On macOS, one can set the "Open With ..." application in the information panel of a file without changing the default for this file type. However, doing this for a number of files is very tedious. A simple case is to change all .txt files in a directory to a special editor, but leave the system wide default (usually TextEdit). I have tried AppleScript, command line tools as well as a minimal GUI app (using LSSetItemAttribute), but all fail because of a lack of permission. Is there any way to achieve this?

We're building a parental control app using FamilyControls (.child authorization). Our architecture: Parent sends pause command → Firestore + FCM Child receives push → NotificationService Extension triggers main app Main app sets ManagedSettings Shields Problem: If child disables Notifications in Settings and force-quits the app, we cannot enforce Shields. What we've tried: Firestore Realtime Listener (works only when app is running) DeviceActivityMonitor (intervalDidStart/End only triggers at schedule boundaries, eventDidReachThreshold requires explicit app selection via FamilyActivityPicker) Question: Is there a recommended approach for parental control apps to reliably enforce Shields when the child has disabled notifications? Or is this a known limitation?

My app AirCompare has been in the app store and successfully using WeatherKit to fetch weather since it became available. Now some (not all) users are encountering the following errors: Failed to generate jwt token for: com.apple.weatherkit.authservice with error: Error Domain=WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors Code=2 "(null)" Encountered an error when fetching weather data subset; location=<+42.40865786,-88.96911526> +/- 0.00m (speed -1.00 mps / course -1.00) @ 6/23/25, 2:56:47 PM Central Daylight Time, error=WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors 2 Error Domain=WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors Code=2 "(null)" Others are reporting this same problem here in the forums. We need a solution!

I’m trying to integrate Screen Time usage data into my iOS app. The goal is to fetch the total time a user spends on their device (daily or weekly), and store this locally for analysis. So far, I’ve explored the DeviceActivity and FamilyControls frameworks: 1.DeviceActivityReport works but seems tied to extensions that show reports, not directly fetching raw values inside the main app. 2.I haven’t found a way to simply retrieve the total screen-on time (similar to what Settings → Screen Time shows). My questions: 1.Is there any public API that allows retrieving the user’s total Screen Time (like the one shown in Settings)? If yes, what’s the correct approach — should I use 2.DeviceActivityMonitorExtension, FamilyActivitySelection, or another framework? 3.If not, is it expected that this data is only available in the Settings app and not exposed to developers? Any guidance or official confirmation would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!

Hello, Recently we got a question about the keyboard sensor data collection in our research project: "For the typing statistics, was any typing included or only messaging and notes? E.g., typing in the browser, phone search, calendar, etc?" While I believe it should be any typing included, I was not able to find a document explicitly stating that. Could you help to confirm it or guide me to any documentation explaining it? Thanks!

Hi Apple Developer Community, I'm implementing MetricKit launch performance tracking in our iOS app and need clarification on two properties: histogrammedTimeToFirstDraw histogrammedOptimizedTimeToFirstDraw The Documentation Problem: The official MetricKit documentation provides minimal explanation of these properties beyond their names. Based on naming conventions, I initially assumed: histogrammedTimeToFirstDraw = cold launches histogrammedOptimizedTimeToFirstDraw = warm/optimized launches Based on our measurements: The “optimized” metric appears only in a small fraction of launches The "optimized" metric is actually slower The naming suggests the opposite behavior Questions: What specific launch conditions does each metric measure? Why would "optimized" launches be slower and less frequent? Is histogrammedOptimizedTimeToFirstDraw related to iOS app pre-warming or prediction features? If these metrics don’t correspond to cold vs. warm launch times, is there an alternative way to measure them accurately? Any clarification from Apple or insights from developers who've tracked these metrics would be greatly appreciated.

We are a research team conducting a study collecting subject's SensorKit speech data, and we've encountered some questions we couldn't resolve ourselves or by looking up the online SensorKit documentation: Microphone Activation: In general, how is the microphone being turned on to capture a speech session? And how was each session determined to be an independent session? Negative Values: In the speech classification data, there are entries where some of the start and end values are negative (see screenshot below). How should we interpret and handle these values? Is it safe to filter them out? Duplicated sessions: From the same screenshot you can see there are multiple session identifiers linked to the same subject with the same timestamp - what does this represent? Another Negative Values: The same question for speech recognition data's average pause duration, what does the -1 mean and should we remove them as well? (Note that these screenshot got rid of subject IDs for privacy purposes but each screenshot was from one subject.) We greatly appreciate your time and help.

