We are preparing to implement document signing using USB tokens on iOS and macOS. Several other applications already support this feature. From my testing and development efforts, I've been unable to reliably access or utilize certificates stored on a smartcard through the iOS APIs. Here are the specifics: Environment iOS: 15 and later Xcode: Versions 18 and 26 Smartcard/Token: ePass 2003 (eMudhra), Feitien token (Capricorn) Observed Issue : The token is recognized at the system level, with certificates visible in Keychain Access. However, programmatic access to the private keys on the smartcard from within the app is not working. Signing attempts result in Error 6985 and CACC errors. Approaches Tried: Updated provisioning profiles with the following entitlements: com.apple.developer.smartcard com.apple.security.device.usb TKSmartCard Employed TKSmartCard and TKSmartCardSession for interaction. The token is detected successfully. A session can be established, but there's no straightforward method to leverage it for certificate-based signing. Access to signing functions is unavailable; operations yield Error 6985 or CACC errors. if let smartCard = TKSmartCard(slot: someSlot) { smartCard.openSession { session, error in if let session = session { let command: [UInt8] = [0x00, 0xA4, 0x04, 0x00] session.transmit(Data(command)) { response, error in print("Response: \(String(describing: response))") print("Error: \(String(describing: error))") } } } } TokenKit (macOS/iOS) - Utilized TKTokenWatcher to identify available tokens on macOS (not available on iOS). watcher.setInsertionHandler { tokenID in print("Token detected: \(tokenID)") } CryptoKit / Security Framework - Attempted to retrieve SecCertificate using SecItemCopyMatching queries, which succeeded on macOS but failed on iOS. let query: [CFString: Any] = [ kSecClass: kSecClassCertificate, kSecReturnRef: true, kSecMatchLimit: kSecMatchLimitAll ] var items: CFTypeRef? let status = SecItemCopyMatching(query as CFDictionary, &items) print("Status: \(status)") // macOS succeeds, iOS fails ExternalAccessory Framework (EAAccessory) * Investigated using EAAccessory and EASession for external token communication, but it did not function as expected. This functionality is critical for my project. Has anyone successfully implemented smartcard-based signing on iOS? Any guidance, sample code, or references to relevant Apple documentation would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, we are developing hardware that needs to connect to an iPhone via Wi-Fi to send requests to a server. On Android, we have managed to create a programmatic local hotspot within the app to facilitate connection and improve the user experience. On iOS, however, Personal Hotspot must be manually enabled from the system settings, and the user must manually enter the SSID and password, which significantly degrades the UX. My questions are: Is there a workaround, unofficial method, or private API to generate a local hotspot from an app on iOS, similar to what can be done on Android? Is there an alternative within the MFi program or through specific frameworks to facilitate a quick and automatic connection between the hardware and the iPhone without relying on the manual Personal Hotspot? Are there any best practices for improving the local Wi-Fi connection experience between an accessory and an iPhone in the absence of hotspot controls? I would appreciate any guidance, experience, or resources that would help me better understand the feasible options in iOS for scenarios where fast and direct communication between hardware and mobile devices via Wi-Fi is required. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

For what iPhone and iPad models under iOS 26 SpeechTranscriber.isAvailable is true

