I'm trying to find a way to create and use a test cloudkit container in my swiftdata-backed app.
I want to test pre-filling the model container with localized content at first run.
To do this I created a test cloudkit container, and assigned it to my debug build profile in settings and capabilities.
I then conditionally reference the test container in my apps cloudkit manager, i.e.:
private let db: CKDatabase
init() {
#if DEBUG
let container = CKContainer(identifier: "iCloud.com.team-name.myappname.testing-de") // Test CloudKit container
#else
let container = CKContainer(identifier: "iCloud.com.team-name.myappname") // Production CloudKit container
#endif
self.db = container.privateCloudDatabase
}
But when I run my app in debug, content is still created in the primary/production container.
Am I missing something? Or is there a better, or documented, way to test cloudkit more robustly?
CloudKit
RSS for tagStore structured app and user data in iCloud containers that can be shared by all users of your app using CloudKit.
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Hey guys, I'm developing a Swift app, using iCloud to store some data in Containers, and the new Containers I created are iCloud.com.xxx.dev . Therefore, there is a storage called dev in Settings -> icloud -> Manage Account Storage. Currently, the app is still under development and has not been released to the Appstore.
My question: Settings -> icloud -> Manage Account Storage does not display my app name and icon, but only the suffix of the Containers id. Will this change after it is released to the Appstore? Are there any other control methods? Thank you
I implemented the cloudkit function, where users can connect with each other. The problem is, that if User A is doing a friend request and User B is accepting the request. The friend entry is correct visible for User B but not for User A. I can see in cloud kit that after the accepted request, the friend connection is set up correctly, also with the correct userID, but it not showing up for User A (the one that send the request)
It's in the public database. In this view you sign in using Apple Sign-In and create a specific user ID. Then you can access a global leaderboard to compare with all signed-in users. Additionaly, there’s a friend tab where you can search for and type in a specific user ID. The target user sees the friend request, can accept it, and then the accepted friend appears in their friend list. However, the original requester doesn’t see the connection after acceptance even though CloudKit shows the records Add comment. I've also tried to add a placeholder in for User A, that e.g he send the request and then has a placeholder where it says e.g pending request to User B. After User B accepted the request, the placeholder will go away and no friend connection is displayed, very strange.
Topic:
Developer Tools & Services
SubTopic:
Xcode
Tags:
CloudKit
Social
CloudKit Dashboard
CloudKit Console
It takes a few seconds, sometimes a few minutes for records to be downloaded back from CloudKit when the user reinstalls the app, which leads users to thinking their data was lost. I would like to know if there’s any way to provide a visual feedback about the current CloudKit sync status so I can let users know their data is being in fact downloaded back to their devices.
Hi everyone!
I have an app on the App Store that uses Core Data as its data store. (It's called Count on Me: Tally Counter. Feel free to check it out.) One of the app's core feature is an interactive widget with a simple button. When the button is tapped, it's supposed to update the entity in the store.
My requirement is that the changes are then reflected with minimal latency in the main app and – ideally – also on other devices of the same iCloud user. And vice-versa: When an entity is updated in the app (or on another device where the same iCloud user is logged in), the widget that shows this entity should also refresh to reflect the changes.
I have read multiple articles, downloaded sample projects, searched Stackoverflow and the Apple developer forums, and tried to squeeze a solution out of AI, but couldn't figure out how to make this work reliably.
So I tried to reduce the core problem to a minimal example project. It has two issues that I cannot resolve:
When I update an entity in the app, the widget is immediately updated as intended (due to a call to WidgetCenter's reloadAllTimelines method). However, when I update the same entity from the interactive widget using the same app intent, the changes are not reflected in the main app.
For the widget and the app to use the same local data store, I need to enable App Groups in both targets and set a custom location for the store within the shared app group. So I specify a custom URL for the NSPersistentStoreDescription when setting up the Core Data stack. The moment I do this, iCloud sync breaks.
Issue no. 1 is far more important to me as I haven't officially enabled iCloud sync yet in my real app that's already on the App Store. But it would be wonderful to resolve issue no. 2 as well. Surely, there must be a way to synchronize changes to the source of truth triggered by interactive widget with other devices of the same iCloud user. Otherwise, the feature to talk to the main app and the feature to synchronize with iCloud would be mutually exclusive.
Some other developers I talked to have suggested that the widget should only communicate proposed changes to the main app and once the main app is opened, it processes these changes and writes them to the NSPersistentCloudKitContainer which then synchronizes across devices. This is not an option for me as it would result in a stale state and potential data conflicts with different devices. For example, when a user has the same widget on their iPhone and their iPad, taps a button on the iPhone widget, that change would not be reflected on the iPad widget until the user decides to open the app on the iPhone. At the same time, the user could tap the button multiple times on their iPad widget, resulting in a conflicting state on both devices. Thus, this approach is not a viable solution.
