Prioritize user privacy and data security in your app. Discuss best practices for data handling, user consent, and security measures to protect user information.

All subtopics
Posts under Privacy & Security topic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

Mobile apps and consent dialogue when logging in
We are using ASWebAuthenticationSession with apps on IoS to achieve SSO between apps. The IdP for authentication (OIDC) is an on-premise and trusted enterprise IdP based on one of the leading products in the market. Our problem is that the user is prompted for every login (and logouts) with a consent dialogue box: “AppName” wants to use “internal domain-name” to Sign In This allows the app and website to share information about you. Cancel Continue” I have read in various places that Apple has a concept of “Trusted domains” where you can put an “Apple certified” static web-page on the IdP. This page needs to contain specific metadata that iOS can verify. Once a user logs in successfully a few times, and if the IdP is verified as trusted, subsequent logins would not prompt the consent screen. Question: I struggle to find Apple documentation on how to go about a process that ends with this “Apple certified web-page” on our IdP”. Anyone who has experience with this process, or who can point me in some direction to find related documentation?
2
0
507
May ’25
Local Authentication & localized reason string
In a project I was using Local Authentication to authenticate a user. When I got a request to support smartcard/PIV token authentication (which Local Authentication does not support), I had to switch to Authorization Services, which works pretty. There's only one issue I have. Local Authentication's evaluatePolicy:localizedReason:reply: requires a reason in the form "<appname>" is trying to <localized reason>. The app is currently translated into 41 languages and I would like to use the localized strings for the AuthorizationEnvironment of Authorization Services as well. The problem is that Local Authentication prefixes the localized string with something like "<appname>" is trying to and Authorization Services does not do this. Is there a way to get this prefix from somewhere so I can manually add it to the (partially) localized string? Any help would be highly appreciated. Thank you, Marc
7
0
855
Feb ’25
Assistance in Implementing App Attestation
Hi, We're in the process of implementing Apple's App Integrity, but am getting stalled due to missing documents. Can anyone assist with this? We've been following https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicecheck/validating-apps-that-connect-to-your-server to make the necessary updates, but have come up short with where the document references decoding the Attestation Object. Can we get more information here and how the decoding process work?
2
0
139
May ’25
Update ASCredentialIdentityStore for new Autofill PassKey registration
I have an Autofill Passkey Provider working for Safari and Chrome via WebAuthn protocol. Unfortunately, Chrome will not offer my extension as a logon credential provider unless I add the credential to the ASCredentialIdentityStore. I wonder what is the best way to access the ASCredentialIdentityStore from an AutoFill extension? I understand I cannot access it directly from the extension context, so what is the best way to trigger my container app to run, based on a new WebAuthn registration? The best I can think of so far is for the www site to provide an App Link to launch my container app as part of the registration ceremony. Safari will offer my extension even without adding it to the ASCredentialIdentityStore, so I guess I should file a request with Chrome to work this way too, given difficulty of syncing ASCredentialIdentityStore with WebAuthn registration.
0
0
71
Oct ’25
requestTrackingAuthorization stuck in .notDetermined
When developing and testing using my phone I got prompted for allowing app tracking. I later uploaded a build to TestFlight, deleted the old testing app and installed the TestFlight build. I am now stuck in an infinite loop of not getting prompted for allowing app tracking for the app. When entering the app settings the toggle for tracking never appears which leaves me not able to enter the app's content. My guess is that the prompt can only be shown once for the app bundle, but there has to be a way for me to get prompted again without changing the app bundle id. Help is appreciated since this app is scheduled to be published in a week.
0
0
130
May ’25
How to use SignInWithAppleButton as one-time login in iOS app?
