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Privacy & Security Resources
General: Forums topic: Privacy & Security Privacy Resources Security Resources Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
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533
Jul ’25
Implementation of Screen Recording permissions for background OCR utility
I am exploring the development of a utility app that provides real-time feedback to users based on their active screen content (e.g., providing text suggestions for various communication apps). To achieve this, I am looking at using ReplayKit and Broadcast Upload Extensions to process screen frames in the background via OCR. I have a few questions regarding the "Screen Recording" permission and App Store Review: Permission Clarity: Is it possible to trigger the Screen Recording permission request in a way that clearly communicates the "utility" nature of the app without the system UI making it look like a standard video recording? Background Persistence: Can a Broadcast Extension reliably stay active in the background while the user switches between other third-party apps (like messaging or social apps) for the purpose of continuous OCR processing? App Store Guidelines: Are there specific "Privacy & Data Use" guidelines I should be aware of when an app requires persistent screen access to provide text-based suggestions? I want to ensure the user experience is transparent and that the permission flow feels like a "helper utility" rather than a security risk. Any insights on the best APIs to use for this specific background processing would be appreciated.
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97
5h
ScreenCapture permissions disappear and don't return
On Tahoe and earlier, ScreenCapture permissions can disappear and not return. Customers are having an issue with this disappearing and when our code executes CGRequestScreenCaptureAccess() nothing happens, the prompt does not appear. I can reproduce this by using the "-" button and removing the entry in the settings, then adding it back with the "+" button. CGPreflightScreenCaptureAccess() always returns the correct value but once the entry has been removed, CGRequestScreenCaptureAccess() requires a reboot before it will work again.
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211
8h
XProtect makes app hang when running an AppleScript
I now had the second user with 26.2. complaining about a hang in my app. The hang occurs when the first AppleScript for Mail is run. Here is the relevant section from the process analysis in Activity Monitor: + 2443 OSACompile (in OpenScripting) + 52 [0x1b32b30f4] + 2443 SecurityPolicyTestDescriptor (in OpenScripting) + 152 [0x1b32a2284] + 2443 _SecurityPolicyTest(char const*, void const*, unsigned long) (in OpenScripting) + 332 [0x1b32a2118] + 2443 InterpreterSecurity_ScanBuffer (in libInterpreterSecurity.dylib) + 112 [0x28c149304] + 2443 -[InterpreterSecurity scanData:withSourceURL:] (in libInterpreterSecurity.dylib) + 164 [0x28c148db4] + 2443 -[XProtectScan beginAnalysisWithFeedback:] (in XprotectFramework) + 544 [0x1d35a1e58] + 2443 -[XPMalwareEvaluation initWithData:assessmentClass:] (in XprotectFramework) + 92 [0x1d359ada4] + 2443 -[XPMalwareEvaluation initWithRuleString:withExtraRules:withURL:withData:withAssessmentClass:feedback:] (in XprotectFramework) + 36 [0x1d359b2a8] My app is correctly signed and notarised. The first user had to completely uninstall/reinstall the app and the everything worked again. Why does this happen? How can the problem be fixed?
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21h
Sign in With Apple Unknown error 1000
PLATFORM AND VERSION iOS Development environment: Xcode 26.2, macOS x Run-time configuration: iOS The issue does not seem to be limited to a specific version. DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM We are reaching out to request in-depth technical assistance regarding an intermittent issue with Sign in with Apple implementation in our application. [Technical Status] We have confirmed that our technical implementation is correct. All necessary code and Xcode Capabilities are properly configured, and the service is working perfectly for the vast majority of our users. However, a small subset of users is consistently encountering "Unknown" Error (Error Code 1000), which prevents them from logging in entirely. [Identified Scenario] Currently, the only reproducible case we have found involves Child Accounts (protected accounts) under Family Sharing, specifically when the user's age is set below the regional requirement for a standalone Apple ID. However, we are receiving reports from other users who do not seem to fall into this category. [Requests for Clarification] To resolve this issue and support our users, we would like to obtain clear answers to the following questions: Root Cause: Why does Error 1000 occur specifically for a small number of users while the service works for most others? Other Scenarios: Are there any known cases or conditions other than the "Child Account" age restriction that trigger this specific error? Account-side Issues: If our code and configurations are verified to be correct, should we conclude that this is an issue specific to the individual's Apple ID/Account status? If so, could you provide a troubleshooting guide or official recommendation that we can share with these users to help them resolve their