Hi everyone — I’m developing an iOS passkey/password manager where the private key material must be stored on a physical device (NFC card / USB token). I’m hitting a hard limitation: CoreNFC is not available for use from app extensions, which prevents an appex (e.g. password/credential provider or other extension) from talking directly to an NFC card during an authentication flow.  My questions: 1. Is there any plan to make CoreNFC (or some limited NFC-API) available to app extensions in a future iOS version? If not, could Apple clarify why (security/entitlements/architecture reasons)? 2. Are there any recommended/approved workarounds for a passkey manager extension that needs to access a physical NFC token during authentication? (For example: background tag reading that launches the containing app, or some entitlement for secure NFC card sessions.) I’ve read about background tag reading, but that seems to be about system/OS handling of tags rather than giving extensions direct NFC access.  3. Is the only supported pattern for my use case to have the containing app perform NFC operations and then share secrets with the extension via App Groups / Keychain Sharing / custom URL flow? (I’m already evaluating App Groups / Keychain access groups for secure sharing, but I’d like official guidance.)  Implementation details that may help responders: • Target: iOS (latest SDK), building a Credential Provider / password manager extension (appex). • Intended physical token: NFC smartcard / ISO7816 contactless (so CoreNFC APIs like NFCISO7816Tag would be ideal). • Security goals: private key never leaves the physical token; extension should be able to trigger/sign during a browser/app AutoFill flow. Possible alternatives I’m considering (open to feedback): designing the UX so that the extension opens the main app (only possible for Today widget in a supported way) which runs the NFC flow and stores/returns a short-lived assertion to the extension. Are any of these patterns sanctioned / recommended by Apple for credential providers?  Thanks — any pointers to docs, entitlement names, or example apps/samples would be extremely helpful.

Since I updated my iPhone 13 to this new update I have two problems First: the battery discharges too fast or it gets stuck and doesn't discharge until I turn it off and turn it back on. Second: I see in my screen time a page that I had never seen is called imasdk.googleapis.com which I had never occupied and they tell me that it is a failure of the new update I hope you can help me fix that, since this mobile phone is new and already brings the faults by the ios

I have an iOS/iPadOS app and 'm trying to communicate with usb smart card reader using CryptoTokenKit on all platforms (ios/ipados/macos). Minimal Repro Code import CryptoTokenKit import SwiftUI struct ContentView: View { @State var status = "" var body: some View { VStack { Text("Status: \(status)") } .padding() .onAppear { let manager = TKSmartCardSlotManager.default if manager != nil { status = "Initialized" } else { status = "Unsupported" } } } } And my entitlement file has only one key: com.apple.security.smartcard = YES Behavior • iPadOS (on device): status = "Initialized" ✅ • macOS (native macOS app, with the required CryptoTokenKit entitlement): status = "Initialized" ✅ • macOS (Designed for iPad, regardless of CryptoTokenKit entitlement): status = "Unsupported" → TKSmartCardSlotManager.default is nil ❌ Expectation Given that the same iPadOS build initializes TKSmartCardSlotManager, I expected the iPad app running in Designed for iPad mode on Apple silicon Mac to behave the same (or to have a documented limitation). Questions Is CryptoTokenKit (and specifically TKSmartCardSlotManager) supported for iPad apps running on Mac in Designed for iPad mode? If support exists, what entitlements / capabilities are required for USB smart-card access in this configuration? If not supported, is Mac Catalyst the correct/only path on macOS to access USB smart-card readers via CryptoTokenKit? Are there recommended alternatives for iPad apps on Mac (Designed for iPad) to communicate with USB smart-card readers (e.g., ExternalAccessory, DriverKit, etc.), or is this scenario intentionally unsupported? Thanks!

I have poked around the web looking for a good example to do this and I haven't found a working example. I need to connect to a USB Device, its multiple ports and supports what looks to be a root port and 4 other ports I am no expert in USB but I do know how to write a kext and client drivers, but thats really not the way to solve this. I need to display the serialized output from these USB ports for a development board. I would rather do this on my Mac than have to cobble up a Linux machine and mess around with Linux. Here is the output from ioreg MCHP-Debug@03100000 <class IOUSBHostDevice, id 0x105f6fdc2, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (20 ms), retain 27> MCHP-Debug@0 <class IOUSBHostInterface, id 0x105f6fdc8, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (13 ms), retain 5> +-o MCHP-Debug@0 <class IOUSBHostInterface, id 0x105f6fdc8, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (13 ms), retain 5> +-o MCHP-Debug@1 <class IOUSBHostInterface, id 0x105f6fdc9, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (11 ms), retain 5> +-o MCHP-Debug@2 <class IOUSBHostInterface, id 0x105f6fdcb, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (9 ms), retain 5> | | | | | +-o MCHP-Debug@3 <class IOUSBHostInterface, id 0x105f6fdcc, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (7 ms), retain 5> I have been able to open a inservice to the device at the top level, but I get an error when I use. usbHostInterface = [[IOUSBHostInterface alloc] initWithIOService:usbDevice options: IOUSBHostObjectInitOptionsNone queue: queue error: &error interestHandler: handler]; Error:Failed to create IOUSBHostInterface. with reason: Unable to obtain configuration descriptor. Assertion failed: (usbHostInterface), function main, file main.m, line 87. I started using DeviceKit but I received signing errors and I shouldn't have to go down that path just to dump data from a USB port? Any suggestions would be great, most of the Apple documentation on USB ports is like 20 years old and the new stuff pushes you towards DeviceKit.