I would like to make an app that uses Sign in with Apple to provide the users with a very convenient way of authenticating their (anonymous) identity. I'm using the identityToken that the SignInWithAppleButton provides to the onCompletion closure to build an AWS Identity Resolver that will be used to access AWS resources for that user. At the moment, everything works fine, except that the identityToken eventually stops working (I think after 24 hours) and is no longer usable for AWS identity resolvers. Is there a way to refresh the identityToken, or to generate a new one, without user interaction? I don't mind at all, if in some situations (eg logout from another device, deletion of account, etc), it cannot refresh the token, and it directs me to take further action by giving an error. Most importantly, I don't want the user to be forced to deal with the SignInWithAppleButton every time that they interact with web services. From the user's point of view, I would like the experience to be that they simply confirm that they agree to use SignInWithApple on first use (maybe once per device), and are never inconvenienced by it again. P.S. Sorry for posting this here. I tried to set the topic to "Privacy & Security" and ran into form validation errors.
0
0
111
Jun ’25
Anti-**** Apps Need Solutions to iOS Sandbox Restrictions
Hello everyone, I’ve been working on ways to implement stricter accountability systems for personal use, especially to prevent access to NSFW content in apps like Reddit and Twitter. The main challenge is that iOS sandboxing and privacy policies block apps from monitoring or interacting with other apps on the system. While Apple’s focus on privacy is important, there’s a clear need for an opt-in exception for accountability tools. These tools could be allowed enhanced permissions under stricter oversight to help users maintain accountability and integrity without compromising safety. Here are a few ideas I’ve been thinking about: 1. Vetted Apps with Enhanced Permissions: Allow trusted applications to bypass sandbox restrictions with user consent and close monitoring by Apple. 2. Improved Parental Controls: Add options to send notifications to moderators (like accountability partners) when restrictions are bypassed or disabled. 3. Custom Keyboard or API Access: Provide a framework for limited system-wide text monitoring for specific use cases, again with user consent. If anyone has ideas for how to address this within current policies—or suggestions for advocating for more flexibility—I’d appreciate the input. I’m curious how others have handled similar challenges or if there are better approaches I haven’t considered.
0
0
519
Jan ’25
Sign in with Apple First Name & Last Name Values
Hi, we are having Sign in with Apple issues. For a large % of new users on our app which select this option, the first name and last name values are not being passed to us. This is the case in both scenarios - where the user shares their email address or hides it, and happens on iPhone when the user selects the default iCloud account. We're unclear why this is occurring.
0
0
102
Nov ’25
Transfer of an App with Sign in with Apple Functionality
Hello, I currently have an app that includes the "Sign in with Apple" feature, and I need to transfer this app to another app team. I have reviewed all official documentation but have not found the answer I need. My situation has some specificities, and I hope to receive assistance. The .p8 key created by the original developer team has been lost, and the app’s backend does not use a .p8 key for verification—instead, it verifies by obtaining Apple’s public key. However, according to the official documentation I reviewed, obtaining a transfer identifier during the app transfer process requires a client_secret generated from the original team’s .p8 key. This has left us facing a challenge, and we have two potential approaches to address this issue: Q1: During the transfer, is it possible to skip obtaining the transfer identifier and proceed directly with the app transfer, without performing any backend operations? Is this approach feasible? Q2: If the above approach is not feasible, should we create a new .p8 key in the original team’s account and use this new key for the transfer? If a new key is generated, do we need to re-release a new version of the app before initiating the transfer? If neither of the above approaches is feasible, are there better solutions to resolve our issue? I hope to receive a response. Thank you. TN3159: Migrating Sign in with Apple users for an app transfer | Apple Developer Documentation/ https://developer.apple.com/documentation/signinwithapple/transferring-your-apps-and-users-to-another-team
0
0
77
Oct ’25
Sign In with Apple Integration Issue - "Sign-Up not completed" Error
I'm experiencing an issue with Sign In with Apple integration in my React Native Expo app (Bundle ID: com.anonymous.TuZjemyApp). Problem Description: When users attempt to sign in using Sign In with Apple, they successfully complete Face ID/password authentication, but then receive a "Sign-Up not completed" error message. The authentication flow appears to stop at this point and doesn't return the identity token to my app. Technical Details: Frontend Implementation: Using expo-apple-authentication. Requesting scopes: FULL_NAME and EMAIL App is properly configured in app.json with: usesAppleSignIn: true Entitlement: com.apple.developer.applesignin Backend Implementation: Endpoint: POST /api/auth/apple Using apple-signin-auth package for token verification Verifying tokens with audience: com.anonymous.TuZjemyApp Backend creates/updates user accounts based on Apple ID Question: I'm not sure why the authentication flow stops with "Sign-Up not completed" after successful Face ID verification. The identity token never reaches my app. Could you please help me understand: What might cause this specific error message? Are there any additional Apple Developer Portal configurations required? Could this be related to app capabilities or entitlements? Is there a specific setup needed for the app to properly receive identity tokens? I set up provisioning profiles, and added Sign in with Apple as a capability and still it doesn't work.
