Posts under App & System Services topic

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Sending screentime data to firebase then to accountability partner
Hey . So i'm building a screentime app whereby users can add an accountability partner who will be able to see their total screentime.(no app breakdowns included) . This will require me to send the data to firebase realtime database and retrieve for the accountability partner to see. Problem is , I've literally tried everything but the screentime still shows 0m on the accountabiliy partner's end. I need the data to be displayed rounded down to the nearest 0.5 e.g 1hr43mins ->1.5hrs+ ,2.0hrs+ ,3.5hrs+ , meaning it only moves when a threshold is crossed by the user. (this is to save database costs). Anyway i'd really appreciate if someone could help me out here. Thanks
2
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70
5d
AuditToken and SecCodeCopySigningInformation
In our macOS solution, we have a few processes and a few plugin modules which communicate with each other over XPC. We have recently started enforcing library validation flag along with hardened runtime for all processes and plugins. To enforce that, we are trying to get signing information from the XPC audit token using SecCodeCopySigningInformation with kSecCSDynamicInformation flag. As per documentation, this flag requires a live SecCode not SecStaticCode to be passed to SecCodeCopySigningInformation. However, SecCodeCopySigningInformation explicitly requires SecStaticCode in its parameters. So I am unsure how to pass live SecCode to SecCodeCopySigningInformation without copying SecStaticCode from it using SecCodeCopyStaticCode. Force cast from SecCode to SecStaticCode fails. Is unsafeBitCast a valid option in this case? Note that we support macOS version 12 and later.
2
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128
5d
Best practices for bypassing critical system daemons in NETransparentProxyProvider
Hello, I am working on a network security and DLP (Data Loss Prevention) solution. A core requirement of our architecture is the ability to modify network traffic payloads in-flight (e.g., stripping sensitive data or altering packets). So, the only way to implement this is via the NETransparentProxyProvider which allows us to handle, evaluate, and modify network flows (NEAppProxyFlow). However, because this is such a powerful mechanism, my primary goal is to ensure the absolute stability of the operating system. I want to minimize the risk of interfering with core Apple services. When evaluating a flow, I have access to NEFlowMetaData, specifically properties like sourceAppUniqueIdentifier and sourceAppAuditToken. Could you please assist me with the following questions: Is there a recommended list of Apple system Application IDs (Bundle IDs) or executable names that should be strictly bypassed (ignored) by the Network Extension to maintain system integrity? Since system daemons can change between OS releases, are there any programmatic best practices or specific rules to dynamically identify core OS traffic that must not be intercepted? Are there any specific network ports or protocols that Apple strongly recommends excluding from NENetworkRule matches at the proxy provider configuration level to ensure daemons like apsd or mDNSResponder function correctly? Thank you in advance.
2
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128
5d
Battery passthrough for virtual machines on Apple Silicon?
Ever since virtualization changed when Apple transitioned to their own Apple silicon chips, I’m curious whether there is anyway to make virtual machines read the host battery? Asking this because VMs in general always assuming it’s on AC adapter makes battery drain a lot faster it seems like so I’m curious whether adding it or some workaround to add battery reporting w/ power efficiency is possible to match with VMs is possible on Apple Silicon so users on Apple silicon MacBooks don’t have to worry about huge battery power consumption drain with adding some sort of feature or pass through to make VMs read host battery. Hope this makes sense.
2
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248
6d
Apple Account authorization instead of app-specific-password
Apple's app-specific password support article says: "For supported third-party apps that access your iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts, you can authorize the app using your Apple Account instead of using an app-specific password." I can't find any documentation about (1) what makes an app "supported," (2) how to apply or qualify, or (3) the technical mechanics — Sign in with Apple, OAuth scopes, MDM, etc. I'm building an iOS app (already approved for Gmail with the gmail.modify scope and CASA-assessed) that monitors a user's mailbox for scam emails with their explicit consent. I'd love to offer the same to iCloud Mail users without requiring the manual app-specific password flow, if there's a Sign in with Apple-style alternative available. Has anyone had success applying for this, or can an Apple engineer point to additional documentation? Thanks!
2
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59
6d
Background Assets Mac (Designed for iPad)
Hello, I have followed the instructions in https://developer.apple.com/documentation/backgroundassets to setup background asset to work on the iPhone. I am able to confirm successfully test the asset packs locally on the iPhone. However, when I try to run the my test code on the Mac (Designed for iPad), I get this error. BackgroundAssets/AssetPackManager.swift:206: Fatal error: The app couldn’t be validated: The bundle’s info dictionary lacks a string value for the key “BAAppGroupID”. Is this feature not supported on the Mac?
