Hi, I’m developing an iOS application and want to explore if there are any official methods available to monitor or retrieve information about the usage patterns of other apps installed on a user’s device — such as launch time, duration of use, or app switching behavior. I understand Apple enforces strict privacy policies. My question is: Are there any APIs or frameworks (public or private) that allow reading app usage data from other apps? Can Screen Time or DeviceActivityReport frameworks be leveraged for such use? Would an app like this be eligible for App Store approval, or would it require special entitlements? My intent is not to violate privacy, but to explore if Apple allows any of this under Screen Time APIs or family usage scenarios. Any insights or guidance would be appreciated! Thanks, [Your Name]

We have a launch daemon which can check for team identifier and some other signing information of any application on machine and match it with provided information to confirm the validity of the application/binary. We use SecStaticCodeCreateWithPath to read the signing information of the app/binary which works in most cases. However, for some third party daemon processes, the static code creation fails with error "Operation not permitted". We are having difficult time identifying why static code creation would fail specially when our process is running with root privileges. Can you please help us understand in what scenario can this API fail with this error? Can there be any process or rule which can deny creating static code of a process like endpoint security extensions/daemon? We are using default flags in SecStaticCodeCreateWithPath.

Hi, I have a sandboxed app with a bundled sandboxed XPC service. When it’s launched, the XPC service registers a repeating XPC activity with the system. The activity’s handler block does get called regularly like I’d expect, but it stops being called once the main app terminates. What’s the recommended way to fix this issue? Could I have a bundled XPC service double as a launch agent, or would that cause other problems?

When I obtain the basic information of notifications through the Notification source of Ancs, it is found that the EventFlagNegativeAction part of the EventFlags is missing =(1<<4) Always in the state of 1, whether it's phone calls, text messages, apps, or unconfigured UserNotifications. Why is this

the email say this notification type will be available to you in production beginning May 27, 2025, and you can test it in sandbox now. but i didn't receice this notification yet

For a given date, there are discrepancies between the step counts obtained from HealthKit and those displayed in the Health app. Is it possible for such discrepancies to occur even if step counts are not manually entered and multiple devices are not being used?

I'm trying to implement a custom back button in a CPInformationTemplate using CPBarButton. It works as expected on iOS 18 — the button appears in the navigation bar and correctly pops the template when tapped. However, on iOS 16 devices, the custom back button does not respond to taps at all. The reason I need a custom back button is because I want to perform cleanup and reset logic before popping the template. Is there any workaround for making this work on iOS 16? Or is there a recommended way to hook into the system back button behavior so that I can execute code when the template is dismissed?

I have the following lines of code to access data through CoreData. import Foundation import CoreData import CloudKit class CoreDataManager { static let instance = CoreDataManager() let container: NSPersistentCloudKitContainer let context: NSManagedObjectContext init() { container = NSPersistentCloudKitContainer(name: "ABC") container.loadPersistentStores(completionHandler: { (storeDescription, error) in if let error = error as NSError? { print(error.userInfo) } }) context = container.viewContext context.automaticallyMergesChangesFromParent = true context.mergePolicy = NSMergePolicy(merge: .mergeByPropertyObjectTrumpMergePolicyType) } func save() { do { try container.viewContext.save() print("Saved successfully") } catch { print("Error in saving data: \(error.localizedDescription)") } } } I have confirmed that I can share data between iPhone and iPad. Now, I need to use AppGroup as well. I have changed my code as follows. import Foundation import CoreData import CloudKit class CoreDataManager { static let shared = CoreDataManager() let container: NSPersistentContainer let context: NSManagedObjectContext init() { container = NSPersistentCloudKitContainer(name: "ABC") container.persistentStoreDescriptions = [NSPersistentStoreDescription(url: FileManager.default.containerURL(forSecurityApplicationGroupIdentifier: "some group name")!.appendingPathComponent("CoreDataMama.sqlite"))] container.loadPersistentStores(completionHandler: { (description, error) in if let error = error as NSError? { print("Unresolved error \(error), \(error.userInfo)") } }) context = container.viewContext context.automaticallyMergesChangesFromParent = true context.mergePolicy = NSMergePolicy(merge: .mergeByPropertyObjectTrumpMergePolicyType) } func save() { do { try container.viewContext.save() print("Saved successfully") } catch { print("Error in saving data: \(error.localizedDescription)") } } } Other files being unaltered, my sample apps aren't sharing data. What am I doing wrong? Just FYI, I'm using actual devices. Thank you for your reading this topic.