Hello, We are developing an iAP2 accessory and encountering an issue during the Identification phase. Issue: Authentication: ✅ Successful Identification: ❌ IdentificationInformation rejected (0x1D03) Product Plan Status: "Submitted" (in MFi Portal) What we've verified: ProductPlanUID matches MFi Portal All required parameters per R43 Table 101-9 are included Parameters are in ascending order by ID Message format appears correct Observation: iPhone accepts the message format but still rejects IdentificationInformation, suggesting the issue may be related to Product Plan configuration or status rather than parameter format. Questions: Can a Product Plan with status "Submitted" complete iAP2 identification, or does it need to be "Approved"? Are there any Product Plan configuration requirements that might not be visible in MFi Portal? Should we configure "Control Message Lists" in Product Plan? (We don't see this option in Portal) We can provide additional technical details through secure channels if needed. Thank you for your assistance.

Are there some undocumented (or, well, documented, but overlooked by me) prerequisites to the readValueWithCompletionHandler: method? The reason I ask is that occasionally I am getting the Read/Write operation failed error in the callback, even in cases where direct, non-deferred reading of the value worked properly. It seems to happen very consistently with some accessories and characteristics, not randomly; thus, it is not likely a temporary quirk in the communication with the device. Probably I am overlooking something of importance, but it does not make a good sense to me. My code (is it right, or can you see anything wrong in there?) // in an HMCharacteristic category if ([self.properties containsObject:HMCharacteristicPropertyReadable]) { id val=self.value, ident=[NSString stringWithFormat:@" [%@] %@ (%@)", self.uniqueIdentifier, self.localizedDescription, self.service.accessory.name]; NSLog(@"nondeferred '%@'%@", val, ident); if (self.service.accessory.reachable) { [self readValueWithCompletionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) { if (error) NSLog(@"deferred ERROR %@ -> %@", ident, error); else NSLog(@"deferred '%@'%@", self.value, ident); }]; } } for most accessories/characteristics works properly, but for some of them I am consistently getting results like nondeferred '70.5' [64998F70-9C11-502F-B8B4-E99DC5C3171B] Current Relative Humidity (Vlhkoměr TH) deferred '70.5' ERROR [64998F70-9C11-502F-B8B4-E99DC5C3171B] Current Relative Humidity (Vlhkoměr TH) -> Error Domain=HMErrorDomain Code=74 "Read/Write operation failed." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Read/Write operation failed.} Do I do something wrong in my code, or is that normal with some devices? If the latter, is there perhaps a way to know beforehand that I should not use readValueWithCompletionHandler: (for it is bound to fail anyway), and instead I should simply use self.value non-deferred? For some time it seemed to me it happens with bridged accessories, but not really, this hypothesis proved wrong by further testing. Thanks!

With the same firmware, OTA testing on the DCL test network was successful in September 2025, and the Home app was able to deliver software update notifications. Since the beginning of 2026, however, the Home app no longer delivers software update notifications. This is bug number: FB21922369

I have a BLE device which my app connects to and can detect button presses. On a button press, I want my app to start recording using the AudioRecordingIntent. But my app doesn't work and throws a background error. Is there any reliable way I can get the app to start recording audio in the background?

The FindMy device is currently MFI certified, but we plan to support UWB ranging functionality in the Find My app, similar to AirTag. After searching for relevant information, I found the relevant UWB functions in this article "Nearby-Interaction-Accessory-Protocol-Specification-Release-R4", but we need to develop third-party applications ourselves. So how can we make it display distance and direction in the "Find My" app like AirTag does?

