Hardware

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Delve into the physical components of Apple devices, including processors, memory, storage, and their interaction with the software.

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iOS App detecting external USB mass storage connection without user interaction
Title iOS App detecting external USB mass storage connection without user interaction Background We are developing an iOS application that connects to an action camera device via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for control and data transfer. In addition to wireless connectivity, our product requirements include supporting USB Mass Storage mode, where the camera (or a generic USB flash drive) is connected to an iPhone using a Lightning / USB-C adapter and appears in the Files app as an external drive. Requirement Our app needs to detect when an external USB mass storage device is connected or disconnected, with the following constraints: The app is already running in the foreground No user interaction is performed (no button tap, no document picker, no import UI) The USB device can be: A generic USB flash drive An empty USB drive (no photos or videos) The app only needs to know: Whether an external USB storage device has been connected or removed No need to access device identity, vendor info, or low-level USB details The expected behavior is simply to update the app’s internal state or UI when a USB storage device becomes available. Investigation Performed We have already investigated and tested the following public and documented approaches, all of which did not provide a reliable or any notification for USB mass storage insertion: ExternalAccessory / MFi Not applicable for generic USB storage devices Darwin notifications / CoreFoundation Using notify_register_dispatch and CFNotificationCenterGetDarwinNotifyCenter System USB / storage related notifications do not fire for third-party apps File system APIs NSFileManager mountedVolumeURLsIncludingResourceValuesForKeys On iPhone, external USB drives visible in the Files app are not exposed as mounted volumes to third-party apps FileProvider / DocumentPicker Only provides access after explicit user interaction No background or passive notification of availability ImageCaptureCore Limited to PTP camera devices Does not apply to generic USB mass storage Based on our testing, none of the public APIs provide a way to detect USB mass storage insertion automatically without user interaction. Question to Apple We would like to confirm the official platform behavior and capability boundary: Is there any public, documented, App Store–approved API on iOS that allows a third-party app to be notified when a generic USB mass storage device is connected or disconnected, without user interaction? If not: Is this limitation intentional by platform design? Is the recommended approach to rely exclusively on user-initiated document access flows (e.g. document picker, import UI)? Are there any recommended best practices for apps that need to update their UI or internal state based on the availability of external USB storage devices? Our goal is to ensure that our implementation fully complies with iOS platform guidelines and App Store Review requirements. Environment iOS versions tested: iOS 18 (latest public release) Devices: iPhone models with Lightning / USB-C USB devices: generic USB flash drives (including empty drives) Closing We appreciate clarification on whether this capability is intentionally restricted on iOS and how Apple recommends designing user experience around external USB storage access. Thank you for your guidance.
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100
Dec ’25
Singular Sound MIDI Maestro App BLE Communications Issue
When trying to use the MIDI Maestro app by Singular Sound, BLE peripherals experience unwanted connection-parameter renegotiation and disconnections on iOS 26, beta iOS 26.2 does not fix this issue. iOS 26 BLE communications are being sent too fast to be read correctly by the hardware device, and iOS 26.2 refuses communication altogether.
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209
Dec ’25
iAP2 IdentificationInformation Rejected - Product Plan Status Question
Hello, We are developing an iAP2 accessory and encountering an issue during the Identification phase. Issue: Authentication: ✅ Successful Identification: ❌ IdentificationInformation rejected (0x1D03) Product Plan Status: "Submitted" (in MFi Portal) What we've verified: ProductPlanUID matches MFi Portal All required parameters per R43 Table 101-9 are included Parameters are in ascending order by ID Message format appears correct Observation: iPhone accepts the message format but still rejects IdentificationInformation, suggesting the issue may be related to Product Plan configuration or status rather than parameter format. Questions: Can a Product Plan with status "Submitted" complete iAP2 identification, or does it need to be "Approved"? Are there any Product Plan configuration requirements that might not be visible in MFi Portal? Should we configure "Control Message Lists" in Product Plan? (We don't see this option in Portal) We can provide additional technical details through secure channels if needed. Thank you for your assistance.