I am developing a VoIP phone application(Our Phoneapp) using APNs VoIP push. I have a question regarding a behavior I discovered during testing of this application. When performing the following operations using an iPhoneSE3 with an sXGP-NW SIM inserted, 0xBAADCA11 occurs upon receiving an APNs VoIP PUSH. Do you have any information regarding this issue? 0xBAADCA11 occurs in operation 8. However, since there were no problems in operation 4 (the app works when Wi-Fi is off), I think there is no issue with the Our Phoneapp. [Configuration of system components] [VoIP Telephone] --Call to iPhone(Phoneapp)--> [Our VoIP PBX Server] -- VoIP PUSH request --> [Apple APNs Server] -- VoIP PUSH --> [Our Phoneapp (iPhoneSE3(with sXGP SIM)] [Operations] (The issue is reproducible 100% by following oparation) iPhoneSE3: Power on (iPhoneSE3 with sXGP SIM) iPhoneSE3: Wi-Fi off, connect to the internet via SIM. VoIP Telephone: Call to Our Phoneapp iPhoneSE3: Receives VoIP PUSH and Phoneapp launches. Successfully answers the call and communication is possible. (Receives VoIP push notification from APNs via sXGP SIM) iPhoneSE3: Wi-Fi is turned ON, connect to the internet via Wi-Fi. iPhoneSE3: Task kill Our Phoneapp. VoIP Telephone: Call to Our Phoneapp iPhoneSE3: iOS does not call the push notification delegate (didReceiveIncomingPushWithPayload). As a result our Phoneapp is unable to detect the incoming call, However, an ips log with 0xBAADCA11 is output. in other words, iOS received the VoIP PUSH, but Our Phoneapp dose not call CallKit, so Our Phoneapp was terminated by iOS.

On iOS 18.x when try to create EASession we get nil, but on iOS 17.x everything works. We have app which use USB cable for connecting external accessories. Scenario is when we have fresh instal, connecting with accessory work fine, EASession is created, streams are opened. When we unplug USB, we close streams, remove any reference to session and accessory, remove accessory delegate. When plug it again, creating EASession is returning nil. Only after restarting iPhone, we can create new EASession with appropriate protocol and accessory. Every next attempt without reseting iPhone is failing. Logs from accessory is following: 00:05:51.811000 : onUSBDeviceFound(pDevice=0xffc818)) iPhone USB device already in the device list w/id=1 -> update status now[21;1H 00:05:51.830000 : setConnectionStatus(status=connected) [devId=1] state updated -> forward[21;1H Capabilities indicate HostMode possibility => role switch is triggered 00:05:52.848000 : updateDIPODeviceConnections() iPhoneUSB w/caps=5 (=CarPlay or HostMode), deviceTag=2 in Device mode -> request role switch[21;1H Role switch seems to be successful 00:05:54.914000 : setSwitching('stable') changed[21;1H 00:05:54.915000 : updateDIPODeviceConnections() iPhoneUSB w/caps=2, id=1, deviceTag=2 and native transport -> request app launch and call connectUSB[21;1H 00:05:54.967000 : ConnectiAP2(05ac:12a8, s/n='00008101000160921E90801E', writeFD='/dev/ffs/ep3', readFD='/dev/ffs/ep4', hostMode){3}[21;1H Native transport should become available but does not (the following line is not present for failed case. Taken from successful case) 00:05:24.983000 : OnDBusPropChanged_NativeTransport(): deviceId=2, started=1, iAP2iOSAppIdentifier=1, sinkEndpoint=3, sourceEndpoint=4, TransactionID=1 EAP Start event not received (trace line from success try) 00:05:25.057000 : EAPSessionStart(ctx=0x74e0b800){2} called[21;1H Is there any braking change on iOS 18 considering EASession? Also what is strange is that it works on fresh instal/restart iPhone, but not working on second attempt?

