Delve into the world of built-in app and system services available to developers. Discuss leveraging these services to enhance your app's functionality and user experience.

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AppleTV returns to homescreen overnight
Hi We have an AppleTV app that is used to continuously display information (digital signage). One of our clients reports that their AppleTV returns to the homescreen by morning. While our recommendation is to setup Mobile Device Management to lock the AppleTV into running only our app, not every client will have the IT knowledge to set this up. So we're trying to figure out possible causes for the app getting closed. We've not received any crash reports, nor does the device give any indication the app crashed. The energy saving settings are set to run continuously without sleep. The client is reporting this happens every night, so it seems unlikely to be caused by tvOS updates. Are there other things I could rule out to find the cause of this issue? Any ideas are welcome, thanks!
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120
Dec ’25
WeatherKit - missing ForecastHourly field documentation
where can we find documentation on the following fields included in payloads? They're not listed alongside the other fields in the documentation linked below: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/weatherkitrestapi/hourweatherconditions precipitationIntensity snowfallAmount Or if we can get the data type, unit used, and description here that would be great
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267
Mar ’25
Unblocking Apps After a Scheduled Duration in FamilyControl
I am able to block apps using FamilyControl and Shield. Unblocking is also simple—just assign nil to store.shield.applications. However, I want to unblock them even when the app is not open. Use case: Let's say the app allows users to create a session where a particular app is blocked for a specific duration. Once the session starts, the app should remain blocked, and as soon as the session time ends, it should automatically be unblocked. Please help me with this. Thank you!
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452
Feb ’25
Family Controls Approved for Main App but Not Extension – Blocking
Hi everyone, I’m developing a screen-time and focus app that uses Apple’s Family Controls framework to block distracting apps and reward users through a gamified experience. Apple approved Family Controls (Distribution) for the main app identifier, but they did not approve the required extension target (which implements DeviceActivityMonitor, required for the framework to function). Because of this, I can’t archive or upload the app to TestFlight — and I’ve been stuck in limbo for over 2 months. This is severely delaying my launch. The app works perfectly, but I can’t release it because the extension wasn’t included in the entitlement approval. Has anyone else run into this with Family Controls? Is there any known way to escalate or fast-track approval for additional app IDs or targets? Would really appreciate any help, advice, or hacks. 🙏 Thanks, Enzer
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110
Apr ’25
Car play mirroring with flexy limitation and what about new Gen. of Carplay that gonna launch end of this year?
right now it looks like the app type must follow the guidelines like Messenger app, Navigate app, and Music app only. What about the Automotive app itself, What is the flexibility of it? We have an app for service cars for one brand (officially)(car users around 1m+). but we looking to merge the experience between outside the car and inside the car. Can we top up some features on the app to share some information that is a part of the car like trip calculation or car info display on the screen? or services time to notice them? And following that question can we know about the exact spot or brief from Apple car play for now and next-gen? Or can we work with your team closely as a partner? to make things happen and develop it to be a flagship product, we can share some data and talk about it with real insight.
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345
Feb ’25
Is it work startMonitoring from DeviceActivityMonitorExtension's eventDidReachThreshold function?
I want to monitor again from the bellow function of DeviceActivityMonitorExtension. I have the function of startMonitoring like this. override func eventDidReachThreshold(_ event: DeviceActivityEvent.Name, activity: DeviceActivityName) { super.eventDidReachThreshold(event, activity: activity) startMonitoring() } public func startMonitoring() { let startTime = DateComponents(hour: 0, minute: 0, second: 0) let endTime = DateComponents(hour: 23, minute: 59, second: 59)//DateComponents(hour: 11, minute: 0, second: 0)// let schedule = DeviceActivitySchedule( intervalStart: startTime,//DateComponents(hour: 0, minute: 0, second: 0), intervalEnd: endTime, repeats: true //warningTime: DateComponents(minute:1) ) let selection: FamilyActivitySelection = savedSelection() ?? FamilyActivitySelection() let center = DeviceActivityCenter() let selections = self.savedSelection() ?? FamilyActivitySelection() let applications = selections.applicationTokens let categories = selections.categoryTokens let webCategories = selections.webDomainTokens let store = ManagedSettingsStore() store.shield.applicationCategories = ShieldSettings.ActivityCategoryPolicy.specific(categories, except: Set()) store.shield.applications = applications store.shield.webDomains = webCategories let scheduleHard = DeviceActivitySchedule( intervalStart: startTime,//DateComponents(hour: 0, minute: 0, second: 0), intervalEnd: endTime, repeats: true //warningTime: DateComponents(minute:1) ) let event = DeviceActivityEvent( applications: selection.applicationTokens, categories: selection.categoryTokens, webDomains: selection.webDomainTokens, threshold: DateComponents(minute: 0)//timeLimitToUseApp i.e for 15 mins ) do { try center.startMonitoring( .weekend, during: scheduleHard, events: [ .weekend: event, ] ) print("ScreenTime Monitoring Started") } catch let error { print(error.localizedDescription) } } Please provide us with a solution about starting monitoring from DeviceActivityMonitoringExtension's eventDidReachThreshold function or if there is any other way.
