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Universal Links not working with subdomains without AASA on root domain
Hi all, I'm trying to set up universal links for my app but it's not working. What I want: cogover.com → Safari (website) - NOT my app *.cogover.com (any subdomain like abc.cogover.com) → My app What I did: Added applinks:*.cogover.com in Xcode Put AASA files on all subdomains They work fine (checked with curl) Problem: All links still open in Safari, not my app. I do not put AASA on my root domain cogover.com because I don't want open my app with root domain. I have checked TN3155: Debugging universal links | Apple Developer Documentation but it only say about universal link works with both root domain and subdomains. Weird thing I found: I checked how Salesforce does it - their *.force.com subdomains work perfectly. But when I tried to check their setup, (https://force.com/.well-known/apple-app-site-association) doesn't seem to exist either! So how does theirs work? Even stranger - Apple's CDN has their file cached at (https://app-site-association.cdn-apple.com/a/v1/force.com) but the actual domain doesn't serve it. Can Apple's CDN have a file cached even if it's not on the website anymore? Thanks for any help!
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116
Jul ’25
TipKit popover Issues...
I have been trying to use TipKit popovers in my App. They all behave as expected in the simulator but on a real device I am seeing some strange behaviors. I have a couple of instances of where the tip is displaying an entire sheet instead of just the popover. In another case I cannot dismiss the Tip. Has anyone seen these behaviors and are there known issues/workarounds for this? I am reluctant to use something that works perfectly in the simulator but gives unpredictable results on a device. Not a good user experience in my opinion.
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110
Jul ’25
Refreshing AASA file?
I recently started a new app that supports universal links. I noticed an error in the apple-app-site-association (AASA) file and updated it. I used mode=developer in the applinks configuration, and it works well on Simulator, but for the life of me I can't get my device to load the new file, and the CDN hasn't updated in days. Any suggestions for how to get it to update, or get iOS to load the file directly? mode=developer is supposed to do this, but it simply won't on device. I've tried touching the file, and I can see its reported HTTP last modification date and eTag have changed. I've tried deleting and reinstalling the app; I've tried restarting the phone; I've tried clean builds; I've tried changing the applinks: to something else and reinstalling; I've tried installing via TestFlight.
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Jul ’25
FRONTBOARD crash App killed while running in the background.
PLATFORM AND VERSION iOS Development environment: Xcode 16.2, macOS 15.5 Run-time configuration: iOS 18 DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM Our app (a VoIP and messaging app) has been experiencing a crash when running in the background for long periods of time (a couple of days) while receiving calls, and message notifications. If the app is not receiving notifications, we don't get any crashes while it runs in the background. It is worth mentioning that we have several pushes that are background pushes and they could happen depending on the outcome of an incoming call. We have the two pushes: incoming call bye: let the app know that the calling end hanged up the call. incoming call answered: lets the app know that another device (with the same shared number) answered the call (web app, Android). Those pushes are delivered within 30 seconds after the call starts. I assume that since the app was awakened by a VoIP push, those background notification won't count towards the iOS restriction of not getting too many background pushes: "The number of background notifications allowed by the system depends on current conditions, but don’t try to send more than two or three per hour." Let me know if the above assumption is not accurate. I don't see details in the crash report (such as a "Termination Description") that could guide me to address the issue. So I would appreciate if you can give me some insight on what could be causing this. Here is part of the crash report: Exception Type: EXC_CRASH (SIGKILL) Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000 Termination Reason: FRONTBOARD 0xbaadca11 <RBSTerminateContext| domain:10 code:0xBAADCA11 explanation: reportType:CrashLog maxTerminationResistance:Interactive> Triggered by Thread: 0 Thread 0 name: Thread 0 Crashed: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000001dda93ce4 mach_msg2_trap + 8 1 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000001dda9739c mach_msg2_internal + 76 (mach_msg.c:201) 2 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000001dda972b8 mach_msg_overwrite + 428 (mach_msg.c:0) 3 