account-related issues? We are committed to providing a seamless authentication experience and would appreciate your expert insight into these edge cases. Thank you for your support. - (void) quickLogin:(uint)requestId withNonce:(NSString *)nonce andState:(NSString *)state { #if AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES_AVAILABLE if (@available(iOS 13.0, tvOS 13.0, macOS 10.15, *)) { ASAuthorizationAppleIDRequest *appleIDRequest = [[self appleIdProvider] createRequest]; [appleIDRequest setNonce:nonce]; [appleIDRequest setState:state]; ASAuthorizationPasswordRequest *keychainRequest = [[self passwordProvider] createRequest]; ASAuthorizationController *authorizationController = [[ASAuthorizationController alloc] initWithAuthorizationRequests:@[appleIDRequest, keychainRequest]]; [self performAuthorizationRequestsForController:authorizationController withRequestId:requestId]; } else { [self sendsLoginResponseInternalErrorWithCode:-100 andMessage:@"Native AppleAuth is only available from iOS 13.0" forRequestWithId:requestId]; } #else [self sendsLoginResponseInternalErrorWithCode:-100 andMessage:@"Native AppleAuth is only available from iOS 13.0" forRequestWithId:requestId]; #endif } - (void) loginWithAppleId:(uint)requestId withOptions:(AppleAuthManagerLoginOptions)options nonce:(NSString *)nonce andState:(NSString *)state { #if AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES_AVAILABLE if (@available(iOS 13.0, tvOS 13.0, macOS 10.15, *)) { ASAuthorizationAppleIDRequest *request = [[self appleIdProvider] createRequest]; NSMutableArray *scopes = [NSMutableArray array]; if (options & AppleAuthManagerIncludeName) [scopes addObject:ASAuthorizationScopeFullName]; if (options & AppleAuthManagerIncludeEmail) [scopes addObject:ASAuthorizationScopeEmail]; [request setRequestedScopes:[scopes copy]]; [request setNonce:nonce]; [request setState:state]; ASAuthorizationController *authorizationController = [[ASAuthorizationController alloc] initWithAuthorizationRequests:@[request]]; [self performAuthorizationRequestsForController:authorizationController withRequestId:requestId]; } else { [self sendsLoginResponseInternalErrorWithCode:-100 andMessage:@"Native AppleAuth is only available from iOS 13.0" forRequestWithId:requestId]; } #else [self sendsLoginResponseInternalErrorWithCode:-100 andMessage:@"Native AppleAuth is only available from iOS 13.0" forRequestWithId:requestId]; #endif } - (void) getCredentialStateForUser:(NSString *)userId withRequestId:(uint)requestId { #if AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES_AVAILABLE if (@available(iOS 13.0, tvOS 13.0, macOS 10.15, *)) { [[self appleIdProvider] getCredentialStateForUserID:userId completion:^(ASAuthorizationAppleIDProviderCredentialState credentialState, NSError * _Nullable error) { NSNumber *credentialStateNumber = nil; NSDictionary *errorDictionary = nil; if (error) errorDictionary = [AppleAuthSerializer dictionaryForNSError:error]; else credentialStateNumber = @(credentialState); NSDictionary *responseDictionary = [AppleAuthSerializer credentialResponseDictionaryForCredentialState:credentialStateNumber errorDictionary:errorDictionary]; [self sendNativeMessageForDictionary:responseDictionary forRequestId:requestId]; }]; } else { [self sendsCredentialStatusInternalErrorWithCode:-100 andMessage:@"Native AppleAuth is only available from iOS 13.0" forRequestWithId:requestId]; } #else [self sendsCredentialStatusInternalErrorWithCode:-100 andMessage:@"Native AppleAuth is only available from iOS 13.0" forRequestWithId:requestId]; #endif }
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1d
Biometrics prompt + private key access race condition on since iOS 26.1
We are using SecItemCopyMatching from LocalAuthentication to access the private key to sign a challenge in our native iOS app twice in a few seconds from user interactions. This was working as expected up until about a week ago where we started getting reports of it hanging on the biometrics screen (see screenshot below). From our investigation we've found the following: It impacts newer iPhones using iOS 26.1 and later. We have replicated on these devices: iPhone 17 Pro max iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 15 Pro max iPhone 15 Only reproducible if the app tries to access the private key twice in quick succession after granting access to face ID. Looks like a race condition between the biometrics permission prompt and Keychain private key access We were able to make it work by waiting 10 seconds between private key actions, but this is terrible UX. We tried adding adding retries over the span of 10 seconds which fixed it on some devices, but not all. We checked the release notes for iOS 26.1, but there is nothing related to this. Screenshot:
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707
1d
Clarification on attestKey API in Platform SSO
Hi, We are implementing Platform SSO and using attestKey during registration via ASAuthorizationProviderExtensionLoginManager. Could you clarify whether the attestKey flow involves sending attestation data to an Apple server for verification (similar to App Attest in the DeviceCheck framework), or if the attestation certificate chain is generated and signed entirely on-device without any Apple server interaction? The App Attest flow is clearly documented as using Apple’s attestation service, but the Platform SSO process is less clearly described. Thank you.
