Hello Apple Developer Community,
I'm experiencing a persistent issue with App Groups configuration for an iOS app extension that I can't resolve despite trying multiple approaches. I hope someone can help identify what I'm missing.
Problem Description
I'm getting this error when trying to build my iOS App Extension:
Provisioning profile "iOS Team Provisioning Profile: com.idlrapp.Spleeft.SpleeftDataSaver" doesn't include the com.apple.developer.app-groups entitlement.
My Setup
Main App Bundle ID: com.idlrapp.Spleeft
Extension Bundle ID: com.idlrapp.Spleeft.SpleeftDataSaver
App Group ID: group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared
Extension Type: Action Extension (Share Sheet)
What I've Verified
App Group Creation
✅ Created App Group group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared in Apple Developer Portal
✅ App Group shows as "Active" in the portal
App ID Configuration
✅ Both App IDs (com.idlrapp.Spleeft and com.idlrapp.Spleeft.SpleeftDataSaver) have "App Groups" capability enabled
✅ Both App IDs are configured with the same App Group: group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared
Entitlements Files
Main App (Spleeft.entitlements):
<key>com.apple.developer.app-groups</key>
<array>
<string>group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared</string>
</array>
Extension (SpleeftDataSaver.entitlements):
<key>com.apple.developer.app-groups</key>
<array>
<string>group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared</string>
</array>
Xcode Configuration
✅ Both targets use "Automatically manage signing" ✅ Same Apple Developer Team selected for both ✅ App Groups capability shows correctly in Signing & Capabilities for both targets
The Issue
When I examine the downloaded .mobileprovision file, I can see it contains:
<dict>
<key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key>
<array>
<string>group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared</string>
</array>
<!-- Other entitlements... -->
</dict>
However, Xcode expects to find:
<array>
<string>group.com.idlrapp.spleeft.shared</string>
</array>
What I've Tried
Multiple regenerations of provisioning profiles:
Deleted all local provisioning profiles
Toggled "Automatically manage signing" off/on
Downloaded manual profiles from Developer Portal
Verified App Group configuration:
Double-checked App Group exists and is active
Confirmed both App IDs have App Groups capability enabled
Verified App Group assignment in both App IDs
Entitlements cleanup:
Ensured consistent App Group IDs across all files
Removed duplicate/conflicting entries
Clean builds and cache clearing:
Product → Clean Build Folder
Derived Data deletion
Xcode restart
Key Observation
The provisioning profile contains com.apple.security.application-groups (which appears to be macOS-style) but Xcode expects com.apple.developer.app-groups (iOS-style) for the App Extension.
Questions
Is there a known issue with App Groups entitlement generation for iOS App Extensions?
Should the provisioning profile contain com.apple.developer.app-groups instead of com.apple.security.application-groups?
Is there a way to force regeneration of provisioning profiles with the correct entitlements?
Are there additional steps required for App Extensions that differ from main apps?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. This is blocking our App Extension development and we've exhausted our troubleshooting options.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Topic:
Code Signing
SubTopic:
Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
Tags:
Entitlements
Signing Certificates