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Best approach for persisting anonymous user data across devices without account creation
I'm building a photo editing app with a token-based subscription system using RevenueCat and StoreKit. Users purchase subscriptions that grant tokens for AI generations. There are no user accounts, the app is fully anonymous. Currently, I generate an anonymous account ID via RevenueCat SDK and store it in iCloud Keychain. This allows users on the same iCloud account to restore both their subscription and token balance across devices. However, users on a different iCloud account can restore their subscription via Apple, but their token balance is lost because there's no way to link the anonymous IDs. The problem is that if a user switches iCloud accounts or gets a new device without the same iCloud, their purchased tokens are orphaned. The subscription restores fine through Apple, but the token balance tied to the old anonymous ID becomes inaccessible. I have a few constraints: no user accounts, no email or phone sign-in, must work across devices owned by the same person, and must comply with App Store guidelines. My questions are: Is iCloud Keychain the right tool for this, or is there a better approach? Would CloudKit with an anonymous record zone be more appropriate? Are there any recommended patterns for persisting consumable balances tied to anonymous users across device migrations? Any guidance would be appreciated.
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69
Dec ’25
Best approach to prevent SwiftData .transformable migration on iOS 26.1
We have an unreleased SwiftData app for iOS18+. While we were testing I saw reports on the forum about unexpected database migrations for codable arrays on iOS26.1. I'd like to ask a couple of questions: 1- Does this issue originate from the new Xcode version, or is it specific to iOS 26.1? 2- Is it possible to change our attribute so that users on older iOS versions receive the same model, preventing a migration from being triggered when they upgrade to iOS 26.1? One of our models looks like this: struct Point: Codable, Hashable { let x: Int let y: Int } @Model class Grid { private(set) var gridId: String = "" var points: [Point] = [] var updatedAt: Date = Date() private(set) var createdAt: Date = Date() #Index<Grid>([\.gridId]) ... } I can think of some options like: // 1 @Attribute(.transformable(by: CustomJsonTransformer.self)) var points: [Point] = [] // 2 @Attribute(.externalStorage) var points: [Point] = [] // 3 var points: Data = Data() // store points as data However, I'm not sure which one to use. What would you recommend to handle this, or is there a better strategy you would suggest?
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157
Nov ’25
SwiftData shared across apps?
The stuff I've found by searching has confused me, so hopefully someone can help simplify it for me? I have an app (I use it for logging which books I've given away), and I could either add a bunch of things to the app, or I could have another app (possibly a CLI tool) to generate some reports I'd like.
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79
May ’25
Entitlement for video streaming service automatic login
I'm trying to use the new (in tvOS 26) video streaming service automatic login API from the VideoSubscriberAccount framework: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/videosubscriberaccount/vsuseraccountmanager/autosignintoken-swift.property It seems that this API requires an entitlement. This document suggests that the com.apple.smoot.subscriptionservice entitlement is required. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/videosubscriberaccount/signing-people-in-to-media-apps-automatically However, it seems more likely that com.apple.developer.video-subscriber-single-sign-on is the correct entitlement. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/entitlements/com.apple.developer.video-subscriber-single-sign-on Which is the correct entitlement and how do I obtain it? I don't want to fully comply with the video partner program. https://developer.apple.com/programs/video-partner/ I just want to use this one new automatic login feature.
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150
Sep ’25
SwiftData 100% crash when fetching history with codable (test included!)