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000001dda97100 mach_msg + 24 (mach_msg.c:323) 4 CoreFoundation 0x000000018c886900 __CFRunLoopServiceMachPort + 160 (CFRunLoop.c:2637) 5 CoreFoundation 0x000000018c8851f0 __CFRunLoopRun + 1208 (CFRunLoop.c:3021) 6 CoreFoundation 0x000000018c886c3c CFRunLoopRunSpecific + 572 (CFRunLoop.c:3434) 7 GraphicsServices 0x00000001d9a65454 GSEventRunModal + 168 (GSEvent.c:2196) 8 UIKitCore 0x000000018f299274 -[UIApplication run] + 816 (UIApplication.m:3845) 9 UIKitCore 0x000000018f264a28 UIApplicationMain + 336 (UIApplication.m:5540) 10 SwiftUI 0x00000001913a97a4 closure #1 in KitRendererCommon(:) + 168 (UIKitApp.swift:68) 11 SwiftUI 0x00000001910af01c runApp(_:) + 112 (UIKitApp.swift:16) 12 SwiftUI 0x00000001910aeed0 static App.main() + 180 (App.swift:136) 13 TheApp Business 0x0000000100686028 static TheApp_BusinessApp.$main() + 52 (TheApp_Business.swift:0) 14 TheApp Business 0x0000000100686028 main + 64 15 dyld 0x00000001b375bf08 start + 6040 (dyldMain.cpp:1450) STEPS TO REPRODUCE Open the app. Leave the app running in the background while it is receiving notifications (VoIP or messages). Bring the app to the foreground after a day or two of it running in the background. Notice that after opening the app, the launch screen is presented.
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130
Jul ’25
Open Parent App From ShieldActionDelegate
Hello, I’m building an app that helps people spend less time on social media apps. For that, I make heavy use of Apple’s Screen Time APIs, such as ManagedSettings and FamilyControls. When an app is locked using a ShieldConfiguration, the user has to open my app in order to unlock it (e.g. enter a code). This is very cumbersome because no documented API exists to open the parent app (=my app) from the ShieldActionDelegate (also part of my app) when the user presses a button of the ShieldConfiguration. The ShieldActionDelegate callback just offers three options in its ShieldActionResponse: .none .defer .close .openParentApp is missing. We are working around this limitation by sending a local push notification that the user has to tap on. This has multiple drawbacks: It has to be ensured that notification permission has been granted. It has to be ensured that notifications can be delivered even while focus is enabled. Features such as Apple Intelligence notification summaries and notification prioritization can heavily delay delivering notifications and thus frustrate the user. Neither my users nor myself do understand why this is not possible in a smoother way, at least according to the documentation. There are 3rd party apps that have such functionality, they can directly open their own app from a button press in the Shield, see here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/applocker-passcode-lock-apps/id1132845904 It would be great if Apple could level the playfield for all developers and document how this is achievable, because technically it clearly is. Thanks a lot and have a great day!
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Jul ’25
Couple simple suggestions to make WKExtendedRuntimeSession a lot better
I just launched my watch app with alarms using WKExtendedRuntimeSession, as an api I wish it was possible to: set a small title/message on the alarm ui itself, right now all it displays is the "Alarm from < app name >" with the app icon, but it would be nice to be able to set a short 1~2 line message below it as well! be able to read the current scheduled date, right now it's only possible to know it's scheduled.
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74
Jul ’25
AlarmKit authorizationState is always notDetermined even if permission has been previously granted
I am using AlarmKit in my app. When I access: AlarmManager.shared.authorizationState It always returns notDetermined, even when I have previously granted the app permission to use alarms via: try await AlarmManager.shared.requestAuthorization() Calling this API again grants me the permission though, without showing the permission prompt to the user. This sounds like a bug - if the permission has been granted, accessing authorizationState should return .authorized. It shouldn't require me to call requestAuthorization() again to update the authorization status again? Environment: iOS 26 beta 3 Xcode 26 beta 3
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Jul ’25
Receiving messages from TelephonyMessagingKit
I'm currently experimenting with TelephonyMessagingKit on iOS 26 Beta 3 (in the EU). I've managed to register my example project as the default Carrier messaging app, and sending/receiving SMS inside the app also appeared to work. However, I do not see any way to receive notifications/messages while the app is not running. Is this intentional? Not being able to notify users about an incoming message would be a competitive disadvantage compared to Apple's messages app, which is why I'd expect there to be an API to do this, given the EU rules. I'd appreciate any help here. Thanks!
