Demystify code signing and its importance in app development. Get help troubleshooting code signing issues and ensure your app is properly signed for distribution.

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How to distribute DEXT during development and to the public
To learn how to develop/distribute a DriverKit driver (DEXT) and a UserClient app correctly, I am trying to run the following sample dext and app. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/driverkit/communicating-between-a-driverkit-extension-and-a-client-app?language=objc I walked throught steps in README.md included in the project and faced issues. First, I referred the "Configure the Sample Code Project" section in the README.md and configured the sample code project to build with automatic signing. I could run the app and activate the dext successfully and made sure the app could communicate with the dext. Next, I tried the manual signing. I followed steps described in the "Configure the Sample Code Project" section carefully. The following entitlements has already been assigned to my team account. DriverKit Allow Any UserClient Access DriverKit USB Transport - VendorID DriverKit I could build both app and dext and could run the app. However, when I clicked the "Install Dext" button to activate the dext, I got the following error: sysex didFailWithError: extension category returned error Am I missing something? I would also like to know detailed steps to publicly distribute my dext and app using our Developer ID Application Certificate, as README.md only shows how to configure the project for development. Xcode version: 16.3 (16E140) Development OS: macOS 15.5 (24F74) Target OS: macOS 15.5 (24F74)
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May ’25
Generate Provisioning Profile that includes MusicKit Entitlements
Hi folks, I'm trying to generate a provisioning profile that includes both Healthkit and MusicKit entitlements. The healthKit pieces if fine, and included in the profile. However, despite selecting Musickit under services in the ID setup, the entitlement doesn't seem to be included in the profile. Other steps taken: Setup the app in App Store Connect, generated a media ID and Key. Tried both automatic and manual signing. Are there specifics tricks to getting this one to work?
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666
Sep ’25
a required plist file or resource is malformed
I am facing this error on every flutter project build. Although it runs ok. The error happens on the codesign command What do I need to fix ? I have validated that every *.plist file is ok using plutil -lint ERROR MESSAGE /usr/bin/codesign --force --sign MY_SHA_CODE --verbose /Users/macbookair/workspace/flutter_application_1/build/ios/Release-iphoneos/Runner.app/Frameworks/libswiftCore.dylib)` exited with status 0. The command's output was: /Users/macbookair/workspace/flutter_application_1/build/ios/Release-iphoneos/Runner.app/Frameworks/libswiftCore.dylib: a required plist file or resource is malformed Info.plist <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key> <string>$(DEVELOPMENT_LANGUAGE)</string> <key>CFBundleDisplayName</key> <string>Flutter Application 1</string> <key>CFBundleExecutable</key> <string>$(EXECUTABLE_NAME)</string> <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key> <string>$(PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER)</string> <key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key> <string>6.0</string> <key>CFBundleName</key> <string>flutter_application_1</string> <key>CFBundlePackageType</key> <string>APPL</string> <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key> <string>$(FLUTTER_BUILD_NAME)</string> <key>CFBundleSignature</key> <string>????</string> <key>CFBundleVersion</key> <string>$(FLUTTER_BUILD_NUMBER)</string> <key>LSRequiresIPhoneOS</key> <true/> <key>UILaunchStoryboardName</key> <string>LaunchScreen</string> <key>UIMainStoryboardFile</key> <string>Main</string> <key>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations</key> <array> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight</string> </array> <key>UISupportedInterfaceOrientations~ipad</key> <array> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationPortraitUpsideDown</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeLeft</string> <string>UIInterfaceOrientationLandscapeRight</string> </array> <key>CADisableMinimumFrameDurationOnPhone</key> <true/> <key>UIApplicationSupportsIndirectInputEvents</key> <true/></dict> </plist> Please help.
