Prioritize user privacy and data security in your app. Discuss best practices for data handling, user consent, and security measures to protect user information.

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macOS 14.8 Keychain Import Fails for PKCS#12 Files Generated with OpenSSL 3.4.0
We recently upgraded OpenSSL from version 1.1.1 to 3.4.0. After this upgrade, we observed that PKCS#12 files generated using OpenSSL 3.4.0 fail to import into the macOS Keychain with the following error: Failed to import PKCS#12 data: -25264 (MAC verification failed during PKCS12 import (wrong password?)) This issue is reproducible on macOS 14.8.2. The same PKCS#12 files import successfully on other macOS versions, including 15.x and 26.x. Additionally, PKCS#12 files that fail to import on macOS 14.8 work correctly when copied and imported on other macOS versions without any errors. PKCS#12 Creation The PKCS#12 data is created using the following OpenSSL API: const char* platformPKCS12SecureKey = _platformSecureKey.has_value() ? _platformSecureKey.value().c_str() : NULL; PKCS12* p12 = PKCS12_create( platformPKCS12SecureKey, NULL, keys, _cert, NULL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ); if (!p12) { throw std::runtime_error("Failed to create PKCS#12 container"); } PKCS#12 Import The generated PKCS#12 data is imported into the macOS Keychain using the following code: NSString *certPassKey = [NSString stringWithUTF8String:getCertPassKey()]; NSDictionary *options = @{ (__bridge id)kSecImportExportPassphrase: certPassKey, (__bridge id)kSecAttrAccessible: (__bridge id)kSecAttrAccessibleAfterFirstUnlockThisDeviceOnly, (__bridge id)kSecAttrIsExtractable: @YES, (__bridge id)kSecAttrIsPermanent: @YES, (__bridge id)kSecAttrAccessGroup: APP_GROUP }; CFArrayRef items = NULL; OSStatus status = SecPKCS12Import( (__bridge CFDataRef)pkcs12Data, (__bridge CFDictionaryRef)options, &items );
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290
Jan ’26
Persistent Tokens for Keychain Unlock in Platform SSO
While working with Platform SSO on macOS, I’m trying to better understand how the system handles cases where a user’s local account password becomes unsynchronized with their Identity Provider (IdP) password—for example, when the device is offline during a password change. My assumption is that macOS may store some form of persistent token during the Platform SSO user registration process (such as a certificate or similar credential), and that this token could allow the system to unlock the user’s login keychain even if the local password no longer matches the IdP password. I’m hoping to get clarification on the following: Does macOS actually use a persistent token to unlock the login keychain when the local account password is out of sync with the IdP password? If so, how is that mechanism designed to work? If such a capability exists, is it something developers can leverage to enable a true passwordless authentication experience at the login window and lock screen (i.e., avoiding the need for a local password fallback)? I’m trying to confirm what macOS officially supports so I can understand whether passwordless login is achievable using the persistent-token approach. Thanks in advance for any clarification.
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129
Dec ’25
Launch Constraint, SIP and legacy launchd plist
I have 2 basic questions related to Launch Constraints: [Q1] Are Launch Constraints supposed to work when SIP is disabled? From what I'm observing, when SIP is disabled, Launch Constraints (e.g. Launch Constraint Parent Process) are not enforced. I can understand that. But it's a bit confusing considering that the stack diagram in the WWDC 2023 session is placing the 'Environment Constraints' block under SIP, not above. Also the documentation only mentions SIP for the 'is-sip-protected' fact. [Q2] Is the SpawnConstraint key in legacy launchd plist files (i.e. inside /Library/Launch(Agents|Daemons)) officially supported? From what I'm seeing, it seems to be working when SIP is enabled. But the WWDC session and the documentation don't really talk about this case.
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390
Jun ’25
Problem with Private Access Token (PAT)
Since October 3rd, I've stopped receiving responses to the Private Access Tokens challenge. I'm using this link: https://demo-issuer.private-access-tokens.fastly.com/.well-known/token-issuer-directory. I receive tokens from Fastly and return a header to the iOS app, but then I don't receive another authentication request from iOS. The user has automatic verification enabled on their phone. The problem is global and affects all my mobile app users. Has anyone encountered a similar problem and found a solution?
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2.1k
Dec ’25
TKTokenSession not used
Hi, I'm working on developing my own CryptoTokenKit (CTK) extension to enable codesign with HSM-backed keys. Here's what I’ve done so far: The container app sets up the tokenConfiguration with TKTokenKeychainCertificate and TKTokenKeychainKey. The extension registers successfully and is visible via pluginkit when launching the container app. The virtual smartcard appears when running security list-smartcards. The certificate, key, and identity are all visible using security export-smartcard -i [card]. However, nothing appears in the Keychain. After adding logging and reviewing output in the Console, I’ve observed the following behavior when running codesign: My TKTokenSession is instantiated correctly, using my custom TKToken implementation — so far, so good. However, none of the following TKTokenSession methods are ever called: func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, beginAuthFor operation: TKTokenOperation, constraint: Any) throws -> TKTokenAuthOperation func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, supports operation: TKTokenOperation, keyObjectID: TKToken.ObjectID, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm) -> Bool func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, sign dataToSign: Data, keyObjectID: Any, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm) throws -> Data func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, decrypt ciphertext: Data, keyObjectID: Any, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm) throws -> Data func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, performKeyExchange otherPartyPublicKeyData: Data, keyObjectID objectID: Any, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm, parameters: TKTokenKeyExchangeParameters) throws -> Data The only relevant Console log is: default 11:31:15.453969+0200 PersistentToken [0x154d04850] invalidated because the client process (pid 4899) either cancelled the connection or exited There’s no crash report related to the extension, so my assumption is that ctkd is closing the connection for some unknown reason. Is there any way to debug this further? Thank you for your help.
