Overview

Hi everyone, We recently received a DPLA violation warning (Section 11.2) from Apple related to potential manipulation of App Store ranking, reviews, or search index. Shortly after receiving the notice: Our app is still live on the App Store However, all rankings (Top Charts and keyword rankings) dropped significantly or disappeared entirely We have already: Conducted an internal audit of our marketing and user acquisition activities Stopped any campaigns that might be interpreted as incentivized installs or abnormal traffic Responded to Apple via email with corrective actions However, we have not received any further response from Apple. We would like to ask: Has anyone experienced a similar situation? How long did it take for rankings to recover (if they did)? Did Apple ever follow up, or was recovery purely algorithmic over time? Any insights or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I've been able to run this sample project with the PIRServer. But the urls are still not blocked. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/filtering-traffic-by-url https://github.com/apple/pir-service-example I got this on the log Received filter status change: <FilterStatus: 'running'>

Hi, I’m having an issue where my auto-renewable subscriptions keep detaching from my app version after I submit the build in App Store Connect. Details: App ID: com.growthsync.app Platform: iOS (Capacitor build) Using auto-renewable subscriptions What’s happening: I attach all subscriptions to the app version under “In-App Purchases” Everything looks correct before submission After submitting, the subscriptions become detached or require localisation to be re-entered again This happens every time I resubmit Additional issue: Subscriptions are not working in TestFlight either It feels like they are not properly linked to the binary What I’ve already checked: Product IDs match exactly in code and App Store Connect Subscriptions are in the correct group All localisation fields are filled within character limits Products show as “Ready to Submit” before attaching I reattach them before every submission Questions: Why would subscriptions repeatedly detach after submission? Is this a known App Store Connect issue? Is there a specific order required when creating, localising, and attaching subscriptions? Could this be related to the binary not recognising the products? This is currently blocking release so any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

The file ~/.CFUserTextEncoding contained a string which I can't understand. It's recreated when a user log in. I had found that the result of CoreFoundation.CFStringGetSystemEncoding() is affected by the content of this file. What is this file used for?

My apps are stucked in „Waiting for revlew” for 6-7 days. What is going on? It’s not only my problem, a lot of users have the same problem, there are many forums with that issue. It’s pretty unbelievable for me, that in 2026 we have to wait about week to approve or reject an app. Ridiculous. Take the example of Google Play…. Regards.

Hi everyone, I’m troubleshooting a WiFi issue affecting some iPads on a WPA2-PSK network with captive portal. Problem: The iPad shows “incorrect password” when connecting to the SSID. The password is correct (validated with multiple devices). Other devices connect normally. After entering the password, the captive portal should appear, but it never does. What we see on the network side (Cisco WLC): Client associates successfully. RADIUS authentication is successful. Failure occurs during the 4-way handshake: Received EAPOL-key M2 with invalid MIC This causes deauthentication, which the iPad reports as “incorrect password”. From the iPad sysdiagnose (Entity_Join file): Entity_2026-04-15_10_23_39.529_Join Entity_2026-04-15_10_23_39.529_Join.csv Questions: Does anyone know how to interpret: reason status subReason values in Entity_Join logs? Specifically: What does reason = -3925 mean? What does reason = 1 mean? What does subreason = 524288 mean? Any insight into these codes or similar experiences would be really helpful. Thanks!

We have an open support case (Case ID: 102874259881) and Apple confirmed they received the documents and would follow up within two business days — but the account is still not activated. Could any Apple staff please escalate and activate account? Thank you

I paid for a developer account on Thursday 16th. Money was taken immediately. I’ve had ZERO communication. No emails, no messages. Nothing My account says ‘pending’ still after 5 days of waiting. Support is seemingly non-existent. Asked for a callback support request. They called and I was on hold for 90 minutes until eventually I had to go do something else. Is the level of service I should expect? What else is it that I should I be doing in order to get something in return for paying money?