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May ’25
Family Controls + Device Activity Entitlement Missing from Provisioning Profiles (Xcode, iOS App Extensions)
Hello everyone, I’ve been stuck for weeks on an issue with Family Controls + Device Activity entitlements in my iOS app, and Apple Developer Support has not provided a solution so far. I’m hoping someone here who has successfully implemented Family Controls + Device Activity can point me in the right direction. About the App • The app is a Digital Wellbeing app called Breakloop. • It lets users select apps they want to block, requires them to complete a positive affirmation before opening those apps, and can re-block apps after a set time (e.g., 10 minutes). • This functionality exactly matches the purpose of Family Controls and Device Activity APIs. What Works So Far • Family Controls capability is enabled in the main app target in Xcode. • We have valid Apple Developer certificates (Apple Development) and a team account. • The main app builds and runs fine when using Family Controls alone. • We have App IDs for: • bl.Breakloop (main app) • bl.Breakloop.BreakloopMonitorExtension • bl.Breakloop.BreakloopShieldConfigurationExtension The Problem The provisioning profiles for the extension targets (BreakloopMonitorExtension and BreakloopShieldConfigurationExtension) do not include the com.apple.developer.device-activity entitlement even though: • The App IDs in the Developer Portal have Family Controls (Development) enabled. • The extensions have the correct entitlements file with both: com.apple.developer.family-controls com.apple.developer.device-activity • Xcode Signing & Capabilities points to the correct provisioning profile + certificate. Because the provisioning profiles don’t include the entitlement, the build fails with: Provisioning profile doesn't include the com.apple.developer.device-activity entitlement. What Apple Support Said Apple Support told me: • “Family Controls grants access to Device Activity.” • They cannot enable it manually or guarantee that profiles will include the entitlement. • They sent links to the documentation but no further assistance. What I Need Help With 1. Has anyone successfully built extensions using Family Controls + Device Activity? 2. Do I need to request any additional approval for Device Activity, or should it appear automatically once Family Controls is enabled? 3. Is there a known Xcode or Apple Developer Portal configuration issue that causes the entitlement to be missing in provisioning profiles? 4. Any working example of a project setup that uses Family Controls + Device Activity in extensions would be extremely helpful. Extra Info • We use the latest Xcode + iOS SDK. • Tried recreating certificates, profiles, and App IDs multiple times. • Followed Apple’s docs for Family Controls + Device Activity exactly. I would greatly appreciate any guidance, especially from someone who has this working with iOS app extensions. Thank you!
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Sep ’25
After years, notarytool now cannot find Keychain item
For years, I've been shipping my apps with a Perl script that now invokes notarytool to get the notarization, using this command /usr/bin/xcrun notarytool submit --apple-id jerry@sheepsystems.com --keychain-profile SSYShipProduct --team-id 4MAMECY9VS --output-format json /Users/jk/blah/blah/MyApp.zip --wait I used this script with this command several times during September 2024 to ship my apps, and it worked. But now, the above command fails with: Error: No Keychain password item found for profile: SSYShipProduct Run 'notarytool store-credentials' to create another credential profile. Of course, I am now running later versions of macOS beta and Xcode than I was in September. Does anyone know the problem? Screenshots from Terminal and Keychain Access are attached. Thank you.
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Apr ’25
compile code required signing from unexisting user
Hi, This is my first time developing for iPhone, and I believe I have encountered an unusual edge case related to user management. Background: I work at a very small company currently in the proof-of-concept stage of building an iOS app. We created an Apple account under the company name: Green Vibe, using our corporate email. Initially, I developed the app under the free account on my local iPhone, and everything worked smoothly. When NFC functionality became necessary, we upgraded to a paid Apple Developer account. At that point, I enrolled as a developer under my personal name (Or Itach) while logged in with the Green Vibe Apple account. I want to emphasize that only one Apple account was created — the Green Vibe account. The Issue: When attempting to add NFC, I was able to create the required certificate under the name Or Itach. However, when compiling the project, Xcode prompts me to enter the login password for the user Or Itach. This is problematic because there is no Apple ID associated with that name — only the Apple Developer enrollment under Green Vibe exists. Request: Could you please advise on the proper way to resolve this situation? Specifically: Should the developer enrollment be tied directly to the Green Vibe account rather than to an individual name? How can I correctly configure the account so that Xcode no longer requires a nonexistent Apple ID password? Thank you very much for your support and clarification.