SwiftData crashes 100% when fetching history of a model that contains an optional codable property that's updated: SwiftData/Schema.swift:389: Fatal error: Failed to materialize a keypath for someCodableID.someID from CrashModel. It is possible that this path traverses a type that does not work with append(), please file a bug report with a test. Would really appreciate some help or even a workaround. Code: import Foundation import SwiftData import Testing struct VaultsSwiftDataKnownIssuesTests { @Test func testCodableCrashInHistoryFetch() async throws { let container = try ModelContainer( for: CrashModel.self, configurations: .init( isStoredInMemoryOnly: true ) ) let context = ModelContext(container) try SimpleHistoryChecker.hasLocalHistoryChanges(context: context) // 1: insert a new value and save let model = CrashModel() model.someCodableID = SomeCodableID(someID: "testid1") context.insert(model) try context.save() // 2: check history it's fine. try SimpleHistoryChecker.hasLocalHistoryChanges(context: context) // 3: update the inserted value before then save model.someCodableID = SomeCodableID(someID: "testid2") try context.save() // The next check will always crash on fetchHistory with this error: /* SwiftData/Schema.swift:389: Fatal error: Failed to materialize a keypath for someCodableID.someID from CrashModel. It is possible that this path traverses a type that does not work with append(), please file a bug report with a test. */ try SimpleHistoryChecker.hasLocalHistoryChanges(context: context) } } @Model final class CrashModel { // optional codable crashes. var someCodableID: SomeCodableID? // these actually work: //var someCodableID: SomeCodableID //var someCodableID: [SomeCodableID] init() {} } public struct SomeCodableID: Codable { public let someID: String } final class SimpleHistoryChecker { static func hasLocalHistoryChanges(context: ModelContext) throws { let descriptor = HistoryDescriptor<DefaultHistoryTransaction>() let history = try context.fetchHistory(descriptor) guard let last = history.last else { return } print(last) } }
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92
May ’25
Will transferring app affect iCloud's Documents folder access?
My app uses iCloud to let users sync their files via their private iCloud Drive, which does not use CloudKit. FileManager.default.url(forUbiquityContainerIdentifier: nil)?.appending(component: "Documents") I plan to transfer my app to another developer account, but I'm afraid it will affect the access of the app to the existing files in that folder. Apple documentation doesn't mention this case. Has anyone done this before and can confirm if the app will continue to work normally after transferring? Thanks
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93
May ’25
Core Data and Swift 6 concurrency: returning an NSManagedObject
We're in the process of migrating our app to the Swift 6 language mode. I have hit a road block that I cannot wrap my head around, and it concerns Core Data and how we work with NSManagedObject instances. Greatly simplied, our Core Data stack looks like this: class CoreDataStack { private let persistentContainer: NSPersistentContainer var viewContext: NSManagedObjectContext { persistentContainer.viewContext } } For accessing the database, we provide Controller classes such as e.g. class PersonController { private let coreDataStack: CoreDataStack func fetchPerson(byName name: String) async throws -> Person? { try await coreDataStack.viewContext.perform { let fetchRequest = NSFetchRequest<Person>() fetchRequest.predicate = NSPredicate(format: "name == %@", name) return try fetchRequest.execute().first } } } Our view controllers use such controllers to fetch objects and populate their UI with it: class MyViewController: UIViewController { private let chatController: PersonController private let ageLabel: UILabel func populateAgeLabel(name: String) { Task { let person = try? await chatController.fetchPerson(byName: name) ageLabel.text = "\(person?.age ?? 0)" } } } This works very well, and there are no concurrency problems since the managed objects are fetched from the view context and accessed only in the main thread. When turning on Swift 6 language mode, however, the compiler complains about the line calling the controller method: Non-sendable result type 'Person?' cannot be sent from nonisolated context in call to instance method 'fetchPerson(byName:)' Ok, fair enough, NSManagedObject is not Sendable. No biggie, just add @MainActor to the controller method, so it can be called from view controllers which are also main actor. However, now the compiler shows the same error at the controller method calling viewContext.perform: Non-sendable result type 'Person?' cannot be sent from nonisolated context in call to instance method 'perform(schedule:_:)' And now I'm stumped. Does this mean NSManageObject instances cannot even be returned from calls to NSManagedObjectContext.perform? Ever? Even though in this case, @MainActor matches the context's actor isolation (since it's the view context)? Of course, in this simple example the controller method could just return the age directly, and more complex scenarios could return Sendable data structures that are instantiated inside the perform closure. But is that really the only legal solution? That would mean a huge refactoring challenge for our app, since we use NSManageObject instances fetched from the view context everywhere. That's what the view context is for, right? tl;dr: is it possible to return NSManagedObject instances fetched from the view context with Swift 6 strict concurrency enabled, and if so how?
