Unexpected iOS App foregrounding

Question

Created 1w

Replies 4

Boosts 0

Participants 2

I am seeing some unexpected behavior, in particular, is seems that iOS is periodically foregrounding my test app with no user intervention. I am curious why this is.

I wrote a simple test app to see how long the app would run to collect location while in the background with only "While in Use" location permission. The app will start location updates when foregrounded and continue in the background. While backgrounded, I see the blue arrow in the dynamic island as expected. What is unexpected is that every few days, I see the UI of the app displayed in the foreground, without having foregrounded it myself (and no, I did not tap the blue arrow).

This is using the legacy CoreLocation apis on iOS 17.5.1.

My question is how/why does this happen?

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Answer 1

Engineer OP

Apple

1w

This is not something that should, or could happen. You may want to observe the situations that this occurs carefully and make sure it is not something that is accidentally happening during the normal use of the phone.

What are the exact circumstances you see this happen? Is the phone untouched and locked? Is it in your pocket? Are you using another app at the time? Or is it sitting idle, unlocked at the Home Screen?

All these are quite impossible scenarios, but if you have the specifics we would like to hear them.

Also, make sure you are not confusing the app being foregrounded with the occasional popup of the location permission dialog, which will happen as a reminder to the users that your app is accessing their location, and that is not something that can be disabled.

Argun Tekant /  DTS Engineer / Core Technologies

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Answer 2

cesarfromnull OP

1w

I think I have usually seen it when unlocking the phone, but I can continue to monitor, and pay closer attention. When I have seen it, I have triggered a sysdiagnose log, but I have no idea what to look for. Would that be useful to look at?

Other than (1) tapping the blue arrow (2) selecting the app from the "carousel" of backgrounded apps. (3) tapping the app icon are there any other ways for the user to foreground the app?

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Answer 3

cesarfromnull OP

1w

Also, make sure you are not confusing the app being foregrounded with the occasional popup of the location permission dialog, which will happen as a reminder to the users that your app is accessing their location, and that is not something that can be disabled.

I don't see the location permission popup at all, which makes sense, since the allowed permission is "While in Use". I would only expect the popup for "Always" permission, correct?

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Answer 4

Engineer OP

Apple

1w

If you have a sysdiagnose, it would help to create a Feedback Report and attach it, along with explaining exactly when and how it happened once you have observed it closer.

Actually it would help to mark the time this happened, and then create a new sysdiagnose at that time so we know what to look for.

If you share the Feedback ID here, we can make sure the appropriate people will see it.

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