Topic: Code Signing SubTopic: General
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Sep ’25
The staple and validate action failed! Error 65.
I've tried to sign/notarize/staple my Electron app via electron-builder, using electron-notarize. I tried it as well in cmd line - both times, same result. Code signing runs without a problem. Notarize (I did wait two days first time, now it's couple of minutes) Stapling - failure `Downloaded ticket has been stored at file:///var/folders/.... Could not validate ticket for.... The staple and validate action failed! Error 65. ` I've checked, and the tickets are downloaded to said folder. My process: `codesign --deep --force --options runtime \ --entitlements build/entitlements.mac.plist \ --sign "Developer ID Application: Pete..." \ dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.app` ditto -c -k --sequesterRsrc --keepParent dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.app dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.zip xcrun notarytool submit dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.zip \ --apple-id "email" \ --password "app_specific_pass" \ --team-id "team_id" \ --wait Conducting pre-submission checks for Modelist.zip and initiating connection to the Apple notary service... Submission ID received id: 8fa0b3d3-291... Upload progress: 100,00% (98,1 MB of 98,1 MB) Successfully uploaded file id: 8fa0b3d3-291... path: /Users/pete/projects/modelist2/dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.zip Waiting for processing to complete. Current status: Accepted............. Processing complete id: 8fa0b3d3-291... status: Accepted xcrun stapler staple dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.app Processing: /Users/pete/projects/modelist2/dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.app Could not validate ticket for /Users/pete/projects/modelist2/dist/mac-arm64/Modelist.app The staple and validate action failed! Error 65. The certs were installed via XCode. Variables are all exported in env. I followed the instructions for electron-builder from here: https://kilianvalkhof.com/2019/electron/notarizing-your-electron-application/ I'm sure I made a stupid little mistake, but after hours of arguing with ChatGPT we are going in circles and after clicking on almost every link in Google, I'm kindda lost.
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Jan ’25
App signing fails after account upgrade
New to working with xcode and building apps. I started last weekend, and deploying to my usb connected iPhone 16 was working great all week. Yesterday, I upgraded to a paid developer account to start using TestFlight, and I could no longer deploy to my phone. Failed to install embedded profile for com.spred.spred-alpha : 0xe800801a (This provisioning profile does not have a valid signature (or it has a valid, but untrusted signature).) i using automatic provisioning - not a custom provisioning profile. i have tried: deleting all the certificates in keychain for my developer account and recreating them, and also doing the same in the developer portal. logging out and logging back in with my developer id in xcode deleting the app bundle directory and all other associated files in the Xcode/DerivedData directory reinstalling Xcode cleaning my build directory and trying again. changing the bundle identifier to a new name. (It always matches the portal app name) Among other things. It just won’t work. I can run the app inn a simulator, but not get it deployed to my phone. what else can I do? The only things I can think of are that somehow Xcode is still stuck using the free account somehow, or that the free account cert originally used expired after 7 days, and now I’m in some stuck state.