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348
Mar ’25
SMS Filter Extension - No Categories showing
Hi, I developed an iOS app which will do SMS filtering by following this documentation. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/identitylookup/sms-and-mms-message-filtering) I built the app and send Test Flights to different testers. All the Testers from Sri Lanka (an asian country) says filtering is working and they can see all the enabled categories on the Messages too (including iOS 26). But the testers from Mexico cannot see the categories and filtering is not working. On official documentation there is nothing about supported countries. But I found true caller article https://support.truecaller.com/support/solutions/articles/81000406341-how-do-i-enable-sms-filtering-on-iphone mentioning it support only few countries for SMS filtering. Currently available in the following countries: India, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Our previous Categories filtering are still available for: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Ghana, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Zambia Following article https://clearstream.io/blog/ios-26-iphone-new-text-message-filtering is saying some categories are supported by only Brazil and India. Still I could not find any official documentations saying different country supports.
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107
Nov ’25
Screen Time API: How to map bundleIdentifier to ApplicationToken for DeviceActivityMonitor when FamilyActivitySelection.Application.bundleIdentifier is nil?
I'm using FamilyActivityPicker to get consent for app/category management, which returns a FamilyActivitySelection object. I serialize this FamilyActivitySelection object (just applicationTokens and categoryTokens) and pass it to my DeviceActivityMonitor extension via App Group UserDefaults. I am using the JSON encoder/decoder over PropertyList (though both seem to exhibit the same behavior). After inspecting the FamilyActivitySelection object immediately after it's returned by FamilyActivityPicker in the main app, the application.bundleIdentifier property is consistently nil for every Application object within selection.applications. Similarly, category.localizedDisplayName is nil for ActivityCategory objects. This happens whether "Select All Apps" is used or if apps/categories are selected individually. I understand that this is the intended behavior due to Apple's user privacy policies. I read on another post that my app can be provided with bundle identifiers and app names within Shield Configuration extensions and Device Activity Report extensions - I'm not sure which ones or how exactly to do this. I am aware that I can use Label(applicationToken) SwiftUI view to display the app name/icon, but this doesn't give programmatic access to the bundleIdentifier string. My app will not log or export these bundleIdentifiers outside of its sandbox. My goal is to create mappings to the FamilyActivitySelection with the publicly accessible bundleIdentifiers. Any guidance, examples, or clarification on the intended workflow for this scenario would be greatly appreciated!