Hi, I'm having the same issue described in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/690974?page=2. When connected to Xcode or when the app is in the foreground, HKObserverQuery fires correctly and my app processes step updates. But once disconnected from Xcode, background delivery stops completely and the observer callback is never called. My setup: com.apple.developer.healthkit.background-delivery entitlement is present and in the provisioning profile enableBackgroundDelivery(for: .stepCount, frequency: .immediate) returns success = true HKObserverQuery is registered on every launch including background launches I also have CMPedometer.startEventUpdates running as a supplemental trigger Background Modes includes "Background fetch" and "Background processing" Device: iPhone, iOS 17.4+ App type: App uses Screen Time / Family Controls (ManagedSettings) to block apps until a step goal is met Has anyone found a reliable fix? Any feedback from Apple engineers would be appreciated.

Hi, I enrolled in the Apple Developer Program a few days ago and completed the payment successfully. I have also received the invoice confirming the $99 charge. However, my account is still showing as “Pending” and has not been activated yet. Here are my details: Enrollment ID: J3Y5R3YB88 Order Number: D004756535 Case ID: 102869013588 It has been several days and I have not received any response from support yet. This delay is blocking my work as I need to proceed with app deployment. Has anyone faced a similar issue? Any help or escalation from Apple would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice regarding an Apple Developer Program enrollment issue. I recently submitted an enrollment request, which is currently still “processing.” However, I realized afterward that I selected the wrong enrollment option for my intended use (internal distribution). I have not completed the payment yet, and I’ve already contacted Apple Developer Support requesting to update or cancel the enrollment so I can choose the correct program but I haven’t received a response yet. Has anyone experienced something similar? Can Apple modify the enrollment before payment? Or is it better to just wait and let it expire, then reapply? Any guidance or shared experiences would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice or visibility from Apple staff here, as my team is currently completely stuck. On April 10th, we enrolled in the Apple Developer Program. Our credit card was successfully charged $99, and we received the official Apple invoice receipt (Invoice #MC64187422). However, almost a week later, the membership status has not updated to active. The developer portal still prompts us to "Complete your purchase", and if we click it, it gives a warning about withdrawing the enrollment. We are on a very tight schedule to release a gamification app for our corporate clients by late April, and this enrollment delay is severely impacting our deployment timeline. I've already emailed Developer Support but haven't received a response in days. I also tried using the "Request a call" feature. However, because I am the technical lead handling the setup for the team and my name doesn't exactly match the account owner's name, the phone support agent was unable to assist me further due to security policies. Has anyone experienced this kind of "stuck" status after the payment has already been captured and invoiced? Is there a specific way to escalate this pending enrollment so we can meet our project deadline? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hello Apple Developer Support, My Apple Developer Program enrollment payment was completed on [2026-04-19], but approval has not been granted within the expected 48-hour window. This delay is blocking my development and release schedule, so I'd like to request a status review as soon as possible. Could you please: Confirm the current status of my enrollment Let me know if any additional verification is needed on my side Provide an estimated approval timeline registration ID: YC64M86BF2 If there is anything I can do to expedite the process, please let me know and I will respond immediately. Thank you. Best regards,

Dear Apple Support Team, I purchased an Apple Developer account, but it has still not been approved even after 8 days. I have sent more than 10 emails regarding this issue, but I have not received any response so far. I kindly request you to look into this matter and resolve it on priority.

After waiting for review, making changes, then stuck "In Review", I made the major decision to pull my pro audio application from the App Store before it was even accepted. The friction generated from Apple's process is not worth what you are getting back. Consequently, the offering for audio in the Mac App Store itself look very amateur and are largely limited to toys. This is an uninspiring group to be associated with and given the delays, cost, and hamstringing due to sandboxing, the motivation to follow through is very low. I would encourage Apple to rethink their macOS approach if they actually want developers to use this system. This has been an issue for many years, and the situation is not improved. I thought I'd try again this round, but have again given up on the wait and restrictions.

