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Detecting CarPlay connection when app wakes in background via geofence
Our iOS app supports CarPlay capability with the Driving task. The app is also configured to wake in the background on geofence entry or exit events, even from a terminated (killed) state. We would like to understand how to detect whether CarPlay is connected to the iPhone when the app wakes up or runs in the background. In this case, the CarPlay app is not actively running in the Car infotainment system foreground. Requirement: The app should perform a background task only when CarPlay is connected, including when launched in the background or from a killed state due to a geofence trigger. Could you please advise on the recommended way or API to determine CarPlay connection status in this background scenario? Thanks for the support!
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108
Dec ’25
PDFKit Sizes increases
Hey there, I have a slight problem which is also known on the web, but I couldn't find any answers... My iOS App is working with documents like pdf and images. It is made to handle invoices and upload them to an external service. The app's job is to compress those pdfs and images. Sadly the PDFKit's PDFDocument increases its size just after importing it with pdfDocument = PDFDocument(url: url) and later exporting it to an pdf file again with data = pdf.dataRepresentation() without ever modifying it. It increases by server KB after each export. Do you have any alternatives to the renderer dataRepresentation() or a general PDFKit alternative Thanks
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Dec ’25
Testing Age Assurance in Sandbox Failed
According to Apple's documentation at https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/testing-age-assurance-in-sandbox?language=objc, the testing steps and expected responses are outlined as follows: ​Test app consent revocation​ To test the notification when a parent or guardian revokes access to your app on behalf of their child, follow these steps: Start with a Sandbox account. From the Age Assurance settings, tap ​Revoke App Consent. Enter your app’s Bundle ID (for example, com.example.bundle). Tap ​Revoke Consent​ to simulate the revocation. Confirm that the system displays ​​“Notification Triggered”​​ with the message ​​“A notification will be sent to the developer server soon.”​ I followed the steps exactly as described above, but during the fifth step, instead of seeing the prompt ​​"A notification will be sent to the developer server soon,"​​ a pop-up dialog with only a confirmation button appeared. After clicking it, there was no further response, and our server did not receive any notification (neither from the Sandbox nor the Production environment).
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Dec ’25
AppleTV returns to homescreen overnight
Hi We have an AppleTV app that is used to continuously display information (digital signage). One of our clients reports that their AppleTV returns to the homescreen by morning. While our recommendation is to setup Mobile Device Management to lock the AppleTV into running only our app, not every client will have the IT knowledge to set this up. So we're trying to figure out possible causes for the app getting closed. We've not received any crash reports, nor does the device give any indication the app crashed. The energy saving settings are set to run continuously without sleep. The client is reporting this happens every night, so it seems unlikely to be caused by tvOS updates. Are there other things I could rule out to find the cause of this issue? Any ideas are welcome, thanks!
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Dec ’25
BadDeviceToken Error in Live Activities
Hello everyone, I’m currently receiving feedback from clients in a production environment who are encountering a BadDeviceToken error with Live Activities, which is preventing their states from updating. However, for other clients, the token is working fine and everything functions as expected. I’m collaborating with the back-end developers to gather more information about this issue, but the only log message we’re seeing is: Failed to send a push, APNS reported an error: BadDeviceToken I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could provide some insight or information on how to resolve this issue.
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Nov ’25
Issue with DeviceActivityMonitor - eventDidReachThreshold Callback Not Triggering Properly
Hello, I'm currently experiencing an issue with the DeviceActivityMonitor extension in my code, specifically with the eventDidReachThreshold callback. I'm hoping to get some insights into why this problem occurs and how to resolve it. Problem: Issue 1: The eventDidReachThreshold callback is not triggering as expected. It appears that the callback is not being invoked when the threshold is reached. Issue 2: After a few seconds, the eventDidReachThreshold callback starts to trigger multiple times. This unexpected behavior is causing problems in my code, as it results in incorrect actions being taken. iOS version: iOS16.7.2 and iOS17.1 Xcode version: 15.0.1 Swift version: 5.9 Here is my code to start the monitoring: func startMonitoring() { var startTime : DateComponents = DateComponents(hour: 0, minute: 0) let endTime : DateComponents = DateComponents(hour: 23, minute: 59) /// Creates the schedule for the activity, specifying the start and end times, and setting it to repeat. let schedule = DeviceActivitySchedule(intervalStart: startTime, intervalEnd: endTime, repeats: true, warningTime: nil) /// Defines the event that should trigger the encouragement. let event = DeviceActivityEvent(applications: socialActivitySelection.applicationTokens, categories: socialActivitySelection.categoryTokens, webDomains: socialActivitySelection.webDomainTokens, threshold: DateComponents(minute: 2)) let events: [DeviceActivityEvent.Name: DeviceActivityEvent] = [.socialScreenTimeEvent : event] do { activityCenter.stopMonitoring([.socialScreenTime]) /// Tries to start monitoring the activity using the specified schedule and events. try activityCenter.startMonitoring(.socialScreenTime, during: schedule, events: events) } catch { /// Prints an error message if the activity could not be started. print("Could not start monitoring: \(error)") } } If there are any known workarounds or potential solutions, please share them. Thank you for your help in resolving this problem.
