I am creating an AppIntent to be used with Shortcuts and I would like to return a flexible dictionary of values with nested structures. As far as I understand the custom AppEntity only uses the displayRepresentation to store a title and subtitle which are LocalizedStringResource. types. Although I can convert my dictionary into a string I found no way in shortcuts to be able to retrieve the original structure of it and inspect individual elements like in subsequent actions. Is there a way to do this?
Thank you in advance
Nick Karanatsios
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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iOS 26.2 Beta 23C5044b
Phone's battery reports 0% Health, leaving it on multiple chargers (high/low wattage) doesn't change anything. Icon changes to charging.
Changed the battery with a high quality aftermarket of ~70% charge, same issue.
Unable to remove beta or update to RC2 due to the 20% minimum required... not sure what to do.
What is the best way to detect if the Wifi is being used for Wireless Carplay or is just a normal network interface?
A user of one of my apps reported that since the update to macOS 26.1 they are no longer able to scan Macintosh HD: the app used to work, but now always reports that Macintosh HD contains a single empty file named .nofollow, or rather the path is resolved to /.nofollow.
Initially I thought this could be related to resolving the file from the saved bookmark data, but even restarting the app and selecting Macintosh HD in an open panel (without resolving the bookmark data) produces the same result.
The user tried another app of mine with the same issue, but said that they were able to scan Macintosh HD in other App Store apps. I never heard of this issue before and my apps have been on the App Store for many years, but it looks like I might be doing something wrong, or the APIs that I use are somehow broken. In all my apps I currently use getattrlistbulk because I need attributes that are not available as URLResourceKey in all supported operating system versions.
What could be the issue? I'm on macOS 26.1 myself and never experienced it.
I try saving the value of NSURLVolumeURLKey when creating a bookmark. When resolving the bookmark later I pass the bookmark data to +resourceValuesForKeys:fromBookmarkData: but always pull out "file:///" which is wrong.
In contrast the value for NSURLVolumeURLForRemountingKey is properly saved and restored using the same method.
Testing Environment:
iOS: 26.0 Beta 7
Xcode: Beta 6
Description:
We are implementing the new BGContinuedProcessingTask API introduced in iOS 26. We have followed the official documentation and WWDC session guidance to configure our project.
The Background Modes (processing) and Background GPU Access capabilities have been added in Xcode.
The com.apple.developer.background-tasks.continued-processing.gpu entitlement is present and set to in the .entitlements file.
The provisioning profile details viewed within Xcode explicitly show that the "Background GPU Access" capability and the corresponding entitlement are included.
Despite this correct configuration, when running the app on supported hardware (iPhone 16 Pro), a call to BGTaskScheduler.supportedResources.contains(.gpu) consistently returns false.
This prevents us from setting request.requiredResources = .gpu. As a result, when the BGContinuedProcessingTask starts without the GPU resource flag, our internal Metal-based exporter attempts to access the GPU and is terminated by the system, throwing an IOGPUMetalError: Insufficient Permission (to submit GPU work from background).
We have performed extensive debugging, including a full reset of the provisioning profile (removing/re-adding capabilities, toggling automatic signing, cleaning build folders, and reinstalling the app), but the issue persists. This strongly suggests a bug in the iOS 26 beta where the runtime is failing to correctly validate a valid entitlement.
Additionally, we've observed inconsistent behavior across devices. On an A16-based iPad, the task submits successfully (BGTaskScheduler.submit does not throw an error), but the launch handler is never invoked by the system. On the iPhone 16 Pro, the handler is invoked, but we encounter the supportedResources issue described above. This leads us to ask for clarification on the exact hardware requirements for this feature. We hypothesize that it may be limited to devices that support Apple Intelligence (A17 Pro and newer). Could you please confirm this and provide official documentation on the device support criteria?
Steps to Reproduce:
Create a new Xcode project.
In Signing & Capabilities, add "Background Modes" (with "Background processing" checked) and "Background GPU Access".
Add a permitted identifier (e.g., "com.company.test.*") to BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers in Info.plist.
In application(_:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:) or a ViewController's viewDidLoad, log the result of BGTaskScheduler.shared.supportedResources.contains(.gpu).
Build and run on a physical, supported device (e.g., iPhone 16 Pro).
Expected Results:
The log should indicate that BGTaskScheduler.shared.supportedResources.contains(.gpu) returns true.
