Demystify code signing and its importance in app development. Get help troubleshooting code signing issues and ensure your app is properly signed for distribution.

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App Packaging: Error: HTTP status code: 403
Coming from Windows, I'm finding Mac app packaging farcically complicated, to the level of a Python sketch. I mastered Windows packaging, via Inno, in an hour or so, but it has taken me, on and off, the best part of a week to get to the point I am at with the Mac OS, and I'm nowhere near finished (rather, it hasn't finished with me). Every time I surmount one hurdle, another pops up, seemingly just for the jollies. I'm currently stuck at: 'Error: HTTP status code: 403. A required agreement is missing or has expired. This request requires an in-effect agreement that has not been signed or has expired. Ensure your team has signed the necessary legal agreements and that they are not expired.' My account lists no agreements in this category. I understand the need for security, but not the labyrinthine nature of the process. An inner-party member in the former Soviet Union overheard a drunken Stalin say, “I trust no one; not even myself". Apple trusts no one, but has true contempt for developers. Is there a simple way to work through the packaging process? Let me rephrase that: please God, let there be a simpler way of working through the process! Regards, in extremis, Richard
3
0
1.4k
Oct ’25
Some of the apps I have developed are being flagged as malware
I have a free developer account, and I have been creating applications. When I tried to open one of them, it said that this app has been flagged as malware. It is not malware, so I don't know why it has been flagged as this. Not just this app, but suddenly a whole bunch of my apps have been flagged as malware as well! The app I have been developing is basically a windows Taskbar for my macbook air, and it has been working well until the latest update i made where it hides in full screen, suddenly it started taking up significant energy, so i reverted to an older version while i was fixing it. Then, when i try to open it another time, it starts to open, and it says "Malware Blocked and Moved to Bin" “Taskbar.app” was not opened because it contains malware. This action did not harm your Mac”. All versions of the taskbar now contain this message. I try opening some of my other apps, a shared storage client and a shared storage server (where i was testing with app groups), and they couldn't open either, the same malware message appeared. ProPermission couldn't open either (changes permissions on files for me so i don't have to use the terminal or finder). I can run these apps through the Xcode environment (attached process), but when I archieve it into an app bundle, the malware flag appears. Please note that I am certain that these apps do not contain malware, apparently XProtect has incorrectly flagged my apps as malware. Because I do not have the paid developer account, I cannot notarize my apps. I am using MacOS Tahoe 26.1 with Xcode 26.0, and I have tested it with a iMac Intel 2017 with MacOS Ventura.
1
0
331
Nov ’25
Signed app can't be verified
I've signed an app, zipped it, and uploaded it to github. When I download it on another Mac, I get "it can't be opened because it could not be verified for malware". But on that computer, I can verify it with codesign, and it appears to be correct (as far as I can tell). I can copy/paste the app from my other Mac, and that copy will run without problem. sys_policy, however, gives: Notary Ticket Missing File: ReView.app Severity: Fatal Full Error: A Notarization ticket is not stapled to this application. Type: Distribution Error This is the same for the copy that runs, and the copy that doesn't. The difference between them appears to be a quarantine xattr. I can delete this, and the app launches without incident. Is this expected? Why should a signed app be quarantined just because it's been downloaded? The whole point of paying the fee is to avoid the security obstacles...! ;-)
3
0
862
Feb ’26
Signed App Opens But Doesn't Recognise Plugin
I have been trying to package a FileMaker 18 runtime app* for Mac distribution for - oh - a year and a half on and off (the Windows version was packaged in an afternoon). I succeeded - or thought I had - until I updated to Tahoe. Now my packaging process does everything it did formerly (creates the DMG, etc.), but when opened, fails to see/load a third-party plugin (BaseElements.fmplugin). Does anyone know why this should be? I have attached 4 of my build files in the hope that someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance for any advice you may provide. Regards, L *Claris deprecated the runtime feature years ago, but it still runs and is useful for proof of concept. P.S. A contributor to an earlier query kindly suggested I go down the zip file or pkg installer route, rather than the DMG route. I tried doing as much but found both as susceptible to Mac spaghetti signage. build_all.txt repair_and_sign.txt build_dmg.txt notarize_dmg.txt
2
0
558
Feb ’26
Team ID and App ID prefix mismatch for macOS
I have an app for iOS already on the AppStore and I'm trying to add a macOS version of it. The AppID prefix for this app is different than my Team ID. This mismatch was always fine for submitting my iOS app. However for some reason, the macOS version gets rejected when I upload it. It tells me the AppID prefix must match my Team ID. I do not control my TeamID and I do not control my AppID prefix, they are both given to me by Apple. Yet the error message tells me they must match. How do I get past this? Here is the error message: Validation failed Invalid code signing entitlements. Your application bundle's signature contains code signing entitlements that aren't supported on macOS. Specifically, the "APPID_PREFIX.MY_BUNDLE_ID" value for the com.apple.application-identifier key in "MY_PACKAGE" isn't supported. This value should be a string that starts with your Team ID, followed by a dot ('"), followed by the bundle ID. (ID: 930b77ae-099f-4798-a14a-2803f2a9be9e) Thanks in advance for any pointer.