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Nov ’25
Universal Link always shows “Open App A?” banner instead of redirecting automatically
We have a login flow where the user authenticates in Safari, and at the end of the process the authentication server redirects back to our app using a Universal Link. On most devices, the app opens automatically without any confirmation banner. However, on several iPads, Safari always shows the “Open App A?” banner after the redirect. The user must tap Open every time. Other devices running the same iOS version do not show this issue. Expected Flow (working devices): Start authentication Safari login Authentication server redirects using a Universal Link App A opens automatically Problematic Flow (several iPads): Start authentication Safari login Authentication server redirects using a Universal Link Safari shows “Open App A?” confirmation banner User must tap Open App A starts Questions: Is this a known issue in iOS? Or is this expected behavior under certain conditions (i.e., is there a specific Safari/iOS specification that causes this banner to appear)? Is there any way to prevent Safari from showing the “Open App A?” banner and allow automatic redirection? *This issue did not occur on iOS 16, but it started appearing after updating to iOS 17. Devices : iPad 9th Gen/iPad 10th Gen
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Nov ’25
blockedApplications api to HIDE app categories?
Is there any way to use blockedApplications to hide all apps in a category? Currently, I use blockedApplications to hide individual apps, but it doesn’t work when I select an entire category. I thought the only solution would be to use shield, which doesn’t hide the apps but creates a blocking shield. However, I found an app on the App Store called Fokus, and it’s able to select a category and block all the apps in it. Does anyone know how this could be possible?
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Nov ’25
Texas age verification: revoked consent & notifications?
The published "Next steps for apps distributed in Texas" says "A parent or guardian in Texas can withdraw consent for any app, which will block launching of the app on the child or teen’s device." My question is: will this also block notifications sent to that app from showing up on that device? Or will notifications still be delivered to the notification center, even though the app can't be launched? (Specifically, notifications sent from a server via Firebase topic/token). If notifications are not blocked automatically, what is the expected flow for this scenario? My app sends notifications from a server like this. I could implement client-side code to say "if consent is revoked, unsubscribe from notifications", but if the OS blocks launching of the app, this client-side code would never run. Similarly, I could subscribe to the server notifications for when consent is revoked, but my app is free & accountless, so I'm not aware of any information in the server notification that I could use to identify the specific user whose notifications should be stopped. (For example my users won't have an appAccountToken because they never made a purchase). Guidance would be much appreciated. I'm trying to comply with the law but I don't know how.
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Nov ’25
Unable to upload an app with ExtensionFoundation
I have an iOS app with ExtensionFoundation. It runs well on my local device, but when I upload on the AppStore it gets rejected with: Validation failed Invalid Info.plist value. The value of the EXExtensionPointIdentifier key, AsheKube.app.a-Shell.localWebServer, in the Info.plist of “a-Shell.app/Extensions/localWebServer.appex” is invalid. Please refer to the App Extension Programming Guide at https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/General/Conceptual/ExtensibilityPG/Action.html#/apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40014214-CH13-SW1. (ID: ae8dd1dd-8caf-4a48-9651-7a225faed4eb) The Info.plist in my Extension is: <?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>EXAppExtensionAttributes</key> <dict> <key>EXExtensionPointIdentifier</key> <string>com.example.example-extension</string> </dict> </dict> </plist> so the Info.plist that causes the issue has been automatically generated by Xcode. I can access it as well, and it says: { "BuildMachineOSBuild" => "25A354" "CFBundleDevelopmentRegion" => "en" "CFBundleDisplayName" => "localWebServerExtension" "CFBundleExecutable" => "localWebServer" "CFBundleIdentifier" => "AsheKube.app.a-Shell.localWebServerExtension" "CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion" => "6.0" "CFBundleName" => "localWebServer" "CFBundlePackageType" => "XPC!" "CFBundleShortVersionString" => "1.0" "CFBundleSupportedPlatforms" => [ 0 => "iPhoneOS" ] "CFBundleVersion" => "1" "DTCompiler" => "com.apple.compilers.llvm.clang.1_0" "DTPlatformBuild" => "23A339" "DTPlatformName" => "iphoneos" "DTPlatformVersion" => "26.0" "DTSDKBuild" => "23A339" "DTSDKName" => "iphoneos26.0" "DTXcode" => "2601" "DTXcodeBuild" => "17A400" "EXAppExtensionAttributes" => { "EXExtensionPointIdentifier" => "AsheKube.app.a-Shell.localWebServer" } "MinimumOSVersion" => "26.0" "NSHumanReadableCopyright" => "Copyright © 2025 AsheKube. All rights reserved." "UIDeviceFamily" => [ 0 => 1 1 => 2 ] "UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities" => [ 0 => "arm64" ] } What should I do to be able to upload on the AppStore?