Actual Results:
The log shows that BGTaskScheduler.shared.supportedResources.contains(.gpu) returns false.
We attempted to run a burn-in test while connected to our MacBook Pro M4 Max, but this crashed about 10 minutes into testing.
We tried to run a 2-hour burn-in on M4 Max host while charging the battery from below 5%, running six bus-powered drives (via ATTO/Black Magic/IOmeter), hitting the RJ45 port for 2.5Gbps (via JPerf), and streaming at least 4K60Hz video content to two display, however, M4 Max will crashed in 20 [minutes.](
https://www.example.com/)
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Core OS
I can reproduce the bug that CallKit doesn't active audiosession after the outgoing call put on hold because of an incoming call.
VoIP calling with CallKit
Steps to reproduce:
Download SpeakerBox example app from the link above and start it with XCode
Start a new outgoing call
Call your phone from other phone
Hold and Accept the call
After a few secs finish the call from the other phone
The outgoing call will be still on hold
Click on the call and click Toggle Hold
The call won't be active again because the audiosession is activated.
Logs:
Received provider(_:didDeactivate:)
Received provider(_:didDeactivate:)
Received provider(_:didDeactivate:)
Received provider(_:didDeactivate:)
Received provider(_:didDeactivate:)
Requested transaction successfully
Starting audio
Type: stdio
AURemoteIO.cpp:1162 failed: 561017449 (enable 3, outf< 1 ch, 44100 Hz, Float32> inf< 1 ch, 44100 Hz, Float32>)
Type: Error | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:29.949437+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: libEmbeddedSystemAUs.dylib | Subsystem: com.apple.coreaudio | Category: aurioc | TID: 0x19540d
AVAEInternal.h:109 [AVAudioEngineGraph.mm:1344:Initialize: (err = PerformCommand(*outputNode, kAUInitialize, NULL, 0)): error 561017449
Type: Error | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:29.949619+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: AVFAudio | Subsystem: com.apple.avfaudio | Category: avae | TID: 0x19540d
Couldn't start Apple Voice Processing IO: Error Domain=com.apple.coreaudio.avfaudio Code=561017449 "(null)" UserInfo={failed call=err = PerformCommand(*outputNode, kAUInitialize, NULL, 0)}
Type: Notice | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:29.949730+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: Speakerbox | TID: 0x19540d
Route change:
Type: Notice | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:30.167498+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: Speakerbox | TID: 0x19540d
ReasonUnknown
Type: Notice | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:30.167549+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: Speakerbox | TID: 0x19540d
Previous route:
Type: Notice | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:30.167568+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: Speakerbox | TID: 0x19540d
<AVAudioSessionRouteDescription: 0x302c00bc0,
inputs = (
"<AVAudioSessionPortDescription: 0x302c01330, type = MicrophoneBuiltIn; name = iPhone Mikrofon; UID = Built-In Microphone; selectedDataSource = (null)>"
);
outputs = (
"<AVAudioSessionPortDescription: 0x302c004d0, type = Receiver; name = Vev\U0151; UID = Built-In Receiver; selectedDataSource = (null)>"
)>
Type: Notice | Timestamp: 2024-08-15 12:20:30.167626+02:00 | Process: Speakerbox | Library: Speakerbox | TID: 0x19540d
Recently I noticed an app called “Lookus”. Even if I force‑kill it, it still seems to obtain information such as my charging status and network status, and it can even send real‑time notifications. I’m curious how this is technically possible. Does anyone know how this could be achieved?
Hello team,
I am developing a security app where I am denying certain flows/packets if the are communicating with known malicious endpoints. Therefore I want to make use of NetworkExtensions such as the new URLFilter or ContentFilter (NEURLFilterManager, NEFilterDataProvider, NEFilterControlProvider).
Does NEURLFilterManager require the user's device to be at a minimun of ios 26?
Does any of these APIs/Extensions require the device to be managed/supervised or can it be released to all consumers?
Thanks,
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Networking
Hello,
I have an app that is using iOS 26 Network Framework APIs.
It is using QUIC, TLS 1.3 and Bonjour. For TLS I am using a PKCS#12 identity.
All works well and as expected if the devices (iPhone with no cellular, iPhone with cellular, and iPad no cellular) are all on the same wifi network.