Project Background： I am developing a third-party custom keyboard for iOS whose primary feature is real-time voice input. In my current design, responsibilities are split as follows: 1. The container (main) app is responsible for: Audio recording Speech recognition (ASR) 2. The keyboard extension is responsible for: Providing the keyboard UI Initiating the voice input workflow Receiving transcription results via an App Group Inserting recognized text into the active text field using textDocumentProxy.insertText(_:) Intended User Flow The intended workflow is: The user is typing in a third-party app (for example, WeChat) using my custom keyboard. The user taps a “Voice Input” button in the keyboard extension. The keyboard extension activates the container app so that audio recording and ASR can begin. After recording has started, control returns to the original app where the user was typing. The container app continues running in the background, maintaining active audio recording and ASR. Recognized text is continuously streamed back to the keyboard extension and inserted into the current cursor position in real time. Observed Industry Behavior Some popular third-party keyboards on iOS, such as WeChat Keyboard and Doubao Keyboard, appear to provide a similar user experience in which: Voice input can be initiated directly from the keyboard while typing in another app. The user remains (or returns) in the original typing context after voice input starts. Speech recognition continues and text is streamed into the active text field without interrupting the typing experience. I would like to better understand how this type of workflow aligns with iOS platform capabilities and supported APIs. My Questions Is it supported by iOS public APIs for a custom keyboard extension to activate its container app to start audio recording and ASR, then return to the original host app while the container app continues recording and performing ASR in the background? If this workflow is not supported, are there any Apple-recommended or supported alternative architectures for achieving a similar user experience, especially when audio recording and ASR logic are currently implemented in the container app rather than in the keyboard extension? Goal My goal is to design a solution that is fully compliant with iOS public APIs and platform constraints, while providing a real-time voice input experience comparable to existing third-party keyboards on the platform. Any guidance on supported APIs, recommended architectures, or relevant documentation would be greatly appreciated.

I'm building a voice-to-text keyboard extension that needs to open the main app briefly for audio recording (since keyboard extensions can't record audio), then return the user to their original app. The flow I'm trying to achieve: User is in WhatsApp (or Messages, Slack, etc.) User taps "Voice" button in my keyboard My main app opens via deep link (myapp://keyboard/dictation) App starts recording App automatically returns user to WhatsApp I cannot find a way to detect which app the keyboard is running inside, or which app opened my main app via the deep link. UIInputViewController.textDocumentProxy - No host app information available UIApplication.OpenURLOptionsKey.sourceApplication in application(_:open:options:) - When opened from a keyboard extension, does this return the host app bundle ID or the keyboard extension bundle ID? Private APIs (for research only, not production): _hostBundleID on UIInputViewController - blocked/returns nil on iOS 18 KVC approaches - all blocked Hardcoded app support - Works but requires maintaining a list of popular apps and showing multiple buttons instead of a single "Voice" button My questions: When a keyboard extension triggers a URL open (via SwiftUI Link or UIApplication.shared.open), what does sourceApplication contain? The host app or the keyboard extension? Is there any supported way for a main app to know which app it was launched from, specifically when that launch originated from a keyboard extension? How do apps like "Wispr Flow" achieve seamless return-to-app with a single voice button? They seem to auto-return to whatever app the user was in. Environment: iOS 18.0+ Xcode 16 SwiftUI keyboard using KeyboardKit Any guidance on the recommended approach would be greatly appreciated. I understand there may be privacy reasons for limiting host app detection, but the UX of requiring users to manually swipe back (or tap app-specific buttons) is significantly worse than automatic return.

I'm working on adding MetricKit to our iPad application that we distribute internally via Enterprise distribution. I've set up the didReceive functions for both MXMetricPayload and MXDiagnosticPayload. When I build onto a device via Xcode and use the Simulate MetricKit Payloads command, everything works as expected. The issue I'm having is when testing on a device via our enterprise distribution. When I simulate a crash, I am receiving the MXDiagnosticPayload so that part is working correctly. However, I am never receiving a MXMetricPayload. I've been using the app and waiting up to 3 days in some tests and not receiving any payload over that time frame. Some information I found suggested the issue might be MetricKit not working fully on enterprise apps but I haven't been able to find a definitive source on that question. Hoping someone here can guide me on that. Thanks!

Since legacyScreenSaver is still the thing running screensavers we make, and it's still buggy, why won't they give us a new template for building screensavers that run in the new engine? And hopefully they don't require them to blend in with the desktop, because most of us don't want that. A wallpaper is a wallpaper, and a screensaver is a screensaver.

I am trying to port my sandboxed macOS app completely over to iOS using a Catalyst target. In my macOS app, I use 'SwiftySandboxFileAccess' package to add a symlink to '~/Library/PDF Services' so that the 'share to my app' menuItem shows up in the macOS Print Panel (in the PDF menu). It is critical for the function of my app to have this work on macOS. In the Catalyst target, I am having problems gaining access to '~/Library'. I have tried having the user select the folder, but the picker always returns 'canceled'. I have a test app that illustrates this. The test app tries to coax the user into selecting the library folder and then it is supposed to bookmark the location, but I am unable to get this far. As an aside, macOS should probably automatically add an entry to the Print Panel when the app includes PDF as a document type in XCode; it would save a lot of hassle and avoid having to go outside of the sandbox. However, I cannot wait for that. Hopefully someone can help. Download Test App from iCloud (If you have problems downloading the file, it might be because of some iCloud share setting that I am not aware of. Just tell me and I'll figure something out.)