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121
Apr ’25
iCloud Database Errors and Limits
We are currently implementing a custom iCloud sync for our macOS and iOS apps using CloudKit. Syncing works fine as long as the number of record sends is relatively small. But when we test with a large number of changes ( 80,000+ CKRecords ) we start running into problems. Our sending strategy is very conservative to avoid rate limits: We send records sequentially in batches of 250 records With about 2 seconds pause between operations Records are small and contain no assets (assets are uploaded separately) At some point we start receiving: “Database commit size exceeds limit” After that, CloudKit begins returning rate-limit errors with retryAfter-Information in the error. We wait for the retry time and try again, but from this moment on, nothing progresses anymore. Every subsequent attempt fails. We could not find anything in the official documentation regarding such a “commit size” limit or what triggers this failure state. So my questions are: Are there undocumented limits on the total number of records that can exist in an iCloud database (private or shared)? Is there a maximum volume of record modifications a container can accept within a certain timeframe, even if operations are split into small batches with pauses? Is it possible that sending large numbers of records in a row can temporarily or permanently “stall” a CloudKit container? Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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199
Nov ’25
Which characters in filenames cause iCloud document sync issues?
Apple's iCloud File Management documentation says to "avoid special punctuation or other special characters" in filenames, but doesn't specify which characters. I need a definitive list to implement filename sanitization in my shipping app. Confirmed issues Our iOS app (CyberTuner, App Store, 15 years shipping on App Store) manages .rcta files in the iCloud ubiquity container via NSFileManager APIs. We've confirmed two characters causing sync failures: Ampersand (&): A file named Yamaha CP70 & CP80.rcta caused repeated "couldn't be backed up" dialogs. ~12 users reported this independently. Replacing & resolved it immediately. No other files in the same directory were affected. Percent (%): A file with % in the filename was duplicated by iCloud sync (e.g., filename% 1.rcta, filename% 2.rcta), and the original was lost. Currently reproducing across multiple devices. Both characters have special meaning in URL encoding (% is the escape character, & is the query parameter separator), which suggests the issue may be in URL handling within the sync pipeline. What I'm looking for: A definitive list of characters that cause problems in the iCloud sync pipeline specifically — not APFS restrictions, but CloudDocs/FileProvider/server-side issues. Confirmation whether these characters are problematic: & % # ? + / : * " < > | Is there a system API for validating or sanitizing filenames for iCloud compatibility before writing to the ubiquity container? Our users are piano technicians who naturally name files "Steinway & Sons" — we need to know exactly what to sanitize rather than guessing. Environment: iOS 17–26, Xcode 26.1, APFS, NSFileManager ubiquity container APIs Bundle FEEDBACK ASSISTANT ID FB21900837
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Is it possible to use an additional local ModelContainer in a document based SwiftData app?
I have a document based SwiftData app in which I would like to implement a persistent cache. For obvious reasons, I would not like to store the contents of the cache in the documents themselves, but in my app's data directory. Is a use case, in which a document based SwiftData app uses not only the ModelContainers from the currently open files, but also a ModelContainer writing a database file in the app's documents directory (for cache, settings, etc.) supported? If yes, how can you inject two different ModelContexts, one tied to the currently open file and one tied to the local database, into a SwiftUI view?
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71
Apr ’25
Export/Import data with SwiftData
Hi ! Would anyone know (if possible) how to create backup files to export and then import from the data recorded by SwiftData? For those who wish, here is a more detailed explanation of my case: I am developing a small management software with customers and events represented by distinct classes. I would like to have an "Export" button to create a file with all the instances of these 2 classes and another "Import" button to replace all the old data with the new ones from a previously exported file. I looked for several solutions but I'm a little lost...