If I turn off my router (ie no more wifi network) and leave on the wifi toggle on the iOS devices - only the non cellular iPhone and iPad are able to discovery and connect to each other. My iPhone with cellular is not able to.
By sharing my logs with Cursor AI it was determined that the connection between the two problematic peers (iPad with no cellular and iPhone with cellular) never even makes it to the TLS step because I never see the logs where I print out the certs I compare.
I tried doing "builder.requiredInterfaceType(.wifi)" but doing that blocked the two non cellular devices from working. I also tried "builder.prohibitedInterfaceTypes([.cellular])" but that also did not work.
Is AWDL on it's way out? Should I focus my energy on Wi-Fi Aware?
Regards,
Captadoh
Greetings.I have an app today that uses multipeer connectivity extensively. Currently, when the user switches away from the app, MPC disconnects the session(s) - this is by design apparently (per other feedback). I'd like to hear if anyone has experimented with iOS9 multitasking / multipeer and whether MPC sessions can stay alive?Thanks
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Core OS
Tags:
Background Tasks
Multipeer Connectivity
Core Bluetooth
From time to time the subject of NECP grows up, both here on DevForums and in DTS cases. I’ve posted about this before but I wanted to collect those tidbits into single coherent post.
If you have questions or comments, start a new thread in the App & System Services > Networking subtopic and tag it with Network Extension. That way I’ll be sure to see it go by.
Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"
A Peek Behind the NECP Curtain
NECP stands for Network Extension Control Protocol. It’s a subsystem within the Apple networking stack that controls which programs have access to which network interfaces. It’s vitally important to the Network Extension subsystem, hence the name, but it’s used in many different places. Indeed, a very familiar example of its use is the Settings > Mobile Data [1] user interface on iOS.
NECP has no explicit API, although there are APIs that are offer some insight into its state. Continuing the Settings > Mobile Data example above, there is a little-known API, CTCellularData in the Core Telephony framework, that returns whether your app has access to WWAN.
Despite having no API, NECP is still relevant to developers. The Settings > Mobile Data example is one place where it affects app developers but it’s most important for Network Extension (NE) developers. A key use case for NECP is to prevent VPN loops. When starting an NE provider, the system configures the NECP policy for the NE provider’s process to prevent it from using a VPN interface. This means that you can safely open a network connection inside your VPN provider without having to worry about its traffic being accidentally routed back to you. This is why, for example, an NE packet tunnel provider can use any networking API it wants, including BSD Sockets, to run its connection without fear of creating a VPN loop [1].
One place that NECP shows up regularly is the system log. Next time you see a system log entry like this:
type: debug
time: 15:02:54.817903+0000
process: Mail
subsystem: com.apple.network
category: connection
message: nw_protocol_socket_set_necp_attributes [C723.1.1:1] setsockopt 39 SO_NECP_ATTRIBUTES
…
you’ll at least know what the necp means (-:
Finally, a lot of NECP infrastructure is in the Darwin open source. As with all things in Darwin, it’s fine to poke around and see how your favourite feature works, but do not incorporate any information you find into your product. Stuff you uncover by looking in Darwin is not considered API.
[1] Settings > Cellular Data if you speak American (-:
[2] Network Extension providers can call the createTCPConnection(to:enableTLS:tlsParameters:delegate:) method to create an NWTCPConnection [3] that doesn’t run through the tunnel. You can use that if it’s convenient but you don’t need to use it.
[3] NWTCPConnection is now deprecated, but there are non-deprecated equivalents. For the full story, see NWEndpoint History and Advice.
Revision History
2025-12-12 Replaced “macOS networking stack” with “Apple networking stack” to avoid giving the impression that this is all about macOS. Added a link to NWEndpoint History and Advice. Made other minor editorial changes.
2023-02-27 First posted.
Hello,
I have a .app that runs as LaunchDaemon and configured to be an Agent (LSUIElement) that is stored in /Applications.
Installing network extensions works, but deactivation fails with OSSystemExtensionErrorDomain error 13 (authorization required).
requestNeedsUserApproval is not called for deactivation, but it's called when being activated.
Any ideas? Thank you!
P.S. It works on Debug, just not on Release...
My app updates are repeatedly rejected under Guideline 2.3.6 – Accurate Metadata, with a request to remove “Age Assurance” unless the feature can be located.