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1d
Clarity App Attestation Errors
I'm currently reviewing the various DCError cases defined in Apple’s DeviceCheck framework (reference: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicecheck/dcerror-swift.struct). To better understand how to handle these in production, I’m looking for a clear breakdown of: Which specific DCError values can occur during service.generateKey, service.attestKey, and service.generateAssertion The realworld scenarios or conditions that typically cause each error for each method. If anyone has insight on how these errors arise and what conditions trigger them, I’d appreciate your input.
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68
2d
SecureTransport PSK Support for TLS
We have successfully deployed our Qt C++ application on Windows and Android using OpenSSL with TLS Pre-Shared Key (PSK) authentication to connect to our servers. However, I understand that apps submitted to the App Store must use SecureTransport as the TLS backend on iOS. My understandiunig is that SecureTransport does not support PSK ciphersuites, which is critical for our security architecture. Questions: Does SecureTransport support TLS PSK authentication, or are there plans to add this feature? If PSK is not supported, what is Apple's recommended alternative for applications that require PSK-based authentication? Is there an approved exception process that would allow me to use OpenSSL for TLS connections on iOS while still complying with App Store guidelines? The application requires PSK for secure communication with our infrastructure, and we need guidance on how to maintain feature parity across all platforms while meeting App Store requirements
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2d
The SecKeyCreateSignature method always prompts for the current user's login password.
I downloaded a P12 file (containing a private key) from the company server, and retrieved the private key from this P12 file using a password : private func loadPrivateKeyFromPKCS12(path: String, password: String) throws -> SecKey? { let p12Data: Data do { p12Data = try Data(contentsOf: fileURL) } catch let readError { ... } let options: [CFString: Any] = [ kSecImportExportPassphrase: password as CFString ] var items: CFArray? let status = SecPKCS12Import(p12Data as CFData, options as CFDictionary, &items) guard status == errSecSuccess else { throw exception } var privateKey: SecKey? let idd = identity as! SecIdentity let _ = SecIdentityCopyPrivateKey(idd, &privateKey) return privateKey } However, when I use this private key to call SecKeyCreateSignature for data signing, a dialog box always pops up to ask user to input the Mac admin password. What confuses me is that this private key is clearly stored in the local P12 file, and there should be no access to the keychain involved in this process. Why does the system still require the user's login password for signing? Is it possible to perform silent signing (without the system dialog popping up) in this scenario?
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59
2d
Issue with Private Email Relay Not Forwarding SES Emails
We are experiencing an issue with Apple’s Private Email Relay service for Sign in with Apple users. Our setup details are as follows: • Domain: joinalyke.com • Domain successfully added under “Sign in with Apple for Email Communication” • SPF verified • DKIM enabled (2048-bit Easy DKIM via AWS SES) • Emails are being sent from S***@joinalyke.com Amazon SES confirms that emails sent to users’ @privaterelay.appleid.com addresses are successfully delivered (Delivery events recorded in SES and no bounce reported). However, users are not receiving the forwarded emails in their actual inboxes. Since: SES shows successful delivery, SPF and DKIM are properly configured, Domain is registered in the Apple Developer portal, we suspect that the Private Email Relay service may be blocking or not forwarding these emails. Could you please investigate whether: Our domain or IP reputation is being blocked or filtered, There are additional configuration requirements, The relay service is rejecting emails after acceptance, There are content-related filtering policies we should review. We are happy to provide message IDs, timestamps, and sample relay email addresses if required.
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787
4d
Account security and passkeys
Could you tell me about account security and passkeys? Our service is considering implementing passkeys, and these questions are to understand how Apple protects accounts from third parties. ① Apple website states that two-factor authentication is mandatory for newly created Apple Accounts. When did this requirement come into effect? What are the conditions for users who do not have two-factor authentication enabled? ② Apple website mentions that a verification code may be required when signing into an Apple Account from a new device or browser. Is my understanding of the situations where a verification code is requested accurate, as listed below? Are there any other situations? Completely signing out of the Apple Account on that device. Erasing the device. Needing to change the password for security reasons. ③ If a user is already using a passkey on an Apple device, and then upgrades to a new device, will additional authentication, such as entering a PIN code, be required to use the passkey on the new device?