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152
Apr ’25
What is the code signing trust level?
In some crashlog files, there are additional pieces of information related to codesigning. I can understand what most of themcorresponds to (ID, TeamID, Flags, Validation Category). But there is one I have some doubt about: Trust Level. As far as I can tell (or at least what Google and other search engines say), this is an unsigned 32 bit integer that defines the trust level with -1 being untrusted, 0, being basically an Apple executable and other potential bigger values corresponding to App Store binaries, Developer ID signature, etc. Yet, I'm not able to find a corresponding detailed documentation about this on Apple's developer website. I also had a look at the LightweightCodeRequirements "include" file and there does not seem to be such a field available. [Q] Is there any official documentation listing the different values for this trust level value and providing a clear description of what it corresponds to?
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353
Jul ’25
deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithCompanion evaluation not working as expected
In one of my apps I would like to find out if users have their device set up to authenticate with their Apple Watch. According to the documentation (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/localauthentication/lapolicy/deviceownerauthenticationwithcompanion) this would be done by evaluating the LAPolicy like this: var error: NSError? var canEvaluateCompanion = false if #available(iOS 18.0, *) { canEvaluateCompanion = context.canEvaluatePolicy(.deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithCompanion, error: &error) } But when I run this on my iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 18.5) with a paired Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen (watchOS 11.5) it always returns false and the error is -1000 "No companion device available". But authentication with my watch is definitely enabled, because I regularly unlock my phone with the watch. Other evaluations of using biometrics just works as expected. Anything that I am missing?
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213
Jul ’25
Unable to change App Tracking configuration
I have reached out to support and they simply tell me they are unable to help me, first redirecting me to generic Apple support, after following up they provided the explanation that they only handle administrative tasks and to post on the forums. I am unable to change my App Tracking Transparency it provides no real error, though network traffic shows a 409 HTTP response from the backend API when trying to save. Here is a screenshot of the result when trying to save. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this resolved? I've commented back to the reviewers and they simply provided help documentation. I have a technical issue and am unable to get anyone to help resolve this.
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Nov ’25
App Transfer and User Migration - Questions on Apple Sign-In Token Behavior and Testing Process
Hi Apple Developer Community, We have carefully reviewed the documentation on App Transfer and User Migration, but we still have a few unresolved questions regarding Apple Sign-In token behavior and testing strategies. Would appreciate any guidance! Token Behavior for Pre-Transfer App Versions After the app transfer: If a user logs in via an existing pre-transfer version of the app (published under Team A before transfer), will the Apple Sign-In token’s sub (or private email) switch to new value tie to Team B, or unchanged? This is critical for our user migration plan. Preserving sub Across Transfers (Internal Team Transfer) Since our app-transfer is an internal transfer (no change in app ownership outside our organization), is there a way to retain the original sub value(or private email) for users after the transfer? We are concerned that Apple Sign-In errors during the app transfer process may negatively impact user experience. Testing the Transfer Process Safely We’d like to simulate the app transfer and user migration process in a sandbox/test environment before executing it in production. Is there a way to test app transfers without affecting live users? (e.g., a staging mode for transfers) Thank you for your expertise! Any insights would be invaluable.
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Nov ’25
Migrating Sign in with Apple users for an app transfer
Question detail Dear Apple Developer Technical Support, We are currently following the official Apple documentation “TN3159: Migrating Sign in with Apple users for an app transfer” to carry out a Sign in with Apple user migration after successfully transferring several apps to a new developer account. Here is a summary of our situation: Under the original Apple developer account, we had five apps using Sign in with Apple, grouped under a shared primary app using App Grouping. Recently, we transferred three of these apps to our new Apple developer account via App Store Connect. After the transfer, these three apps are no longer associated with the original primary App ID. We reconfigured individual Services IDs for each app in the new account and enabled Sign in with Apple for each. More than 24 hours have passed since the app transfer was completed. Now we are attempting to follow the migration process to restore user access via the user.migration flow. Specifically, we are using the following script to request an Apple access token: url = "https://appleid.apple.com/auth/token" headers = {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"} data = { "grant_type": "client_credentials", "scope": "user.migration", "client_id": "com.game.friends.ios.xxxx", # New Primary ID in the new account "client_secret": "<JWT signed with new p8 key>" } response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data) However, the API response consistently returns: { "error": "invalid_client" } We have verified that the following configurations are correct: The client_secret is generated using the p8 key from the new account, signed with ES256 and correct key_id, team_id, and client_id. The client_id corresponds to the Services ID created in the new account and properly associated with the migrated app. The scope is set to user.migration. The JWT payload contains correct iss, sub, and aud values as per Apple documentation. The app has been fully transferred and reconfigured more than 24 hours ago. Problem Summary & Request for Support: According to Apple’s official documentation: “After an app is transferred, Apple updates the Sign in with Apple configuration in the background. This can take up to 24 hours. During this time, attempts to authenticate users or validate tokens may fail.” However, we are still consistently receiving invalid_client errors after the 24-hour waiting period. We suspect one of the following issues: The transferred apps may still be partially associated with the original App Grouping or primary App ID. Some Sign in with Apple configuration in Apple’s backend may not have been fully updated after the transfer. Or the Services ID is not yet fully operational for the transferred apps in the new account. We kindly request your assistance to: Verify whether the transferred apps have been completely detached from the original App Grouping and primary App ID. Confirm whether the new Services IDs under the new account are fully functional and eligible for Sign in with Apple with user.migration scope. Help identify any remaining configuration or migration issues that may cause the invalid_client error. If necessary, assist in manually ungrouping or clearing any residual App Grouping relationships affecting the new environment. We have also generated and retained the original transfer_sub identifiers and are fully prepared to complete the sub mapping once the user.migration flow becomes functional. Thank you very much for your time and support!