I've created a new user under "Users and Access". The first time, the email was sent to the intended user, however when they click the link, they only get spinning wheel. The second attempt was using their personal gmail account. The invitation was sent but has not been received by the team member. This has been tried twice now. Is there anything we can do to get this sorted? Thanks.

We have enabled the Host Card Emulation (HCE) capability for our app and successfully implemented and tested the functionality during development. When running the app directly from Xcode, HCE-related flows work as expected. However, we are observing different behavior in the distributed build. In particular, the following check consistently evaluates to false: guard await CardSession.isEligible else { return } After distributing the app via TestFlight, HCE functionality is not available for external testers. The CardSession.isEligible property always returns false, even when tested on supported devices and in supported regions. We are using the same bundle identifier for both development and distribution builds, and the provisioning profiles include the required capability. Could you please clarify the following: Are there any additional entitlements, approvals, or configuration steps required for HCE to function in TestFlight or distribution builds? Are there known region, device, or account-related restrictions that could cause CardSession.isEligible to return false outside the development environment? Is there any difference in behavior between development-signed and distribution-signed builds for this capability?

Hello everyone, I’m facing a persistent App Store rejection under Guideline 2.1(b) – App Completeness, related to In-App Purchases, and I’m unable to reproduce the issue on my end. Issue reported by Apple Review Apple Review team reports: “No action occurred when we attempted to buy the subscription.” Device: iPad Air 11-inch (M3) OS: iPadOS 26.4.1 What I have verified from my side I have thoroughly tested the subscription flow under multiple scenarios: Sandbox Testing Using sandbox test accounts Product loads correctly Purchase flow completes successfully Apple payment sheet appears properly TestFlight Testing Installed app via TestFlight Logged in with real Apple ID (Beta tester) Successfully completed subscription purchase Device Testing Tested on multiple iPhones Tested on iPad as well Purchase flow works correctly on all devices App Store Connect Configuration Paid Apps Agreement → Active Banking & Tax → Completed (no pending warnings) In-App Purchase status → “In Review” Product is correctly configured and attached to app What Apple is experiencing Based on their feedback and screenshots: Subscription screen loads correctly Product price is visible When tapping “Subscribe Now” → no action occurs No error message, no purchase sheet Is there a recommended workaround or reviewer instruction to avoid this deadlock? Any insights or real-world experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Is anyone else seeing 403 errors for PCC VRE when trying to pull assets for Release 41303? My pccvre audit of the Transparency Log passes (valid root digests for 41385), but the download fails consistently on specific CDN URLs: Failed to download SW release asset... response: 403 I’ve verified csrutil allow-research-guests is active and the license is accepted. Release 41385 seems fine, but 41303 is a brick wall. Is this a known pull-back or a CDN permissions sync issue?

My current app is a smoking cessation app and it is desgined to help people quit smoking for good. Currently users of the app are expected to set a quit date and then remain quit from cigarettes for 12 weeks. The app helps with this by using badges, notifications and even live chats to stop smoking professionals (depending on your area). The app "frequently" mentions smoking and tobacco, but it never promotes it. It does the opposite. By mentioning the harms of smoking and the benefits of stopping. The app also mentions (and can provide, depending on your area, medical history and a professionals final opinion) about nicotine replacement therapy, which users who are quitting smoking may be interested in. Currently the app is rated 18+ as I have to tick "frequent" mention of drugs/tobacco/alcohol in the age rating questionnaire. Though it does not mention recreational drugs or alcohol. We will soon be adding a large update to the app to add vaping support. The app will change largely in the fact smoking content and vaping content will be siloed from each other. So a user can either be on a smoking support journey (and see stop smoking content), or a vape support journey (and only see vaping content). We need the app to be 13+ on the store and we will enforce age restrictions using the declared age range API as part of the account creation process. If the user is aged 13 - 17, they will only see vape related content, if they are 18+ they can see vaping OR smoking. How negotiable is the age rating certificate, can we change it to 13+ if we implement age restrictions in the app and protect stop smoking related content behind it?