I have an iOS app that includes a local Swift package. This Swift package contains some .plist files added as resources. The package also depends on an XCFramework. I want to read these .plist files from within the XCFramework. What I’d like to know is: Is this a common or recommended approach—having resources in a Swift package and accessing them from an XCFramework? Previously, I had the .plist files added directly to the main app target, and accessing them from the XCFramework felt straightforward. With the new setup, I’m trying to determine whether this method (placing resources in a Swift package and accessing them from an XCFramework) is considered good practice. For context: I am currently able to read the .plist files from the XCFramework by passing Bundle.module through one of the APIs exposed by the XCFramework.

When a user enables an SMS filtering extension via iOS Settings → Messages → Text Message Filtering and selects an app, the following prompt appears: "The developer of [App Name] will receive the text, attachments and sender information in text messages from senders not in your Contacts. Messages may include personal or sensitive information like bank verification codes." This message cannot be modified by developers, and we're receiving complaints and negative reviews from users who are alarmed by it, despite our app not collecting any data. iOS should allow developers to customize this message or reword this message to not make false claims about data collection. We've opened a feedback assistant report here: FB21445903

In the summary documentation about the declared Age Range API:https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=2ezb6jhj It states: "The API will also return a signal from the user’s device about the method of age assurance, such as credit card or government ID" But if the api itself, and its documentation is examined, there is no such mechanism nor mention of it: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/declaredagerange/agerangeservice So my question is, is the first documentation incorrect, if not, then where and how to access the method of age assurance?

I have applied for CarPlay support here Apply here to get your app approved for CarPlay use: https://developer.apple.com/contact/carplay/ but have not received any acceptance or answers. Does anyone know what to do?

Hello everyone, I’m experiencing a WeatherKit issue that occurs consistently on both the iOS 26.2 Simulator and a real device running iOS 26.2. Environment: Xcode: latest iOS: 26.2 Occurs on: Simulator AND physical device WeatherKit usage: via WeatherService API (not manual REST) Location Services: authorized (When In Use / Always) Issue: WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors Code=2 "The operation couldn’t be completed." Already verified: WeatherKit capability is enabled for the App ID com.apple.developer.weatherkit entitlement is present Bundle ID matches the App ID App is signed with the correct Team ID Behavior is identical on Simulator and physical device Error occurs before any WeatherKit response is returned Questions: Is this a known issue with WeatherKit on iOS 26.2? Are there any known limitations or requirements for WeatherService related to WeatherDaemon validation? Is there a recommended way to diagnose why WeatherDaemon rejects the request with Code=2? Code: private let weatherService = WeatherService()

Hello, I would like to understand the update behavior for App Clips. Let's consider a scenario where a user has an App Clip on their device from a previous interaction. If I, as the developer, then publish a new version of the App Clip to the App Store, what is the expected behavior? My main questions are: Will the App Clip be automatically updated in the background? Or, is user action required to get the new version, for example, by deleting the old one and re-launching it from a Smart App Banner or QR code? Any information on this process would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

After I upgraded to MacOS 26（beta）, my program caused the system to pop up a window as shown in the following picture. My application is a process with only a tray icon. I found that my tray icon is not displayed in the current version, even though I clicked the "Always Allow" button. Here are my questions: 1.Will this related feature remain consistent in the official release? 2.How can I create a cmd process that only displays a system tray icon (no main window) like Alfred?

Problem Description: After upgrading to iOS 26, I discovered that the ExtendedDistanceMeasurement feature in the Nearby Interaction framework is not working as expected. On the same device model, the issue did not occur on iOS 18, but it is present on iOS 26 (including the latest iOS 26.2), and it has started affecting the functionality of my app. I hope this issue can be resolved as soon as possible. Problem Details: On iOS 26 and later versions (including iOS 26.2), when using an iPhone and an Apple Watch both equipped with second-generation UWB chips, enabling isExtendedDistanceMeasurementEnabled initiates the distance measurement process successfully, but the distance information fails to update. The real-time distance between the devices does not display within the app. Affected Devices and Versions: iPhone Model: iPhone 15 Pro Max iOS Version: iOS 26.2 Apple Watch Model: Apple Watch 10 watchOS Version: 26.2 Example Code: The issue can be reproduced by adding the following code from the official sample code: Nearby Interaction Framework Sample Code