1
0
118
Oct ’25
Empty userID for cross-platform attestation with Android
I've come across strange behavior with the userID property on the returned credential from a passkey attestation. When performing a cross-device passkey assertion between iOS and Android by scanning the generated QR code on my iPhone with an Android device the returned credential object contains an empty userID. This does not happen when performing an on device or cross-device assertion using two iPhones. Is this expected behavior, or is there something I'm missing here? I couldn't find any more information on this in the documentation. iOS Version: 26.0.1, Android Version: 13
0
0
420
Oct ’25
DCError 2 "Failed to fetch App UUID" - App Attest not working in production or development
Hey everyone, I'm hitting a really frustrating issue with App Attest. My app was working perfectly with DCAppAttestService on October 12th, but starting October 13th it started failing with DCError Code 2 "Failed to fetch App UUID" at DCAppAttestController.m:153. The weird part is I didn't change any code - same implementation, same device, same everything. I've tried switching between development and production entitlement modes, re-registered my device in the Developer Portal, created fresh provisioning profiles with App Attest capability, and verified that my App ID has App Attest enabled. DCAppAttestService.isSupported returns true, so the device supports it. Has anyone else run into this? This is blocking my production launch and I'm not sure if it's something on my end or an Apple infrastructure issue.
0
0
356
Oct ’25
ASWebAuthenticationSession crash after window closes on macOS
I'm trying to use ASWebAuthenticationSession on macOS but there is a weird crash and I have no idea what to do. It looks like there is a main thread check in a framework code that I have no control over. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance. The stack of crashed thread has no symbols, even for supposedly my code in OAuthClient.authenticate. macOS 15.4.1 (24E263) Xcode Version 16.3 (16E140) Thread 11: EXC_BREAKPOINT (code=1, subcode=0x10039bb04) Thread 12 Queue : com.apple.NSXPCConnection.m-user.com.apple.SafariLaunchAgent (serial) #0 0x0000000100b17b04 in _dispatch_assert_queue_fail () #1 0x0000000100b52834 in dispatch_assert_queue$V2.cold.1 () #2 0x0000000100b17a88 in dispatch_assert_queue () #3 0x000000027db5f3e8 in swift_task_isCurrentExecutorWithFlagsImpl () #4 0x00000001022c7754 in closure #1 in closure #1 in OAuthClient.authenticate() () #5 0x00000001022d0c98 in thunk for @escaping @callee_guaranteed (@in_guaranteed URL?, @guaranteed Error?) -> () () #6 0x00000001c7215a34 in __102-[ASWebAuthenticationSession initWithURL:callback:usingEphemeralSession:jitEnabled:completionHandler:]_block_invoke () #7 0x00000001c72163d0 in -[ASWebAuthenticationSession _endSessionWithCallbackURL:error:] () #8 0x00000001c7215fc0 in __43-[ASWebAuthenticationSession _startDryRun:]_block_invoke_2 () #9 0x0000000194e315f4 in __invoking___ () #10 0x0000000194e31484 in -[NSInvocation invoke] () #11 0x00000001960fd644 in __NSXPCCONNECTION_IS_CALLING_OUT_TO_REPLY_BLOCK__ () #12 0x00000001960fbe40 in -[NSXPCConnection _decodeAndInvokeReplyBlockWithEvent:sequence:replyInfo:] () #13 0x00000001960fb798 in __88-[NSXPCConnection _sendInvocation:orArguments:count:methodSignature:selector:withProxy:]_block_invoke_3 () #14 0x0000000194a6ef18 in _xpc_connection_reply_callout () #15 0x0000000194a6ee08 in _xpc_connection_call_reply_async () #16 0x0000000100b3130c in _dispatch_client_callout3_a () #17 