Hi, as other threads have already discussed, I'd like to record audio from a keyboard extension. The keyboard has been granted both full access and microphone access. Nonetheless whenever I attempt to start a recording from my keyboard, it fails to start with the following error: Recording failed to start: Error Domain=com.apple.coreaudio.avfaudio Code=561145187 "(null)" UserInfo={failed call=err = PerformCommand(*ioNode, kAUStartIO, NULL, 0)} This is the code I am using: import Foundation import AVFoundation protocol AudioRecordingServiceDelegate: AnyObject { func audioRecordingDidStart() func audioRecordingDidStop(withAudioData: Data?) func audioRecordingPermissionDenied() } class AudioRecordingService { weak var delegate: AudioRecordingServiceDelegate? private var audioEngine: AVAudioEngine? private var audioSession: AVAudioSession? private var isRecording = false private var audioData = Data() private let targetFormat = AVAudioFormat(commonFormat: .pcmFormatInt16, sampleRate: 16000, channels: 1, interleaved: false)! private func setupAudioSession() throws { let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() try session.setCategory(.playAndRecord, mode: .spokenAudio, options: [.mixWithOthers, .allowBluetooth, .defaultToSpeaker]) try session.setPreferredIOBufferDuration(0.005) try session.setActive(true, options: .notifyOthersOnDeactivation) audioSession = session } func checkMicrophonePermission(completion: @escaping (Bool) -> Void) { switch AVAudioApplication.shared.recordPermission { case .granted: completion(true) case .denied: delegate?.audioRecordingPermissionDenied() completion(false) case .undetermined: AVAudioApplication.requestRecordPermission { [weak self] granted in if !granted { self?.delegate?.audioRecordingPermissionDenied() } completion(granted) } @unknown default: delegate?.audioRecordingPermissionDenied() completion(false) } } func toggleRecording() { if isRecording { stopRecording() } else { checkMicrophonePermission { [weak self] granted in if granted { self?.startRecording() } } } } private func startRecording() { guard !isRecording else { return } do { try setupAudioSession() audioEngine = AVAudioEngine() guard let engine = audioEngine else { return } let inputNode = engine.inputNode let inputFormat = inputNode.inputFormat(forBus: 0) audioData.removeAll() guard let converter = AVAudioConverter(from: inputFormat, to: targetFormat) else { print("Failed to create audio converter") return } inputNode.installTap(onBus: 0, bufferSize: 1024, format: inputFormat) { [weak self] buffer, _ in guard let self = self else { return } let frameCount = AVAudioFrameCount(Double(buffer.frameLength) * 16000.0 / buffer.format.sampleRate) guard let outputBuffer = AVAudioPCMBuffer(pcmFormat: self.targetFormat, frameCapacity: frameCount) else { return } outputBuffer.frameLength = frameCount var error: NSError? converter.convert(to: outputBuffer, error: &error) { _, outStatus in outStatus.pointee = .haveData return buffer } if error == nil, let channelData = outputBuffer.int16ChannelData { let dataLength = Int(outputBuffer.frameLength) * 2 let data = Data(bytes: channelData.pointee, count: dataLength) self.audioData.append(data) } } engine.prepare() try engine.start() isRecording = true delegate?.audioRecordingDidStart() } catch { print("Recording failed to start: \(error)") stopRecording() } } private func stopRecording() { audioEngine?.inputNode.removeTap(onBus: 0) audioEngine?.stop() isRecording = false let finalData = audioData audioData.removeAll() delegate?.audioRecordingDidStop(withAudioData: finalData) try? audioSession?.setActive(false, options: .notifyOthersOnDeactivation) } deinit { if isRecording { stopRecording() } } } Granting the deprecated "Inter-App Audio" capability did not solve the problem either. Is recording audio from a keyboard extension even possible in general? If so, how do I fix it? Related threads: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/108055 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/742601

Our company is developing an MFi headset with a button that we would like to use for initiating PTT. We can detect the button press and initiate PTT successfully, even when the app is not in the foreground, using the ExternalAccessory framework. But I wonder if this is a coincidence, or a scenario that should reliably work with Push to Talk?