An answer to this question will be greatly appreciated. The whole code including the setup of the Core Data stack is included in the repository reference above. Thank you!
I am working on a software where we want to add the feature to share the whole database with the other user. Database is iCloud combined with coredata. The other user(s) should be able to edit /delete and even create new objects in the share.
I did this with this code witch directly from sample code
let participants = try await ckConainer.fetchParticipants(matching: [lookupInfo], into: selectedStore)
for participant in participants {
participant.permission = .readWrite
participant.role = .privateUser
share.addParticipant(participant)
}
try await ckConainer.persistUpdatedShare(share, in: selectedStore)
the other user gets invited and I can see this in iCloud database that the other user is invited with status invited.
but the other user never gets a mail or something to accept and join the share. How does the other needs to accept the invitation ?
Hello !
I am using this iCloud key value pair mechanism to save small app configuration between iOS and tvOS.
I would say it is working. But when I go back and forth between debug and release (TestFlight) modes, it is like both apps are not connected anymore.
I spend a lot of time restarting all devices, rebuilding, activating / deactivating iCloud capabilities in the Xcode project.
It is like the app is mixing debug and release data.
Is there an easy way to check what is happening exactly ? I know there's nothing on CloudKit console, so ....
Thank you
Frederic
I am using cloudkit to save users high scores in a public database. The preference over using Game Center is because of simplicity and works really well for what I want to achieve. I simply want to let users know their global position. Because of data privacy laws the app asks the user for their permission to submit their score each time they get a new high score.
However, I have noticed that CKRecords under 'created' and 'modified' in addition to UTC time and date also contain creatorUserRecordID. Could this be a privacy issue? Can you extract any personal information from this? Can this be used to track back to the user? Is it linked to CKUserIdentity which I understand does contain personal information, although as I understand you need users consent to get this information. Under creatorUserRecordID it says... "Every user of the app has a unique user record that is empty by default. Apps can add data to the user record on behalf of the user, but don’t store sensitive data in it"
Currently I simply ask the user if they are happy to submit their score. But do I need to point out that it also stores a creatorUserRecordID? Obviously I don't want to do this if it is not needed as the user will 1) Probably not understand what a creatorUserRecordID is and 2) It makes the question complicated and will likely make most people refuse to submit their score.
If it is a privacy issue, is there anyway to stop a CKRecord creating this ID and simply save a score? All I need is a list of scores so the app can determine their current position.
If creatorUserRecordID does not contain any personal details and cannot be tracked back to the user please let me know, so I can be reassured that my current set up is fine and I am not causing any privacy issues!
This post did seem to indicate you may possibly be able to fetch personal details??
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/55782166/how-do-i-fetch-any-info-about-user-that-modified-ckrecord
I implemented the cloudkit function, where users can connect with each other. The problem is, that if User A is doing a friend request and User B is accepting the request. The friend entry is correct visible for User B but not for User A. I can see in cloud kit that after the accepted request, the friend connection is set up correctly, also with the correct userID, but it not showing up for User A (the one that send the request)
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
iCloud & Data
Tags:
CloudKit
CloudKit Dashboard
CloudKit Console
Recently I am about to transfer my app to another developer account. I checked the official documents to see the preparation I need to make. The most key two things I care are data and subscription. The auto-subscription part is clear and have clear step-by-step instructions. But for the data part, especially I find it was unclear about iCloudKit related service. As a developer I want to keep all user's settings and data when transferring the app. I use CloudKit - CoreData, CloudKit - KV, iCloud Keychain, to save user's preference data, I wonder:
As recipient account, do I need to do anything (like enable some iCloud related features) before accepting a transfer in the aspect of iCloud sharing feature?
I notice that UbiquitousKVStore automatically create a $(TeamIdentifierPrefix)$(CFBundleIdentifier) in my entitlements file. Which means after the transfer, the container's name would change because of TeamID's change. Do I need to change that to use the original TeamID to keep the container's name the same?
As a developer there are actually two stages when transferring an app, "accept a transfer", "publish a new version after accepting a transfer". I wonder when publishing with new account, except for changing the provisioning team file, what others I need to do to ensure that the transferred app has all authority to access "previous service" (like regression test to check if all data, subscription transaction preserved after transfer)?
As recipient account, should I set up my subscription group before accepting a transfer?
When the entity of name would be changed on App Store? Is that the time when the recipient account click "accept the transfer"?