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665
4d
Misclassification of Mainland China real-name anti-addiction verification as “Login Service” + Unfair/Mechanical Review Handling
a I am submitting this appeal because we believe our app was misunderstood and the review outcome and follow-up communication have been unfair and mechanically handled. 1) What happened / Outcome we disagree with Our submission was rejected under Guideline 4.8 – Design – Login Services, with the reviewer stating that our app uses a third-party login service but does not provide an equivalent login option that meets Apple’s requirements (limited data collection, private email option, no advertising tracking without consent). However, our game does not require or force any third-party login. The feature being treated as “login” is not a login service at all—it is Mainland China real-name / anti-addiction compliance verification. 2) Why we believe we comply with the App Review Guidelines A. The feature in question is compliance verification, not login Players do not need to create or log into any in-game account to play. The flow exists solely to satisfy Mainland China real-name/anti-addiction compliance requirements. Verification can be completed by either: Using TapTap only as a real-name verification authorization option, or Manually entering a Chinese ID number + legal name to pass verification and play. Because this is verification, not an account login, Guideline 4.8 “Login Services” should not apply in the way the rejection message assumes. B. There is no “playable account” to provide After we clarified the above, we continued to receive repeated, template-like requests to provide a “playable account.” This request does not match our product design: there is no account system required for gameplay, so there is no “review account” to provide. We have already provided the information needed to complete the verification path (ID + name for the compliance flow), yet the responses remained repetitive and did not reflect that the reviewer checked our explanation. 3) Why we believe the handling was unfair Even after clearly explaining that this is not a login system, the review communication continued with mechanical responses that did not address the clarification. This caused significant delays to our release timeline and appears to be unfair treatment compared with many existing App Store apps that use similar compliance verification flows. 4) What we are requesting from the Appeals Team Please investigate and correct the misclassification of our real-name compliance verification as a “login service” under Guideline 4.8. If the team still believes Guideline 4.8 applies, please provide: The specific guideline rationale, and The exact screen/step in our app that is being interpreted as “login.” Please advise what specific materials you need to proceed efficiently (e.g., screen recording of the verification flow, step-by-step review instructions, configuration notes). We are ready to provide them immediately.
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397
4d
Authorizing a process to access a Private Key pushed via MDM
I am developing a macOS system service (standalone binary running as a LaunchDaemon) that requires the ability to sign data using a private key which will be deployed via MDM. The Setup: Deployment: A .mobileconfig pushes a PKCS12 identity to the System Keychain. Security Requirement: For compliance and security reasons, we cannot set AllowAllAppsAccess to <true/>. The key must remain restricted. The Goal: I need to use the private key from the identity to be able to sign the data The Problem: The Certificate Payload does not support a TrustedApplications or AccessControl array to pre-authorize binary paths. As a result, when the process tries to use the private key for signing (SecKeyCreateSignature), it prompts the user to allow this operation which creates a disruption and is not desired. What i've tried so far: Manually adding my process to the key's ACL in keychain access obviously works and prevents any prompts but this is not an "automatable" solution. Using security tool in a script to attempt to modify the ACL in an automated way, but that also asks user for password and is not seamless. The Question: Is there a documented, MDM-compatible way to inject a specific binary path into the ACL of a private key? If not, is there a better way to achieve the end goal?
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194
5d
question about migrating `Sign in with Apple`
We need to transfer an App to other developer account, both the account are belong to our company. As we know, our app is using the Sign in with Apple function that we need to do some transfer job and we refer to this document: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/technotes/tn3159-migrating-sign-in-with-apple-users-for-an-app-transfer. There is a lot of users using the Sign in with Apple in our app, totally serval millions. To avoid risks as much as possible that we have to make the work flow very clearly, so we're seeking help here. I have serval questions, some I've got the answers from Google gemini and this Forums, I will list them below, please take a look what I understanding is correct or not, thanks. A. From the document above, can I performed the Steps 1&2 before the app transfer? if so, is there a maximum lead time for these transfer_subs? B. Regarding Step 5(Team B exchanging transfer identifiers via https://appleid.apple.com/auth/usermigrationinfo) are there specific rate limits (requests per second/minute) for this endpoint? Cause we have a huge number of user whose using the Sign in with Apple, we have to transfer the sub values as soon as possible. C. Cause we have a huge number of user whose using the Sign in with Apple again, This transfer job involves huge risks. So, is there any way to simulate these whole operations? Answer by my self: NO.