We have a problem in a scenario that SIM lock is disabled so after a phone reboots it has the Internet connection but it is still locked. When you call into the VOIP app the app is not being launched as the result (it seems reasonable because it wouldn't be able to access the keychain items etc...) but the OS still seem to enforce the rule that the app needs to report the new incoming call. When we then unlock the app we can see no more pushkit pushes are arriving (dropped on the floor in the console) but we get the three initial pushes that were send during the locked phase right after the app launch.

An error was reported when requesting permissions on devices with iOS 16.2 16.3. It is not an emulator. Through the log records, the following Error message appears Error Domain=FamilyControls.FamilyControlsError Code=3 "(null)" Error Domain=FamilyControls.FamilyControlsError Code=4 "(null)" Error Domain=FamilyControls.FamilyControlsError Code=5 "(null)" func requestScreenTime() async -> Bool { do { try await AuthorizationCenter.shared.requestAuthorization(for: .individual) return AuthorizationCenter.shared.authorizationStatus == .approved } catch { print("\(error)") return false } }

Hi Apple engineering team, I’m trying to integrate the new Live Caller ID Lookup (PIR) on iOS using your pir-service-example code as well as a custom mock server in Vapor, but the extension never advances past the /issue/token-key-for-user-token step. I’ve tried both: 1. Official Example Cloned https://github.com/apple/pir-service-example Ran PIRService locally Confirmed that GET /.well-known/private-token-issuer-directory → 200 GET /issue/token-key-for-user-token → 200 (DER bytes, correct SPKI) No POST /issue ever fires 2. Mock Server (Vapor) Implemented all five endpoints (/config, /.well-known/private-token-issuer-directory, /issue/token-key-for-user-token, /issue, /queries) Verified with curl and openssl asn1parse that: GET /.well-known/private-token-issuer-directory Content-Type: application/private-token-issuer-directory { "issuer-request-uri":"https://…/issue", "token-keys":[…] } GET /issue/token-key-for-user-token Content-Type: application/octet-stream &lt;DER bytes&gt; Added Cache-Control: public, max-age=3600 on directory and SPKI Stubbed POST /issue to always return { "token": "" } Still no POST /issue request from the extension Reproduction Steps Install and enable a Live Lookup extension pointing to my server. Trigger an incoming call on device. Watch server logs—only see the two GETs, never /issue or /queries. Expected Behavior After fetching the SPKI DER, the framework should issue a POST /issue call (Privacy Pass flow) and then POST /queries. Observed Behavior Stuck in an infinite loop of: GET /.well-known/private-token-issuer-directory GET /issue/token-key-for-user-token (repeat…) No progression to the /issue or /queries endpoints. What I’ve Tried Verified JSON kebab-case and headers exactly match examples Confirmed SPKI DER is valid via openssl asn1parse Added Cache-Control headers Tested on real device, localhost url, and ngrok public URL Mocked a valid-looking token response Could you advise what additional requirement or format detail I’m missing that prevents from advancing past /issue/token-key-for-user-token? These are the main files: LiveLookupExtension.swift routes.swift service-config.json Thanks in advance!

I am seeing a really weird behavior with Live Activities. The Live Activity is always appearing on the simulator. However the Live Activity is only appearing on my physical device when there is no other widget in the widget bundle shown below. @main struct HoerspielWidgetsBundle: WidgetBundle { var body: some Widget { // Uncomment the line below and the Live Activity will no longer appear // UpNextWidget() PlaybackLiveActivity() } } Annotating that var with @WidgetBundle has no effect. There are no logs indicating an error, the function to request a Live Activity does not throw and the status of the activity is active. Both the widget and the Live Activity are working fine otherwise. NSSupportsLiveActivities is set to true in the correct Info.plist file. I am not running any beta software and the physical iPhone is on the newest version (iOS 18.5). Using the template when adding a new target in Xcode, I was able to set up a similar app where the Live Activity works as expected. I am really at a loss here which additional information I should provide or how this issue can be resolved. Thank you for your help.

I'm encountering an issue with In-App Purchases on Apple TV (tvOS): When a user initiates an IAP for the first time, the system prompts them to sign in with their Apple ID, and the purchase proceeds normally. However, on subsequent purchase attempts, if the Apple ID session has expired or additional verification is required, the system redirects the user to the Settings app to sign in again. After the user signs in via Settings, the app does not automatically return to the foreground. The user must manually press the Menu button to come back. Is this is the normal behaviour of apple tv for InApp purchase? or did I need any code improvement to solve this? What I'm trying to achieve: I'd like the app to automatically return to the foreground once the user has completed the Apple ID login in Settings. Is this behavior supported on tvOS? If not, is there any known workaround or best practice to guide the user back to the app smoothly? Any advice or guidance from Apple or other developers would be greatly appreciated!