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112
4w
[Matter] Device cannot be commissioned to Google Home through iOS
Hi, We are facing the issue of commissioning our Matter device to google home through iOS device will be 100% failed. Here is our test summary regarding the issue: TestCase1 [OK]: Commissioning our Matter 1.4.0 device to Google Nest Hub 2 by Android device (see log DoorWindow_2.0.1_Google_Success.txt ) TestCase2 [NG]: Commissioning Matter 1.4.0 device to Google Nest Hub 2 by iPhone13 or iPhone16 (see log DoorWindow_2.0.1_Google_by_iOS_NG.txt ) TestCase3 [OK]: Commissioning our Matter 1.3.0 device to Google Nest Hub 2 by iPhone13 In TestCase2, we noticed that device was first commissioned to iOS(Apple keychain) then iOS opened a commissioning window again to commission it in Google’s ecosystem, and the device was failed at above step 2, so we also tried: Commissioning the device to Apple Home works as expected, next share the device to Google Home app on iOS, this also fails. Commissioning the device to Apple Home works as expected, next share the device to Google Home app on Android, this works as expected and device pops up in Google home of iOS as well. Could you help check what's the issue of TestCase2? Append the environment of our testing: NestHub 2 version Google Home APP version
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137
Jan ’26
Does Apple Home support Matter commissioning using concatenated / multi-device QR codes?
Hi, I’m developing a Matter commissioning flow and would like to clarify Apple Home’s support for concatenated (multi-device) QR codes. In my implementation, I generate a single QR code that contains multiple Matter onboarding payloads (concatenated payloads), intended to commission multiple devices in one scan, similar to a multi-pack / multi-accessory flow. What I’ve tested: Standard single-device Matter QR codes work as expected in the Apple Home app A concatenated QR code (multiple Matter payloads combined into one QR) does not get recognized / commissioned by Apple Home My questions: Does Apple Home officially support commissioning via concatenated or multi-device Matter QR codes? If yes, is there a specific payload format or delimiter that Apple Home expects? If not, is this a known limitation or something planned for future iOS/Home releases?
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74
2w
Accelerometer sampling rate limits for third-party iOS apps
Hello everyone, I am developing an iOS application that relies on accelerometer data for precise motion and reaction-time measurements. Based on practical testing, it appears that third-party iOS applications receive accelerometer data at a maximum rate of approximately 100 Hz, regardless of hardware capabilities or requested update intervals. I would like to ask for clarification on the following points: Is there an officially supported way for third-party iOS apps to access accelerometer data at sampling rates higher than ~100 Hz? If the hardware supports higher sampling rates, is this limitation intentionally enforced at the iOS level for third-party applications? Are there any public APIs, entitlements, or documented approaches that allow access to higher-frequency sensor data, or is this restricted to system/internal components only? Thank you in advance for any clarification.
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51
2w
MFi enrollment process
I followed the instructions on the page https://mfi.apple.com/en/help/login-help/How-to-Register-Your-Existing-Apple-ID.html to apply for the MFi Program. According to step 7 of the guide: "You have now created and registered your Apple Account. You will be automatically directed to the MFi Portal to begin the enrollment process," I should have been taken to the enrollment process after logging in. However, instead of accessing the enrollment page, a pop-up message appears stating: "The Apple Account you signed in with does not have permission to view this page. If you believe your company is currently enrolled in the MFi Program, please contact your company’s Account Administrator to request access to the MFi Portal. If your company is not currently enrolled in the MFi Program, please click here to learn about the program and start the enrollment process." This has created an endless loop—I cannot proceed to the enrollment process as instructed, and the pop-up only redirects me to information that leads back to the same login and permission issue. Could you please provide guidance on how to resolve this and successfully access the MFi Program enrollment process?