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5d
App Attest Validation & Request
I'm trying to confirm the correct URL for Apple Attest development. There seems to be a fraud metric risk section that uses this: https://data-development.appattest.apple.com/v1/attestationData However the key verification seems to use this: https://data-development.appattest.apple.com/v1/attestation Currently I'm attempting to verify the key, so the second one seems likely. However I keep receiving a 404 despite vigorous validation of all fields included in the JSON as well as headers. Can anyone confirm please, which URL I should be sending my AppleAttestationRequest to?
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5d
Questions about migrating accounts between ServiceIDs
Our organization operates a web platform that hosts numerous newspaper properties. We recently acquired a new newspaper and are in the process of integrating it into our platform. As part of this transition, we’ve successfully transferred the App and App ID for the acquired newspaper into our Apple Developer portal. However, no Service ID associated with Sign in with Apple was included in the transfer. Our current implementation uses a single, unified Service ID for all existing newspaper properties. This Service ID facilitates OAuth via a centralized Identity Server. The organization we acquired provided a CSV file containing a list of transport_ids, and based on our understanding, we’re expected to use the Apple endpoint: https://appleid.apple.com/auth/usermigrationinfo to initiate a registration process by submitting our Service ID (client_id) along with each transport ID. This step is required before users can sign in, and it should return the existing relay email address. We have a few key concerns: Service ID Compatibility It appears that users cannot be transferred between Service IDs. In our case, there are now two: a.) Our existing Service ID (used across all current newspaper properties) b.) A separate Service ID previously associated with the acquired newspaper 3.) Due to architectural constraints, our platform cannot dynamically toggle between multiple Apple Service IDs. All properties authenticate through our unified Identity Server bound to our existing Service ID. 4.) Is it possible to call /usermigrationinfo using our existing Service ID rather than the one originally used by the acquired property? 5.) Relay Email and Apple ID Consistency 6.) We’re seeing conflicting information about whether the Apple relay email address (@privaterelay.appleid.com) and the Apple user ID are preserved during this migration. Some sources suggest that the relay email and Apple ID are tightly coupled to both the Service ID and Team ID. 7.) If we call /usermigrationinfo with our existing Service ID, will the same relay email be returned, or will Apple issue a new one?
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346
6d
Is Screen Time trapped inside DeviceActivityReport on purpose?
I can see the user’s real daily Screen Time perfectly inside a DeviceActivityReport extension on a physical device. It’s right there. But the moment I try to use that exact total inside my main app (for today’s log and a leaderboard), it dosnt work. I’ve tried, App Groups, Shared UserDefaults, Writing to a shared container file, CFPreferences Nothing makes it across. The report displays fine, but the containing app never receives the total. If this is sandboxed by design, I’d love confirmation. Thanks a lot
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517
1w
Unable to Remove “Sign in with Apple” of my app
Hello, I’m trying to remove the “Sign in with Apple” for my app via the iOS settings (also tried on a Mac, and on the web via account.apple.com). When I tap “Stop Using”, nothing happens, the dialog disappear but the app remains listed. Someone said on a forum that the issue is linked with the ServiceId that doesn't exist anymore. But how to recover it ? And anyway this behavior is unintended and creates a gap in the process. Has anyone experienced this before? Is there a known fix, or should I contact Apple Support directly for server-side revocation? Thank you!
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1w
Questions About App Attestation Rate Limiting and AppID-Level Quotas
I’m looking for clarification on how rate limiting works for the App Attest service, especially in production environments. According to the entitlement documentation (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/BundleResources/Entitlements/com.apple.developer.devicecheck.appattest-environment), iOS ignores the environment setting once an app is distributed through TestFlight, the App Store, or Enterprise distribution, and always contacts the production App Attest endpoint. With that context, I have two questions: Rate‑Limiting Thresholds How exactly does rate limiting work for App Attest? Is there a defined threshold beyond which attestation requests begin to fail? The "Preparing to Use the App Attest Service" documentation (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/devicecheck/preparing-to-use-the-app-attest-service) recommends ramping up no more than 10 million users per day per app, but I’m trying to understand what practical limits or failure conditions developers should expect. Per‑AppID Budgeting If multiple apps have different App IDs, do they each receive their own independent attestation budget/rate limit? Or is the rate limiting shared across all apps under the same developer account?
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1w