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148
May ’25
ForEach and RandomAccessCollection
I'm trying to build a custom FetchRequest that I can use outside a View. I've built the following ObservableFetchRequest class based on this article: https://augmentedcode.io/2023/04/03/nsfetchedresultscontroller-wrapper-for-swiftui-view-models @Observable @MainActor class ObservableFetchRequest&lt;Result: Storable&gt;: NSObject, @preconcurrency NSFetchedResultsControllerDelegate { private let controller: NSFetchedResultsController&lt;Result.E&gt; private var results: [Result] = [] init(context: NSManagedObjectContext = .default, predicate: NSPredicate? = Result.E.defaultPredicate(), sortDescriptors: [NSSortDescriptor] = Result.E.sortDescripors) { guard let request = Result.E.fetchRequest() as? NSFetchRequest&lt;Result.E&gt; else { fatalError("Failed to create fetch request for \(Result.self)") } request.predicate = predicate request.sortDescriptors = sortDescriptors controller = NSFetchedResultsController(fetchRequest: request, managedObjectContext: context, sectionNameKeyPath: nil, cacheName: nil) super.init() controller.delegate = self fetch() } private func fetch() { do { try controller.performFetch() refresh() } catch { fatalError("Failed to fetch results for \(Result.self)") } } private func refresh() { results = controller.fetchedObjects?.map { Result($0) } ?? [] } var predicate: NSPredicate? { get { controller.fetchRequest.predicate } set { controller.fetchRequest.predicate = newValue fetch() } } var sortDescriptors: [NSSortDescriptor] { get { controller.fetchRequest.sortDescriptors ?? [] } set { controller.fetchRequest.sortDescriptors = newValue.isEmpty ? nil : newValue fetch() } } internal func controllerDidChangeContent(_ controller: NSFetchedResultsController&lt;any NSFetchRequestResult&gt;) { refresh() } } Till this point, everything works fine. Then, I conformed my class to RandomAccessCollection, so I could use in a ForEach loop without having to access the results property. extension ObservableFetchRequest: @preconcurrency RandomAccessCollection, @preconcurrency MutableCollection { subscript(position: Index) -&gt; Result { get { results[position] } set { results[position] = newValue } } public var endIndex: Index { results.endIndex } public var indices: Indices { results.indices } public var startIndex: Index { results.startIndex } public func distance(from start: Index, to end: Index) -&gt; Int { results.distance(from: start, to: end) } public func index(_ i: Index, offsetBy distance: Int) -&gt; Index { results.index(i, offsetBy: distance) } public func index(_ i: Index, offsetBy distance: Int, limitedBy limit: Index) -&gt; Index? { results.index(i, offsetBy: distance, limitedBy: limit) } public func index(after i: Index) -&gt; Index { results.index(after: i) } public func index(before i: Index) -&gt; Index { results.index(before: i) } public typealias Element = Result public typealias Index = Int } The issue is, when I update the ObservableFetchRequest predicate while searching, it causes a Index out of range error in the Collection subscript because the ForEach loop (or a List loop) access a old version of the array when the item property is optional. List(request, selection: $selection) { item in VStack(alignment: .leading) { Text(item.content) if let information = item.information { // here's the issue, if I leave this out, everything works Text(information) .font(.callout) .foregroundStyle(.secondary) } } .tag(item.id) .contextMenu { if Item.self is Client.Type { Button("Editar") { openWindow(ClientView(client: item as! Client), id: item.id!) } } } } Is it some RandomAccessCollection issue or a SwiftUI bug?