0x0000000100b362f8 in _dispatch_mach_msg_async_reply_invoke () #18 0x0000000100b1d3a8 in _dispatch_lane_serial_drain () #19 0x0000000100b1e46c in _dispatch_lane_invoke () #20 0x0000000100b2bfbc in _dispatch_root_queue_drain_deferred_wlh () #21 0x0000000100b2b414 in _dispatch_workloop_worker_thread () #22 0x0000000100c0379c in _pthread_wqthread () My code: @MainActor func authenticate() async throws { let authURL = api.authorizationURL( scopes: scopes, state: state, redirectURI: redirectURI ) let authorizationCodeURL: URL = try await withUnsafeThrowingContinuation { c in let session = ASWebAuthenticationSession(url: authURL, callback: .customScheme(redirectScheme)) { url, error in guard let url = url else { c.resume(throwing: error ?? Error.unknownError("Failed to get authorization code")) return } c.resume(returning: url) } session.presentationContextProvider = presentationContextProvider session.start() } let authorizationCode = try codeFromAuthorizationURL(authorizationCodeURL) (storedAccessToken, storedRefreshToken) = try await getTokens(authorizationCode: authorizationCode) } Here is disassembly of the crashed function. libdispatch.dylib`_dispatch_assert_queue_fail: 0x10067fa8c <+0>: pacibsp 0x10067fa90 <+4>: sub sp, sp, #0x50 0x10067fa94 <+8>: stp x20, x19, [sp, #0x30] 0x10067fa98 <+12>: stp x29, x30, [sp, #0x40] 0x10067fa9c <+16>: add x29, sp, #0x40 0x10067faa0 <+20>: adrp x8, 71 0x10067faa4 <+24>: add x8, x8, #0x951 ; "not " 0x10067faa8 <+28>: adrp x9, 70 0x10067faac <+32>: add x9, x9, #0x16b ; "" 0x10067fab0 <+36>: stur xzr, [x29, #-0x18] 0x10067fab4 <+40>: cmp w1, #0x0 0x10067fab8 <+44>: csel x8, x9, x8, ne 0x10067fabc <+48>: ldr x10, [x0, #0x48] 0x10067fac0 <+52>: cmp x10, #0x0 0x10067fac4 <+56>: csel x9, x9, x10, eq 0x10067fac8 <+60>: stp x9, x0, [sp, #0x10] 0x10067facc <+64>: adrp x9, 71 0x10067fad0 <+68>: add x9, x9, #0x920 ; "BUG IN CLIENT OF LIBDISPATCH: Assertion failed: " 0x10067fad4 <+72>: stp x9, x8, [sp] 0x10067fad8 <+76>: adrp x1, 71 0x10067fadc <+80>: add x1, x1, #0x8eb ; "%sBlock was %sexpected to execute on queue [%s (%p)]" 0x10067fae0 <+84>: sub x0, x29, #0x18 0x10067fae4 <+88>: bl 0x1006c258c ; symbol stub for: asprintf 0x10067fae8 <+92>: ldur x19, [x29, #-0x18] 0x10067faec <+96>: str x19, [sp] 0x10067faf0 <+100>: adrp x0, 71 0x10067faf4 <+104>: add x0, x0, #0x956 ; "%s" 0x10067faf8 <+108>: bl 0x1006b7b64 ; _dispatch_log 0x10067fafc <+112>: adrp x8, 108 0x10067fb00 <+116>: str x19, [x8, #0x2a8] -> 0x10067fb04 <+120>: brk #0x1
1
0
152
May ’25
The Case for Sandboxing a Directly Distributed App
I’ve explained this point many times on the forums, so I figured I’d write it up properly once and for all. If you have questions or comments, start a new thread in Privacy & Security > General and add the App Sandbox tag. That way I’ll be sure to see it. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" The Case for Sandboxing a Directly Distributed App Many folks consider the App Sandbox to be a binary choice: “My app ships in the Mac App Store, so I must sandbox it.” “I directly distribute my app, so I’ll ignore the App Sandbox.” However, those are not your only options. In many cases it makes sense to sandbox a directly distributed app. Sandboxing your app has at least three benefits: It enables app container protection. See Trusted Execution Resources for a link to more info on that. If your app includes any app extensions, it simplifies your development experience because your app and its extensions run in a similar environment. It improves your app’s security (although the actual benefits vary based on the