6
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172
6d
Live Activity Start and Update Token Invalidation
Hi everyone, I have a question about Live Activity start tokens and update tokens. After reading the documentation, it is still not very clear to me how often these tokens are invalidated, and whether their expiration is time-based or event-based. My current understanding is that the update token is generated when the Live Activity starts, and that it becomes invalid when the activity ends or is dismissed by the user. What I am not clear on is whether the update token can also become invalid at any point while the Live Activity is still active. I have a similar question about the start token. I have noticed that it is generated on the initial app launch, but I have also seen it get regenerated at what seems like random times. I would like to better understand what events or conditions cause a new start token to be issued. Is there any official guidance on the lifecycle of these tokens, specifically: whether they expire based on time, whether they are only invalidated by specific events, and what conditions trigger regeneration of the start token or update token? Any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks.
1
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59
6d
Carplay App category for Fuelling and EV Charging
From the Developer Guide page 12 for the entitlements. The footnote mentions that CarPlay EV charging app and CarPlay fueling app entitlements may be combined in a single app Does this mean that i can implement both fuelling and EV charging feature in the same app ? How will the entitlement process to get this be done ? should i make 2 request for each of the entitlement ?
1
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91
6d
VZVirtualMachineView and rightMouseDown
Hi, I am displaying the running linux ubuntu VM in VzVirtualMachineView. I wouldl like to simulate right click by calling vZVirtualMachineView.rightMouseDown to trigger right click on the guest. I tried it and it does not work. For mac os guests it is working. For linux guests it is not working Any help would be appreciated to fix the issue.
2
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56
6d
Invalid Product ID
We get this error in our App when users try to purchase a subscription. "Invalid Product ID" The respons from Apple backend is: (NOBRIDGE) LOG {"code": "E_DEVELOPER_ERROR", "debugMessage": "Invalid product ID.", "message": "Invalid product ID.", "productId": "com.familycal.daysi.one.month.version71"}
0
0
36
6d
Family Controls entitlement: no response for over 2 weeks
Hi, I submitted my Family Controls entitlement requests on April 21 for my iOS app, but I still haven’t received an approval, rejection, or any status update. This is blocking my ability to properly test and move forward with the app, since it depends on the Screen Time / Family Controls APIs. Has anyone had a similar delay recently? Is the recommended next step to file a code-level support request with my Team ID, or should I continue waiting? Thanks.
4
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175
1w
Notifications for Live Activities are delayed
Hi everyone, I have two questions about Live Activity push notifications that we send from our backend server to iPhones. First, I would like to understand the expected behavior when lowering the APNs priority of a Live Activity update from 10 to 6. How does this affect delivery timing, reliability, or system handling of the notification? Second, my team has been seeing significant delays with some messages sent to the device. In some cases, notifications take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to arrive on the phone. We are trying to understand what might cause this kind of delay. Is this expected under certain conditions, such as device state, system throttling, network conditions, or APNs behavior? Also, is there any way to inspect logs or delivery details for messages sent to the app so we can better diagnose where the delay is happening? Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
0
0
77
1w
VZVirtualMachine with multiple displays
I see that in the link https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/vzvirtualmachineconfiguration/graphicsdevices?changes=late_7_8 graphicsDevices accepts and array. So it is possible to have multiple displays for a virtual machine. But when i tried it with multiple displays it does not work. Why do we have it as an array if it does not support multiple displays.? or how to get it work with multiple displays.
1
0
62
1w
MKMapView realistic elevationStyle cannot combine with overlays
I have an MKMapView displaying realistic elevation. As soon as I call "mapView.addOverlays([polylines])" which then trigger: func mapView(_ mapView: MKMapView, rendererFor overlay: MKOverlay) -> MKOverlayRenderer { if let polyline = overlay as? MKPolyline { let view = MKPolylineRenderer(polyline: polyline) // ... return view } return MKOverlayRenderer(overlay: overlay) } The map instantly turn flat until I remove all the overlays.
3
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69
1w
Sticker Pack App project not working
I started a fresh “Sticker Pack App” project, add one image to it and it wouldn’t show up on emulator or device. From what I remember, there shouldn't be any coding involved, just drag and drop images of the correct format and dimensions and it should work. I tried changing the file format, dimensions etc while consulting with web and AI assistant searches and but still didn’t work. Apple support also didn't reply with anything useful but to post in the forum. I'm guessing I'm missing something trivial where a lot of us here have encountered before. Appreciate your help here, thank you in advance!