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142
May ’25
Feedback/issues for SwiftData custom store
Hello, thank you Apple for supporting custom store with SwiftData and the Schema type is superb to work with. I have successfully set one up with SQL and have some feedback and issues regarding its APIs. There’s a highlighted message in the documentation about not using internal restricted symbols directly, but they contradict with the given protocols and I am concerned about breaking any App Store rules. Are we allowed to use these? If not, they should be opened up as they’re useful. BackingData is required to set up custom snapshots, initialization, and getting/setting values. And I want to use it with createBackingData() to directly initialize instances from snapshots when transferring them between server and client or concurrency. RelationshipCollection for casting to-many relationships from backing data or checking if an array contains a PersistentModel. SchemaProperty for type erasure in a collection. Schema.Relationship has KeyPath properties, but it is missing for Schema.Attribute and Schema.CompositeAttribute. Which means you can’t purely depend on the schema to map data. I am unable to access the properties of a custom struct type in a predicate unless I use Mirror with schemaMetadata() or CustomStringConvertible on the KeyPath directly to extract it. Trivial, but… the KeyPath property name is inconsistent (it’s all lowercase). It would be nice to retrieve property names from custom struct types, since you are unable access CodingKeys that are auto synthesized by Codable for structs. But I recently realized they’re a part Schema.CompositeAttribute, however I don’t know how to match these without the KeyPath… I currently map my entities using CodingKeys to their PredicateCodableKeyPathProviding.… but I wish for a simpler alternative! It’s unclear how to provide the schema to the snapshot before new models are created. I currently use a static property, but I want to make it flexible if more schemas and configurations are added later on. I considered saving and loading the schema in a temporary location, but doubtful that the KeyPath values will be available as they are not Codable. I suspect schemaMetadata() has the information I need to map the backing data without a schema for snapshots, but as mentioned previously, properties are inaccessible… Allow access to entity metatypes, like value types from SchemaProperty. They’re useful for getting data out of snapshots and casting them to CodingKeys and PredicateCodableKeyPathProviding. They do not carry over when you provide them in the Schema. I am unable to retrieve the primary key from PersistentIdentifier. It seems like once you create one, you can’t get it out, like the DataStoreConfiguration in ModelContainer is not the one you used to set it up. I cannot cast it, it is an entirely different struct? I have to use JSONSerialization to extract it, but I want to get it directly since it is not a column in my database. It is transformed when it goes to/from my tables. It’s unknown how to support some schema options, such as Spotlight and CloudKit. Allow for extending macro options, such as adding options to set as primary key, whether to auto increment, etc… You can create a schema for super and sub entities, but it doesn’t appear you can actually set them up from the @Model macro or use inheritance on these models… SwiftData history tracking seems incomplete for HistoryDelete, because that protocol requires HistoryTombstone, but this type cannot be instantiated, nor does it contain anything useful to infer from. As an aside, I want to create my own custom ModelActor that is a global actor. However, I’m unable to replicate the executor that Apple provides where the executor has a ModelContext, because this type does not conform to Sendable. So how did Apple do this? The documentation doesn’t mention unchecked Sendable, but I figure if the protocol is available then we would be able to set up our own. And please add concurrency features! Anyway, I hope for more continued support in the future and I am looking forward to what’s new this WWDC! 😊
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156
May ’25
macOS SwiftData app never syncs with CloudKit