specifics of your app). Sandboxing some apps can be tricky because of the additional security limits applied by the sandbox. However, in a directly distributed app you have access to two techniques that are not available to Mac App Store apps: Temporary exception entitlements Non-sandboxed XPC services Temporary exception entitlements Use temporary exception entitlements to selectively disable specific sandbox security limits. Imagine, for example, that you’re creating a simple document-based app that’s generally compatible with the sandbox. However, that app needs to send an Apple event to Music to create a playlist. That Apple event is blocked by the sandbox. You don’t need to disable the entire App Sandbox just to get around this security limit. Instead, use the com.apple.security.temporary-exception.apple-events entitlement to open a small hole in the sandbox. There are temporary exception entitlements to disable most sandbox security limits. For more information about them, follow the link in App Sandbox Resources. IMPORTANT Don’t be alarmed by the temporary in temporary exception entitlements. That word makes sense when you view this from the Mac App Store perspective. Back in the early days of the Mac App Store, some apps were allowed to use temporary exception entitlements because of limitations in the App Sandbox. Once App Sandbox was sufficiently enhanced, these temporary exception entitlements were no longer allowed in the Mac App Store. However, there’s nothing temporary about the implementation of these entitlements. They work today and are expected to continue working in the future. Using them in a directly distributed app is not a problem. Non-sandboxed XPC services Not all sandbox security limits have a corresponding temporary exception entitlement. For example, the sandbox prevents you from sending a Unix signal to other processes, and there’s no temporary exception entitlement to allow that. If you run into such a limit, move that code to a non-sandboxed XPC service, then have the main app request that the XPC service perform the operation on its behalf. An XPC service can be useful even when there is a temporary exception entitlement to disable a specific sandbox security limit. Continuing the Apple event example from above, if you put the code that sends the Apple event into an XPC service, you only need to apply the temporary exception entitlement to that service, not to your app as a whole. Conclusion If you directly distribute your app, consider enabling the App Sandbox. It has some important benefits, and it might be more feasible than you think.
0
0
449
Mar ’25
Is there a way to hide the 'Save to another device' option during iOS WebAuthn registration?
Hello, I am currently implementing a biometric authentication registration flow using WebAuthn. I am using ASAuthorizationPlatformPublicKeyCredentialRegistrationRequest, and I would like to know if there is a way to hide the "Save to another device" option that appears during the registration process. Specifically, I want to guide users to save the passkey only locally on their device, without prompting them to save it to iCloud Keychain or another device. If there is a way to hide this option or if there is a recommended approach to achieve this, I would greatly appreciate your guidance. Also, if this is not possible due to iOS version or API limitations, I would be grateful if you could share any best practices for limiting user options in this scenario. If anyone has experienced a similar issue, your advice would be very helpful. Thank you in advance.