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187
May ’25
Device Activity monitor extension Not working
anyone has the same problem which is that your device activity extension ain't working even tho all the code work perfectly in the console, I setup it in the right way , tried to make schedule and it did the same exact thing when I tried to create usage threshold. anyone know the reason for this bug? here is my extension code import ManagedSettings import FamilyControls import Foundation import OSLog import UserNotifications class MonitoringExtension: DeviceActivityMonitor { private let defaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.com.William.app") private let logger = Logger(subsystem: "com.William.app", category: "MonitoringExtension") override func eventDidReachThreshold(_ event: DeviceActivityEvent.Name, activity: DeviceActivityName) { let activityRaw = activity.rawValue logger.info("Limite atteinte: \(activityRaw)") scheduleNotification(title: "Limite dépassée", body: "Tu as utilisé trop de temps sur \(activityRaw).") guard let data = defaults?.data(forKey: "\(activityRaw)_selection"), let selection = try? JSONDecoder().decode(FamilyActivitySelection.self, from: data) else { logger.warning("Pas de sélection pour \(activityRaw)") return } let store = ManagedSettingsStore() // ← LE SEUL QUI MARCHE store.shield.applications = selection.applicationTokens if !selection.categoryTokens.isEmpty { store.shield.applicationCategories = .specific(selection.categoryTokens) } logger.info("BLOCAGE ACTIF via ManagedSettingsStore.default") } override func intervalDidEnd(for activity: DeviceActivityName) { super.intervalDidEnd(for: activity) let store = ManagedSettingsStore() store.clearAllSettings() // ← Débloque à minuit logger.info("Restrictions levées à la fin de l'intervalle") } private func scheduleNotification(title: String, body: String) { UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: [.alert, .sound]) { granted, _ in guard granted else { return } let content = UNMutableNotificationContent() content.title = title content.body = body let request = UNNotificationRequest(identifier: UUID().uuidString, content: content, trigger: nil) UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(request) } } }
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313
Nov ’25
Minimum Functionality Rejection Blocks My App's Users
Parents often spend lots of time to search for kids' events and government programs. Even after they found ideal ones, they need lots of copy and paste to check Google Map in order to align with their time and location. My app is designed to solve this pain point. It will handle those time consuming web search and time & location matching. For good user experience, the UI is simple, it recommends nearest kids programs that aligns with parents' time. It also has a Map to show suggestions visually and provides map navigation. Parents are all very busy, the UI has to be simple and easy to use. This app can save parents 60% of time to find kids' programs. The v1.0.0 of this app got approved. It works well on Android phones all the time, but the map navigation didn't work on iOS. I later realized have to add LSApplicationQueriesSchemes to enable map navigation on iOS app. So I fixed this and tested the new build on iOS phones, the new build 1.0.1 works well. But Apple reviews rejects 1.0.1 because of "Minimum Functionality". So now I'm in an awkward situation, 1) the app works well on Android 2) the approved iOS build can't open map navigation on iOS 3) the fixed iOS build got rejected because of "Minimum Functionality".... Really frustrating. Even if I add new features to meet "Minimum Functionality", for parents, they need simple UI because of their busy schedules, adding new features may create more complex UX. Is that possible to have Apple approve 1.0.1 build first, at least make sure the app works without error for iOS users first, this app can already save parents lots of time. Then give me more time to add new features? Otherwise, what's the minimum I can add to get the new build approved first? Thank you!
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12
12h
Action Extensions: How do Amazon & Google open their apps?
Both follow the same pattern: show the image that is being shared along with a CTA button about doing something with it in their app. When you tap the button, their app opens. Is there some kind of magic conditions that tapping the button creates that makes extensionContext.open(_ URL: URL, completionHandler: ((Bool) -> Void)?) accept a URL for opening the app? Or are they just using the "walk the responder chain" hack and using the user's intent to do something in their app as sufficient justification for using it? I've tried opening a registered URL scheme for my app synchronously with the button tap, but it still is refusing to open (callback returns false).
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50
Nov ’25
Can I use combine on a property in an @Observable class?
As the title suggests, I have a class marked with @Observable. Within the class I have multiple var's. When one of my var's changes (formation), I want to run an updateOrCreateContent(). I had thought I could just do this with a bit of combine, but I'm struggling to get it working... The code below has a compile error at $formation When I mark formation @Published, it generates a different compile error: "Invalid redeclaration of synthesized property '_formation'" any help appreciated thanks class LayoutModel { var players: [Player] = [] var formation: Formation = .f433 var cancellables = Set<AnyCancellable>() init(players: [Player], formation: Formation) { self.players = players self.formation = formation updateOrCreateContent() $formation.sink(receiveValue: { _ in self.updateOrCreateContent() }) .store(in: &cancellables) }
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92
5d
Universal Link always shows “Open App A?” banner instead of redirecting automatically
We have a login flow where the user authenticates in Safari, and at the end of the process the authentication server redirects back to our app using a Universal Link. On most devices, the app opens automatically without any confirmation banner. However, on several iPads, Safari always shows the “Open App A?” banner after the redirect. The user must tap Open every time. Other devices running the same iOS version do not show this issue. Expected Flow (working devices): Start authentication Safari login Authentication server redirects using a Universal Link App A opens automatically Problematic Flow (several iPads): Start authentication Safari login Authentication server redirects using a Universal Link Safari shows “Open App A?” confirmation banner User must tap Open App A starts Questions: Is this a known issue in iOS? Or is this expected behavior under certain conditions (i.e., is there a specific Safari/iOS specification that causes this banner to appear)? Is there any way to prevent Safari from showing the “Open App A?” banner and allow automatic redirection? *This issue did not occur on iOS 16, but it started appearing after updating to iOS 17. Devices : iPad 9th Gen/iPad 10th Gen
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148
Nov ’25
FamilyControls on Mac Catalyst — can’t authorize due to sandbox; does this make ManagedSettings/DeviceActivity unusable?
