which includes , an SDK that was identified in the documentation as a privacy-impacting third-party SDK. Starting February 12, 2025, if a new app includes a privacy-impacting SDK, or an app update adds a new privacy-impacting SDK, the SDK must include a privacy manifest file. Please contact the provider of the SDK that includes this file to get an updated SDK version with a privacy manifest. For more details about this policy, including a list of SDKs that are required to include signatures and manifests, visit: https://developer.apple.com/support/third-party-SDK-requirements. Glossary ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest: An email that includes the name and path of privacy-impacting SDK(s) with no privacy manifest files in your app bundle. For more information, see https://developer.apple.com/support/third-party-SDK-requirements. : The specified privacy-impacting SDK that doesn't include a privacy manifest file. If you are the developer of the rejected app, gather the name of the SDK from the email you received from Apple, then contact the SDK's provider for an updated version that includes a valid privacy manifest. After receiving an updated version of the SDK, verify the SDK includes a valid privacy manifest file at the expected location. For more information, see Adding a privacy manifest to your app or third-party SDK. If your app includes a privacy manifest file, make sure the file only describes the privacy practices of your app. Do not add the privacy practices of the SDK to your app's privacy manifest. If the email lists multiple SDKs, repeat the above process for all of them. If you are the developer of an SDK listed in the email, publish an updated version of your SDK that includes a privacy manifest file with valid keys and values. Every privacy-impacting SDK must contain a privacy manifest file that only describes its privacy practices. To learn how to add a valid privacy manifest to your SDK, see the Additional resources section below. Additional resources Privacy manifest files Describing data use in privacy manifests Describing use of required reason API Adding a privacy manifest to your app or third-party SDK TN3182: Adding privacy tracking keys to your privacy manifest TN3183: Adding required reason API entries to your privacy manifest TN3184: Adding data collection details to your privacy manifest TN3181: Debugging an invalid privacy manifest
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5.7k
Mar ’25
Privacy Resources
General: Forums topic: Privacy & Security Forums tag: Privacy Developer > Security — This also covers privacy topics. App privacy details on the App Store UIKit > Protecting the User’s Privacy documentation Bundle Resources > Privacy manifest files documentation TN3181 Debugging an invalid privacy manifest technote TN3182 Adding privacy tracking keys to your privacy manifest technote TN3183 Adding required reason API entries to your privacy manifest technote TN3184 Adding data collection details to your privacy manifest technote TN3179 Understanding local network privacy technote Handling ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest forums post Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
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Jul ’25
iOS 26 - S/MIME Encryption / Certificates
Hi everyone. Since the update to iOS 26, we are no longer able to tap the person's name and view the certificate of a signed email and choose to install the certificate or remove it. This has always worked just fine but seems to be broken on iOS 26 and I have verified that it does not work on iOS 26.1 beta as well. The part that is strange is it does work just fine on an iPad running iPad OS 26. This makes it impossible to send encrypted emails to someone via the mail app on an iPhone. I have found a temporary workaround which is to install Outlook for iOS and install the certificates through that app which then allows me to send encrypted emails via Outlook. This appears to be a bug just with the iPhone as I have also seen a few other people online talking about the same problem. Has anyone found a solution to this?
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1w
Clarification on Data Collection in CallerId App
Hello everyone, Our app, NumberBox, was rejected due to Guideline 5.1.1, with the review team saying it “collects information from public sources to build individual profiles.” We want to clarify: All data is 100% user-reported. Users voluntarily submit phone numbers (spam, scam, or telemarketing) and assign tags through the “Add Tag” feature. No data is collected from public sources or user contacts. No profiles are built automatically. All user submissions are reviewed by our support team before being displayed. The sole purpose of NumberBox is to help users avoid unwanted or scam calls, not to collect personal data. Our updated Privacy Policy is here: https://numberbox.app/privacypolicy Has anyone encountered a similar issue with Guideline 5.1.1? Any guidance on how to clearly communicate this to App Review would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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1w
privacySensitive on lockScreen does not seem to work...