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Nov ’25
v2 Weatherkit REST API documentation release date
Hi. The WWDC video of the v2 weatherkit api showed some examples for the REST API. However, they were very limited. The documentation for the REST API is currently for the v1 weatherkit API. When will the documentation for the v2 API be released? There are some new features of the v2 that I would really like to use, but I can't without knowing the new v2 REST API specifications. Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks!
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1.1k
Nov ’25
requestAgeRange always returns `notAvailable`
Hi everyone. I've downloaded the the 26.2 beta 2 and installed it on a device in the settings after i create a new sandbox test account i see the options in Age Assurance. The problem is i got the popup the first time i opened the application and decided to share, but after that i always get the following error: DeclaredAgeRange.AgeRangeService.Error.notAvailable I tried testing with different bundle id and different sandbox test account but still it doesn't work. How can i test the cases without erasing the device ?
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Nov ’25
iOS 26 fails to automatically switch to [system settings - personal hotspot ] directly from application ]
The API we used: NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"App-Prefs:INTERNET_TETHERING"]; The link provided by Apple engineer: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/761314 I did not find any URL in the link that leads to the secondary menu of system settings. Does this suggest that iOS 26 does not support this functionality? Moreover, is it possible that versions of iOS 18 and earlier may also not support this behavior in the future?
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Nov ’25
iOS fails to fetch AASA file for IDNs
Subject: iOS Fails to Fetch AASA File for Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) in Unicode or Punycode Format Dear Apple Developer Relations Team And Community Members, We are reporting a critical bug in the iOS Associated Domains feature that prevents Universal Links from working for apps using Internationalized Domain Names (IDN). Problem Description: The iOS operating system does not attempt to download the apple-app-site-association (AASA) file for domains containing non-ASCII characters (e.g., diacritics, Cyrillic). This failure occurs regardless of whether the domain is specified in the app's entitlements in its human-readable Unicode format (e.g., montréal.ca) or its encoded Punycode format (e.g., xn--montral-fya.ca, xn--e1afka0abm4b.xn--p1ai). Without fetching and validating this file, Universal Links are not activated, and the system fails to establish a connection between the website and our app. Steps to Reproduce: Create an app with the Associated Domains entitlement enabled. Add an IDN to the entitlement. We tested both formats: Format A (Unicode): applinks://montréal.ca Format B (Punycode): applinks://xn--montral-fya.ca Host a valid AASA file on our server at the correct, accessible well-known URLs for both domain representations: For montréal.ca: https://montréal.ca/.well-known/apple-app-site-association and https://xn--montral-fya.ca/.well-known/apple-app-site-association Install the app on a device running the latest iOS version. Monitor network traffic using a tool like Charles Proxy. Observed Result: No HTTP GET request is made to any of the AASA URLs for the domains montréal.ca (in either Unicode or Punycode format) upon app installation. The system does not initiate the domain validation process. In contrast, for a standard ASCII domain (e.g., applinks://example.com), the AASA fetch is triggered immediately and is observed in the network log. Expected Result: iOS should correctly resolve the Internationalized Domain Name (whether specified in Unicode or Punycode format in the entitlement) and perform an HTTP GET request to fetch the AASA file from the /.well-known path, identical to its behavior for ASCII domains. Evidence & Configuration: Our server is configured correctly: SSL certificates are valid, the AASA file is served with the correct application/json MIME type, and is directly accessible via a browser or curl. The AASA file's syntax has been validated and is correct. The issue is reproducible on the latest versions of iOS. Impact: This bug blocks a core platform feature for millions of users in regions that use non-Latin scripts (e.g., France, Russia, China, Arab states). It makes it impossible to use Universal Links with our primary domains, severely degrading the user experience and forcing us to seek suboptimal workarounds like registering separate ASCII domains. Request: We kindly request that you investigate and log this issue as a bug in iOS and forward it to the appropriate engineering team for a fix in an upcoming update. We are prepared to provide any additional information, demo projects, or server access to assist in diagnostics. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.