Hi DTS / Apple engineers, We’re attempting to extending our screen time app target to Mac Catalyst. On iOS, FamilyControls works as expected (AuthorizationCenter + FamilyActivityPicker, then ManagedSettings shields + DeviceActivity monitoring/reporting). On Mac Catalyst: The project builds with FamilyControls/DeviceActivity/ManagedSettings capabilities enabled. But attempting to request FamilyControls authorization (or present FamilyActivityPicker) fails at runtime. We see errors similar to: Failed to get service proxy: The connection to service named com.apple.FamilyControlsAgent was invalidated: failed at lookup with error 159 - Sandbox restriction. And our app stays authorizationStatus == .notDetermined, with the request failing. We saw an Apple engineer suggestion to “disable App Sandbox”, but Mac Catalyst apps appear to always be sandboxed, so we can’t disable it. Questions: Is FamilyControls authorization supported on Mac Catalyst today? If so, what entitlement/capability is required specifically for Catalyst/macOS? If FamilyControls auth cannot succeed on Catalyst, does that mean ManagedSettings shields and DeviceActivity monitoring/reporting are effectively unusable on Catalyst (since they depend on that authorization)? Is there an Apple‑recommended approach for a Catalyst “portal” app that mirrors an iOS child device’s restrictions, or is local enforcement on Catalyst intentionally unsupported? Any guidance (and any official docs that clarify current platform support) would be hugely appreciated.
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1w
Screen Time API: ApplicationToken Mismatch / Randomization in Extensions
Description: I am developing a digital well-being application using the Screen Time API (FamilyControls, ManagedSettings, and DeviceActivity). I am encountering a critical issue where the ApplicationToken provided by the system to my app extensions suddenly changes, causing a mismatch with the tokens originally stored by the main application. The Problem: When a user selects applications via FamilyActivityPicker, we persist the FamilyActivitySelection (and the underlying ApplicationToken objects) in a shared App Group container. However, we are seeing frequent cases where the token passed into: ShieldConfigurationDataSource.configuration(shielding:in:) ShieldActionDelegate.handle(action:for:completionHandler:) ...does not match (using ==) any of the tokens previously selected and stored. IOS version: 26.2.1
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1w
Device Activity Privacy Restrictions
Hey there! So, I'm trying to see what I'm able to do with the Device Activity Report Extension, and I have a few questions about the following quote: To protect the user’s privacy, your extension runs in a sandbox. This sandbox prevents your extension from making network requests or moving sensitive content outside the extension’s address space. In particular, what constitutes the address space for this extension? Can I save data to a UserDefaults object that only the extension can access? (Apps like Opal allow the user to label apps as "distracting" and "non-distracting", and I'm wondering how they do that!) From what I've read, I believe it cannot write to a shared app group or model (and I just want to confirm this) It also seems that there's nothing preventing it from reading data from the main app, so I'm just wondering if it's able to read data from an app group or model with no problem. Thanks in advance!
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158
Aug ’25
What are the image requirements for the logo for Live Caller ID?
When Live Caller ID first came out I experimented with it and got it working using the Example PIR database. All my links from that time are now out of date and no longer work, however I seem to have found where the PIR database example and documentation has moved to (https://swiftpackageindex.com/apple/pir-service-example/main/documentation/pirservice/testinginstructionslivecalleridlookup) But what I can't find is an exact definition of the the logo size/max size/dimensions/format should be. My memory from that time is that it was very pernickety, and if things weren't exactly right, the logo wasn't displayed. I can remember the format had to be HEIC to get it to work. Looking through the documentation however, I can't see exact requirements specified. My question is - for the Live Caller ID logo what are the exact image requirements, and where are they documented?
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1w