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580
Nov ’25
Sending email to private.email from transferred app
Goal I want to reply to feedback from customers who signed up using a private.relay account. Problem I am getting this error when sending an email: Reporting-MTA: dns; mailfout.stl.internal X-Postfix-Queue-ID: B87481D0015B X-Postfix-Sender: rfc822; hello@mydomain.com Arrival-Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2025 03:37:29 -0500 (EST) Final-Recipient: rfc822; xxxx@privaterelay.appleid.com Original-Recipient: rfc822;xxxx@privaterelay.appleid.com Action: failed Status: 5.1.1 Remote-MTA: dns; smtp3.privaterelay.appleid.com Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 5.1.1 <hello@mydomain.com>: unauthorized sender What have I done? I have configured mydomain.com in the Email Configuration Service inside of apple, as well as the email hello@mydomain.com. Using https://www.mail-tester.com/, I could confirm that the - [SPF] Your server 202.12.124.158 is authorized to use hello@mydomain.com - Your DKIM signature is valid - Your message passed the DMARC test My hunch This app was transferred and the previous owner did not have the email configuration set up. The emails I am writing messages to signed up at that time. Questions: If I rescue the old account and set up the email configuration, would it work? Is there any other tip I could try to apply?
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150
Nov ’25
Error when using SecItemAdd with kSecReturnPersistentRef and user presence kSecAttrAccessControl
I'm trying to add a generic password to the keychain and get back the persistent ID for it, and give it .userPresence access control. Unfortunately, if I include that, I get paramError back from SecItemAdd. Here's the code: @discardableResult func set(username: String, hostname: String?, password: String, comment: String? = nil) throws -> PasswordEntry { // Delete any existing matching password… if let existing = try? getEntry(forUsername: username, hostname: hostname) { try deletePassword(withID: existing.id) } // Store the new password… var label = username if let hostname { label = label + "@" + hostname } var item: [String: Any] = [ kSecClass as String : kSecClassGenericPassword, kSecAttrDescription as String : "TermPass Password", kSecAttrGeneric as String : self.bundleID.data(using: .utf8)!, kSecAttrLabel as String : label, kSecAttrAccount as String : username, kSecValueData as String : password.data(using: .utf8)!, kSecReturnData as String : true, kSecReturnPersistentRef as String: true, ] if self.synchronizable { item[kSecAttrSynchronizable as String] = kCFBooleanTrue! } if let hostname { item[kSecAttrService as String] = hostname } if let comment { item[kSecAttrComment as String] = comment } // Apply access control to require the user to prove presence when // retrieving this password… var error: Unmanaged<CFError>? guard let accessControl = SecAccessControlCreateWithFlags(nil, kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly, .userPresence, &error) else { let cfError = error!.takeUnretainedValue() as Error throw cfError } item[kSecAttrAccessControl as String] = accessControl item[kSecAttrAccessible as String] = kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly var result: AnyObject! let status = SecItemAdd(item as CFDictionary, &result) try Errors.throwIfError(osstatus: status) load() guard let secItem = result as? [String : Any], let persistentRef = secItem[kSecValuePersistentRef as String] as? Data else { throw Errors.malformedItem } let entry = PasswordEntry(id: persistentRef, username: username, hostname: hostname, password: password, comment: comment) return entry } (Note that I also tried it omitting kSecAttrAccessible, but it had no effect.) This code works fine if I omit setting kSecAttrAccessControl. Any ideas? TIA!
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Jul ’25
Mail relay not allowed
Dear Sir or Madam, Thank you for your continued support. My name is Sato from atmos. We are currently working with a vendor to implement Apple Sign In as a login method for our app, but we are encountering some issues and would like to contact you about them. The Apple Sign In functionality itself is almost complete, but during verification, email relay is not permitted by Apple when Apple Sign In is used with a non-public email address, making it impossible to complete email relay verification for users. We have reviewed the settings in “/account/resources/services/configure,” checked your FAQ, and explored all other possible solutions within our scope, but the situation remains unchanged. Would it be possible for your team to confirm the cause of the email relay not being permitted? Thank you for your assistance. atmos Sato Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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Nov ’25
Why does my app lose Screen Recording permission after updating (adhoc signature)?
Hi everyone, I have a macOS application that uses Screen Recording permission. I build my app with an adhoc signature (not with a Developer ID certificate). For example, in version 1.0.0, I grant Screen Recording permission to the app. Later, I build a new version (1.1.0) and update by dragging the new app into the Applications folder to overwrite the previous one. However, when I launch the updated app, it asks for Screen Recording permission again, even though I have already granted it for the previous version. I don’t fully understand how TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) determines when permissions need to be re-granted. Can anyone explain how TCC manages permissions for updated builds, especially with adhoc signatures? Is there any way to retain permissions between updates, or any best practices to avoid having users re-authorize permissions after every update?
