Apple Developer Forums

The Apple Developer Forums are a great place to post questions, exchange knowledge, and connect with fellow developers and Apple engineers on a variety of development topics.

View forums

Signing in

Anyone can view the forums. To post, sign in with your Apple ID. If you have an Apple Developer account, sign in with the Apple ID associated with that account. The first time you sign in to the forums, you’ll be prompted to agree to the Apple Developer Forums Participation Agreement and to create a username. Choose a username that's between 3 and 36 characters in length using numerals, upper or lower case Roman letters, dashes (-), and/or underscores (_). Usernames are visible to anyone viewing the forums and cannot be changed later.

Home page

The home page provides an overview of popular threads, lists trending tags and tags you’ve marked as favorites, and highlights content you’ve authored and are watching.

Profile

Your profile lists the number of posts you’ve created, your reputation points, and how many of your replies are marked as Apple Recommended or correct. It also includes easy-to-navigate tabs that show:

  • Posts you’ve authored.
  • Replies you’ve authored.
  • Threads you’re watching. (This list is private.)
  • Tags you’ve marked as favorites. Add up to five. (This list is private.)

In addition, you have the option of adding your location and a link to your product page or developer page on the App Store. You can also choose to show the last time you were online and how long you’ve been a forums user. Profiles are searchable and can be viewed by anyone.

Questions and replies

The forums are meant for code-level questions. For questions about program membership and other nontechnical developer topics, contact Apple Developer Support. For questions about nondevelopment topics, visit Apple Support Community.

Before asking a question, search for similar questions on the forums to see if answers may already be available. If there are no similar questions, click the “Post” button on the top-right corner of the page, enter your question, and tag it appropriately.

When replying to a question, read the question carefully and ensure that your reply addresses what is being asked. Make sure your replies are as complete and helpful as possible. Try to mention any limitations, assumptions, or simplifications.

You can also add a comment to a question or reply to ask for more details or provide more context.

If a reply resolves your question, mark the reply as accepted by clicking the checkmark icon next to the reply to turn the icon green. When a reply is accepted, 15 reputation points are given to the author of the reply. Fifteen reputation points are also given to the reply, the question, and the tags associated with the question. Only the author of a question can mark a reply as accepted and it can’t be unmarked.

An Apple Developer Forums admin can mark a reply as “Apple Recommended.” This causes the reply to appear at the top of the thread with a black Apple icon, and 25 reputation points are given to the reply, the author of the reply, the question, and the tags associated with the question.

Formatting

You can format your posts using a Markdown-like editor. The editor supports the following Markdown features:

  • All headers, H1-H6
  • Ordered lists, tasks, and unordered lists
  • Bold and italic text
  • Links
  • Code and syntax highlighting
  • Blockquotes, code, and text quotes

Attaching logs and images

You may need to attach log content or images when posting questions and replies. To include log content, click the attachment icon in the text editor. Add a title, paste your log content, and click Add Text. This text will be linked in the body of your post. To upload images, click the image icon and select images from your files.

Tags

Tags are used to describe topics related to your question. You can choose up to four tags to add to your question. Review the tag descriptions that appear as you type to choose tags that are directly relevant so users can easily find questions, reply, and engage productively. View the list of tags.

You can also subscribe to RSS feeds for tags you’re interested in. Each tag’s landing page contains an RSS icon that launches an RSS reader if you have one installed.

If you believe a tag should be added, let us know by creating a post using the “Forums Feedback” tag.

Search

The following search queries are supported on the Apple Developer Forums. When searching for a tag, include brackets.

  • Keywords. This returns questions matching the keywords you entered.
  • Tag keyword. Use the format [keyword]. This returns tags that contain the keyword. For example, if you search [watch], you will see all tags that include the word "watch."
  • One tag. Use the format [tag]. This returns the tag’s landing page (if available), which contains a brief description of the tag and the list of questions tagged. If the tag doesn’t have a landing page, you’ll just see the list of questions tagged.
  • All tags. Use the format [tag][tag]. This returns questions that match all of the tags (up to four tags per search).
  • Any tag. Use the format [tag] or [tag]. This returns questions that match any of the tags (up to four tags per search).
  • Keyword and tag. Use the format keyword [tag]. This returns questions that match both the keyword and tag.
  • Keyword and two or more tags. Use the format keyword [tag][tag] to return questions that match the keyword and all of the tags.
  • Tags list. Use the format [all] to return all tags available on the Apple Developer Forums.
  • User. Use the format user:username. This returns the profile page if there’s an exact match. Otherwise, it returns a list of users whose names match the search.

Reputation points

You can earn reputation points when you constructively participate on the forums, for example, when your reply is marked as the solution or as “Apple Recommended.” Reputation points may be lost if you spam the site, author indecipherable or off-topic content, or post content that violates the Apple Developer Forums Agreement.