However, the app does include age assurance. During onboarding, users must enter their date of birth, and users under 16 are blocked from completing registration and using the app. The app contains a women’s health blog and a community Q&A feature (similar to Reddit), where users can ask and answer health-related questions. For this reason, I am considering restricting access to users 18 and older.
Each time I explain this to the review team and provide a screenshot of the DOB screen, the app is approved.
What is the correct way to document or surface this in App Store Connect so reviewers can easily find it and avoid repeated rejections? Is a DOB gate sufficient for Apple’s definition of Age Assurance?
Hey all,
Running into an issue with a WeatherKit.
Whenever I make a WeatherKit API call, I get this error:
Details: { domain: WeatherDaemon.WDSClientErrors, localizedDescription: invalidAuthorization: 401, underlyingError: Unknown, code: 3 }
This only happens when calling via the Swift package:
swift
WeatherService.shared.weather(for: location).currentWeather
When I was calling the WeatherKit REST API directly from Dart, everything worked fine.
So far I’ve:
Enabled WeatherKit in the Apple Developer account
Added the WeatherKit capability to the app
Refreshed provisioning profiles
Installed the app fresh on device/simulator
Has anyone seen this specific invalidAuthorization: 401 from WeatherDaemon.WDSClientErrors when using WeatherService in Swift, and know what might be missing or misconfigured?
Hello,
I’m currently reviewing and implementing age assurance and parental approval flows using AgeRangeService and PermissionKit (AskCenter) in the context of Texas regulatory compliance requirements.
While the high-level APIs are clear, there are several technical aspects where the intended usage patterns are not fully explicit in the documentation. Clarification on these points would help ensure our implementation aligns with system expectations and regulatory obligations.
⸻
Querying the current approval state for SignificantAppUpdateTopic
AskCenter.ask(...) returns Void, and AskCenter.responses(for:) provides an AsyncSequence of approval events.
Is there an official or recommended way to determine whether a SignificantAppUpdateTopic has already been approved when the app launches, or is listening for future responses events the only supported mechanism?
⸻
Behavior of AskCenter.responses(for:) regarding past approvals
When subscribing to AskCenter.responses(for:):
• Does the stream replay previously recorded approval or decline decisions?
• Or does it only emit events that occur after subscription?
This affects whether the listener must be registered early in the app lifecycle.
⸻
Recommended lifecycle timing for registering a responses(for:) listener
What is the intended or recommended time to register a responses(for:) listener?
• At application launch
• Immediately before calling ask(...)
• When entering a specific gated feature
Clarification on the expected lifecycle usage would be helpful.
⸻
Repeated calls to ask(...) after approval
If AskCenter.ask(...) is called again for the same SignificantAppUpdateTopic after parental approval has already been granted:
• Is the request ignored?
• Is a new approval request sent to the parent?
• Or is the call handled idempotently by the system?
⸻
Delivery of approval results when the child app is not running
If a parent approves or declines a SignificantAppUpdateTopic while the child app is not running:
• Will the approval decision be delivered as a responses(for:) event on the next app launch?
• Or is the app expected to persist approval state locally?
⸻
Persistence of approval state
Is the approval decision for SignificantAppUpdateTopic persisted by the system at the OS level, or is the app responsible for storing approval state?
Additionally, does the approval persist across:
• app restarts?
• app deletion and reinstallation?
⸻
Meaning of activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired
How is activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired determined?
• Is this value explicitly configured by a parent (for example via Screen Time)?
• Or is it automatically determined by the system based on region, age, or regulatory requirements?
⸻
Relationship between significantAppChangeApprovalRequired and AgeRangeService
When activeParentalControls contains significantAppChangeApprovalRequired, is it still expected that apps call AgeRangeService.requestAgeRange(...)?
Or can the presence of this flag be treated as sufficient indication that the user is a minor for gating purposes?
⸻
Recommended interpretation of AgeRangeDeclaration
Is the intended usage of AgeRangeDeclaration to handle each case individually, or is it acceptable and recommended to interpret the values as different trust levels (for example, self-declared vs. government ID or payment verified)?
⸻
Clarification on these points would help ensure that implementations of age assurance and parental approval flows are consistent with system behavior while meeting regulatory compliance requirements.
Thank you for your guidance.
Hello,
I’m currently reviewing and implementing age assurance and parental approval flows using AgeRangeService and PermissionKit (AskCenter) in the context of Texas regulatory compliance requirements.