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276
Aug ’25
App IPA upgrade loses access to keychaingroup
Hi, Our App relies on a keychain to store certificates and key-value pairs. However, when we upgraded from an older XCode 15.2 (1 year old) app version to a newer version XCode 16.2 (with identical keychain-groups entitlement), we found that the newer ipa cannot see the older keychain group anymore... We tried Testflight builds, but limited to only generating newer versions, we tried using the older App's code, cast as a newer App version, and then upgraded to the newer code (with an even newer app version!). Surprisingly we were able to see the older keychain group. So it seems that there's something different between the packaging/profile of the older (1 year) and newer (current) App versions that seems to cause the new version to not see the old keychainGroup... Any ideas?
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204
Aug ’25
Private Relay emails bounced as 'Unauthorized Sender'
Private relay emails are not being delivered, even though we've followed the guidance here, https://developer.apple.com/help/account/capabilities/configure-private-email-relay-service/ iCloud, gmail etc. get delivered fine but as soon as its a private relay email address they get bounced as unauthorized sender. We've tried a couple of domains but here I'll document test.x.domain.com We have registered domains (test.x.domain.com), also the sender communication emails just to be safe (noreply at test.x.domain.com). Passed SPF Authentication, DKIM Authentication. ESP account shows as all green checks in mailgun. Is there any way to track down what the actual rejection reason is? { "@timestamp": "2025-08-20T14:30:59.801Z", "account": { "id": "6425b45fb2fd1e28f4e0110a" }, "delivery-status": { "attempt-no": 1, "bounce-type": "soft", "certificate-verified": true, "code": 550, "enhanced-code": "5.1.1", "first-delivery-attempt-seconds": 0.014, "message": "5.1.1 <bounce+b53c9e.27949-6qj4xaisn4k=privaterelay.appleid.com@test.x.domain.com>: unauthorized sender", "mx-host": "smtp3.privaterelay.appleid.com", "session-seconds": 1.7229999999999999, "tls": true }, "domain": { "name": "test.x.domain.com" }, "envelope": { "sender": "noreply@test.x.domain.com", "sending-ip": "111.22.101.215", "targets": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com", "transport": "smtp" }, "event": "failed", "flags": { "is-authenticated": true, "is-delayed-bounce": false, "is-routed": false, "is-system-test": false, "is-test-mode": false }, "id": "1gtVBeZYQ0yO1SzipVP99Q", "log-level": "error", "message": { "headers": { "from": "\"Test Mail\" <noreply@test.x.domain.com>", "message-id": "20250820143058.7cac292cf03993f2@test.x.domain.com", "subject": "Test Mail", "to": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com" }, "size": 22854 }, "primary-dkim": "s1._domainkey.test.x.domain.com", "reason": "generic", "recipient": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com", "recipient-domain": "privaterelay.appleid.com", "recipient-provider": "Apple", "severity": "permanent", "storage": { "env": "production", "key": "BAABAgFDX5nmZ7fqxxxxxxZNzEVxPmZ8_YQ", "region": "europe-west1", "url": [ "https://storage-europe-west1.api.mailgun.net/v3/domains/test.x.domain.com/messages/BAABAgFDXxxxxxxxxxxxxxNzEVxPmZ8_YQ" ] }, "user-variables": {} }
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837
Nov ’25
Users Not Receiving Emails via Apple Private Relay
Hello. Some of my users are signing in using "Sign in with Apple" and choosing the "Hide My Email" option. As expected, Apple generates a private relay email address. However, emails that we send to these addresses are not being delivered — the users report that they are not receiving anything. We’ve configured our email sending domains in the Apple Developer portal, and all domains have been successfully verified with SPF records marked as OK. Our system is sending the emails as usual, and we're not receiving any bounce-back or error messages. Everything looks fine on our end. Is there something specific we need to configure to ensure emails sent to privaterelay.appleid.com addresses are delivered correctly? Are there any known limitations or additional requirements for using Apple's private relay service? Thank you!
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426
Nov ’25
App using wrong Apple login service ID from another app — how to preserve existing users?
Our app (app1) was recently transferred from Team A to Team B. While reviewing the Apple login implementation, we discovered that "Sign in with Apple" had been incorrectly set up to use the Service ID and App ID of another app (app2) — specifically, it was using app2.service as the Service ID and app2 as the App ID. In other words, app1’s users were authenticated through app2’s credentials due to a misconfiguration on our part. Now that app1 has been transferred to Team B, we’re trying to preserve those users. However, app2 is still in Team A, and we cannot maintain Team A anymore — meaning app2 must also be transferred to Team B if we want to retain access to the user data. One idea we considered is submitting app2 for App Review (even though it's non-functional) just to fulfill the transfer requirements, and then transferring it to Team B solely to retain the Apple login setup. Is this approach acceptable? Are there any recommended ways to handle this kind of misconfiguration while preserving existing Sign in with Apple users?
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173
Nov ’25
Apply MacOS OS updated without password prompt
Hello, I am currently researching to develop an application where I want to apply the MacOS updates without the password prompt shown to the users. I did some research on this and understand that an MDM solution can apply these patches without user intervention. Are there any other ways we can achieve this? Any leads are much appreciated.