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Jul ’25
Getting ShinyTV Example to Work
I have downloaded the ShinyTV example to test simplified sign-in on tvOS since it is not working in my own app, and I am having the same issue there. After assigning my team to the sample app, the bundle ID updates with my team id. I copy the bundle ID into a file entitled "apple-app-site-association" with this format: { "webcredentials": { "apps": [ "{MyTeamID}.com.example.apple-samplecode.ShinyTV{MyTeamID}" ] } } I upload the file to my personal site, ensuring that the content type is application/json. I adjust the Associated Domain entitlement to: webcredentials:*.{personal-site.com}?mode=developer using the alternate mode to force it to load from my site, not the CDN. When I run the build on tvOS, and click the Sign In button, it fails with these errors: Failed to start session: Error Domain=com.apple.CompanionServices.CPSErrorDomain Code=205 "Failed to prepare authorization requests" UserInfo={NSMultipleUnderlyingErrorsKey=( "Error Domain=com.apple.CompanionServices.CPSErrorDomain Code=205 \"Missing associated web credentials domains\" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing associated web credentials domains}" ), NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to prepare authorization requests} Session failed: Error Domain=com.apple.CompanionServices.CPSErrorDomain Code=205 "Failed to prepare authorization requests" UserInfo={NSMultipleUnderlyingErrorsKey=( "Error Domain=com.apple.CompanionServices.CPSErrorDomain Code=205 \"Missing associated web credentials domains\" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing associated web credentials domains}" ), NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to prepare authorization requests} ASAuthorizationController credential request failed with error: Error Domain=com.apple.AuthenticationServices.AuthorizationError Code=1004 "(null)" UserInfo={NSMultipleUnderlyingErrorsKey=( "Error Domain=com.apple.CompanionServices.CPSErrorDomain Code=205 \"(null)\"" )} Failed with error: Error Domain=com.apple.AuthenticationServices.AuthorizationError Code=1004 "Failed to prepare authorization requests" UserInfo={NSMultipleUnderlyingErrorsKey=( "Error Domain=com.apple.CompanionServices.CPSErrorDomain Code=205 \"Missing associated web credentials domains\" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing associated web credentials domains}" ), NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to prepare authorization requests} What am I missing here?
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Jul ’25
Correct formatting of webcredentials app id
I have been trying to add improved tvOS login using an Associated Domain and web credentials. In some places, I am seeing that the format is &lt;TEAM_ID&gt;.&lt;BUNDLE_ID&gt;, and in other places I am seeing &lt;APP_ID&gt;.&lt;BUNDLE_ID&gt;. I am having trouble getting both to work, but in order to properly troubleshoot, I want to make sure that I am using the correct identifier. Can someone give me a definitive answer? The documentation says app id, but I have seen Apple engineers in this forum say team id, and many other posts around the internet also saying team id.
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60
Jul ’25
Menu bar and Help window
by selecting Help under my Help menu item or cmd-h no window appears until the menu bar is touched. myApp.swift file: import SwiftUI import QuickLook @main struct myApp: App { @Environment(\.openWindow) var openWindow @State var helpURL: URL? = nil var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { ContentView() } .commandsReplaced { CommandGroup(before: .appInfo) { Button("Quit") { NSApp.terminate(nil) }.keyboardShortcut("q") } CommandGroup(before: .help) { //FIXME: only shows help if the menu bar is touched again. Button("Help") { helpURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "help", withExtension: "txt") } .keyboardShortcut("h") .quickLookPreview($helpURL) } } } } How should this be coded for proper action? Thanks
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55
Jul ’25
Using Picture-in-Picture for Background Audio Calls on iOS
I’m developing an app with audio calling functionality, and I’d like to take advantage of Picture-in-Picture (PiP) so that when the user moves the app to the background, the ongoing call can remain minimized on the Home screen. Based on my research, it seems possible to display a view in PiP mode and have it play, and I haven’t found any documentation stating that this is prohibited. Could you please confirm if this is allowed?