Documentation seems to say that privacySensitive is supposed to redact on the lockScreen. I've disabled "Allow Access when locked" for "Lock Screen Widgets" just in case. It does not work for me. If I add "redacted(reason:) into the view hierarchy it redacts all the content all the time including on the home screen. I've read articles. I gone through a lot of documentation. None of them seem to give the magic formula for redacting sensitive content on the lock screen. I'm using iOS 18.7 on a real iPhone 14 Pro Max.
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1w
Serial number on supervised device
Hello world! First post here. Developing my first app. It primarily targets supervised and MDM managed devices. A few questions: For supervised devices, is serial number available? I want to get the number and use it for app auto activation Is MDM required for supervised devices? Or, as long as a device is enrolled through Apple Business Manager? Which capacity shall I request for the app? Thanks so much!
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175
1w
Accessibility permission in sandboxed app
Is it possible to create a sandboxed app that uses accessibility permission? And if so, how do I ask the user for that permission in a way that is allowed by the App Store? Im creating a small menubar app and my current (rejected) solution is to create a pop-up, with link to Security &amp; Privacy &gt; Accessibility and the pop-up asks the user to manually add the app to the list and check the checkbox. This works in sandbox. Reason for rejection: "Specifically, your app requires to grant accessibility access, but once we opened the accessibility settings, your app was not listed." I know it's not listed there and it has to be added manually. But its the only solution I've found to this issue. Is there perhaps any way to add the app there programmatically? Im a bit confused since I've seen other apps in App Store that work the same way, where you have to add the app to the list manually. Eg. Flycut. :man-shrugging: I know about this alternative solution, and it's not allowed in sandboxed apps. It also adds the app to the accessibility list automagically: func getPermission() { AXIsProcessTrustedWithOptions([kAXTrustedCheckOptionPrompt.takeUnretainedValue():true] as CFDictionary). } Does anyone have a solution for this? Best regards, Daniel
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4.8k
2w
iPad App Suggestions - Api Security
Hi , I have a requirement like, Develop an app for iPad and app uses .net core apis. App will be in kiosk mode, and app doesn't have any type of authentication even OTP also. As the apis will be publishing to all over internet, how can we achieve security to apis? Kindly provide suggestions for this implementation
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2w
Does accessing ARP table via sysctl trigger Local Network Access prompt?
Starting with macOS 15 (Sequoia), applications that perform network discovery operations now trigger a permission prompt: "Allow [AppName] to find devices on local networks". I am using sysctl() with NET_RT_FLAGS and RTF_LLINFO to access the ARP table and retrieve gateway MAC addresses: int mib[6]; mib[0] = CTL_NET; mib[1] = PF_ROUTE; mib[2] = 0; mib[3] = AF_INET; mib[4] = NET_RT_FLAGS; mib[5] = RTF_LLINFO; // This flag accesses ARP table entries if (sysctl(mib, 6, buf, &amp;needed, NULL, 0) &lt; 0) return nil; From my testing, the Local Network Access prompt does not always appear. It looks like if the MAC address is already cached in the ARP table, no prompt is shown, and the prompt only appears when the system needs to resolve a new MAC address. Is this correct behavior? Does ARP resolution by itself triggering the prompt?
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3w
Sending to Private Relay Email using amazon ses not working
Hello Developers, I have ran into a problem while sending mail to apple private relay email. We have built a mobile application where user can sign up through apple and they can sign up using hide-my-email feature. Which provides private relay address for us. Now we want to communicate with them using private relay mail address. The technology we are using to send emails are amazon SES, have done SPF, DMIK, DMARC and added domains in apple identity services for mail communication, passed an SPF check as well. But still mail is not getting delivered what am i doing wrong or apple doesn't support third party apps for sending emails to private relay? Is there any other way to achieve this please let me know Using the same body as attached in image is working fine for rest emails.