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3
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316
Activity
Jul ’25
macOS 14.8 Keychain Import Fails for PKCS#12 Files Generated with OpenSSL 3.4.0
We recently upgraded OpenSSL from version 1.1.1 to 3.4.0. After this upgrade, we observed that PKCS#12 files generated using OpenSSL 3.4.0 fail to import into the macOS Keychain with the following error: Failed to import PKCS#12 data: -25264 (MAC verification failed during PKCS12 import (wrong password?)) This issue is reproducible on macOS 14.8.2. The same PKCS#12 files import successfully on other macOS versions, including 15.x and 26.x. Additionally, PKCS#12 files that fail to import on macOS 14.8 work correctly when copied and imported on other macOS versions without any errors. PKCS#12 Creation The PKCS#12 data is created using the following OpenSSL API: const char* platformPKCS12SecureKey = _platformSecureKey.has_value() ? _platformSecureKey.value().c_str() : NULL; PKCS12* p12 = PKCS12_create( platformPKCS12SecureKey, NULL, keys, _cert, NULL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ); if (!p12) { throw std::runtime_error("Failed to create PKCS#12 container"); } PKCS#12 Import The generated PKCS#12 data is imported into the macOS Keychain using the following code: NSString *certPassKey = [NSString stringWithUTF8String:getCertPassKey()]; NSDictionary *options = @{ (__bridge id)kSecImportExportPassphrase: certPassKey, (__bridge id)kSecAttrAccessible: (__bridge id)kSecAttrAccessibleAfterFirstUnlockThisDeviceOnly, (__bridge id)kSecAttrIsExtractable: @YES, (__bridge id)kSecAttrIsPermanent: @YES, (__bridge id)kSecAttrAccessGroup: APP_GROUP }; CFArrayRef items = NULL; OSStatus status = SecPKCS12Import( (__bridge CFDataRef)pkcs12Data, (__bridge CFDictionaryRef)options, &items );
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1
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290
Activity
Jan ’26
Persistent Tokens for Keychain Unlock in Platform SSO
While working with Platform SSO on macOS, I’m trying to better understand how the system handles cases where a user’s local account password becomes unsynchronized with their Identity Provider (IdP) password—for example, when the device is offline during a password change. My assumption is that macOS may store some form of persistent token during the Platform SSO user registration process (such as a certificate or similar credential), and that this token could allow the system to unlock the user’s login keychain even if the local password no longer matches the IdP password. I’m hoping to get clarification on the following: Does macOS actually use a persistent token to unlock the login keychain when the local account password is out of sync with the IdP password? If so, how is that mechanism designed to work? If such a capability exists, is it something developers can leverage to enable a true passwordless authentication experience at the login window and lock screen (i.e., avoiding the need for a local password fallback)? I’m trying to confirm what macOS officially supports so I can understand whether passwordless login is achievable using the persistent-token approach. Thanks in advance for any clarification.
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1
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0
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129
Activity
Dec ’25
Launch Constraint, SIP and legacy launchd plist
I have 2 basic questions related to Launch Constraints: [Q1] Are Launch Constraints supposed to work when SIP is disabled? From what I'm observing, when SIP is disabled, Launch Constraints (e.g. Launch Constraint Parent Process) are not enforced. I can understand that. But it's a bit confusing considering that the stack diagram in the WWDC 2023 session is placing the 'Environment Constraints' block under SIP, not above. Also the documentation only mentions SIP for the 'is-sip-protected' fact. [Q2] Is the SpawnConstraint key in legacy launchd plist files (i.e. inside /Library/Launch(Agents|Daemons)) officially supported? From what I'm seeing, it seems to be working when SIP is enabled. But the WWDC session and the documentation don't really talk about this case.
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11
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0
Views
390
Activity
Jun ’25
Problem with Private Access Token (PAT)
Since October 3rd, I've stopped receiving responses to the Private Access Tokens challenge. I'm using this link: https://demo-issuer.private-access-tokens.fastly.com/.well-known/token-issuer-directory. I receive tokens from Fastly and return a header to the iOS app, but then I don't receive another authentication request from iOS. The user has automatic verification enabled on their phone. The problem is global and affects all my mobile app users. Has anyone encountered a similar problem and found a solution?
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16
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Views
2.1k
Activity
Dec ’25
TKTokenSession not used
Hi, I'm working on developing my own CryptoTokenKit (CTK) extension to enable codesign with HSM-backed keys. Here's what I’ve done so far: The container app sets up the tokenConfiguration with TKTokenKeychainCertificate and TKTokenKeychainKey. The extension registers successfully and is visible via pluginkit when launching the container app. The virtual smartcard appears when running security list-smartcards. The certificate, key, and identity are all visible using security export-smartcard -i [card]. However, nothing appears in the Keychain. After adding logging and reviewing output in the Console, I’ve observed the following behavior when running codesign: My TKTokenSession is instantiated correctly, using my custom TKToken implementation — so far, so good. However, none of the following TKTokenSession methods are ever called: func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, beginAuthFor operation: TKTokenOperation, constraint: Any) throws -> TKTokenAuthOperation func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, supports operation: TKTokenOperation, keyObjectID: TKToken.ObjectID, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm) -> Bool func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, sign dataToSign: Data, keyObjectID: Any, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm) throws -> Data func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, decrypt ciphertext: Data, keyObjectID: Any, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm) throws -> Data func tokenSession(_ session: TKTokenSession, performKeyExchange otherPartyPublicKeyData: Data, keyObjectID objectID: Any, algorithm: TKTokenKeyAlgorithm, parameters: TKTokenKeyExchangeParameters) throws -> Data The only relevant Console log is: default 11:31:15.453969+0200 PersistentToken [0x154d04850] invalidated because the client process (pid 4899) either cancelled the connection or exited There’s no crash report related to the extension, so my assumption is that ctkd is closing the connection for some unknown reason. Is there any way to debug this further? Thank you for your help.