I'm using SwiftData with CloutKit with a very simple app. Data syncs between iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS, but not macOS. From what I can tell, macOS is never getting CK messages unless I'm running the app from Xcode. I can listen for the CK messages and show a line in a debug overlay. This works perfectly when I run from Xcode. I can see the notifications and see updates in my app. However, if I just launch the app outside of Xcode I will never see any changes or notifications. It is as if the Mac app never even tries to contact CloudKit. Schema has been deployed in the CloudKit console. The app is based on the multi-platform Xcode template. Again, only the macOS version has this issue. Is there some extra permission or setting I need to set up in order to use CloudKit on macOS? @State private var publisher = NotificationCenter.default.publisher(for: NSPersistentCloudKitContainer.eventChangedNotification).receive(on: DispatchQueue.main) .onReceive(publisher) { notification in // Listen for changes in CK events if let userInfo = notification.userInfo, let event = userInfo[NSPersistentCloudKitContainer.eventNotificationUserInfoKey] as? NSPersistentCloudKitContainer.Event { let message = "CloudKit Sync: \(event.type.rawValue) - \(event.succeeded ? "Success" : "Failed") - \(event.description)" // Store for UI display syncNotifications.append(message) if syncNotifications.count > 10 { syncNotifications.removeFirst() } } } .overlay(alignment: .topTrailing) { if !syncNotifications.isEmpty { VStack(alignment: .leading) { ForEach(syncNotifications, id: \.self) { notification in Text(notification) .padding(8) } } .frame(width: 800, height: 500) .cornerRadius(8) .background(Color.secondary.opacity(0.2)) .padding() .transition(.move(edge: .top)) } }
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186
May ’25
CKShare(rootRecord:) Returns Share with Nil Root Even When All CloudKit Best Practices Followed (iOS 26.2.1)
I’m seeing an issue with CloudKit sharing in iOS 26.2.1: When I call CKShare(rootRecord:) with a brand-new record in a fresh custom zone, the share is created with no root attached (rootFromShare == nil). After saving both the root and share in a single CKModifyRecordsOperation, fetching the share from the server still shows no root reference (rootRecordID == nil). No errors are thrown, but sharing simply fails. Key facts: • Custom zone created and confirmed (sharing enabled, capsRaw=7/15) • Brand-new record type and fresh IDs each run • Never reusing records or shares • Saving both root and share together in one operation • No default zone usage; always custom private zone Tested: • Multiple devices, iCloud accounts, and app versions • Both simulator and physical device Debug logs consistently show: • SHARE_CREATE_SHARE_LOCAL ... rootFromShare=nil • After save/fetch: rootRecordID=nil on server Has anyone seen this? Is there a new CloudKit regression in iOS 26.x, or am I missing something subtle? Minimal sample project and full debug logs available if needed. Any insights or workarounds would be hugely appreciated!
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1w
Which distinct logic does FetchRequest use with "returnsDistinctResults"?
If I use <FetchRequest.returnsDistinctResults> with unique "identifier" property, and there happened to be multiple NSManagedObjects in Core Data that contains the same "identifier", does the FetchRequest retrieve the latest modified/created object? Is there a way to define the <FetchRequest.returnsDistinctResults> logic to be based on another property (e.g. "creationDate" / "modifiedDate") and the ascension order?
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229
Aug ’25
Login issues on CloudKit Console
Hi everyone In the last 24 hours, I’ve been running into some issues with the CloudKit console. Most of the time, I‘ll get an error stating an error has caused this web page to stop working correctly. Reloading doesn’t fix the issue, nor does using different browsers: Today I’ve got another error, something along the lines of the Console not being able to fetch the teams I’m assigned to and an XHF error pop-up. Has anyone encountered the same issues? After trying multiple times, I’m able to reach my database but it’s a bit frustrating as it’s very unreliable this way. Thanks for your feedback! Dave
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126
May ’25
CloudKit Console: No Containers
Background: Our non-production App was using SwiftData locally. Yesterday we followed the documentation to enable CloudKit: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/cloudkit/enabling-cloudkit-in-your-app iCloud Works: Data is properly syncing via iCloud between 2 devices. Add on one shows on the other; delete on one deletes on the other. Today we logged into CloudKit Console for the first time; but there are no databases showing. We verified: Users and Roles: we have “Access to Cloud Managed… Certificates” Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles: our app has iCloud capabilities and is using our iCloud Container Signed into CloudKit Console with same developer ID as AppStoreConnect This is also the Apple ID of the iCloud account that has synced data from our app. In Xcode > Signing & Capabilities we are signed in as our Company team. Any guidance or tips to understanding how to what’s going on in CloudKit Console and gaining access to the database is appreciated!
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206
Jun ’25