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3w
[REQUEST] for a tool/method/guidance how to create privacy manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy) when you don't have Xcode/mac
Hello, PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy Is primordial and without it the app is rejected from the Store I believe. All 5 ressources I had found related to it, mention XCODE, or explain how to add the code to langages that I don't use (Switf i think?) etc. I am building the app thought CI/CD, so prior to building it the app does not have privacy manifest and there is not way to generate it automatically without xcode it seems. My app is written in Flutter prior to becoming an iOS app. I am seeking for a method to do that. Thanks.
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4w
IDFA Not Resetting on App Reinstallation in iOS 26 Beta
Hello everyone, I've noticed some unusual behavior while debugging my application on the iOS 26 beta. My standard testing process relies on the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) authorization status being reset whenever I uninstall and reinstall my app. This is crucial for me to test the permission flow. However, on the current beta, I've observed the following: 1 I installed my app on a device running the iOS 26 beta for the first time. The ATTrackingManager.requestTrackingAuthorization dialog appeared as expected. 2 I completely uninstalled the application. 3 I then reinstalled the app. Unexpected Result: The tracking permission dialog did not appear. And more importantly, the device's advertisingIdentifier appears to have remained unchanged. This is highly unusual, as the IDFA is expected to be reset with a fresh app installation. My question: Is this an intentional change, and is there a fundamental shift in how the operating system handles the persistence of the IDFA or the authorization status? Or could this be a bug in the iOS 26 beta? Any information or confirmation on this behavior would be greatly appreciated.
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400
Sep ’25
api and data collection app stroe connect
I added a feature to my app that retrieves only app settings (no personal data) from my API hosted on Cloudflare Workers. The app does not send, collect, track, or share any user data, and I do not store or process any personal information. Technical details such as IP address, user agent, and device information may be automatically transmitted as part of the internet protocol when the request is made, but my app does not log or use them. Cloudflare may collect this information. Question: Does this count as “data collection” for App Store Connect purposes, or can I select “No Data Collected”?
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396
Aug ’25
Do I need to declare data collection for simple GET requests
Hi, I have an iOS app that only makes GET requests to my own API (hosted on Cloudflare Workers). The app only receives information for its settings (like whether to show a coupon code). It does not send, collect, track, or share any user data, and I do not store or process any personal information. I understand that technical details (like IP address, user-agent, device information, etc.) are automatically sent as part of the internet protocol. Since I don’t log or use this data, I’m unsure if it counts as “data collection.” However, it is possible that Cloudflare collects this information for security purposes and deletes it after some time. Question: In this case, can I select “No data collected” in the App Privacy section of App Store Connect? Thanks!
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Aug ’25
forceAirDropUnmanaged not blocking proximity-based AirDrop (NameDrop) on iOS
We’ve run into what looks like a gap in how forceAirDropUnmanaged is enforced on iOS devices. Setup: Device: iOS 17.x (unsupervised, enrolled in MDM) MDM Restriction: forceAirDropUnmanaged = true Managed Open-In restriction also applied (block unmanaged destinations). Verified: from a managed app, the AirDrop icon is hidden in the share sheet. This part works as expected. Issue: When two iOS devices are brought close together, the proximity-initiated AirDrop / NameDrop flow still allows transfer of photos, videos, or files between devices. In this path, forceAirDropUnmanaged does not appear to apply, even though the same restriction works correctly in the standard sharing pane. What I’d expect: If forceAirDropUnmanaged is enabled, all AirDrop transfer paths (including