I’m trying to integrate Screen Time usage data into my iOS app.
The goal is to fetch the total time a user spends on their device (daily or weekly), and store this locally for analysis.
So far, I’ve explored the DeviceActivity and FamilyControls frameworks:
1.DeviceActivityReport works but seems tied to extensions that show reports, not directly fetching raw values inside the main app.
2.I haven’t found a way to simply retrieve the total screen-on time (similar to what Settings → Screen Time shows).
My questions:
1.Is there any public API that allows retrieving the user’s total Screen Time (like the one shown in Settings)?
If yes, what’s the correct approach — should I use 2.DeviceActivityMonitorExtension, FamilyActivitySelection, or another framework?
3.If not, is it expected that this data is only available in the Settings app and not exposed to developers?
Any guidance or official confirmation would be really helpful.
Thanks in advance!
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In my case, when I try to block calls on iOS 26, the blocking doesn't occur; the scenarios seem intermittent. If I create two CallDirectory extensions, the first blocks the numbers, but the second doesn't. Interestingly, the extension marks the number as suspicious. There's also a case where, on iOS 26 on an iPhone 16 Pro, the functionality doesn't work at all. I'd like to know if there have been any changes to the use of CallKit in iOS 26, because users of my app on iOS 18 and below report successful blocking.
Hi all,
I’m working on a Screen Time app using Managed Settings and ShieldConfiguration, and I’ve run into an issue where screen time is still being counted while the shield is shown — even when the user never interacts with the underlying app content.
This happens both when I use the default shield and when I configure a custom ShieldConfiguration with a ShieldAction. As long as the shield is visible, the time appears to count toward the app’s usage. For example, if I leave the shield up for 20 minutes, Screen Time logs it as 20 minutes of app usage — even if no content is accessed behind the shield.
Is this expected behavior? Is there a way to prevent Screen Time from counting time while the shield is shown?
Any insights or workarounds would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Connor
When we request auth from the AuthorizationCenter, it seems that we're only really able to allow users to control the apps on the parent's phone. Is there a way to allow us to let parents manage apps on the kid's device directly through our parent app?
For context, we have 2 different apps, one for the parent and one for the child. The child is able to purchase screen time and the parent can redeem them (activate those minutes) from their end.
I'm developing a VoIP app.
Currently, I'm using CallKit to control call acceptance, and end-of-call processing.
When a call comes in while using the phone, CallKit appears as a banner at the top of the screen.
When I click "Accept" on the banner, the app opens and the call is received. (For OEMs, clicking the "Accept" button in the banner will accept the call as is.)
The reason this feature is needed is, for example, when a call comes in as a banner call while using a navigation app, accepting the call causes the navigation app to go to the back and the VoIP app to come to the foreground, causing inconvenience to customers. This needs to be improved.
Please advise.
Original discussion pre iOS 26
Our app uses Auth0 with HTTPS callback, we've found the issue where AASA file is not ready immediately when app is initially launched, which is the exact issue from the above link.
The issue seems mostly fixed on later versions on iOS 18, however, we are seeing some indications of a regression on iOS 26. Here's some measurement over the last week.
| Platform | iOS 18 | iOS 26 |
|---------------|----------|--------|
| Adoption rate | 55% | 45% |
| Issue seen | 1 | 5 |
| Recover? | Yes | No |
This only 1 iOS 18 instance was able to recover after 1 second after the first try, however, all iOS 26 instances were not able to recover in couple tens of seconds and less than 1 minute, the user eventually gave up.
Is there a way to force app to update AASA file?
Are there some iOS setting (like using a VPN) that could potentially downgrade the AASA fetch?
Related Auth0 discussion:
https://community.auth0.com/t/ios-application-not-
recognizing-auth0-associated-domain/134847/27
I’m currently developing a spam number blocking app using CallKit.
I’ve confirmed that up to iOS 26 beta 5, there is a bug where number blocking doesn’t work.
In my current tests, the ringtone doesn’t sound and the blocking works fine, but the call still appears in the missed calls list, which is bothersome.