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Sep ’25
Notarization takes almost a week
Hi everyone! I've send my .dmg file for notarization, it has been accepted on March 5. Since then there weren't any updates, it hasn't changed its status. What might be the problem? Info about submission: createdDate: 2025-03-05T12:13:18.802Z id: 202d877d-d0c4-4211-bba4-6ebdb169a843 status: Accepted
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339
Mar ’25
Invalid Code Signing Entitlements
Hi, I have a .NET MAUI app which I've added subscriptions to using the Plugin.InAppBilling nuget package. When I tested on TestFlight I got an almost immediate crash. After doing some research I followed advice to add an Entitlements.plist file to Platforms &gt; iOS with the following entry: com.apple.developer.in-app-purchase The distribution provisioning profile I'm using to sign my app has the App ID set to an Identifier which has "In-App Purchase" ticked, but greyed out in it's "Capabilities" section on https://developer.apple.com/. I'm not sure why it's ticked and greyed out, but I assume that means that "In-App Purchase" is enabled. The app runs file locally but when I create an IPA file and add it to Transporter for upload to App Store Connect I get the following error: "Validation failed (409) Invalid Code Signing Entitlements. Your application bundle's signature contains code signing entitlements that are not supported on iOS. Specifically, key 'com.apple.developer.in-app-purchase' in 'Payload/[Removed].app/[Removed]' is not supported. (ID: [Removed])". Here is the structure of my csproj code for creating a IPA file for iOS: The command I use: dotnet publish [Removed]/app.csproj -f:net9.0-ios -c:Release ^ /p:PlatformTarget=Arm64 ^ /p:RuntimeIdentifier=ios-arm64 ^ /p:ServerAddress=[Removed] ^ /p:ServerUser=[Removed] ^ /p:ServerPassword=[Removed] ^ /p:ArchiveOnBuild=true ^ /p:BuildIpa=true I'm stuck trying to figure this out. If you could please point out any issues with what I'm doing or if you have any suggestions to resolve the problem I would very much appreciate it. Thanks, Ben
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Aug ’25
Cloud Signing via Developer ID doesn't seem to work with Admin API Keys
Hi, I'm having a really hard time figuring out why I cannot perform cloud signing via Developer ID with xcodebuild. I have a macOS application, which I can perfectly cloud sign the following way: Sign into Xcode with my Admin + Account Holder Apple ID. Delete my Developer ID Application certificate from Keychain Access. In Xcode, click Archive. When archived, click "Distribute App" in Xcode Organizer. The app is cloud signed. I prove this by extracting the certificate codesign --extract-certificates -- /path/to/app.app then locate the 1.2.840.113635.100.6.1.32 bit mentioned by Quinn in this post. I however do it by simply opening the certifiacte with Keychain Access, where I can investigate the content of the certificate, rather than use that tool he does. Then, I do the following to attempt to cloud sign via xcodebuild: Create an API Key for the whole team in Users and Access > Integrations > App Store Connect with the "Admin" role selected. Download the private key .p8 file to ~/Downloads. Sign out of my Apple ID in Xcode by removing the account in Settings > Accounts. Create an archive: xcodebuild archive -scheme "<redacted scheme name>" -archivePath ~/Downloads/archive.xcarchive -authenticationKeyIssuerID <redacted issuer id> -authenticationKeyID <redacted key id> -authenticationKeyPath ~/Downloads/AuthKey_<redacted key id>.p8 -allowProvisioningUpdates The archive is successfully created, with a new "Apple Development: Created via API (TEAM ID)" naming. Export the archive: xcodebuild -exportArchive -archivePath ~/Downloads/archive.xcarchive -authenticationKeyIssuerID <redacted issuer id> -authenticationKeyID <redacted key id> -authenticationKeyPath ~/Downloads/AuthKey_<redacted key id>.p8 -allowProvisioningUpdates -exportOptionsPlist ~/Downloads/exportOptions.plist -exportPath ~/Downloads which then fails: 2025-03-07 10:27:58.706 xcodebuild[2152:40704] [MT] IDEDistribution: -[IDEDistributionLogging _createLoggingBundleAtPath:]: Created bundle at path "/var/folders/tn/yy7ynz3d0yb4p3sd_5q_wl0h0000gn/T/<redacted app name> macOS_2025-03-07_10-27-58.706.xcdistributionlogs". error: exportArchive Cloud signing permission error error: exportArchive No signing certificate "Developer ID Application" found ** EXPORT FAILED ** Opening the distribution logs, I find this in the Provisioning Log: 2025-03-07 09:09:58 +0000 2025-03-07 09:09:58 +0000 IDEProvisioningRepair(<redacted app name>.app): 2025-03-07 09:09:58 +0000 IDEProvisioningRepair(<redacted app name>.app): Sending request 84E57539-BC1D-407A-8402-7BCE9F2FD100 to <https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/xcbuild/v1/certificates> for session DVTServicesTeamBasedSession <issuer: <redacted issuer id>; key identifier: <redacted key id>>. Method: POST Headers: { Accept = "application/vnd.api+json"; "Accept-Encoding" = "gzip, deflate"; Authorization = "Bearer <redacted bearer token>"; "Content-Length" = 116; "Content-Type" = "application/vnd.api+json"; "User-Agent" = Xcode; "X-HTTP-Method-Override" = GET; "X-Xcode-Version" = "16.2 (16C5032a)"; } Payload: {"urlEncodedQueryParams":"teamId=<redacted team id>&filter%5BcertificateType%5D=DEVELOPER_ID_APPLICATION_MANAGED&limit=200"} 2025-03-07 09:09:59 +0000 2025-03-07 09:09:59 +0000 IDEProvisioningRepair(<redacted app name>.app): 2025-03-07 09:09:59 +0000 IDEProvisioningRepair(<redacted app name>.app): Received response for 84E57539-BC1D-407A-8402-7BCE9F2FD100 @ <https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/xcbuild/v1/certificates>. Code = 0 2025-03-07 09:09:59 +0000 2025-03-07 09:09:59 +0000 IDEProvisioningRepair(<redacted app name>.app): 2025-03-07 09:09:59 +0000 IDEProvisioningRepair(<redacted app name>.app): Response payload: { "errors" : [ { "id" : "3d09690a-e26f-497f-b576-25104064387e", "status" : "403", "code" : "FORBIDDEN_ERROR", "title" : "This request is forbidden for security reasons", "resultCode" : 7495, "detail" : "You haven't been given access to cloud-managed distribution certificates. Please contact your team's Account Holder or an Admin to give you access. If you need further assistance, contact Apple Developer Program Support at https://developer.apple.com/contact/." } ] } Which is really weird, since I am using an API key with Admin rights. If I create a new key, and use it only for this command, App Store Connect does show the "Last Used" date as today after running the command. I thought some time might need to pass, but the issue has been persisting since yesterday. What could be wrong here? I do have a managed Developer ID Application certificate showing in my account but I still can't retrieve it with an Admin right imbued API key.
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760
Mar ’25
notarytool takes a long time (2h+) breaking our CI/CD pipeline
Hi, Since about 2 weeks notarytool is not very reliable on our CI/CD server. The tool either exists without printing any reason (killed by a signal; not caused by timeout - we have 6h timeouts and the tool gets killed after about 30 mins) or the process takes a very long time e.g. 2h to complete. We use the same pipeline since at least 2 years and we did not have this problem before. Some problematic calls: createdDate: 2025-01-15T14:50:22.545Z id: ca0faad3-789a-4842-a8c9-14aa7c2297a9 name: xxxxxx status: In Progress -------------------------------------------------- createdDate: 2025-01-15T14:33:06.813Z id: 22df0da8-70de-4dd9-935d-a26055242014 name: xxxxxx status: In Progress -------------------------------------------------- createdDate: 2025-01-15T14:18:36.436Z id: 5729b836-69f0-4526-b1d2-7743bd4d57a6 name: xxxxxx status: In Progress -------------------------------------------------- createdDate: 2025-01-15T14:18:31.716Z id: 58f3c7a1-96bd-4f5d-8a3c-6860f925659e name: xxxxxx status: In Progress Can anyone check why the tool is taking now way more time than before to process a submission? The app that we are notarizing did not change that much.
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626
Jan ’25
Xcode failed to provision target. File a bug report...
I do have background Modes added to Xcode. How can I fix this? Automatic signing failed Xcode failed to provision this target. Please file a bug report at https://feedbackassistant.apple.com and include the Update Signing report from the Report navigator. Provisioning profile "iOS Team Provisioning Profile: com.designoverhaul.bladerunner" doesn't include the com.apple.developer.background-modes entitlement. I emailed Dev Support but they said they cant help. Thank you.
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278
May ’25
unzip identifier is not unique?