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299
Jul ’25
Background Modes for Audio Playback
Summary: I'm developing an iOS audio app in Flutter that requires background audio playback for long-form content. Despite having a paid Apple Developer Program account, the "Background Modes" capability does not appear as an option when creating or editing App IDs in the Developer Portal, preventing me from enabling the required com.apple.developer.background-modes entitlement. Technical Details: In the app that I am developing, users expect uninterrupted playback when app is backgrounded or device is locked similar to Audible, Spotify, or other audio apps that continue playing in background The Problem: When building for device testing or App Store submission, Xcode shows: Provisioning profile "iOS Team Provisioning Profile: com.xxxxx-vxxx" doesn't include the com.apple.developer.background-modes entitlement. However, the "Background Modes" capability is completely missing from the Developer Portal when creating or editing any App ID. I cannot enable it because the option simply doesn't exist in the capabilities list. What I've Tried: Multiple browsers/devices: Safari, Chrome, Firefox, incognito mode, different computers Account verification: Confirmed paid Individual Developer Program membership is active New App IDs: Created multiple new App IDs - capability never appears for any of them Documentation review: Followed all Apple documentation for configuring background execution modes Different regions: Tried changing portal language to English (US) Cache clearing: Logged out, cleared cookies, tried different sessions Apple Support Response: Contacted Developer Support (Case #102633509713). Received generic documentation links and was directed to Developer Forums rather than technical escalation. Has anyone else experienced the "Background Modes" capability missing from their Developer Portal? Has anyone successfully used the App Store Connect API to add background-modes when the GUI doesn't show it? What's the proper escalation path when Developer Support provides generic responses instead of technical assistance? Things I have attempted to solve this: audio_service package: Implemented as potential workaround, but still requires the system-level entitlement Manual provisioning profiles: Cannot create profiles with required entitlement if capability isn't enabled on App ID Other perhaps important facts about the environment where I am building the app: macOS Sonoma Xcode 15.x Flutter 3.5.4+ Apple Developer Program (Individual, paid)
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86
Jul ’25
A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - watchOS (Part 2)
At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for watchOS (part 2). 7. For widget (complication) update budgets, is there an overall budget or are scheduled update separate from APNS updates? For context I have a complication that is updated on a fixed schedule (every 20 min), but there can be times of the day that are more "interesting" where pushes make sense. Like timeline updates, the system budgets WidgetKit push notifications and delivers them opportunistically. You can use WidgetKit push notification updates as an addition to timeline updates. For more information, see Updating widgets with WidgetKit push notifications. 8. It seems like the new Control Center widgets can be sourced from either the iPhone or directly on the Watch. Can we control whether a control appears in the watch list, or will it always be a combination of all controls from both sources? iPhone controls will be automatically available on the companion Apple Watch, even if they don’t have an associated watchOS app. When an iPhone control is tapped on the Apple Watch, the action is performed on the iPhone. Controls whose actions foreground the iOS app will not appear on Apple Watch. If a watchOS app has controls, no controls will appear on Apple Watch from the companion iOS app. 9. From UI/UX perspective, what are the current practices for Designing watchOS apps that feels native. The WWDC23 session Design and build apps for WatchOS 10 covers the details of watchOS design principles and how to apply them in your app using SwiftUI. A lot of SwiftUI APIs, such as NavigationSplitView, vertical tab view, list view, and etc, already implement the look and feel native to watchOS. 10. When adopting the new design system on watchOS, it seems like the main place we will use the glass effect is for our buttons in toolbar? Standard buttons in system apps seem to continue to use a flat appearance and full width. We leave the choice to you – You can use the new GlassButtonStyle API or .buttonStyle(.glass) to apply the liquid glass material to buttons. Learn when to use the Liquid Glass styles in Get to know the new design system. 11. Is there any way to gracefully migrate extensions when their bundleIDs have to change? e.g., converting a multi-target watch app to single-target, which drops the .watchkitextension from both the app and WidgetKit ext bundleIDs Updating a watchOS app to single-target is covered in TechNote TN3157: Updating your watchOS project for SwiftUI and WidgetKit. Xcode provides a tool that can do the update automatically, and the technote describes the details about how to use it and how to clean up the project after the automatic update. If there's something that technote doesn't address, please reach out to us on the Developer Forums. 12. What is the status of WatchConnectivity? Is that still the preferred way for iOS + watchOS communications? The Watch Connectivity framework is still supported, and is appropriate for the communication between an watchOS app and its companion iOS app. The systems also provide other APIs for the apps to exchange data. For example, watchOS supports Apple Push Notification service (APNs). If data for your widget changes on your server, your widget can receive a WidgetKit push notification, and update accordingly. That’s the preferred mechanism for widget updates.