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3
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152
Activity
Apr ’25
Cannot find developer mode in iPhone 16
Cannot find developer mode in iPhone 16. Please help me resolve this
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1
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0
Views
1.7k
Activity
Jul ’25
What is the code signing trust level?
In some crashlog files, there are additional pieces of information related to codesigning. I can understand what most of themcorresponds to (ID, TeamID, Flags, Validation Category). But there is one I have some doubt about: Trust Level. As far as I can tell (or at least what Google and other search engines say), this is an unsigned 32 bit integer that defines the trust level with -1 being untrusted, 0, being basically an Apple executable and other potential bigger values corresponding to App Store binaries, Developer ID signature, etc. Yet, I'm not able to find a corresponding detailed documentation about this on Apple's developer website. I also had a look at the LightweightCodeRequirements "include" file and there does not seem to be such a field available. [Q] Is there any official documentation listing the different values for this trust level value and providing a clear description of what it corresponds to?
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4
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0
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353
Activity
Jul ’25
deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithCompanion evaluation not working as expected
In one of my apps I would like to find out if users have their device set up to authenticate with their Apple Watch. According to the documentation (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/localauthentication/lapolicy/deviceownerauthenticationwithcompanion) this would be done by evaluating the LAPolicy like this: var error: NSError? var canEvaluateCompanion = false if #available(iOS 18.0, *) { canEvaluateCompanion = context.canEvaluatePolicy(.deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithCompanion, error: &error) } But when I run this on my iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 18.5) with a paired Apple Watch SE 2nd Gen (watchOS 11.5) it always returns false and the error is -1000 "No companion device available". But authentication with my watch is definitely enabled, because I regularly unlock my phone with the watch. Other evaluations of using biometrics just works as expected. Anything that I am missing?
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2
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0
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213
Activity
Jul ’25
Unable to change App Tracking configuration
I have reached out to support and they simply tell me they are unable to help me, first redirecting me to generic Apple support, after following up they provided the explanation that they only handle administrative tasks and to post on the forums. I am unable to change my App Tracking Transparency it provides no real error, though network traffic shows a 409 HTTP response from the backend API when trying to save. Here is a screenshot of the result when trying to save. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this resolved? I've commented back to the reviewers and they simply provided help documentation. I have a technical issue and am unable to get anyone to help resolve this.
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2
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0
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373
Activity
Nov ’25
App Transfer and User Migration - Questions on Apple Sign-In Token Behavior and Testing Process
Hi Apple Developer Community, We have carefully reviewed the documentation on App Transfer and User Migration, but we still have a few unresolved questions regarding Apple Sign-In token behavior and testing strategies. Would appreciate any guidance! Token Behavior for Pre-Transfer App Versions After the app transfer: If a user logs in via an existing pre-transfer version of the app (published under Team A before transfer), will the Apple Sign-In token’s sub (or private email) switch to new value tie to Team B, or unchanged? This is critical for our user migration plan. Preserving sub Across Transfers (Internal Team Transfer) Since our app-transfer is an internal transfer (no change in app ownership outside our organization), is there a way to retain the original sub value(or private email) for users after the transfer? We are concerned that Apple Sign-In errors during the app transfer process may negatively impact user experience. Testing the Transfer Process Safely We’d like to simulate the app transfer and user migration process in a sandbox/test environment before executing it in production. Is there a way to test app transfers without affecting live users? (e.g., a staging mode for transfers) Thank you for your expertise! Any insights would be invaluable.
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1
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0
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375
Activity
Nov ’25
Migrating Sign in with Apple users for an app transfer
Question detail Dear Apple Developer Technical Support, We are currently following the official Apple documentation “TN3159: Migrating Sign in with Apple users for an app transfer” to carry out a Sign in with Apple user migration after successfully transferring several apps to a new developer account. Here is a summary of our situation: Under the original Apple developer account, we had five apps using Sign in with Apple, grouped under a shared primary app using App Grouping. Recently, we transferred three of these apps to our new Apple developer account via App Store Connect. After the transfer, these three apps are no longer associated with the original primary App ID. We reconfigured individual Services IDs for each app in the new account and enabled Sign in with Apple for each. More than 24 hours have passed since the app transfer was completed. Now we are attempting to follow the migration process to restore user access via the user.migration flow. Specifically, we are using the following script to request an Apple access token: url = "https://appleid.apple.com/auth/token" headers = {"Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"} data = { "grant_type": "client_credentials", "scope": "user.migration", "client_id": "com.game.friends.ios.xxxx", # New Primary ID in the new account "client_secret": "<JWT signed with new p8 key>" } response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, data=data) However, the API response consistently returns: { "error": "invalid_client" } We have verified that the following configurations are correct: The client_secret is generated using the p8 key from the new account, signed with ES256 and correct key_id, team_id, and client_id. The client_id corresponds to the Services ID created in the new account and properly associated with the migrated app. The scope is set to user.migration. The JWT payload contains correct iss, sub, and aud values as per Apple documentation. The app has been fully transferred and reconfigured more than 24 hours ago. Problem Summary & Request for Support: According to Apple’s official documentation: “After an app is transferred, Apple updates the Sign in with Apple configuration in the background. This can take up to 24 hours. During this time, attempts to authenticate users or validate tokens may fail.” However, we are still consistently receiving invalid_client errors after the 24-hour waiting period. We suspect one of the following issues: The transferred apps may still be partially associated with the original App Grouping or primary App ID. Some Sign in with Apple configuration in Apple’s backend may not have been fully updated after the transfer. Or the Services ID is not yet fully operational for the transferred apps in the new account. We kindly request your assistance to: Verify whether the transferred apps have been completely detached from the original App Grouping and primary App ID. Confirm whether the new Services IDs under the new account are fully functional and eligible for Sign in with Apple with user.migration scope. Help identify any remaining configuration or migration issues that may cause the invalid_client error. If necessary, assist in manually ungrouping or clearing any residual App Grouping relationships affecting the new environment. We have also generated and retained the original transfer_sub identifiers and are fully prepared to complete the sub mapping once the user.migration flow becomes functional. Thank you very much for your time and support!