In Swift I'm using unzip by launching a Process to unzip a file. I added a launchRequirement to the process in order to make sure the executable is code signed by Apple and the identifier is com.apple.unzip. After testing out my code on another machines (both physical and virtual), I found out that in some the identifier is actually com.apple.zipinfo, which broke the SigningIdentifier requirement. It's safe to assume that /usr/bin/unzip can be trusted since it's in a System Integrity Protection (SIP) location, but I'm wondering why this executable has different identifiers?
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152
Aug ’25
Codesign can't find keychain files (on M2 MacBook)
I've been distributing my Math Education app (Java-based) as a downloadable .dmg. My sw manufacturing process was working well on my Intel-iMac a year ago (signing, notarization, stapling). I need to support Apple Silicon, so I replicated the SW manuf. stack on my M2 MacBook, including putting my Developer and Installer Certificates in the Keychain Access. I get through building the M2,M2,M4 .dmg installer file just fine. But the Codesign is failing. It should be prompting me for my MacOS password (it does this in the Intel-Mac process), but fails this command: codesign --sign "Pierre Bierre (SL7L4YU8GT)" --force --options runtime --verbose --timestamp ~/DFG2D_MacOS_Manufacturing/MacOSInstallers/DFG2D_Mac_J17010_295 The response was: error: The specified item could not be found in the keychain. The signer reference is correct, and works fine on the Intel-Mac codesign process. What could explain why the same script fails in the M2 environment? Does codesign normally prompt for the MacOS user password ? Why would that fail?
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258
Aug ’25
Urgent: xcrun notary submit Stuck - Notarization Process Halted
Hi everyone, Native Instruments is encountering a critical issue with the notarization process. The xcrun notary submit command appears to be stuck and is not completing, preventing us from notarizing our apps. Specifically, the command hangs indefinitely. This issue started today. We've already tried the following troubleshooting steps: Cancelling and re-running the command Checking my internet connection Checking the Apple System Status page Cleaning the build folder using a different machine This is a major blocker for our company, as it's preventing from from us from testing and releasing some of our products. It seems to be a similar issue as reported in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/772542?page=2. Has anyone else experienced xcrun notary submit getting stuck like this? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm particularly interested in knowing if there are any known issues with the notarization service currently. Details about my setup: Xcode Version: 16.1 macOS Version: 14.7.1 App Type: macOS app Thanks in advance for your help!
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522
Feb ’25
Error 65 upon stapling - cannot reset trust settings
Hi, I'm getting error 65 upon stapling and I am suspecting that non-default trust settings may be the reason as outlined here: Unfortunately whatever I do, I can't seem to reset the trust settings to their default values (removing the blue/white "+"), I'm not being asked for credentials upon closing the certificate window. I have also tried to unlock the System Roots key chain, to no avail. Also, when running security dump-trust-settings -d I get Number of trust settings : 0 for all certificates. Any ideas as to what I may be doing wrong? Is there any other setting that may be involved? Thanks!
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89
Mar ’25
Notarization.
Hi, I've code-signed my app and notarized it, and created a DMG, and when I slacked it or airdropped it to someone for testing the FIRST time they open it, they get a warning that it was Slacked or airdropped to them and do they want to open it. if they say yes everything is fine. So looking through here someone said I need to sign the app and then make a dmg and sign the dmg and then send that for notorization and then staple that. So I did, and I still get a warning the first tie someone try's to run it. What am I doing wrong? I know I can buy software and not get a warning from apple. so how do I get my app to work correctly like that?
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153
Mar ’25
Notarization Time
Hi, I'm currently at 19 hours waiting for notarization. My dev account is new and this is the first time I'm submitting anything to be notarized. I've gathered from my research that this is normal (unfortunately). I figure the only thing I can do is wait, but is there any way for me to know if I'm waiting for a human to manually review it? I was going to file a support request, but I saw that they won't be responding to any support requests until after their Thanksgiving break, and I assume nobody is manually reviewing notary submissions for the next week+. I attached the submission below, thanks! createdDate: 2025-11-21T21:17:10.082Z id: c9746d42-1dc7-4641-aec1-62c6cedff1a2 name: ***********.zip status: In Progress
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337
Nov ’25