While the high-level APIs are clear, there are several technical aspects where the intended usage patterns are not fully explicit in the documentation. Clarification on these points would help ensure our implementation aligns with system expectations and regulatory obligations.
⸻
Querying the current approval state for SignificantAppUpdateTopic
AskCenter.ask(...) returns Void, and AskCenter.responses(for:) provides an AsyncSequence of approval events.
Is there an official or recommended way to determine whether a SignificantAppUpdateTopic has already been approved when the app launches, or is listening for future responses events the only supported mechanism?
⸻
Behavior of AskCenter.responses(for:) regarding past approvals
When subscribing to AskCenter.responses(for:):
• Does the stream replay previously recorded approval or decline decisions?
• Or does it only emit events that occur after subscription?
This affects whether the listener must be registered early in the app lifecycle.
⸻
Recommended lifecycle timing for registering a responses(for:) listener
What is the intended or recommended time to register a responses(for:) listener?
• At application launch
• Immediately before calling ask(...)
• When entering a specific gated feature
Clarification on the expected lifecycle usage would be helpful.
⸻
Repeated calls to ask(...) after approval
If AskCenter.ask(...) is called again for the same SignificantAppUpdateTopic after parental approval has already been granted:
• Is the request ignored?
• Is a new approval request sent to the parent?
• Or is the call handled idempotently by the system?
⸻
Delivery of approval results when the child app is not running
If a parent approves or declines a SignificantAppUpdateTopic while the child app is not running:
• Will the approval decision be delivered as a responses(for:) event on the next app launch?
• Or is the app expected to persist approval state locally?
⸻
Persistence of approval state
Is the approval decision for SignificantAppUpdateTopic persisted by the system at the OS level, or is the app responsible for storing approval state?
Additionally, does the approval persist across:
• app restarts?
• app deletion and reinstallation?
⸻
Meaning of activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired
How is activeParentalControls.significantAppChangeApprovalRequired determined?
• Is this value explicitly configured by a parent (for example via Screen Time)?
• Or is it automatically determined by the system based on region, age, or regulatory requirements?
⸻
Relationship between significantAppChangeApprovalRequired and AgeRangeService
When activeParentalControls contains significantAppChangeApprovalRequired, is it still expected that apps call AgeRangeService.requestAgeRange(...)?
Or can the presence of this flag be treated as sufficient indication that the user is a minor for gating purposes?
⸻
Recommended interpretation of AgeRangeDeclaration
Is the intended usage of AgeRangeDeclaration to handle each case individually, or is it acceptable and recommended to interpret the values as different trust levels (for example, self-declared vs. government ID or payment verified)?
Clarification on these points would help ensure that implementations of age assurance and parental approval flows are consistent with system behavior while meeting regulatory compliance requirements.
Thank you for your guidance.
Share Age Range Permission is set to 'Ask First'.
Application requested for AgeRange via requestAgeRange API.
System presented a consent window where user has to make a choice.
User did not acted.
Application was pushed to background.
Our Application supports PushToTalk Framework and we have successfully joined the channel already.
User tapped on the blue-pill , SystemUI will get presented.
User tapped on the SystemUI, A New Full Screen SystemUI will get presented.
User chosen 'Leave' option and our application left the active channel.
10 User brought the application to foreground and the previous "Share Age Range" system window disappeared.
11. After Step 10, We need to terminate and launch our application in order to get the "Share Age Range" system window.
Is "Share Age Range" system window getting disappear is expected here or a BUG
I have been using the SCNetworkReachabilityGetFlags for 10+ years to inform users that their request won't work. In my experience this works pretty well although i am aware of the limitations.
Now, i am looking into the NWPathMonitor, and i have one situation that i'm trying to. get my head around - it's asynchronous.
Specifically, i am wondering what to do when my geofences trigger and i want to check network connectivity - i want to tell the user why the operation i'll perform because of the trigger couldn't be done.
SO. say i start a NWPathMonitor in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions. When the app is booted up because of a geofence trigger, might i not end up in a case where my didEnterRegion / didExitRegion gets called before the NWPathMonitor has gotten its first status?
The advantage here with SCNetworkReachabilityGetFlags, as i understand it, would be that it's synchronous?
If i want to upgrade to nwpathmonitor, i guess i have to do a method that creates a nwpathmonitor, uses a semaphore to wait for the first callback, then contunues?
Thoughts appreciated