Apple’s most recent move to increase privacy requires developers to justify their use of some APIs

Recently, Apple has introduced a few changes for developers. The changes will impact the developers who wish to submit their apps to the App Store. Reportedly, they will be required to justify the use of certain APIs they use on the apps. The source of this information is a fresh new article presented on the Apple Developer website.

Some APIs on the website have now been listed under the category “Required Reasons APIs.” It means that developers are required to detail the use of those APIs. UserDefaults is a commonly used API that collects user preferences. As per the information, Apple has placed it under the Required Reason category.

Later this year, when watchOS 10, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, and macOS Sonoma are released, developers who submit apps that use a Required Reason API without mentioning its use will be warned. The apps that fail to provide a legal reason for using such APIs will be excluded from the review process by Spring 2024 onwards.

The company states that the basic reason behind this recent move is to prevent fingerprinting. Basically fingerprinting is a process that tracks users across different websites and apps. It takes into account the API calls that collect information about a user’s device like model, operating system, and screen resolution. The data collected then creates a unique fingerprint that helps identify the user across apps and websites.

The company declares that Required Reasons APIs will ensure that apps only utilize the recommended APIs. If a developer is rejected, Apple will allow them to appeal the decision and submit an appeal for clearance if their situation does not fall within the predetermined parameters.