Hi, I submitted a Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement request for my app Faith Lock (com.faithlock.ios) - a prayer-focused iOS app that uses the Screen Time API to help users block distracting apps. I received an approval email, but the portal still shows the request as "Submitted" and the Distribution option does not appear under Additional Capabilities for my identifier. This is blocking me from submitting to App Store Connect. Details: Bundle ID: com.faithlock.ios Team ID: F86P575UNP Request IDs: 3PWTDR8KL3 / 885ZK276KK Status in portal: Submitted (unchanged since approval email) Has anyone experienced this? Is there a way to get the portal manually updated to reflect the approval? Any help or escalation from a DTS engineer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I am developing a productivity app called "FocusPact" using the Screen Time API (Family Controls). Current Status: The parent app bundle ID (com.hayashikento.FocusPact) has already been approved for the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement. I have recently submitted a new request for the DeviceActivityMonitorExtension bundle ID: com.hayashikento.FocusPact.FocusPActMonitor. The Issue: Currently, the extension only works while debugging with Xcode (Development entitlement). When the device is disconnected, the intervalWillEndWarning and intervalDidEnd triggers are ignored by the system because the Extension ID lacks the Distribution entitlement. This is a critical blocker for my MVP testing phase on TestFlight, as I cannot verify the core "automatic re-blocking" logic in a real-world environment. Request: Could any Apple staff or engineers help expedite the linking of this extension ID to my existing approved entitlement? Parent App ID: com.hayashikento.FocusPact Extension ID: com.hayashikento.FocusPact.FocusPActMonitor I would greatly appreciate any guidance or assistance to resolve this so I can proceed with user testing. Thank you.

Hello, I am facing a critical technical blocker regarding the Family Controls (Screen Time API) entitlement for my app extensions. Current Situation: My parent app (com.hayashikento.FocusPact) is already approved for the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement. However, the associated DeviceActivityMonitorExtension (com.hayashikento.FocusPact.FocusPActMonitor) and ReportExtension (com.hayashikento.FocusPact.ReportExtension) are still pending entitlement approval. Technical Issue: Because the extensions lack the Distribution entitlement, ManagedSettings and DeviceActivity triggers (like intervalWillEndWarning) are ignored by the system when testing via TestFlight or in a non-development environment. As a result, I am unable to verify the core "automatic re-blocking" logic and "usage reporting" features in a real-world scenario. This has completely halted the final QA and TestFlight phase of my project. Requests: Could an Apple engineer verify if these extension IDs can be linked to my existing approved parent app entitlement? Is there a specific process to expedite the "linking" of extensions when the main app is already authorized? App Details: Parent App Bundle ID: com.hayashikento.FocusPact Extension IDs: com.hayashikento.FocusPact.FocusPActMonitor, com.hayashikento.FocusPact.ReportExtension Apple ID (App)6759132649 I have already submitted the web request forms, but the lack of synchronization between the parent app and extensions is preventing my MVP launch. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hello, I am facing a critical technical blocker regarding the Family Controls (Screen Time API) entitlement for my app extensions. Current Situation: My parent app (com.hayashikento.FocusPact) is already approved for the Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement. However, the associated DeviceActivityMonitorExtension (com.hayashikento.FocusPact.FocusPActMonitor) and ReportExtension (com.hayashikento.FocusPact.ReportExtension) are still pending entitlement approval. Technical Issue: Because the extensions lack the Distribution entitlement, ManagedSettings and DeviceActivity triggers (like intervalWillEndWarning) are ignored by the system when testing via TestFlight or in a non-development environment. As a result, I am unable to verify the core "automatic re-blocking" logic and "usage reporting" features in a real-world scenario. This has completely halted the final QA and TestFlight phase of my project. Requests: Could an Apple engineer verify if these extension IDs can be linked to my existing approved parent app entitlement? Is there a specific process to expedite the "linking" of extensions when the main app is already authorized? App Details: Parent App Bundle ID: com.hayashikento.FocusPact Extension IDs: com.hayashikento.FocusPact.FocusPActMonitor, com.hayashikento.FocusPact.ReportExtension Apple ID (App)6759132649 I have already submitted the web request forms, but the lack of synchronization between the parent app and extensions is preventing my MVP launch. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I've been stuck on Guideline 2.3 for two weeks now and I'm running out of ideas. My app is iPhone-only (UIDeviceFamily = [1]) and has been on the App Store since January. Version 2.1.9 passed review fine. The only change in 2.1.10 is adding two DeviceActivity extensions — a DeviceActivityMonitor and a DeviceActivityReport — for screen time-based stress detection. Every build since then gets rejected with the same message: "The UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key in the Info.plist is set up in such a way that the app will not install on the device used in review." Review devices: iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPad Air M3. Here's what I've tried across 13+ submissions: UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities as ["arm64"] (array) — rejected Empty array [] — rejected Removed the key entirely — upload validation fails, Xcode re-injects arm64 anyway Post-build script to force ["arm64"] — rejected Dictionary format {"arm64": true} — rejected Added com.apple.developer.family-controls to extension entitlements — rejected Enabled Family Controls (Distribution) on extension bundle IDs — rejected Fixed CFBundleVersion mismatch between host app and extensions — rejected Set TARGETED_DEVICE_FAMILY=1 on all targets including extensions — rejected Tried GENERATE_INFOPLIST_FILE=YES with minimal plists — rejected Tried ExtensionKit type for the report extension — rejected In the exported IPA, every target has UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities = ["arm64"] and UIDeviceFamily = [1]. The entitlements, provisioning profiles, and code signing all look correct. arm64 is supported on every review device they listed. The previous version (2.1.9) without DeviceActivity extensions passes review with the exact same UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities and signing configuration. Has anyone shipped an app with DeviceActivityMonitor + DeviceActivityReport extensions successfully? Is there something specific about these extension types that affects device capability validation? Or is there a known issue with the review system and FamilyControls extensions? I've replied to the review team multiple times asking which specific capability is causing the failure, but the response is always the same generic template. Any guidance would be really appreciated — I'm completely blocked on shipping this update.

Hi everyone! I’m building Delta — an app designed to rethink time, because time is literally our most valuable currency. So the core mechanic involves earning time in useful apps and then spending it on apps that are a distraction. I already have a prototype that’s being actively tested in a closed beta, but I’ve started noticing that more and more testers are reporting the same bug. “Time is being counted even when I'm not in the app I marked as useful.” I suspect that Screen Time is also tracking background time, although this behavior isn't correct for my app. Does anyone know how to track specifically those moments when an app marked as useful and used for “time-earning” is in the foreground? Additionally, I hit a wall with Screen Time and had to accept that I can’t force a user away from another app if they’re active there, nor redirect them to my app to trigger the lock screen. Because of this, I had to resort to a penalty system, which is equal to the time the user spent additionally after their time ran out. And here, I run into the same problem I described at the beginning of the post. I can’t track the background status of another app, even though I’m trying really hard... Can anyone suggest any ways I can get out of this situation, or should I keep looking for a solution, or shift toward explaining this to the user?.. (However, I’m holding out until the very end before giving up on finding a solution)