I'm testing some of the app group functionality at the moment and can confirm UserDefault.standard isn't affected by the extension. Simply put, only the app can access UserDefault.standard.
Happy to open a new thread, but what would you recommend to move files from FileManager.default.urls to FileManager.default.containerURL to support data sharing between the app and extension. In particular, what's the best function to handle the update when a user downloads the latest version of an app. Appreciate any guidance 😃