Thanks
Hi! I use Tips with CloudKit and it works very well, however when a user want to remove their data from CloudKit, how to do that?
In CoreData with CloudKit area, NSPersistentCloudKitContainer have purgeObjectsAndRecordsInZone to delete both local managed objects and CloudKit records, however there is no information about the TipKit deletion.
Does anyone know ideas?
I have not had any successful Schema Migration with CloudKit so far so I'm trying to do with with just very basic attributes, with multiple Versioned Schemas
This is the code in my App Main
var sharedModelContainer: ModelContainer = {
let schema = Schema(versionedSchema: AppSchemaV4.self)
do {
return try ModelContainer(
for: schema,
migrationPlan: AppMigrationPlan.self,
configurations: ModelConfiguration(cloudKitDatabase: .automatic))
} catch {
fatalError("Could not create ModelContainer: \(error)")
}
}()
var body: some Scene {
WindowGroup {
ItemListView()
}
.modelContainer(sharedModelContainer)
}
And this is the code for my MigrationPlan and VersionedSchemas.
typealias Item = AppSchemaV4.Item3
enum AppMigrationPlan: SchemaMigrationPlan {
static var schemas: [any VersionedSchema.Type] {
[AppSchemaV1.self, AppSchemaV2.self, AppSchemaV3.self, AppSchemaV4.self]
}
static var stages: [MigrationStage] {
[migrateV1toV2, migrateV2toV3, migrateV3toV4]
}
static let migrateV1toV2 = MigrationStage.lightweight(
fromVersion: AppSchemaV1.self,
toVersion: AppSchemaV2.self
)
static let migrateV2toV3 = MigrationStage.lightweight(
fromVersion: AppSchemaV2.self,
toVersion: AppSchemaV3.self
)
static let migrateV3toV4 = MigrationStage.custom(
fromVersion: AppSchemaV3.self,
toVersion: AppSchemaV4.self,
willMigrate: nil,
didMigrate: { context in
// Fetch all Item1 instances
let item1Descriptor = FetchDescriptor<AppSchemaV3.Item1>()
let items1 = try context.fetch(item1Descriptor)
// Fetch all Item2 instances
let item2Descriptor = FetchDescriptor<AppSchemaV3.Item2>()
let items2 = try context.fetch(item2Descriptor)
// Convert Item1 to Item3
for item in items1 {
let newItem = AppSchemaV4.Item3(name: item.name, text: "Migrated from Item1 on \(item.date)")
context.insert(newItem)
}
// Convert Item2 to Item3
for item in items2 {
let newItem = AppSchemaV4.Item3(name: item.name, text: "Migrated from Item2 with value \(item.value)")
context.insert(newItem)
}
try? context.save()
}
)
}
enum AppSchemaV1: VersionedSchema {
static var versionIdentifier: Schema.Version = Schema.Version(1, 0, 0)
static var models: [any PersistentModel.Type] {
[Item1.self]
}
@Model class Item1 {
var name: String = ""
init(name: String) {
self.name = name
}
}
}
enum AppSchemaV2: VersionedSchema {
static var versionIdentifier: Schema.Version = Schema.Version(2, 0, 0)
static var models: [any PersistentModel.Type] {
[Item1.self]
}
@Model class Item1 {
var name: String = ""
var date: Date = Date()
init(name: String) {
self.name = name
self.date = Date()
}
}
}
enum AppSchemaV3: VersionedSchema {
static var versionIdentifier: Schema.Version = Schema.Version(3, 0, 0)
static var models: [any PersistentModel.Type] {
[Item1.self, Item2.self]
}
@Model class Item1 {
var name: String = ""
var date: Date = Date()
init(name: String) {
self.name = name
self.date = Date()
}
}
@Model class Item2 {
var name: String = ""
var value: Int = 0
init(name: String, value: Int) {
self.name = name
self.value = value
}
}
}
enum AppSchemaV4: VersionedSchema {
static var versionIdentifier: Schema.Version = Schema.Version(4, 0, 0)
static var models: [any PersistentModel.Type] {
[Item1.self, Item2.self, Item3.self]
}
@Model class Item1 {
var name: String = ""
var date: Date = Date()
init(name: String) {
self.name = name
self.date = Date()
}
}
@Model class Item2 {
var name: String = ""
var value: Int = 0
init(name: String, value: Int) {
self.name = name
self.value = value
}
}
@Model class Item3 {
var name: String = ""
var text: String = ""
init(name: String, text: String) {
self.name = name
self.text = text
}
}
}
My experiment was:
To create Items for every version of the schema
Updating the typealias along the way to reflect the latest Item version.