4
0
72
1w
CKShare-style user-to-user sharing support in SwiftData
Hello everyone, I've really been enjoying SwiftData's approach to handling DBs, however sharing data between users has caused me quite some headaches. I am currently developing an app for my local theatre that will help the assistant directors with production planning and would need a way to share data. On some big productions we have 2 ADs, so they'd need to be able to share the project and do collaborative work on it. I don't need fancy real-time editing or anything. However, SwiftData exposing an equivalent to Core Data’s NSPersistentCloudKitContainer sharing APIs for CKShare-based user-to-user collaboration would be amazing. As the only thing supported is per-user private data sync, I’m currently considering a hybrid approach until the full project could be shared: SwiftData for the main private app data a small separate Core Data + CloudKit sharing stack only for the shared timetables for cast and crew Is that the recommended implementation today, or is there a better SwiftData-friendly way to do this? I also filed Feedback Assistant request FB22712510 asking for native SwiftData support for user-to-user CloudKit sharing. Thanks for any pointers or help! Best regards, Aedan
1
0
142
1w
Sometimes my apps crash on launch at _libsecinit_appsandbox.cold.6
I first started observing this behaviour through the crash logs of one of my App Store apps which are downloaded by Xcode. Then 3 days ago the same crash happened when launching one of my other apps on my own Mac. On the next try, the app launched correctly. The crash logs don't show any of my app's symbols, only a single thread that does something with libsecinit. I have no idea what the problem is, and since these crashes are also downloaded by Xcode, one would get the impression it’s a fault in my programming… but without any hint as to what I’m doing wrong, I have no chance to fix it, and so I get the feeling that it’s actually a macOS bug. I created FB22712334. crash
7
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224
1w
Sending screentime data to firebase then to accountability partner
Hey . So i'm building a screentime app whereby users can add an accountability partner who will be able to see their total screentime.(no app breakdowns included) . This will require me to send the data to firebase realtime database and retrieve for the accountability partner to see. Problem is , I've literally tried everything but the screentime still shows 0m on the accountabiliy partner's end. I need the data to be displayed rounded down to the nearest 0.5 e.g 1hr43mins ->1.5hrs+ ,2.0hrs+ ,3.5hrs+ , meaning it only moves when a threshold is crossed by the user. (this is to save database costs). Anyway i'd really appreciate if someone could help me out here. Thanks
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
70
Activity
5d
AuditToken and SecCodeCopySigningInformation
In our macOS solution, we have a few processes and a few plugin modules which communicate with each other over XPC. We have recently started enforcing library validation flag along with hardened runtime for all processes and plugins. To enforce that, we are trying to get signing information from the XPC audit token using SecCodeCopySigningInformation with kSecCSDynamicInformation flag. As per documentation, this flag requires a live SecCode not SecStaticCode to be passed to SecCodeCopySigningInformation. However, SecCodeCopySigningInformation explicitly requires SecStaticCode in its parameters. So I am unsure how to pass live SecCode to SecCodeCopySigningInformation without copying SecStaticCode from it using SecCodeCopyStaticCode. Force cast from SecCode to SecStaticCode fails. Is unsafeBitCast a valid option in this case? Note that we support macOS version 12 and later.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
128
Activity
5d
Best practices for bypassing critical system daemons in NETransparentProxyProvider
Hello, I am working on a network security and DLP (Data Loss Prevention) solution. A core requirement of our architecture is the ability to modify network traffic payloads in-flight (e.g., stripping sensitive data or altering packets). So, the only way to implement this is via the NETransparentProxyProvider which allows us to handle, evaluate, and modify network flows (NEAppProxyFlow). However, because this is such a powerful mechanism, my primary goal is to ensure the absolute stability of the operating system. I want to minimize the risk of interfering with core Apple services. When evaluating a flow, I have access to NEFlowMetaData, specifically properties like sourceAppUniqueIdentifier and sourceAppAuditToken. Could you please assist me with the following questions: Is there a recommended list of Apple system Application IDs (Bundle IDs) or executable names that should be strictly bypassed (ignored) by the Network Extension to maintain system integrity? Since system daemons can change between OS releases, are there any programmatic best practices or specific rules to dynamically identify core OS traffic that must not be intercepted? Are there any specific network ports or protocols that Apple strongly recommends excluding from NENetworkRule matches at the proxy provider configuration level to ensure daemons like apsd or mDNSResponder function correctly? Thank you in advance.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
128
Activity
5d
kCLErrorDomain Code=1 location failure even with full location permission granted
I'm facing a persistent location error on real iOS device: Error Domain=kCLErrorDomain Code=1 The operation couldn’t be completed. (kCLErrorDomain error 1.)