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60
1w
Mac Studio: Continuity Camera unavailable after reboot unless USB camera is connected
Summary On Mac Studio systems (no built-in camera), macOS does not initialize camera services after a normal reboot if no physical camera is present. As a result, Continuity Camera does not appear anywhere in the system. Observed behavior System Information → Camera reports “No video capture devices were found.” Continuity Camera (iPhone) is completely absent from camera lists. Plugging in any USB UVC webcam immediately initializes camera services and causes both the USB camera and the iPhone (Continuity Camera) to appear. The USB camera can then be unplugged and Continuity Camera continues working until the next reboot. Reproduction steps Use a Mac Studio (no built-in camera) on recent macOS. Ensure no USB webcam or external camera is connected. Reboot the Mac normally. After login, open System Information → Camera. Expected Camera services should initialize even when no physical camera is present, allowing Continuity Camera to be available as the primary camera. Actual No camera devices are present unless a physical USB camera is connected at least once after boot. This reproduces 100% of the time on Mac Studio and appears to be a camera service bootstrap issue where Continuity Camera cannot be the first camera device. Issue has been filed via Feedback Assistant.
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58
1w
App review - ipad issue
Hello everybody, I have a never ending issue with appstore review, an need a QUICK HELP ! I am submitting a new app (oral training), for Iphones only. I disabled other devices (such as Ipas) via Xcode. In the appstore informations form, it is obligatory to provide ipad screens, so I provided screens showing Iphone experience. Appstore team asked me to remove it because I don't authorize Ipads. But if I remove those screens, form cannot be sent. I don't understantd how to proceed. Thanks for the help Regards Jean
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506
2w
Using iPhone Performance Gaming Tier with iPad Minimum Performance M1 won't allow install on iPhone 16 Pro Max
For the "Required device capabilities" in my info.plist I have: iPhone Performance Gaming Tier iPad Minimum Performance M1 But a beta test just informed me they cannot install on iPhone 16 Pro Max due to "incompatible hardware" I need to limit to iPhone 15 or newer and M1 or newer. I read that iPhone Performance Gaming Tier also limits iPads to M1 here: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/737946 Perhaps I should only use "iPhone Performance Gaming Tier" and by using "iPad Minimum Performance M1" it is not allowing it to be installed on an iPhone? It would be very nice if I could see what devices are supported by the current settings.
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492
Feb ’25
macOS15.3 IOCreatePlugInInterfaceForService returns e00002be.
Background Information In the macOS operating system environment, Program A uses libusb to access USB devices that comply with the USB Mass Storage protocol. To enable Program A to start automatically after macOS boots, its corresponding plist file has been placed in the /Library/LaunchDaemons directory. Problem and Phenomenon Description Program A works well on macOS versions prior to 15.3, and it can access USB devices normally. However, on macOS 15.3, the following abnormal situations have occurred: A. Program A launched by launchd cannot access the USB device. Checking the logs reveals that the IOCreatePlugInInterfaceForService call in the darwin_claim_interface function returns the error code e00002be. B. Program A launched from the terminal command line with sudo privileges can access the USB device normally, and the return value of the IOCreatePlugInInterfaceForService call is 0.
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617
Feb ’25
Apple TV and connected TV restarting on Power off
Since tvOS 18.4 beta (22L5218l) i have the issue that When I turn off an Apple TV, the Apple TV and the connected TV turn off, but after a few seconds the devices start again. This never happened before. But now it is happening with 3 different Apple TV generations on 2 LG and 1 Telefunken TVs. All 3 Apple TV devices have been updated to tvOS 18.4 beta (22L5218l) and since then show this error.
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435
Feb ’25
missing openssl/bn.h in Dockkit ADK 1.0
I downloaded "Dockkit ADK 1.0" and trying to compile, and some openssl include .h files are missing, for example in HAPBoringSSL.c, the below files can't found: #include <openssl/bn.h> #include <openssl/evp.h> #include <openssl/hkdf.h> #include <openssl/hmac.h> #include <openssl/rand.h> where can I get these .h files? I'm worrying about the version conformance if I fetch these files from internet.
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388
Mar ’25
Find My Network System
Hey everyone, how’s it going? I’d like to know if, by enrolling in Apple’s MFi program, I’ll gain access to develop my own tags and my own app to track them using Apple’s Find network. I also read that there’s an estimated cost of $4 per device—does that apply to each device produced, or only at the time of registering the device, with no fee for additional units?
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258
May ’25