If the bug is fixed in future versions (as it was in previous versions), is there a way to block the number so that it also does not appear in missed calls?
I'm currently working with the FamilyControls API and testing my app on two different devices. Both apps are in the same family-sharing network with one phone being the owner of the network (I'll call this A) and the other one being an adult in the network(I'll call this B).
When device A picks apps using the FamilyActivityPicker, it shares that selection with device B (via encoding, sending over network, and decoding on device B). However, interacting with the token (displaying it, using it in shield) throws an error saying the token is null.
From the documentation, I thought every token would be the same across all devices in the family sharing network. So my question:
How do I send the FamilyActivitySelection from A to B and have the tokens still be functional?
Does this functionality only work if A is a "parent" and B is a "child" in the family sharing network?
Also, side note:
If I reverse the process and send the tokens from B to A. Interacting with the token works exactly as expected. For some reason, it's only going from A to B where it doesn't work.
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
Application Services
Family Controls
Screen Time
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.
On macOS 26, I've run into a situation when a user “customizes” a folder icon with Finder by assigning/changing an SF Symbol or an emoji, QLThumbnailGenerator keeps returning the stale initially retrieved folder icon (no matter whether it had been customized or not) until my app quits. After the app is re-launched, the icon is correctly retrieved once again.
let generator = QLThumbnailGenerator.shared
let size: CGSize = CGSize(width: 64, height: 64)
let request = QLThumbnailGenerator.Request(fileAt: url, size: size, scale: NSScreen.main!.backingScaleFactor, representationTypes: .icon)
request.iconMode = true
do {
let thumb = try await generator.generateBestRepresentation(for: request)
thumb.nsImage.size = size
return thumb.nsImage
} catch {
print("generateThumbnail: \(error)")
return nil
}
It seems like the QuickLook Thumbnailing cache does not invalidate automatically upon folder customization. Is there any way to manually invalidate the QuickLook Thumbnailing cache?
Our app receives a CallKit VoIP call. When the user taps “Answer”, the app launches and automatically connects to a real-time audio session using WebRTC or MobileRTC.
We would like to confirm whether the following flow (“CallKit Answer → app opens → automatic WebRTC or MobileRTC audio session connection”) complies with Apple’s VoIP Push / CallKit policy.
In addition, our service also provides real-time video-class functionality using the Zoom Meeting SDK (MobileRTC). When an incoming CallKit VoIP call is answered, the app launches and the user is automatically taken to the Zoom-based video lesson flow: the app opens → the user is landed on the Zoom Meeting pre-meeting room → MobileRTC initializes immediately. In the pre-meeting room, audio and video streams can already be active and MobileRTC establishes a connection, but the actual meeting screen is not joined until the user explicitly taps “Join”. We would like to confirm whether this flow for video lessons (“CallKit Answer → app opens → pre-meeting room (audio/video active) → user taps ‘Join’ → enter actual meeting”) is also compliant with Apple’s VoIP Push and CallKit policy.
Hi Apple Developer,
I’m working on a message-filtering application and reviewing Apple's documentation on message filtering. The documentation clearly states that MMS messages can be filtered. (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/identitylookup/sms-and-mms-message-filtering)
When we refer to MMS, it includes images, short videos, and other supported multimedia formats. However, the ILMessageFilterQueryRequest only provides the message body as a String, meaning we can access text and links but not images or other media files.
Could you please confirm whether Apple allows third-party applications to access multimedia content sent from unknown numbers?
Looking forward to your quick response.
Thanks,
Rijul Singhal
I followed the method outlined in Apple's documentation to test "Revocation of Consent." Our server received the notification sent by Apple, but the parsed data only contains the following content (some data has been modified for privacy, but the fields remain unchanged):
{
"receiptType": "Sandbox",
"bundleId": "com.xxx.xxxxx",
"receiptCreationDate": 1764932591296,
"requestDate": 1764932591296,
"originalPurchaseDate": 1375340400000,
"originalApplicationVersion": "1.0",
"appTransactionId": "705020051250081000",
"originalPlatform": "iOS"
}
How can we identify that "a parent/guardian has revoked authorization for a specific user"? We are unable to determine which minor user should be restricted from using certain features of our app.