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Nov ’25
How can I open my app from the restricted screen like many apps in the App Store, one of which is AppLocker?
class ShieldActionExtension: ShieldActionDelegate { override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for application: ApplicationToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // Handle the action as needed. switch action { case .primaryButtonPressed: if let url = URL(string: "blockfocusapp://") { let extensionContext = NSExtensionContext() extensionContext.open(url, completionHandler: nil) } // completionHandler(.defer) case .secondaryButtonPressed: let userDefaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.in.appsquare.FocusApp.shieldExt") userDefaults?.set(false, forKey: "shouldOpenMainApp") completionHandler(.defer) @unknown default: fatalError() } } override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for webDomain: WebDomainToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // Handle the action as needed. completionHandler(.close) } override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for category: ActivityCategoryToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) { // Handle the action as needed. completionHandler(.close) } } I want to be able to open my app from ShieldActionExtension
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Nov ’25
How to open parent app from `ShieldActionDelegate`
Hello, I think it is quite a common use-case to open the parent app that owns the ShieldActionDelegate when the user selects an action in the Shield. There are only three options available that we can do in response to an action: ShieldActionResponse.none ShieldActionResponse.close ShieldActionResponse.defer It would be great if this new one would be added as well: ShieldActionResponse.openParentApp While finding a workaround for now, the problem is that the ShieldActionDelegate is not a normal app extension. That means, normal tricks do not work to open the parent app from here. For example, UIApplication.shared.open(url) does not work because we can’t access UIApplication from the ShieldActionDelegate unfortunately. NSExtensionContext is also not available in the ShieldActionDelegate unfortunately, so that’s also not possible. There are apps however, that managed to find a workaround, in my research I stumbled across these two: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/applocker-passcode-lock-apps/id1132845904?l=en-GB https://apps.apple.com/us/app/app-lock/id6448239603 Please find a screen recording (gif) attached. Their workaround is 100% what I’m looking for, so there MUST be a way to do so that is compliant with the App Store guidelines (after all, the apps are available on the App Store!). I had documented my feature request more than 2 years ago in this radar as well: FB10393561
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1.5k
Nov ’25
Open parent app from ShieldAction extension in iOS
When I tap on one of the buttons in the ShieldAction extension I want to close the shield and open the parent app instead of the shielded app. Is there any way of doing this using the Screen Time API? class ShieldActionExtension: ShieldActionDelegate {      override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for application: ApplicationToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) {     // Handle the action as needed.           let store = ManagedSettingsStore()               switch action {     case .primaryButtonPressed:       //TODO - open parent app       completionHandler(.defer)     case .secondaryButtonPressed:       //remove shield       store.shield.applications?.remove(application)       completionHandler(.defer)         @unknown default:       fatalError()     }   }   }
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5.4k
Nov ’25
Siri can’t place calls while device is locked
Hello, I’m developing a third-party VoIP app called Heyno and trying to support Siri-initiated calls so they behave like WhatsApp / FaceTime, especially from the lock screen. Target behavior From the locked device, the user says: “Hey Siri, call <contact> using Heyno” Expected result: • System CallKit audio-call UI appears. • No “continue in ” sheet, no forced unlock or foregrounding. • Our app handles the VoIP leg in the background via CXProviderDelegate. WhatsApp already does this with: “Hey Siri, call <contact> on WhatsApp” I’m trying to reproduce that behavior for Heyno using public APIs. I have followed the SiriKit + CallKit VoIP docs but cannot get a clean Siri → CallKit → app flow from the lock screen without either: Being forced into .continueInApp (unlock + foreground), or Hitting CallKit transaction errors when starting the call from the app in response to the intent. Current implementation Intents extension (INStartCallIntentHandling) • resolveContacts(for:with:) normalizes to E.164 and returns INPersonResolutionResult.success. • resolveDestinationType → .success(.normal). • resolveCallCapability → .success(.audioCall). Confirm / handle currently: func confirm(intent: INStartCallIntent, completion: @escaping (INStartCallIntentResponse) -> Void) { completion(INStartCallIntentResponse(code: .ready, userActivity: nil)) } func handle(intent: INStartCallIntent, completion: @escaping (INStartCallIntentResponse) -> Void) { completion(INStartCallIntentResponse(code: .ready, userActivity: nil)) } Earlier, I used .continueInApp with an NSUserActivity carrying the normalized number and metadata, but that always produced a “Continue in Heyno” sheet that requires unlock and foreground, which breaks the lock-screen Siri flow. App target – CallKit provider In the app I have CXProvider + CXProviderDelegate, which work correctly when calls are initiated from inside the app: func provider(_ provider: CXProvider, perform action: CXStartCallAction) { let handle = action.handle.value // Start VoIP / WebRTC / LiveKit / Asterisk call here provider.reportOutgoingCall(with: action.callUUID, startedConnectingAt: Date()) provider.reportOutgoingCall(with: action.callUUID, connectedAt: Date()) action.fulfill() } If I construct a CXStartCallAction and submit it via CXCallController.request(...) from the app, CallKit UI appears and our pipeline runs correctly. What I tried and what fails Starting CallKit from the Intents extension Calling CXCallController.request(...) directly from handle(intent:completion:) in the extension always yields: com.apple.CallKit.error.requesttransaction error 1 (unentitled) The extension does not have the CallKit entitlement, and the docs say not to initiate calls from the extension, so this path seems unsupported. Using .continueInApp + NSUserActivity Pattern: • handle(intent:) builds NSUserActivity (activityType = NSStringFromClass(INStartCallIntent.self), title = "Heyno Start Call", userInfo with E.164 handle, etc.). • Returns INStartCallIntentResponse(code: .continueInApp, userActivity: activity). • App receives the activity, then starts CallKit + VoIP. Functionally this works, but iOS always requires unlock + foreground (“Continue in Heyno”), which is not acceptable for a Siri lock-screen call. App group + Darwin notification (extension → app → CallKit) Experiment: • Extension writes the normalized number into an app-group UserDefaults. • Extension posts a Darwin notification. • App (if running) listens, reads the number, and initiates CXStartCallAction + VoIP. Observed: • Works only when the app is already running in the background; a killed app is not woken. • In some states I see CXErrorCodeRequestTransactionError.invalidAction (error 6) if I try to issue a CXStartCallAction while CallKit is already doing something as part of the Siri flow. • Siri sometimes replies “There was a problem with the app,” likely because CallKit rejects the transaction or sees duplicate/conflicting actions. My understanding so far • The Intents extension should resolve/confirm the intent but not start the call. • The source of truth for starting a call should be: Siri → CallKit → app’s CXProviderDelegate.provider(_:perform: CXStartCallAction) • The app then starts the VoIP leg, reports started/connected, and fulfills. Where I am stuck What is not clear is how Siri is supposed to route an INStartCallIntent into CallKit for a third-party VoIP app on a locked device without using .continueInApp. If my extension simply: • resolves the contact, • confirm → .ready, • handle → .ready (no NSUserActivity, no CallKit), I do not see a documented mechanism that causes: “Hey Siri, call <contact> using Heyno” on the lock screen to: • Present a CallKit audio call bound to Heyno, and • Deliver CXStartCallAction to my CXProviderDelegate while the app stays in the background. Questions For third-party VoIP apps today, is it recommended to implement INStartCallIntentHandling at all, or should we rely only on CallKit registration and Siri’s built-in support for “Call with ” (no SiriKit extension)? If an INStartCallIntentHandling extension is still the intended pattern: • Should confirm/handle simply return .ready and never start CallKit or set NSUserActivity? • In that case, is Siri expected to invoke CallKit on our behalf and create a CXStartCallAction targeting our provider, even when the device is locked and the app is not foreground? Is there any supported way for a Siri-triggered third-party VoIP call to start from the lock screen via CallKit without: • using .continueInApp (unlock + foreground), and • starting CallKit directly from the Intents extension (unentitled)? Is there any additional configuration, entitlement, provisioning profile flag, or Info.plist key required so that Siri can map “Call using Heyno” directly to our CallKit provider and background VoIP implementation? Current options: • .continueInApp + NSUserActivity → works, but always requires unlock + app UI. • Start CallKit from the extension → fails with “unentitled” and appears unsupported. • Extension → app-group + notification → app → CallKit → VoIP → fragile, with intermittent CXErrorCodeRequestTransactionError.invalidAction. • Remove the extension and hope Siri/CallKit auto-routes to our provider → unclear if this is supported for third-party VoIP apps or reserved for privileged apps. I would appreciate guidance on the intended architecture for this scenario, and whether the “Siri from lock screen → CallKit UI → background VoIP call” flow is achievable for an App Store VoIP app like Heyno using public APIs only.
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Nov ’25