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2
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0
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580
Activity
Nov ’25
Sending email to private.email from transferred app
Goal I want to reply to feedback from customers who signed up using a private.relay account. Problem I am getting this error when sending an email: Reporting-MTA: dns; mailfout.stl.internal X-Postfix-Queue-ID: B87481D0015B X-Postfix-Sender: rfc822; hello@mydomain.com Arrival-Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2025 03:37:29 -0500 (EST) Final-Recipient: rfc822; xxxx@privaterelay.appleid.com Original-Recipient: rfc822;xxxx@privaterelay.appleid.com Action: failed Status: 5.1.1 Remote-MTA: dns; smtp3.privaterelay.appleid.com Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 5.1.1 <hello@mydomain.com>: unauthorized sender What have I done? I have configured mydomain.com in the Email Configuration Service inside of apple, as well as the email hello@mydomain.com. Using https://www.mail-tester.com/, I could confirm that the - [SPF] Your server 202.12.124.158 is authorized to use hello@mydomain.com - Your DKIM signature is valid - Your message passed the DMARC test My hunch This app was transferred and the previous owner did not have the email configuration set up. The emails I am writing messages to signed up at that time. Questions: If I rescue the old account and set up the email configuration, would it work? Is there any other tip I could try to apply?
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1
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150
Activity
Nov ’25
Error when using SecItemAdd with kSecReturnPersistentRef and user presence kSecAttrAccessControl
I'm trying to add a generic password to the keychain and get back the persistent ID for it, and give it .userPresence access control. Unfortunately, if I include that, I get paramError back from SecItemAdd. Here's the code: @discardableResult func set(username: String, hostname: String?, password: String, comment: String? = nil) throws -> PasswordEntry { // Delete any existing matching password… if let existing = try? getEntry(forUsername: username, hostname: hostname) { try deletePassword(withID: existing.id) } // Store the new password… var label = username if let hostname { label = label + "@" + hostname } var item: [String: Any] = [ kSecClass as String : kSecClassGenericPassword, kSecAttrDescription as String : "TermPass Password", kSecAttrGeneric as String : self.bundleID.data(using: .utf8)!, kSecAttrLabel as String : label, kSecAttrAccount as String : username, kSecValueData as String : password.data(using: .utf8)!, kSecReturnData as String : true, kSecReturnPersistentRef as String: true, ] if self.synchronizable { item[kSecAttrSynchronizable as String] = kCFBooleanTrue! } if let hostname { item[kSecAttrService as String] = hostname } if let comment { item[kSecAttrComment as String] = comment } // Apply access control to require the user to prove presence when // retrieving this password… var error: Unmanaged<CFError>? guard let accessControl = SecAccessControlCreateWithFlags(nil, kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly, .userPresence, &error) else { let cfError = error!.takeUnretainedValue() as Error throw cfError } item[kSecAttrAccessControl as String] = accessControl item[kSecAttrAccessible as String] = kSecAttrAccessibleWhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly var result: AnyObject! let status = SecItemAdd(item as CFDictionary, &result) try Errors.throwIfError(osstatus: status) load() guard let secItem = result as? [String : Any], let persistentRef = secItem[kSecValuePersistentRef as String] as? Data else { throw Errors.malformedItem } let entry = PasswordEntry(id: persistentRef, username: username, hostname: hostname, password: password, comment: comment) return entry } (Note that I also tried it omitting kSecAttrAccessible, but it had no effect.) This code works fine if I omit setting kSecAttrAccessControl. Any ideas? TIA!
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6
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0
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176
Activity
Jul ’25
Mail relay not allowed
Dear Sir or Madam, Thank you for your continued support. My name is Sato from atmos. We are currently working with a vendor to implement Apple Sign In as a login method for our app, but we are encountering some issues and would like to contact you about them. The Apple Sign In functionality itself is almost complete, but during verification, email relay is not permitted by Apple when Apple Sign In is used with a non-public email address, making it impossible to complete email relay verification for users. We have reviewed the settings in “/account/resources/services/configure,” checked your FAQ, and explored all other possible solutions within our scope, but the situation remains unchanged. Would it be possible for your team to confirm the cause of the email relay not being permitted? Thank you for your assistance. atmos Sato Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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1
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0
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193
Activity
Nov ’25
Why does my app lose Screen Recording permission after updating (adhoc signature)?