Earning reputation points lets other users know how much quality content you contribute to the forums. A certain number of reputation points are required to perform actions like reporting and downvoting content. Reputation points given to questions and tags elevate content on the homepage and the tag’s landing page.

Upvoting and downvoting

When a question or reply gives useful information or describes something of interest to you, you can upvote it to thank the author. You must have an Apple Developer Forums account to upvote questions and replies.

When a question is upvoted, 5 reputation points are given to the question, the author of the question, and the tags associated with question. When a reply is upvoted, 5 reputation points are given to the reply, the author of the reply, the question, and the tags associated with question. You can only upvote a post or reply once, and upvotes can be rescinded. When you rescind your upvote, all reputation points gained from the upvote are lost.

When a question or reply gives incorrect information, you can downvote it to discourage the author. Only forums users with 100 or more reputation points can downvote questions and replies. When you downvote a question, 5 reputation points are deducted from the question and the author of the question. When you downvote a reply to a post, 5 reputation points are deducted from the reply and the author of the reply. You can only downvote a post or reply once, and downvotes can be rescinded. When you rescind your downvote, all reputation points deducted as a result of the downvote are restored.

Watching threads

To follow threads that interest you without having to check for new activity, click the black bell icon in the upper-left corner of the thread. The icon turns blue and if you’ve opted in to email or web notifications, you’ll be notified when there’s activity. All threads that you actively watch are listed on your forums profile page under the Watching tab for easy reference. Watching is anonymous and only you can see the Watching tab on your profile. To stop watching a thread, delete it from the Watching tab or click the bell again at the top of the thread.

Notifications

You can manage email and web notifications on your forums profile page. Email and/or web notifications can be sent if:

  • There’s a response to your post or reply.
  • There’s a response on a thread you’re watching.
  • Your reply is marked as Apple Recommended. (Email notification only)
  • Your reply is marked as correct. (Email notification only)
  • You’re mentioned in a thread.

Note: You must be running a minimum of Safari 16.4 on macOS 13 to receive push notifications on Safari.

Mentions

Mentions help you reengage people who have participated in a thread and opted in to receive forums notifications. When you mention someone, they receive push notification and/or email notification, so they won't miss out on important discussions.

Sharing

You can share questions and replies with anyone by clicking the Share icon at the bottom of a post. A menu will appear with share options.

Moderation

Questions may require moderator approval to ensure a safe and secure platform for you and other developers. Moderators try to approve questions as quickly as possible, but moderation times may vary due to the volume of posts.

If a question or reply violates the Apple Developer Forums Agreement, or is a duplicate, forums users with 50 or more reputation points can report it by clicking the red exclamation mark under the post. Moderators will review the content and take appropriate action if needed.

Guidelines

Be kind

  • Make everyone feel welcome.
  • Offer constructive encouragement and be as helpful as possible.
  • Avoid misleading, rude, derogatory, or bullying language, and offensive screen names.
  • Treat others with respect.

Be topical

  • Focus your posts on code-level development questions.
  • Tag questions appropriately.
  • If you encounter an issue with Apple software or documentation, please file a bug report through Feedback Assistant so it will reach the right people. If you’d like to discuss a bug you’ve already filed, feel free to post on the forums and include the bug number. For problems with third-party software (such as compatibility with new seeds), contact the developer directly.
  • Don’t speculate on unannounced products or rumors.
  • Avoid gossip, rants, solicitation, and self-promotion.

Be careful

  • Avoid sharing personally identifiable information.
  • Obey the law.
  • Only discuss public, supported APIs.
  • Don’t try to circumvent legal agreements or help others to do so.
  • Report any posts you feel may violate these guidelines.

For more details, see the Apple Developer Forums Agreement. If necessary, Apple will edit and remove posts that violate these guidelines. Repeat violators may be removed from the forums.

Feedback

You can provide feedback on the forums by contacting Apple Developer Support or by creating a post and adding the “Forums Feedback” tag.

Apple Developer Forums personnel

Apple Moderators are Apple employees who focus on ensuring a productive environment for technical discussions. Apple Moderators have the authority to edit, delete, and retag posts, and may intervene if a discussion goes off topic or becomes counterproductive. Apple staff are members of Apple engineering or technical support who participate in technical discussions.

Apple staff will have an Apple icon next to their username. You can find this icon on their profile page and next to their name when they author content. Apple staff may offer useful advice in their areas of expertise, but should not be considered spokespeople or enforcers of Apple Developer Forums policy.

Important: Employees of Apple Inc. ("Apple") may respond to issues within this forum. Apple is under no duty to provide a response to an issue, or to do so in a timely manner. If Apple responds to an issue, it is Apple’s intent that the information provided is accurate and reliable. Apple expressly disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, as to any information provided by it under the Apple Developer Forums, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or satisfactory quality and fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Apple may provide information that is relevant to an international issue, which may contain references or cross-references to Apple products, programs, and services that are not announced in your region. Such reference does not imply that Apple intends to announce such products, programs, or services in your region.