Updating the Schema in my ModelContainer to reflect the latest Schema Version.
By AppSchemaV4, I have expected all my Items to be displayed/migrated to Item3, but it does not seem to be the case.
I can only see newly created Item3 records.
My question is, is there something wrong with how I'm doing the migrations? or are migrations not really working with CloudKit right now?
Why is there no option as a CarPlay developer to enable the creation of an App to track and enter your car's maintenance records? I know the pat reply would be Apple doesn't want you to do this while car is in motion. But I would normally do this while parked at the dealership or other service provider no?
Hello,
My app has had CloudKit enabled for a while, but it's not working. I get the error "Invalid bundle ID for container".
Configure CloudKit in your project from TN3164 suggests changing to a new container. I tried changing to a new container, but this leads to data loss.
The article recommends:
"If your CloudKit container is already used in the production environment and switching to a new container leads to data loss, consider filing a feedback report with the following information to request manually associating your CloudKit container with your app ID."
Where can I request this manual association? Is there anything else I can do?
Thank you for your time and assistance. I’d appreciate a prompt resolution, as this issue is blocking our update. Looking forward to guidance.
The Core Problem
After Users sign out from the App, the app isn’t properly retrieving the user on second sign in. Instead, it’s treating the user as “Unknown” and saving a new entry in CloudKit and locally. Is there a tutorial aside from 'Juice' that is recent and up to date?
Problem Description:
When a device (Device 2) stays offline for an extended period after a record is deleted from another synced device (Device 1) via CloudKit, is it possible for Device 2 to miss the deletion notification when it reconnects, even when using CKSyncEngine?
This scenario raises questions about whether CKSyncEngine can reliably sync changes if CloudKit archives or purges metadata related to deletions during the offline period.
Steps to Reproduce:
At time t0:
· Device 1 and Device 2 sync successfully via CKSyncEngine (shared record RecordA).
Device 2 goes offline.
On Device 1:
· Delete RecordA; sync completes via CKSyncEngine.
Wait for a duration potentially exceeding CloudKit’s change retention window (if such a window exists).
Bring Device 2 back online.
Observe synchronization:
· Expected Behavior: CKSyncEngine removes RecordA from Device 2.
· Observed Behavior: RecordA remains on Device 2.
Key Questions:
Under these conditions, can Device 2 permanently miss the deletion event due to CloudKit’s internal metadata management?
Is there a documented retention policy for CloudKit’s change history, and how does CKSyncEngine handle scenarios where this history is truncated?
What is the recommended pattern to ensure no events are missed, regardless of offline duration?
Clarifications Needed:
· If CloudKit does discard deletion metadata after a period, is this considered a framework limitation, or should developers implement additional safeguards?
· Does CKSyncEngine log warnings or errors when it detects incomplete sync histories?
Environment:
· CKSyncEngine with SQLite
· CloudKit Private Database
· iOS/macOS latest versions
Thank you for clarifying how CKSyncEngine is designed to handle this edge case!
Dear Apple Developer Support,
I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out for guidance on a project that involves sharing heart rate data between an iOS app and an Android app. I have developed a watchOS app that continuously fetches heart rate data from an Apple Watch and displays it in a companion iOS app. Additionally, I have built an Android fitness app using Ionic Angular.
My goal is to create a bridge that allows the heart rate data from the iOS app to be displayed continuously in the Android app. I am considering using a backend server (e.g., Node.js) to facilitate this data transfer.
Could you please provide any insights or recommendations on the best approach for achieving this cross-platform data sharing? I would appreciate any guidance on potential challenges or limitations I might encounter.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Sincerely,
Venu Madhav
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Health & Fitness
Tags:
App Tracking Transparency
CloudKit
Network
Cloud and Local Storage
I'm experiencing a persistent issue with CloudKit sharing in my iOS application. When attempting to present a UICloudSharingController, I receive the error message "Unknown client: ChoreOrganizer" in the console.
App Configuration Details:
App Name: ChoreOrganizer
Bundle ID: com.ProgressByBits.ChoreOrganizer
CloudKit Container ID: iCloud.com.ProgressByBits.ChoreOrganizer
Core Data Model Name: ChoreOrganizer.xcdatamodeld
Core Data Entity: Chore
Error Details:
The error "Unknown client: ChoreOrganizer" occurs when I present the UICloudSharingController
This happens only on the first attempt to share; subsequent attempts during the same app session don't show the error but sharing still doesn't work
All my code executes successfully without errors until UICloudSharingController is presented
Implementation Details:
I'm using NSPersistentCloudKitContainer for Core Data synchronization and UICloudSharingController for sharing. My implementation creates a custom CloudKit zone, saves both a record and a CKShare in that zone, and then presents the sharing controller.
