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Detecting When App Token Is Removed Due to Category Selection in FamilyActivityPicker
I'm working with the Screen Time API (FamilyActivityPicker) in SwiftUI and need help with a specific scenario. I'm using the FamilyActivityPicker to let users select apps and categories to block. I save the previous selection (both applicationTokens and categoryTokens) locally. When the user updates their selection, I compare the new selection with the saved one to determine which apps or categories were removed. However, I’m trying to handle a specific case: when an individual app token is removed from the selection because its entire category was selected instead. In this situation, even though the app is no longer in applicationTokens, it's still blocked due to its category being included in categoryTokens. Since I need to show users which apps were actually removed, I want to avoid listing apps that are still indirectly blocked via a selected category. I’ve created a mapping between ApplicationToken and FamilyActivityCategoryToken to check whether a removed app is still covered by a selected category before displaying it. Is there any way to check this using the current Screen Time APIs, or does the system not give access to the relationship between apps and their categories? Any help or suggestions would mean a lot!
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182
Jul ’25
SIri trigger command conflicts
We're having trouble with getting Siri to hand off specific trigger words to our app via shortcuts. I want to be able to say "Hey Siri Myappname Foobar" but in some cases if Foobar is the name of a specific business it may launch maps instead showing locations of those businesses. Is there any way to inform Siri, "no, *****, launch our app as the shortcut specifies!"
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253
Mar ’25
EKEventStore on Apple Watch not showing all calendars
EKEventStore on Apple Watch is not giving me all calendars. I can see only calendars of the source 'Subscriptions', but non of the calendars of source CalDAV (iCloud). This problem exists over multiple apps. Code works fine on iPhone. Any ideas? Minimal example code: import SwiftUI import EventKit struct ContentView: View { let eventStore = EKEventStore() @State var success: Bool = false @State var calendarNames: [String] = [String]() func request() async { success = (try? await eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents()) ?? false } func list() { calendarNames = eventStore.calendars(for: .event).map { $0.title } } var body: some View { VStack { Image(systemName: "globe") .imageScale(.large) .foregroundStyle(.tint) Text("Access: \(success.description)") ScrollView { ForEach(calendarNames, id: \.self) { name in Text(name) } } } .onAppear { Task { await request() list() } } .padding() } }
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800
Jul ’25
About AppShortcuts limit
I developed a shortcut feature for my app using the AppIntents framework, which can display a maximum of 10 shortcuts in the Shortcuts app. However, I've noticed that apps like Tesla and Porsche have a significantly larger number of shortcuts, far exceeding 10. After searching online, I found that they might be using Intent Extensions and the SiriKit framework. I customized an Intent through SiriKit, checked the option for "Intent is user-configurable in the Shortcuts app" and "Add to Siri." I can find this shortcut when I search for it, but it does not appear on the homepage or under the app category. Is there any way to resolve this?
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180
Aug ’25
The menu can't be shown in background process in MacOS 26(beta)
After I upgraded to MacOS 26(beta), my program caused the system to pop up a window as shown in the following picture. My application is a process with only a tray icon. I found that my tray icon is not displayed in the current version, even though I clicked the "Always Allow" button. Here are my questions: 1.Will this related feature remain consistent in the official release? 2.How can I create a cmd process that only displays a system tray icon (no main window) like Alfred?
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94
Jul ’25
Access resource in swift package from xcframework
I have an iOS app that includes a local Swift package. This Swift package contains some .plist files added as resources. The package also depends on an XCFramework. I want to read these .plist files from within the XCFramework. What I’d like to know is: Is this a common or recommended approach—having resources in a Swift package and accessing them from an XCFramework? Previously, I had the .plist files added directly to the main app target, and accessing them from the XCFramework felt straightforward. With the new setup, I’m trying to determine whether this method (placing resources in a Swift package and accessing them from an XCFramework) is considered good practice. For context: I am currently able to read the .plist files from the XCFramework by passing Bundle.module through one of the APIs exposed by the XCFramework.
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Jun ’25
WeatherKit failing on JWT Error
My app AirCompare has been in the app store and successfully using WeatherKit to fetch weather since it became available. Now some (not all) users are encountering the following errors: Failed to generate jwt token for: com.apple.weatherkit.authservice with error: Error Domain=WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors Code=2 "(null)" Encountered an error when fetching weather data subset; location=<+42.40865786,-88.96911526> +/- 0.00m (speed -1.00 mps / course -1.00) @ 6/23/25, 2:56:47 PM Central Daylight Time, error=WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors 2 Error Domain=WeatherDaemon.WDSJWTAuthenticatorServiceListener.Errors Code=2 "(null)" Others are reporting this same problem here in the forums. We need a solution!