1
0
53
1w
"Application damaged and can't be opened' error prompt on 15.6.1 Sequoia
We have an application which keeps throwing the error "application is damaged and cannot be opened. You should move it to Trash" I have already referred to the documentation: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/706379 and https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/706442 I have checked the following possible root causes: Codesign of the application using the codesign command Notarization of the application using the spctl command Executable permissions Checked for the presence of "com.apple.quarantine" flag for the application using xattr -l <path to executables" Checked the bundle structure None of the above listed items seemed to be a problem and are as expected. Can you please help us understand what could cause this issue and how to resolve this without recommending an uninstall/reinstall of the application?
22
0
2.6k
Jan ’26
WatchOS Companion app on VPP Crashing on Launch
Hello, I sent this in as a feedback several weeks ago about watchOS 26.2 beta 2 but since the issue is still active now that watchOS 26.2 is in production I'm reposting here for the community. I would also like to submit a DTS about this issue but honestly don't know the best way to go about it and would appreciate advice about that. There seems to be an issue with VPP distribution for our app on watchOS 26.2. When our watchOS companion app is launched after being installed through VPP to a supervised iPhone, it encounters a dyld error before main() or any application code is even called. The same app launches correctly in every other circumstance we could imagine and test: – Installed through VPP on supervised devices running watchOS 26.1. – Installed from the app store (using an apple id) on a supervised iPhone and paired watch running iOS 26.2 / watchOS 26.2. – Installed through Testflight on a supervised iPhone and paired watch running iOS 26.2 / watchOS 26.2. – Installed through the app store on unsupervised devices running watchOS 26.1 and 26.2. This strongly appears to be a VPP signing issue because we even did the following experiment: Install iPhone and Watch apps through the App Store on a supervised device pair running public iOS 26.2 beta 2 / watchOS 26.2 beta 2. Verify that both apps launch successfully. Use an MDM command to install from VPP over the existing installations Verify that the watch app fails to launch (the iOS app is unaffected) My feedback included some crash logs which I won't be reposting publicly here. Any feedback or ideas appreciated.
1
2
616
Dec ’25
Crypting ITMS-90886 error abound bundles identifiers and provisioning profiles
I suddenly started to receive the following email with the error in it stating that my uploaded app is not available to be used in TestFlight: ITMS-90886: 'Cannot be used with TestFlight because the signature for the bundle at “MyApp.app/Contents/PlugIns/MyAppWidgetExtension.appex” is missing an application identifier but has an application identifier in the provisioning profile for the bundle. Bundles with application identifiers in the provisioning profile are expected to have the same identifier signed into the bundle in order to be eligible for TestFlight.' It was all working fine and now I am not sure even where to start looking. Signing, provisioning and everything else is managed automatically.
2
3
2.0k
Oct ’25
Devices upgraded to iOS 18 fail to launch apps signed with an enterprise certificate.