1
0
1.1k
Oct ’25
Import PKCS#12 into macOS login keychain or system keychain
Hello. I want to do the following and need your help. I want to import a certificate (pkcs#12) into my macOS keychain with a setting that prohibits exporting the certificate. I want to import the certificate (pkcs#12) into my login keychain or system keychain. I was able to achieve [1] with the help of the following threads, but have the following problems. https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/677314?answerId=824644022#824644022 how to import into login keychain or system keychain How to achieve this without using the deprecated API To import into the login keychain, I could use the “SecKeychainCopyDefault” function instead of the “SecKeychainCopySearchList” function, However, both of these functions were deprecated APIs. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/seckeychaincopysearchlist(_:) https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/seckeychaincopydefault(_:) I checked the following URL and it seems that using the SecItem API is correct, but I could not figure out how to use it. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/technotes/tn3137-on-mac-keychains Is there any way to import them into the login keychain or system keychain without using these deprecated APIs?
4
0
500
Feb ’25
Gathering required information for troubleshooting Private Email Relay with Sign in with Apple
Hi, Before I begin my investigation, I want to explain our code-level support process for issues related to Sign in with Apple—as the issue you’re reporting may be the result of any of the following: An error in your app or web service request. A configuration issue in your Developer Account. An internal issue in the operation system or Apple ID servers. To ensure the issue is not caused by an error within your Private Email Replay configuration, please review Configuring your environment for Sign in with Apple to learn more about registering your email sources and authenticated domains. To prevent sending sensitive message details in plain text, you should create a report in Feedback Assistant to share the details requested below. Additionally, if I determine the error is caused by an internal issue in the operating system or Apple ID servers, the appropriate engineering teams have access to the same information and can communicate with you directly for more information, if needed. Please follow the instructions below to submit your feedback. Gathering required information for troubleshooting Private Email Relay with Sign in with Apple For issues occurring with your email delivery, ensure your feedback contains the following information: the primary App ID and Services ID the user’s Apple ID and/or email address the email message headers the Private Email Relay Service or Hide My Email message delivery failure, and SMTP error codes Submitting your feedback Before you submit to Feedback Assistant, please confirm the requested information above is included in your feedback. Failure to provide the requested information will only delay my investigation into the reported issue within your Sign in with Apple client. After your submission to Feedback Assistant is complete, please respond in your existing Developer Forums post with the Feedback ID. Once received, I can begin my investigation and determine if this issue is caused by an error within your client, a configuration issue within your developer account, or an underlying system bug. Cheers, Paris X Pinkney |  WWDR | DTS Engineer
0
0
1.2k
Sep ’25
Password AutoFill does not pick up saved password in developer mode
Without developer mode, I was able to get Password AutoFill to work in my SwiftUI app with my local Vapor server using ngrok and adding the Associated Domains capability with the value webcredentials:....ngrok-free.app and the respective apple-app-site-association file on my local server in /.well-known/. (works on device, but not in the simulator). However, if I use the developer mode (webcredentials:....ngrok-free.app?mode=developer) it only works halfway when running from Xcode: I get asked to save the password, but the saved passwords are not picked up, when I try to login again. Neither on device, nor in the simulator. If I remove the ?mode=developer it seems to work as expected. Is this by design, or am I missing something? var body: some View { ... Section(header: Text("Email")) { TextField("Email", text: $viewModel.credentials.username) .textContentType(.username) .autocapitalization(.none) .keyboardType(.emailAddress) } Section(header: Text("Passwort")) { SecureField("Passwort", text: $viewModel.credentials.password) .textContentType(.password) } ... }
0
0
202
May ’25
The login button that was originally supposed to show the Apple ID sign-in option inexplicably displayed the DiDi app icon instead.
"Our app has absolutely no integration with DiDi login. We only integrate WeChat, QQ, carrier, and Apple ID login, and all related login entry icons are local resources. On an iPhone 16 Pro Max device with iOS system version 18.7, there was one isolated incident where the Apple ID login entry icon mysteriously changed to the DiDi app icon. What could be the possible iOS system-level causes for this?"
0
0
76
Sep ’25