I am creating an app that uses critical messages, I have been granted this entitlement and I am adding the certificate and in the info.plist. In the app I request authorization to send messages to specific numbers. When I try the app in production from Xcode this works fine and I can send the critical messages. However, when I am using the app in the test flight the authorization does not seem to be remembered on the background. Moreover, I go to security/privacy settings and I grant permission to the selected number (I see that it only shows one number even when I have to granted, its like it removes the previous one) however when I exit the setting page the permission is reset (and therefore denied), I think this is a bug. Can you look into that. Both this removing granted permission (HIGH PRIORITY, this message can only be sent in the background, therefore the user can not grant it and why the maximum telephone number to be granted to send messages is reset also to a single one LOWER PRIORITY). Thanks

Hello Apple Support Team, We're a developer team that has created an app with subscription-based features, and we've been using App Store Server Notifications to receive updates about user subscription status changes. I'm reaching out to inquire about potential modifications to the App Store Server Notifications approach that might have improved notification delivery times for my app. So on our appstore app, when a user purchases a subscription, the apple server notifications reach our server and send us the complete detail of that user’s purchase for eg he upgraded or downgraded etc. And then based on the data we receive from app store server notifications, we save it in our database, along with updating the users subscription table in the database. Previously, we experienced delays in receiving the real time notifications from apple on our server, sometimes taking a few minutes, while other times they would arrive immediately. And because of this issue, the users faced delay in seeing their subscription updates, as our db was updated only after the app store server notification reached our server. However, recently, we've noticed a significant improvement, and notifications are now being delivered still in real-time, but without any noticeable delays. I'm wondering if Apple has made any changes to the App Store Server Notifications system that might have resolved the delay issue. Could you please confirm if any modifications were made in 2025, specifically from January onwards, that might have improved notification delivery times? Additionally, I'd like to know if these changes apply to both sandbox testing and production environments. If possible, could you please provide more information about the changes or direct me to a resource that might explain the updates? I'd appreciate your assistance in confirming this information, and I'm looking forward to hearing back from you.

I tested it on the app I work with and others I use and the notification message is not appearing when using sleep mode. Someone knows something about this, and if it is mapped for correction? Iphone: 13 mini IOS: 18.4.1

I have a question regarding the file apple-developer-merchantid-domain-association.txt. I understand that this file is used during API access for Apple Pay Web payments. However, is it necessary for our company to access this file during the payment process? Also, this domain validation file is expected to be placed in the publicly accessible “.well-known” folder on our web server. Is it acceptable for this file to remain readable by third parties on the Internet, including Apple’s servers, without posing any security risks? Since this file is generated during domain registration on the Apple Developer site and is unique to our domain, we believe there should be no security concerns even if accessed by third parties. However, are there any specific security requirements for this domain validation file? Please note that the domain validation has already been successfully completed. We appreciate your time and look forward to your guidance. Best regards,

I am using CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() to build a location sharing app. Most of the time it works fine, including in the background, giving acceptably frequent updates. However, soon after the user puts their phone away for the night, the updates stop coming. I've checked all the instance properties (.stationary, .locationUnavailable, etc.) but none of them are ever set to true, even for the last update before updates end. Is there some way to keep the updates coming through the night? I've included some relevant parts of my code here: func startLocationUpdates() { if self.manager.authorizationStatus == .notDetermined { self.manager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization() } Task { do { self.background = CLBackgroundActivitySession() self.session = CLServiceSession(authorization: CLServiceSession.AuthorizationRequirement.always) let updates = CLLocationUpdate.liveUpdates() for try await update in updates { if let loc = update.location { BackgroundServiceKt.onLocationUpdate(arg: loc) } // check all the instance properties } } catch { // error } return } } class AppDelegate: NSObject, UIApplicationDelegate { func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey : Any]? = nil) -> Bool { LocationsHandler.shared.startLocationUpdates() return true } }