We are using an app distributed via an iOS enterprise certificate. There is an exceptional user who could normally use the app signed with this certificate before upgrading to iOS 18. However, after updating to iOS 18 (currently on version 18.3), the app crashes immediately upon launch. Real-time logs indicate that the application fails to start. This issue is unique to this user, as other users on the same iOS 18.3 system do not experience the problem. console log
16
6
1.9k
Apr ’25
App Packaging: Error: HTTP status code: 403
Coming from Windows, I'm finding Mac app packaging farcically complicated, to the level of a Python sketch. I mastered Windows packaging, via Inno, in an hour or so, but it has taken me, on and off, the best part of a week to get to the point I am at with the Mac OS, and I'm nowhere near finished (rather, it hasn't finished with me). Every time I surmount one hurdle, another pops up, seemingly just for the jollies. I'm currently stuck at: 'Error: HTTP status code: 403. A required agreement is missing or has expired. This request requires an in-effect agreement that has not been signed or has expired. Ensure your team has signed the necessary legal agreements and that they are not expired.' My account lists no agreements in this category. I understand the need for security, but not the labyrinthine nature of the process. An inner-party member in the former Soviet Union overheard a drunken Stalin say, “I trust no one; not even myself". Apple trusts no one, but has true contempt for developers. Is there a simple way to work through the packaging process? Let me rephrase that: please God, let there be a simpler way of working through the process! Regards, in extremis, Richard
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
1.4k
Activity
Oct ’25
Some of the apps I have developed are being flagged as malware
I have a free developer account, and I have been creating applications. When I tried to open one of them, it said that this app has been flagged as malware. It is not malware, so I don't know why it has been flagged as this. Not just this app, but suddenly a whole bunch of my apps have been flagged as malware as well! The app I have been developing is basically a windows Taskbar for my macbook air, and it has been working well until the latest update i made where it hides in full screen, suddenly it started taking up significant energy, so i reverted to an older version while i was fixing it. Then, when i try to open it another time, it starts to open, and it says "Malware Blocked and Moved to Bin" “Taskbar.app” was not opened because it contains malware. This action did not harm your Mac”. All versions of the taskbar now contain this message. I try opening some of my other apps, a shared storage client and a shared storage server (where i was testing with app groups), and they couldn't open either, the same malware message appeared. ProPermission couldn't open either (changes permissions on files for me so i don't have to use the terminal or finder). I can run these apps through the Xcode environment (attached process), but when I archieve it into an app bundle, the malware flag appears. Please note that I am certain that these apps do not contain malware, apparently XProtect has incorrectly flagged my apps as malware. Because I do not have the paid developer account, I cannot notarize my apps. I am using MacOS Tahoe 26.1 with Xcode 26.0, and I have tested it with a iMac Intel 2017 with MacOS Ventura.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
331
Activity
Nov ’25
Signed app can't be verified
I've signed an app, zipped it, and uploaded it to github. When I download it on another Mac, I get "it can't be opened because it could not be verified for malware". But on that computer, I can verify it with codesign, and it appears to be correct (as far as I can tell). I can copy/paste the app from my other Mac, and that copy will run without problem. sys_policy, however, gives: Notary Ticket Missing File: ReView.app Severity: Fatal Full Error: A Notarization ticket is not stapled to this application. Type: Distribution Error This is the same for the copy that runs, and the copy that doesn't. The difference between them appears to be a quarantine xattr. I can delete this, and the app launches without incident. Is this expected? Why should a signed app be quarantined just because it's been downloaded? The whole point of paying the fee is to avoid the security obstacles...! ;-)
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
862
Activity
Feb ’26
Signed App Opens But Doesn't Recognise Plugin
I have been trying to package a FileMaker 18 runtime app* for Mac distribution for - oh - a year and a half on and off (the Windows version was packaged in an afternoon). I succeeded - or thought I had - until I updated to Tahoe. Now my packaging process does everything it did formerly (creates the DMG, etc.), but when opened, fails to see/load a third-party plugin (BaseElements.fmplugin). Does anyone know why this should be? I have attached 4 of my build files in the hope that someone can point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance for any advice you may provide. Regards, L *Claris deprecated the runtime feature years ago, but it still runs and is useful for proof of concept. P.S. A contributor to an earlier query kindly suggested I go down the zip file or pkg installer route, rather than the DMG route. I tried doing as much but found both as susceptible to Mac spaghetti signage. build_all.txt repair_and_sign.txt build_dmg.txt notarize_dmg.txt
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
558
Activity
Feb ’26
Team ID and App ID prefix mismatch for macOS
I have an app for iOS already on the AppStore and I'm trying to add a macOS version of it. The AppID prefix for this app is different than my Team ID. This mismatch was always fine for submitting my iOS app. However for some reason, the macOS version gets rejected when I upload it. It tells me the AppID prefix must match my Team ID. I do not control my TeamID and I do not control my AppID prefix, they are both given to me by Apple. Yet the error message tells me they must match. How do I get past this? Here is the error message: Validation failed Invalid code signing entitlements. Your application bundle's signature contains code signing entitlements that aren't supported on macOS. Specifically, the "APPID_PREFIX.MY_BUNDLE_ID" value for the com.apple.application-identifier key in "MY_PACKAGE" isn't supported. This value should be a string that starts with your Team ID, followed by a dot ('"), followed by the bundle ID. (ID: 930b77ae-099f-4798-a14a-2803f2a9be9e) Thanks in advance for any pointer.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
53
Activity
1w
Code signing to check for IOS ipa integrity .
