Hello,
I am implementing background processing using Silent Push Notifications in an iOS application.
The app needs to receive requests from a server and execute processing in the background. For this purpose, I am using Silent Push Notifications to wake up the application. However, the application is not being launched as expected when running the TestFlight version.
I would appreciate any guidance regarding this behavior.
Environment
Xcode 26.3
iOS 18.6
TestFlight distribution
Push Notifications capability enabled
Background Modes enabled
Remote notifications enabled
APNs Authentication Key (.p8)
APNs Production environment
Background
Previously, the application periodically connected to a server in the background and sent location information when requested by the server.
Since that background processing no longer behaves as expected, I started implementing an alternative approach using Silent Push Notifications.
When running the application directly from Xcode in Debug mode, Silent Push works correctly and the app is launched in the background.
However, when using the TestFlight build on the same device, the behavior differs and the app is not launched in the background.
Observed Behavior
The APNs request appears to be successful:
APNs response status is HTTP 200
Using the device token obtained from the TestFlight build
Alert Push notifications are received successfully
application:didReceiveRemoteNotification:fetchCompletionHandler: is called when the app is in the foreground
The same method is not called when the app is in the background
Silent Push payload:
{
"aps": {
"content-available": 1
}
}
HTTP/2 headers:
apns-push-type: background
apns-priority: 5
Verified Items
Production device token is being used
APNs topic matches the application's bundle identifier
Alert Push notifications work correctly
Background App Refresh is enabled on the device
The application has not been force-quit
completionHandler is always called after processing completes
Console Logs
The following logs appear when the push is sent:
Submitted: com.apple.pushLaunch.jp.co.comp.MyApp.ext.mdm
Application Policy
response: {100, 0.00, [{[pushDisallowed]: Required:0.00, Observed:1.00},]}
Decision: AMNP
I also see:
Insufficient history window for deviceActivityLikelihood stream
deviceActivityLikelihood returned a nil timeline
Questions
Under what conditions are pushDisallowed and Decision: AMNP generated?
What factors can cause iOS to reject a background launch triggered by a Silent Push Notification?
Since Alert Push notifications are received successfully, is it reasonable to conclude that APNs configuration, topic configuration, and device token usage are correct?
Are there any specific settings, entitlements, or implementation details that should be reviewed to resolve the pushDisallowed condition?
The behavior differs between the Debug build launched from Xcode and the TestFlight build running on the same device. Are there any restrictions, policies, or differences applied to TestFlight builds that could explain this behavior?
If the observed behavior is expected by design, what would Apple recommend as the appropriate architecture or API for server-triggered background processing in this scenario?
Thank you for your time and assistance.