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
132
Activity
6d
Battery passthrough for virtual machines on Apple Silicon?
Ever since virtualization changed when Apple transitioned to their own Apple silicon chips, I’m curious whether there is anyway to make virtual machines read the host battery? Asking this because VMs in general always assuming it’s on AC adapter makes battery drain a lot faster it seems like so I’m curious whether adding it or some workaround to add battery reporting w/ power efficiency is possible to match with VMs is possible on Apple Silicon so users on Apple silicon MacBooks don’t have to worry about huge battery power consumption drain with adding some sort of feature or pass through to make VMs read host battery. Hope this makes sense.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
248
Activity
6d
Apple Account authorization instead of app-specific-password
Apple's app-specific password support article says: "For supported third-party apps that access your iCloud Mail, Calendar, and Contacts, you can authorize the app using your Apple Account instead of using an app-specific password." I can't find any documentation about (1) what makes an app "supported," (2) how to apply or qualify, or (3) the technical mechanics — Sign in with Apple, OAuth scopes, MDM, etc. I'm building an iOS app (already approved for Gmail with the gmail.modify scope and CASA-assessed) that monitors a user's mailbox for scam emails with their explicit consent. I'd love to offer the same to iCloud Mail users without requiring the manual app-specific password flow, if there's a Sign in with Apple-style alternative available. Has anyone had success applying for this, or can an Apple engineer point to additional documentation? Thanks!
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
59
Activity
6d
Background Assets Mac (Designed for iPad)
Hello, I have followed the instructions in https://developer.apple.com/documentation/backgroundassets to setup background asset to work on the iPhone. I am able to confirm successfully test the asset packs locally on the iPhone. However, when I try to run the my test code on the Mac (Designed for iPad), I get this error. BackgroundAssets/AssetPackManager.swift:206: Fatal error: The app couldn’t be validated: The bundle’s info dictionary lacks a string value for the key “BAAppGroupID”. Is this feature not supported on the Mac?
Replies
6
Boosts
0
Views
172
Activity
6d
Live Activity Start and Update Token Invalidation
Hi everyone, I have a question about Live Activity start tokens and update tokens. After reading the documentation, it is still not very clear to me how often these tokens are invalidated, and whether their expiration is time-based or event-based. My current understanding is that the update token is generated when the Live Activity starts, and that it becomes invalid when the activity ends or is dismissed by the user. What I am not clear on is whether the update token can also become invalid at any point while the Live Activity is still active. I have a similar question about the start token. I have noticed that it is generated on the initial app launch, but I have also seen it get regenerated at what seems like random times. I would like to better understand what events or conditions cause a new start token to be issued. Is there any official guidance on the lifecycle of these tokens, specifically: whether they expire based on time, whether they are only invalidated by specific events, and what conditions trigger regeneration of the start token or update token? Any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
59
Activity
6d
Carplay App category for Fuelling and EV Charging
From the Developer Guide page 12 for the entitlements. The footnote mentions that CarPlay EV charging app and CarPlay fueling app entitlements may be combined in a single app Does this mean that i can implement both fuelling and EV charging feature in the same app ? How will the entitlement process to get this be done ? should i make 2 request for each of the entitlement ?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
91
Activity
6d
26.4.2 CoreLocation changes
It seems that with the latest update ellipsoidalAltitude of the CLLocation is always 0.0 where it had the correct value before. Also, velocity used to be -1 when not moving. The regular altitude still has sensible values. Did anybody else experience this ? Rgds Lob
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
70
Activity
6d
VZVirtualMachineView and rightMouseDown
Hi, I am displaying the running linux ubuntu VM in VzVirtualMachineView. I wouldl like to simulate right click by calling vZVirtualMachineView.rightMouseDown to trigger right click on the guest. I tried it and it does not work. For mac os guests it is working. For linux guests it is not working Any help would be appreciated to fix the issue.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
56
Activity
6d
Invalid Product ID
We get this error in our App when users try to purchase a subscription. "Invalid Product ID" The respons from Apple backend is: (NOBRIDGE) LOG {"code": "E_DEVELOPER_ERROR", "debugMessage": "Invalid product ID.", "message": "Invalid product ID.", "productId": "com.familycal.daysi.one.month.version71"}
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
36
Activity
6d
Family Controls entitlement: no response for over 2 weeks
Hi, I submitted my Family Controls entitlement requests on April 21 for my iOS app, but I still haven’t received an approval, rejection, or any status update. This is blocking my ability to properly test and move forward with the app, since it depends on the Screen Time / Family Controls APIs. Has anyone had a similar delay recently? Is the recommended next step to file a code-level support request with my Team ID, or should I continue waiting? Thanks.