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197
Jun ’25
CallKit outgoing calls UI
i thought it is impossible to have CallKit show system UI for outgoing calls. but then i saw this: "For incoming and outgoing calls, CallKit displays the same interfaces as the Phone app..." https://developer.apple.com/documentation/callkit how do i present it though? or is this a documentation error?
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1.2k
Mar ’25
Screen Time Counting App Usage While Shield Is Displayed
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
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145
Jul ’25
Can a Live Caller ID server supply live data or must it be static?
With the Live Caller ID example server, the caller lookup dataset is defined in an input.txtpd and processed by running a ConstructDatabase command which creates a block.binpb and an identity.binpb file. In other words, a static input file is being processed into static block and identity files. However, in the real world, the data content for identified and blocked numbers is something which is in a constant state of flux and evolution, as new numbers becoming available, old ones become stale, numbers which were initially considered safe change into being considered malicious etc. etc. Is the example server just that, merely an example using fixed datasets, and an actual production server is able to use live every changing data to formulate its response back to the iPhone OS query? Here's a concrete use case - suppose it's a requirement to permit US nanp numbers but to block anything else. The total number of non US nanp numbers is so large and ever changing that it would be unfeasible to attempt to capture them in an input.txtpd file and then process that, and then to re-capture and re-process it endlessly. Instead what would be required is the ability for the Live Caller ID server to evaluate at query time, using a regular expressions for example, if a number is nanp or not. Is this possible?
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858
Mar ’25
TipKit popover Issues...
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.
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169
Aug ’25
DeviceActivityMonitor - Callbacks not trigger
Bellow I created Manager to be easier for me to handle app limits, but for some reason It never reached callbacks function, I have permission for screen time, I added the capabilities for it also, I'm sure, I send correctly the appTokens, categoriesTokens ... and the time limit and it also reach ✅ Monitoring started for..., I don't know what to do anymore: import SwiftUI import DeviceActivity import FamilyControls import ManagedSettings @MainActor class AppUsageManager: DeviceActivityMonitor, ObservableObject { static let shared = AppUsageManager() private let deviceActivityCenter = DeviceActivityCenter() private var monitoringSelections: [DeviceActivityName: (selection: FamilyActivitySelection, timeLimit: DateComponents)] = [:] private var resetTimer: Timer? private override init() { super.init() print("🟢 AppUsageManager initialized.") } // MARK: - Public Methods /// Configures monitoring for a selection with a specific event name and time limit. func configureMonitoring( for selection: FamilyActivitySelection, timeLimitInMinutes: Int, activityName: String, eventName: String ) { let activityName = DeviceActivityName(activityName) let eventName = DeviceActivityEvent.Name(eventName) monitoringSelections[activityName] = (selection, DateComponents(minute: timeLimitInMinutes)) setupMonitoring(for: activityName, with: eventName) } /// Stops monitoring for a specific event. func stopMonitoring(for activityName: String) { let activityName = DeviceActivityName(activityName) Task { print("🛑 Stopping monitoring for \(activityName.rawValue).") deviceActivityCenter.stopMonitoring([activityName]) monitoringSelections.removeValue(forKey: activityName) } } /// Stops all monitoring. func stopAllMonitoring() { print("🛑 Stopping monitoring") deviceActivityCenter.stopMonitoring() } // MARK: - Private Methods /// Sets up monitoring for a specific event. private func setupMonitoring( for activityName: DeviceActivityName, with eventName: DeviceActivityEvent.Name ) { stopAllMonitoring() guard let (selection, timeLimit) = monitoringSelections[activityName] else { print("⚠️ No selection configured for \(activityName.rawValue).") return } print("🛠 Setting up monitoring for \(activityName.rawValue).") print("📋 Monitoring Details:") print("- Time Limit: \(timeLimit.minute ?? 0) minutes.") let warningThreshold = DateComponents(minute: 3) let timeZone = TimeZone.current let schedule = DeviceActivitySchedule( intervalStart: DateComponents(timeZone: timeZone, hour: 0, minute: 0, second: 0), intervalEnd: DateComponents(timeZone: timeZone, hour: 23, minute: 59, second: 59), repeats: true, warningTime: warningThreshold ) let events: [DeviceActivityEvent.Name: DeviceActivityEvent] = [ eventName: DeviceActivityEvent( applications: selection.applicationTokens, categories: selection.categoryTokens, webDomains: selection.webDomainTokens, threshold: timeLimit ) ] do { try deviceActivityCenter.startMonitoring( activityName, during: schedule, events: events ) print("✅ Monitoring started for \(activityName.rawValue) with time limit \(timeLimit.minute ?? 