Hi everyone, I have a macOS application that uses Screen Recording permission. I build my app with an adhoc signature (not with a Developer ID certificate). For example, in version 1.0.0, I grant Screen Recording permission to the app. Later, I build a new version (1.1.0) and update by dragging the new app into the Applications folder to overwrite the previous one. However, when I launch the updated app, it asks for Screen Recording permission again, even though I have already granted it for the previous version. I don’t fully understand how TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) determines when permissions need to be re-granted. Can anyone explain how TCC manages permissions for updated builds, especially with adhoc signatures? Is there any way to retain permissions between updates, or any best practices to avoid having users re-authorize permissions after every update?
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2
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0
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276
Activity
Aug ’25
App IPA upgrade loses access to keychaingroup
Hi, Our App relies on a keychain to store certificates and key-value pairs. However, when we upgraded from an older XCode 15.2 (1 year old) app version to a newer version XCode 16.2 (with identical keychain-groups entitlement), we found that the newer ipa cannot see the older keychain group anymore... We tried Testflight builds, but limited to only generating newer versions, we tried using the older App's code, cast as a newer App version, and then upgraded to the newer code (with an even newer app version!). Surprisingly we were able to see the older keychain group. So it seems that there's something different between the packaging/profile of the older (1 year) and newer (current) App versions that seems to cause the new version to not see the old keychainGroup... Any ideas?
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1
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0
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204
Activity
Aug ’25
Private Relay emails bounced as 'Unauthorized Sender'
Private relay emails are not being delivered, even though we've followed the guidance here, https://developer.apple.com/help/account/capabilities/configure-private-email-relay-service/ iCloud, gmail etc. get delivered fine but as soon as its a private relay email address they get bounced as unauthorized sender. We've tried a couple of domains but here I'll document test.x.domain.com We have registered domains (test.x.domain.com), also the sender communication emails just to be safe (noreply at test.x.domain.com). Passed SPF Authentication, DKIM Authentication. ESP account shows as all green checks in mailgun. Is there any way to track down what the actual rejection reason is? { "@timestamp": "2025-08-20T14:30:59.801Z", "account": { "id": "6425b45fb2fd1e28f4e0110a" }, "delivery-status": { "attempt-no": 1, "bounce-type": "soft", "certificate-verified": true, "code": 550, "enhanced-code": "5.1.1", "first-delivery-attempt-seconds": 0.014, "message": "5.1.1 <bounce+b53c9e.27949-6qj4xaisn4k=privaterelay.appleid.com@test.x.domain.com>: unauthorized sender", "mx-host": "smtp3.privaterelay.appleid.com", "session-seconds": 1.7229999999999999, "tls": true }, "domain": { "name": "test.x.domain.com" }, "envelope": { "sender": "noreply@test.x.domain.com", "sending-ip": "111.22.101.215", "targets": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com", "transport": "smtp" }, "event": "failed", "flags": { "is-authenticated": true, "is-delayed-bounce": false, "is-routed": false, "is-system-test": false, "is-test-mode": false }, "id": "1gtVBeZYQ0yO1SzipVP99Q", "log-level": "error", "message": { "headers": { "from": "\"Test Mail\" <noreply@test.x.domain.com>", "message-id": "20250820143058.7cac292cf03993f2@test.x.domain.com", "subject": "Test Mail", "to": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com" }, "size": 22854 }, "primary-dkim": "s1._domainkey.test.x.domain.com", "reason": "generic", "recipient": "6qj4xaisn4k@privaterelay.appleid.com", "recipient-domain": "privaterelay.appleid.com", "recipient-provider": "Apple", "severity": "permanent", "storage": { "env": "production", "key": "BAABAgFDX5nmZ7fqxxxxxxZNzEVxPmZ8_YQ", "region": "europe-west1", "url": [ "https://storage-europe-west1.api.mailgun.net/v3/domains/test.x.domain.com/messages/BAABAgFDXxxxxxxxxxxxxxNzEVxPmZ8_YQ" ] }, "user-variables": {} }
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2
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0
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837
Activity
Nov ’25
Users Not Receiving Emails via Apple Private Relay
Hello. Some of my users are signing in using "Sign in with Apple" and choosing the "Hide My Email" option. As expected, Apple generates a private relay email address. However, emails that we send to these addresses are not being delivered — the users report that they are not receiving anything. We’ve configured our email sending domains in the Apple Developer portal, and all domains have been successfully verified with SPF records marked as OK. Our system is sending the emails as usual, and we're not receiving any bounce-back or error messages. Everything looks fine on our end. Is there something specific we need to configure to ensure emails sent to privaterelay.appleid.com addresses are delivered correctly? Are there any known limitations or additional requirements for using Apple's private relay service? Thank you!
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1
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0
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426
Activity
Nov ’25
App using wrong Apple login service ID from another app — how to preserve existing users?
Our app (app1) was recently transferred from Team A to Team B. While reviewing the Apple login implementation, we discovered that "Sign in with Apple" had been incorrectly set up to use the Service ID and App ID of another app (app2) — specifically, it was using app2.service as the Service ID and app2 as the App ID. In other words, app1’s users were authenticated through app2’s credentials due to a misconfiguration on our part. Now that app1 has been transferred to Team B, we’re trying to preserve those users. However, app2 is still in Team A, and we cannot maintain Team A anymore — meaning app2 must also be transferred to Team B if we want to retain access to the user data. One idea we considered is submitting app2 for App Review (even though it's non-functional) just to fulfill the transfer requirements, and then transferring it to Team B solely to retain the Apple login setup. Is this approach acceptable? Are there any recommended ways to handle this kind of misconfiguration while preserving existing Sign in with Apple users?
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1
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0
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173
Activity
Nov ’25