Is there a way to check your app signature to verify if any one has tampered with the ipa file. I want to know specifically how to determine and handle this type of situation. How can i do a check for this in code(swift).
Replies
5
Boosts
0
Views
5.6k
Activity
Feb ’26
"Application damaged and can't be opened' error prompt on 15.6.1 Sequoia
We have an application which keeps throwing the error "application is damaged and cannot be opened. You should move it to Trash" I have already referred to the documentation: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/706379 and https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/706442 I have checked the following possible root causes: Codesign of the application using the codesign command Notarization of the application using the spctl command Executable permissions Checked for the presence of "com.apple.quarantine" flag for the application using xattr -l <path to executables" Checked the bundle structure None of the above listed items seemed to be a problem and are as expected. Can you please help us understand what could cause this issue and how to resolve this without recommending an uninstall/reinstall of the application?
Replies
22
Boosts
0
Views
2.6k
Activity
Jan ’26
WatchOS Companion app on VPP Crashing on Launch
Hello, I sent this in as a feedback several weeks ago about watchOS 26.2 beta 2 but since the issue is still active now that watchOS 26.2 is in production I'm reposting here for the community. I would also like to submit a DTS about this issue but honestly don't know the best way to go about it and would appreciate advice about that. There seems to be an issue with VPP distribution for our app on watchOS 26.2. When our watchOS companion app is launched after being installed through VPP to a supervised iPhone, it encounters a dyld error before main() or any application code is even called. The same app launches correctly in every other circumstance we could imagine and test: – Installed through VPP on supervised devices running watchOS 26.1. – Installed from the app store (using an apple id) on a supervised iPhone and paired watch running iOS 26.2 / watchOS 26.2. – Installed through Testflight on a supervised iPhone and paired watch running iOS 26.2 / watchOS 26.2. – Installed through the app store on unsupervised devices running watchOS 26.1 and 26.2. This strongly appears to be a VPP signing issue because we even did the following experiment: Install iPhone and Watch apps through the App Store on a supervised device pair running public iOS 26.2 beta 2 / watchOS 26.2 beta 2. Verify that both apps launch successfully. Use an MDM command to install from VPP over the existing installations Verify that the watch app fails to launch (the iOS app is unaffected) My feedback included some crash logs which I won't be reposting publicly here. Any feedback or ideas appreciated.
Replies
1
Boosts
2
Views
616
Activity
Dec ’25
Crypting ITMS-90886 error abound bundles identifiers and provisioning profiles
I suddenly started to receive the following email with the error in it stating that my uploaded app is not available to be used in TestFlight: ITMS-90886: 'Cannot be used with TestFlight because the signature for the bundle at “MyApp.app/Contents/PlugIns/MyAppWidgetExtension.appex” is missing an application identifier but has an application identifier in the provisioning profile for the bundle. Bundles with application identifiers in the provisioning profile are expected to have the same identifier signed into the bundle in order to be eligible for TestFlight.' It was all working fine and now I am not sure even where to start looking. Signing, provisioning and everything else is managed automatically.
Replies
2
Boosts
3
Views
2.0k
Activity
Oct ’25
Devices upgraded to iOS 18 fail to launch apps signed with an enterprise certificate.
We are using an app distributed via an iOS enterprise certificate. There is an exceptional user who could normally use the app signed with this certificate before upgrading to iOS 18. However, after updating to iOS 18 (currently on version 18.3), the app crashes immediately upon launch. Real-time logs indicate that the application fails to start. This issue is unique to this user, as other users on the same iOS 18.3 system do not experience the problem. console log
Replies
16
Boosts
6
Views
1.9k
Activity
Apr ’25