0) minutes.") } catch { print("❌ Failed to start monitoring \(activityName.rawValue): \(error.localizedDescription)") } } // MARK: - DeviceActivityMonitor Overrides override func intervalDidStart(for activity: DeviceActivityName) { print("🟢 Interval for \(activity.rawValue) started.") } override func intervalWillStartWarning(for activity: DeviceActivityName) { print("⚠️ Warning: \(activity.rawValue) is about to start.") } /// Handles warnings for approaching the time limit. override func eventWillReachThresholdWarning( _ event: DeviceActivityEvent.Name, activity: DeviceActivityName ) { super.eventWillReachThresholdWarning(event, activity: activity) print("⚠️ Warning: \(activity.rawValue) is about to reach its time limit.") print("⚠️ Event: \(event.rawValue)") } /// Handles when the time limit is reached. override func eventDidReachThreshold( _ event: DeviceActivityEvent.Name, activity: DeviceActivityName ) { super.eventDidReachThreshold(event, activity: activity) print("🟢 Limit reached.") Task { @MainActor in print("🕒 \(activity.rawValue) has reached its time limit.") print("🕒 Event: \(event.rawValue)") guard let (selection, _) = monitoringSelections[activity] else { print("⚠️ No selection configured for \(activity.rawValue).") return } blockApps(for: selection) } } // MARK: - Blocking Logic /// Blocks the selected apps/categories. private func blockApps(for selection: FamilyActivitySelection) { print("🔒 Blocking apps/categories for selection.") print("- Applications: \(selection.applicationTokens)") print("- Categories: \(selection.categoryTokens)") let store = ManagedSettingsStore() store.shield.applications = selection.applicationTokens store.shield.applicationCategories = .specific(selection.categoryTokens) print("🔒 Apps/categories blocked successfully.") } }
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607
Jan ’25
TipKit: Are tips marked "IgnoresDisplayFrequency" also ignored by display frequency?
Greetings, I have set up two tips in my app, and my app is configured with Tips.configure([.displayFrequency(.daily)]. Tip 1 is set up with no options. Tip 2 has the IgnoresDisplayFrequency(true) option set: var options: [Option] { MaxDisplayCount(3) // We want the user to see these because it's important. IgnoresDisplayFrequency(true) } This option works as expected, as far as I can tell, in terms of making sure that Tip 2 is shown even if I've already seen Tip 1 today. If I interact with my app such that Tip 1 is displayed, and I then interact with it such that Tip 2 should be displayed, Tip 2 shows immediately, even though a day hasn't passed. However, if I do this the other way around, so that Tip 2 is displayed first, and then I interact so that Tip 1 should be displayed, my expectation would be that Tip 1 is not displayed, because another tip has already been shown today. I expected that it would not be shown until the following day, since it is not configured to ignore the tip frequency. That's not what happens, though. Tip 1 is displayed right away, even though Tip 2 has just been shown. This makes me think that setting IgnoresDisplayFrequency on Tip 2 is causing it to also be ignored when considering whether other tips should be shown. I did try omitting IgnoresDisplayFrequency option, and then as expected, only one tip is shown on a day, no matter which one is shown first.
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888
Jun ’25
How to remove INSendMessageIntent in Shortcuts app?
I’ve implemented an Intent Extension and added support for handling the INSendMessageIntent in the intent handler class. Currently, this intent is automatically visible in the Shortcuts app by default. However, for security reasons (as it involves handling phone numbers), I want to restrict the use of this intent to Siri only and ensure it does not appear in the Shortcuts app. Has anyone encountered this requirement before or knows a way to prevent the intent from appearing in the Shortcuts app, while still keeping it functional via Siri? Looking forward to your suggestions!
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395
Jan ’25
How to debug Quick Look Preview Extension
I'm facing the same problem as addressed in this discussion: After switching from legacy QLGenerators to Preview extensions on macOS I cannot debug the extensions' code in Xcode, anymore: I launch the app with the embedded appex from Xcode in debug mode. When trying to attach to the appex process the following error is reported: Code: 6 Failure Reason: Ensure “AppName Preview” is not already running, and matthias has permission to debug it. User Info: {... } System Information macOS Version 15.4.1 (Build 24E263) Xcode 16.3 (23785) (Build 16E140) Timestamp: 2025-05-12T14:07:14+02:00 I'm using a standard user account (no admin) and might miss some obvious steps. Can someone detail the steps to debug a Preview (or Thumbnail) extension with Xcode 16? For legacy Quick Look plugins I was using "qlmanage", but that's not working on extensions. All the best, Matthias P.S.: Pardon me re-posting my reply as a separate thread, to increase visibility, but I'm quite desperate and couldn't find any solution on the web...
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171
May ’25