Here's the relevant code:
@MainActor
func presentSharing(from viewController: UIViewController) async throws {
// Create CloudKit container
let container = CKContainer(identifier: containerIdentifier)
let database = container.privateCloudDatabase
// Define custom zone ID
let zoneID = CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "SharedChores", ownerName: CKCurrentUserDefaultName)
do {
// Check if zone exists, create if necessary
do {
_ = try await database.recordZone(for: zoneID)
} catch {
let newZone = CKRecordZone(zoneID: zoneID)
_ = try await database.save(newZone)
}
// Create record in custom zone
let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: "SharedChoresRoot", zoneID: zoneID)
let rootRecord = CKRecord(recordType: "ChoreRoot", recordID: recordID)
rootRecord["name"] = "Shared Chores Root" as CKRecordValue
// Create share
let share = CKShare(rootRecord: rootRecord)
share[CKShare.SystemFieldKey.title] = "Shared Tasks" as CKRecordValue
// Save both record and share in same operation
let recordsToSave: [CKRecord] = [rootRecord, share]
_ = try await database.modifyRecords(saving: recordsToSave, deleting: [])
// Present sharing controller
let sharingController = UICloudSharingController(share: share, container: container)
sharingController.delegate = shareDelegate
// Configure popover
if let popover = sharingController.popoverPresentationController {
popover.sourceView = viewController.view
popover.sourceRect = CGRect(
x: viewController.view.bounds.midX,
y: viewController.view.bounds.midY,
width: 1, height: 1
)
popover.permittedArrowDirections = []
}
viewController.present(sharingController, animated: true)
} catch {
throw error
}
}
Steps I've already tried:
Verified correct bundle ID and container ID match in all places (code, entitlements file, Developer Portal)
Added NSUbiquitousContainers configuration to Info.plist
Ensured proper entitlements in the app
Created and configured proper provisioning profiles
Tried both default zone and custom zone for sharing
Various ways of saving the record and share (separate operations, same operation)
Cleaned build folder, deleted derived data, reinstalled the app
Tried on both simulator and physical device
Confirmed CloudKit container exists in CloudKit Dashboard with correct schema
Verified iCloud is properly signed in on test devices
Console Output:
1. Starting sharing process
2. Created CKContainer with ID: iCloud.com.ProgressByBits.ChoreOrganizer
3. Using zone: SharedChores
4. Checking if zone exists
5. Zone exists
7. Created record with ID: <CKRecordID: 0x3033ebd80; recordName=SharedChoresRoot, zoneID=SharedChores:__defaultOwner__>
8. Created share with ID: <CKRecordID: 0x3033ea920; recordName=Share-C4701F43-7591-4436-BBF4-6FA8AF3DF532, zoneID=SharedChores:__defaultOwner__>
9. About to save record and share
10. Records saved successfully
11. Creating UICloudSharingController
12. About to present UICloudSharingController
13. UICloudSharingController presented
Unknown client: ChoreOrganizer
Additional Information:
When accessing the CloudKit Dashboard, I can see that data is being properly synced to the cloud, indicating that the basic CloudKit integration is working. The issue appears to be specific to the sharing functionality.
I would greatly appreciate any insights or solutions to resolve this persistent "Unknown client" error. Thank you for your assistance.
Running the Apple sample code “Sharing Core Data objects between iCloud users” has presented the following challenge:
After the creation of a CKRecord in a Persistent CloudKit Container private database, the owner then shares it to a participant. All works fine.
Then the Owner wants to stop sharing. That's fine too, although the CKRecord remains within the same shared zone within the owner's private database; it doesn't move back to the private database.
Then the owner wants to delete the CKRecord completely. Deletion of the record works, but evidence of the CKShare within the shared zone still remains inside the owner's private database.
It is clearly visible on the CloudKit dashboard.
Probably doesn’t take up much memory but v messy and not cool.
How to delete this CKShare completely, leaving no trace?
Any ideas would be most gratefully received!
DESCRIPTION
I have an App use iCloud to save data.
The App had a CoreData ManagedObject 'Product', 'Product' Object had an attribute name 'count' and it is a Double Type.
I need to synchronises 'count' property across multiple devices.
for example:
I have a devices A、B.
A device set 'Product.count' = 100.
B device set 'Product.count' = 50.
I hope the 'Product.count' == 150 that results.
how to synchronises the 'Product.count' == 150 for multiple devices.
If I have more devices in future, How to get the latest 'Product.count' that it is correct result.