proximity/NameDrop) should be treated as unmanaged, and thus blocked when “Managed Open-In to unmanaged destinations” is restricted. What I observe instead: Share sheet → AirDrop hidden ✅ Proximity/NameDrop → transfer still possible ❌ Questions for Apple / Community: Is this a known limitation or expected behavior? Is there a different restriction key (or combination) that also covers proximity-based AirDrop? If not currently supported, should this be filed as Feedback (FB) to request alignment between share sheet AirDrop and NameDrop enforcement? This behaviour introduces a compliance gap for organisations relying on MDM to control data exfiltration on unsupervised or user-enrolled devices. Any clarification or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
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1.1k
Aug ’25
Private Relay emails bounced as 'Unauthorized Sender'
Private relay emails are not being delivered, even though we've followed the guidance here, https://developer.apple.com/help/account/capabilities/configure-private-email-relay-service/ iCloud, gmail etc. get delivered fine but as soon as its a private relay email address they get bounced as unauthorized sender. We've tried a couple of domains but here I'll document test.x.domain.com We have registered domains (test.x.domain.com), also the sender communication emails just to be safe (noreply at test.x.domain.com). Passed SPF Authentication, DKIM Authentication. ESP account shows as all green checks in mailgun. Is there any way to track down what the actual rejection reason is? { "@timestamp": "2025-08-20T14:30:59.801Z", "account": { "id": "6425b45fb2fd1e28f4e0110a" }, "delivery-status": { "attempt-no": 1, "bounce-type": "soft", "certificate-verified": true, "code": 550, "enhanced-code": "5.1.1", "first-delivery-attempt-seconds": 0.014, "message": "5.1.1 <bounce+b53c9e.27949-6qj4xaisn4k=privaterelay.appleid.com@test.x.domain.com>: unauthorized sender", "mx-host": "smtp3.privaterelay.appleid.com", "session-seconds": 1.7229999999999999, "tls": true }, "domain": { "name": "test.x.domain.com" }, "envelope": { "sender": "noreply@test.x.domain.com", "sending-ip": "111.22.101.215", "targets": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com", "transport": "smtp" }, "event": "failed", "flags": { "is-authenticated": true, "is-delayed-bounce": false, "is-routed": false, "is-system-test": false, "is-test-mode": false }, "id": "1gtVBeZYQ0yO1SzipVP99Q", "log-level": "error", "message": { "headers": { "from": "\"Test Mail\" <noreply@test.x.domain.com>", "message-id": "20250820143058.7cac292cf03993f2@test.x.domain.com", "subject": "Test Mail", "to": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com" }, "size": 22854 }, "primary-dkim": "s1._domainkey.test.x.domain.com", "reason": "generic", "recipient": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com", "recipient-domain": "privaterelay.appleid.com", "recipient-provider": "Apple", "severity": "permanent", "storage": { "env": "production", "key": "BAABAgFDX5nmZ7fqxxxxxxZNzEVxPmZ8_YQ", "region": "europe-west1", "url": [ "https://storage-europe-west1.api.mailgun.net/v3/domains/test.x.domain.com/messages/BAABAgFDXxxxxxxxxxxxxxNzEVxPmZ8_YQ" ] }, "user-variables": {} }
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648
Aug ’25
Unable to use Bluetooth in watchOS companion app if iOS uses AccessorySetupKit
FB18383742 Setup 🛠️ Xcode 16.4 (16F6) 📱 iPhone 13 mini (iOS 18.0.1) ⌚️ Apple Watch Series 10 (watchOS 11.3.1) Observations As AccessorySetupKit does not request "Core Bluetooth permissions", when a watchOS companion app is installed after having installed the iOS app, the toggle in the watch settings for Privacy & Security > Bluetooth is turned off and disabled After removing the iPhone associated with the Apple Watch, Bluetooth works as expected in the watchOS app Upon reinstalling the iOS app, there's a toggle for Bluetooth in the iOS ASK app's settings and the ASK picker cannot be presented 🤨 From ASK Documentation: AccessorySetupKit is available for iOS and iPadOS. The accessory’s Bluetooth permission doesn’t sync to a companion watchOS app. But this doesn't address not being able to use Core Bluetooth in a watch companion app at all 🥲 Reproducing the bug Install the iOS + watchOS apps Launch iOS app, tap "start scan", observe devices can be discovered (project is set up to find heart rate monitors) Launch watchOS, tap allow on Bluetooth permission pop-up watchOS app crashes 💥 Meanwhile, in the iOS app, there should be a log entry for 💗 CBCentralManager