Apple To Reject Apps With UDID Access, Without Retina And iPhone 5 Support
March 22, 2013
Apple has released a couple of new significant guidelines for iOS developers.
One, apps that access Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs) will no longer be approved for inclusion in the App Store. And two, nor will apps that don't feature Retina display and iPhone 5 support.
The guidelines are posted in brief on Apple's "News and Announcement for Apple Developers" webpage.
Regarding apps that access UDIDs, Apple advises developers that:
Starting May 1, the App Store will no longer accept new apps or app updates that access UDIDs. Please update your apps and servers to associate users with the Vendor or Advertising identifiers introduced in iOS 6. You can find more details in the UIDevice Class Reference.Introduced in iOS 6, the Advertising Identifier replaced Apple’s UDID implementation for marketing purposes. UDID was once the tool used by developers to learn customer patterns. But following UDID leaks and privacy issues in the past couple of years, Apple replaced it with the Advertising Identifier. As for apps with no Retina display and iPhone 5 support, Apple notes that:
Starting May 1, new apps and app updates submitted to the App Store must be built for iOS devices with Retina display and iPhone apps must also support the 4-inch display on iPhone 5. Learn about preparing your apps by reviewing the iOS Human Interface Guidelines.Retina display was introduced on iPhone with the launch of the iPhone 4 and on iPad with the launch of "the new iPad" in June 2010 and March 2012, respectively. And the 4-inch display on iPhone 5 was introduced, of course, with the launch of the iPhone 5 a full six months ago. So it's about time, I say.