I hope to receive a prompt response from Apple's technical experts!
Thanks A Lot !
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
General
Hi
We have an AppleTV app that is used to continuously display information (digital signage). One of our clients reports that their AppleTV returns to the homescreen by morning.
While our recommendation is to setup Mobile Device Management to lock the AppleTV into running only our app, not every client will have the IT knowledge to set this up. So we're trying to figure out possible causes for the app getting closed.
We've not received any crash reports, nor does the device give any indication the app crashed.
The energy saving settings are set to run continuously without sleep.
The client is reporting this happens every night, so it seems unlikely to be caused by tvOS updates.
Are there other things I could rule out to find the cause of this issue? Any ideas are welcome, thanks!
I am using AlarmKit in my app. When I access:
AlarmManager.shared.authorizationState
It always returns notDetermined, even when I have previously granted the app permission to use alarms via:
try await AlarmManager.shared.requestAuthorization()
Calling this API again grants me the permission though, without showing the permission prompt to the user.
This sounds like a bug - if the permission has been granted, accessing authorizationState should return .authorized. It shouldn't require me to call requestAuthorization() again to update the authorization status again?
Environment:
iOS 26 beta 3
Xcode 26 beta 3
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
General
Is there any resource which describes this type of errors?
I was integrating SKADNetwork view through Ad attribution and everything from the source app side is done and this error
appears after the target app is installed and opened.
Here is the full error
Error setting install attribution pingback registered for app: <APP ID>, error: Error Domain=ASDErrorDomain Code=1209 "SKAdNetwork: Could not set registered for pingback that does not exist." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=SKAdNetwork: Could not set registered for pingback that does not exist.}, result: 0
I cannot find any resource on the internet which gives any info about this ASDErrors.
If anyone can help, you would be doing me a solid, Thanks in advance.
In iOS 26.1, after my app answers a VoIP call on the lock screen, tapping the bottom-left "More" button doesn't bring up the app icon to jump to the app. The same scenario works normally on iOS 26. How can I resolve this issue?
The API we used:
NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:@"App-Prefs:INTERNET_TETHERING"];
The link provided by Apple engineer:
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/761314
I did not find any URL in the link that leads to the secondary menu of system settings. Does this suggest that iOS 26 does not support this functionality? Moreover, is it possible that versions of iOS 18 and earlier may also not support this behavior in the future?
class ShieldActionExtension: ShieldActionDelegate {
override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for application: ApplicationToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) {
// Handle the action as needed.
switch action {
case .primaryButtonPressed:
if let url = URL(string: "blockfocusapp://") {
let extensionContext = NSExtensionContext()
extensionContext.open(url, completionHandler: nil)
}
//
completionHandler(.defer)
case .secondaryButtonPressed:
let userDefaults = UserDefaults(suiteName: "group.in.appsquare.FocusApp.shieldExt")
userDefaults?.set(false, forKey: "shouldOpenMainApp")
completionHandler(.defer)
@unknown default:
fatalError()
}
}
override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for webDomain: WebDomainToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) {
// Handle the action as needed.
completionHandler(.close)
}
override func handle(action: ShieldAction, for category: ActivityCategoryToken, completionHandler: @escaping (ShieldActionResponse) -> Void) {
// Handle the action as needed.
completionHandler(.close)
}
}
I want to be able to open my app from ShieldActionExtension
I have been trying to use TipKit popovers in my App. They all behave as expected in the simulator but on a real device I am seeing some strange behaviors. I have a couple of instances of where the tip is displaying an entire sheet instead of just the popover. In another case I cannot dismiss the Tip. Has anyone seen these behaviors and are there known issues/workarounds for this?
I am reluctant to use something that works perfectly in the simulator but gives unpredictable results on a device. Not a good user experience in my opinion.