Replies
4
Boosts
0
Views
175
Activity
1w
Notifications for Live Activities are delayed
Hi everyone, I have two questions about Live Activity push notifications that we send from our backend server to iPhones. First, I would like to understand the expected behavior when lowering the APNs priority of a Live Activity update from 10 to 6. How does this affect delivery timing, reliability, or system handling of the notification? Second, my team has been seeing significant delays with some messages sent to the device. In some cases, notifications take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to arrive on the phone. We are trying to understand what might cause this kind of delay. Is this expected under certain conditions, such as device state, system throttling, network conditions, or APNs behavior? Also, is there any way to inspect logs or delivery details for messages sent to the app so we can better diagnose where the delay is happening? Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks.
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
77
Activity
1w
VZVirtualMachine boot from iso after installation
Hi, I have installed ubuntu in a virtual machine using attached iso and everything works fine. After installing ubuntu it boots from the hard disk always. If i ever wanted to force the vm to boot from ISO how can i do it? Thanks & Regards
Replies
5
Boosts
0
Views
80
Activity
1w
VZVirtualMachine with multiple displays
I see that in the link https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/vzvirtualmachineconfiguration/graphicsdevices?changes=late_7_8 graphicsDevices accepts and array. So it is possible to have multiple displays for a virtual machine. But when i tried it with multiple displays it does not work. Why do we have it as an array if it does not support multiple displays.? or how to get it work with multiple displays.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
62
Activity
1w
MKMapView realistic elevationStyle cannot combine with overlays
I have an MKMapView displaying realistic elevation. As soon as I call "mapView.addOverlays([polylines])" which then trigger: func mapView(_ mapView: MKMapView, rendererFor overlay: MKOverlay) -> MKOverlayRenderer { if let polyline = overlay as? MKPolyline { let view = MKPolylineRenderer(polyline: polyline) // ... return view } return MKOverlayRenderer(overlay: overlay) } The map instantly turn flat until I remove all the overlays.
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
69
Activity
1w
Sticker Pack App project not working
I started a fresh “Sticker Pack App” project, add one image to it and it wouldn’t show up on emulator or device. From what I remember, there shouldn't be any coding involved, just drag and drop images of the correct format and dimensions and it should work. I tried changing the file format, dimensions etc while consulting with web and AI assistant searches and but still didn’t work. Apple support also didn't reply with anything useful but to post in the forum. I'm guessing I'm missing something trivial where a lot of us here have encountered before. Appreciate your help here, thank you in advance!
Replies
4
Boosts
0
Views
72
Activity
1w
CKShare-style user-to-user sharing support in SwiftData
Hello everyone, I've really been enjoying SwiftData's approach to handling DBs, however sharing data between users has caused me quite some headaches. I am currently developing an app for my local theatre that will help the assistant directors with production planning and would need a way to share data. On some big productions we have 2 ADs, so they'd need to be able to share the project and do collaborative work on it. I don't need fancy real-time editing or anything. However, SwiftData exposing an equivalent to Core Data’s NSPersistentCloudKitContainer sharing APIs for CKShare-based user-to-user collaboration would be amazing. As the only thing supported is per-user private data sync, I’m currently considering a hybrid approach until the full project could be shared: SwiftData for the main private app data a small separate Core Data + CloudKit sharing stack only for the shared timetables for cast and crew Is that the recommended implementation today, or is there a better SwiftData-friendly way to do this? I also filed Feedback Assistant request FB22712510 asking for native SwiftData support for user-to-user CloudKit sharing. Thanks for any pointers or help! Best regards, Aedan
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
142
Activity
1w
Sometimes my apps crash on launch at _libsecinit_appsandbox.cold.6
I first started observing this behaviour through the crash logs of one of my App Store apps which are downloaded by Xcode. Then 3 days ago the same crash happened when launching one of my other apps on my own Mac. On the next try, the app launched correctly. The crash logs don't show any of my app's symbols, only a single thread that does something with libsecinit. I have no idea what the problem is, and since these crashes are also downloaded by Xcode, one would get the impression it’s a fault in my programming… but without any hint as to what I’m doing wrong, I have no chance to fix it, and so I get the feeling that it’s actually a macOS bug. I created FB22712334. crash
Replies
7
Boosts
0
Views
224
Activity
1w