My iPhone 16 pro max when on the magnetic charger at home or in my car. My phone just powers down and reboots on its own. This has happened several times a day since updating to iOS 18.4. Anyone else having this problem ?

I am developing the electronic part of product, it includes a Find-My features. I saw some forum that testing Find-My feature needs a CSR and testing token. Can anyone teach me how to apply CSR and testing token step by step? Thank you very much. Best regards Sam Ng

Hi, We are developing a Matter switch product. The switch contains 4 buttons, and each button supports click, double click, and held actions. Currently, the device can be successfully commissioned with a HomePod mini, and in the Apple Home app, it is displayed as 4 buttons with options for click, double click, and held for each. The only issue is that the order of the 4 buttons in the Home app does not correspond to the endpoint order (endpoint 1–4). For example, the following mapping might occur: endpoint 1 → button 2 endpoint 2 → button 3 ... We found a related issue on the Apple Developer Forums that matches what we're experiencing: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/772367?utm_source=chatgpt.com According to the official response, the problem seems to be caused by insufficient metadata being reported by the device. Could you please provide more specific guidance on what exact information needs to be reported from the device side? We have already tried adding the Fixed Label and User Label clusters to the device, but they don't seem to have any effect. Ideally, we would like the button labels in the Home app add our custom names in the correct order, as below: button 1 (right_button) button 2 (up_button) button 3 (down_button) button 4 (left_button) This would provide a much better user experience. Thank you in advance!

HomePod Mini running 18.6 build 22M5054/b - will not update to HomePod OS26 have tried un-enrollment, reset, removal, etc - no dice - anyone else seeing this ? Any known work arounds ? iPad is running iPadOS 26 Relase 2 - 23A5276f

I am writing to report an issue I’m facing after updating my iPhone 11 Pro Max to iOS 26. I have been using the Hollyland Lark M2 external microphone via the Lightning port, and it was working perfectly before the update. However, after upgrading to iOS 26, the iPhone no longer detects it correctly. The device now recognizes the mic as a pair of wired earphones, and it fails to capture any audio input. The microphone itself works flawlessly on other devices, so this appears to be an iOS-specific issue. Could you please confirm: • Whether this is a known issue in iOS 26? • If there are any settings or steps I can take to resolve this? • Whether a fix is planned in an upcoming iOS patch? I would appreciate any guidance or solution you can provide. Thank you for your support.

Hi there! I'm developing a dual-mode bluetooth accessory and would like to pair it through AccessorySetupKit. I'm using an ESP32 with Bluekitchen btstack. This supports CTKD, which seems to be a requirement for the Bluetooth transport bridging according the WWDC19 session 901. I've been in contact with the btstack developer and verified that I can get the device to generate an LTK for the classic transport when reading an encrypted attribute. I'm not able to get this to work with the bluetoothTransportBriding option with AccessorySetupKit though. What I've found so far is that if I omit the .bluetoothTransportBriding option during pairing I will get a pairing request when I read an encrypted attribute after connecting with the CBConnectPeripheralOptionEnableTransportBridgingKey option. If I accept this request it seems like the system automatically brings up the A2DP profile. However if I include .bluetoothTransportBriding and/or .bluetoothPairingLE this option does not pop up, but the system does not bring up the A2DP profile. In this case things seem to end up in a weird situation where the device doesn't show up for pairing in Bluetooth Settings either, making it impossible to manually connect for A2DP. Based on the AccessorySetupKit example from WWDC24 I've created a dice accessory firmware for ESP32 using btstack. The code for this is available here: https://github.com/ljodal/esp32-btstack-ctkd-test I've also tweaked the AccessorySetupKit example app for iOS to add the ASAccessory.SupportOptions. The code for that is available here: https://github.com/ljodal/accessorysetupkit-ctkd-test Is there any documentation available anywhere on what is expected of the device for Bluetooth Transport Bridging to work with AccessorySetupKit?