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Jul ’25
A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - watchOS (Part 1)
At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for watchOS (part 1). 1. I'm really excited about the new design system on all platforms. Liquid Glass is super cool. What do developers need to keep in mind when building for watchOS 26? To adopt the new design system, start with updating your app for watchOS 10 – If you have done so, your app will be mostly ready for watchOS 26. For more information, see Design and build apps for WatchOS 10. You can then look into Liquid Glass specific APIs to fine tune your app. This topic is covered in Adopting Liquid Glass. If you have SwiftUI views using any custom style, make sure they are still legible and fit with the new design system. 2. Something that really stood out to me were updates to the Smart Stack, with the system prioritizing Widgets when they're most relevant. Tell me more about these new opportunities for apps. Workout apps that record workouts using HealthKit may be automatically suggested on the watch face and appear in the Smart Stack without adding a widget. Relevant widgets are a great way to present information related to a date, location, point-of-interest type, sleep schedule, or fitness condition in the Smart Stack when it is relevant. Relevant widgets don't need to display a empty state view when they are not relevant. They are only shown in the Smart Stack when relevant. The watchOS 26 Design ToolKit in the Apple Design Resources includes a set of templates that you can use to layout your widgets. 3. Is the Wrist Flick gesture available to developers in the same way as Double Tap is? The system uses Wrist Flick to dismiss notifications and incoming calls, silence timers and alarms, or return to the watch face. There is no separate API for the Wrist Flick gesture. Apps that are using XCUIAutomation to make sure their user interface behaves as intended can use the XCUIDeviceHandGesture.flick to automate tests that verify that their app responds appropriately to the Wrist Flick gesture. For apps using automated testing, the XCUIDeviceHandGesture.doubleTap can be also be used to automate testing of the app with the Double Tap gesture. See XCUIDevice.perform(handGesture:) 4. Can HRV measurements be triggered on demand via API in watchOS? Guidelines or processes for enabling energy-intensive biometric sampling on development devices for IRB-approved research? You don’t have direct control on the sampling rate in watchOS. You can use HealthKit (HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeartRateVariabilitySDNN, to be specific) to query the HRV data, once the system has sampled and persisted the data to HealthKit. If that doesn’t help, we suggest that you file a feedback report with your concrete use case for us to investigate. Specific to IRB-approved research using Apple Watch or its companion iPhone, you might want to look at this FAQ and SensorKit to see if they can be of any help. 5. What is the best advice for someone who is new to making a watchOS app that’s been on iOS and iPadOS? You can start with exploring the system experience features on watchOS, such as notifications, controls, and widgets, and getting familiar with the system spaces, like Smart Stack, watch face, and control center. Knowing the watchOS app design principles and practices is important as well. Design and build apps for WatchOS 10 is a great resource for this topic. SwiftUI is an amazing across-platform framework, and you will use it to create your watchOS app. If you're already using it, great! Keep in mind some watch-only constraints. Comparing to iPhone or iPad, Apple Watch has a limited battery and smaller screen size, which significantly impacts how people use your app and how your app works. 6. Was there any extension this year to the 7 day limit on querying Apple Health data on the watch? There is no change on the limit this year. You can get this official limit at runtime using earliestPermittedSampleDate. There are some exceptions, and so don't be surprised if you see some data types are retained longer. The companion iPhone holds the full set of the health data. If you need to access the health data that has been purged from the Apple Watch, consider doing it with your iOS app, and then passing the result to your watchOS app.
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Jul ’25