state: poweredOff and the ASK picker is no longer able to discover any devices The state of the device permissions: iOS app has no paired accessories or Bluetooth permission watchOS app's Bluetooth permission shown as turned off & disabled Remove the iOS app Relaunch the watchOS app Notice the CBCentralManager state is unauthorized Remove and reinstall the watchOS app Tap allow on Bluetooth permission pop-up watchOS app does not crash and CBCentralManager state is poweredOn The state of the watch permissions: Bluetooth is turned on & the toggle is not disabled Note that at this time the iOS app is not installed, there is no way to remove Bluetooth permission for the watch app. Reinstall + launch the iOS app Notice a warning in the log: [##### WARNING #####] App has companion watch app that maybe affected if using CoreBluetooth framework. Please read developer documentation for AccessorySetupKit. Notice a log entry for 💗 CBCentralManager state: poweredOn before tapping start scan Tap start scan and observe another log entry: Failed to show picker due to: The operation couldn’t be completed. (ASErrorDomain error 550.) ASErrorDomain 550: The picker can't be used because the app is in the background. Is this the expected error? 🤔 The state of the iOS permissions: The app's settings show a Bluetooth toggle normally associated with Core Bluetooth, but the app never showed a Core Bluetooth pop-up The iOS ASK app now has Core Bluetooth permission 😵‍💫 Following up with Apple This is a known bug that should be fixed in watchOS 26 when Bluetooth permissions for watch apps can be set independently of the iOS app. I've yet to test it with watchOS 26. See repo for the same post with screenshots of the settings and demo code reproducing the bug: https://github.com/superturboryan/AccessorySetupKit-CoreBluetooth-watchOS-Demo
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358
Aug ’25
Detecting if a phone call is being recorded by another app on iOS
Hello, I’m new here. I'm developing an iOS app and I’d like to know whether it is possible to detect if a phone call is being recorded by another app running in the background. I’ve already reviewed the documentation for CallKit and AVAudioSession, but I couldn’t find anything related. My expectation was that iOS might provide some callback or API to indicate if a call is being recorded (third-party apps), but so far I haven’t found a way. My questions are: Does iOS expose any API to detect if a call is being recorded? If not, is there any indirect, Apple's policy compliant method (e.g., microphone usage events) that can be relied upon? Or is this something that iOS explicitly prevents for privacyreasons? Expecting solutions that align with Apple’s policies and would be accepted under the App Store Review Guidelines. Thanks in advance for any guidance.
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190
Aug ’25
How and when to use .confirmAuthorization option with AccessorySetupKit
I am developing an app that communicates with external BLE device over GATT. The device has a secure-read characteristic exposing some of it's data and requires pairing/bonding in order to communicate with it. I was able to pair and connect with the device using AccessorySetupKit and .bluetoothPairingLE option: let descriptor = ASDiscoveryDescriptor() descriptor.bluetoothServiceUUID = CBUUID(string: serviceUUID) descriptor.supportedOptions = [.bluetoothPairingLE] let picketItem = ASPickerDisplayItem(name: name, productImage: image, descriptor: descriptor) In this case when setting up accessory, I was prompted to compare passkeys and after confirming I can read the characteristic etc. Then I tried adding .confirmAuthorization to picker item and problems started: let descriptor = ASDiscoveryDescriptor() descriptor.bluetoothServiceUUID = CBUUID(string: serviceUUID) descriptor.supportedOptions = [.bluetoothPairingLE] let picketItem = ASPickerDisplayItem(name: name, productImage: image, desc pickerItem.setupOptions = [.confirmAuthorization] When setting up, I can see a passkey to be confirmed, but when confirmed the setup ui get's suck in loading state. Under the hood in logs, I can see that my app has connected to peripheral and was able to read the characteristic. I am unsure why the ui is stuck in loading state in this case. What is the difference when using .confirmAuthorization option and what should be the proper flow of events to setup accessory and then access protoected characteristic?
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220
Aug ’25