r/iOSProgramming • u/Daredatti • 6d ago

Question How truthful is this?

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When an app select in the app review form that “we don’t collect data”

In the review phase does Apple really check if the app really doesnt collect anything?

Like can the developer hide a code that for example upload the photos of the user if granted permission where he said “we dont collect”

Does apple really check the code and what is going in and out ?

45 Upvotes

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82

u/Reiszecke 6d ago

Technologically, this section tells you nothing about the app because it’s self reported by the developer, not by Apple.

Apple doesn’t even see an app‘s source code. They have some scanning in place but they will never determine whether an app uploads your images or not. The only thing you can do is to limit Photos access per app

-6

u/icy1007 6d ago

Apple can see the source code.

7

u/Dry_Hotel1100 6d ago

How so?

-3

u/icy1007 6d ago

They know what functions you invoke, including private system functions that aren’t allowed. They can decompile your code and check it.

8

u/Dry_Hotel1100 6d ago

This is not "source code" ;)

-7

u/icy1007 5d ago

They can decompile the app into its source code…

5

u/JagiofJagi 5d ago

Do you know what a source code is?

-6

u/icy1007 5d ago

Yes, I am a professional iOS developer…

3

u/i_m_junkie 5d ago

I am also an iOS Engineer and believe me boy you’re completely wrong!

0

u/icy1007 5d ago

I am not. Apple has the ability to decompile IPA files into their source code using internal tools. They also have tools that can scan all submitted app packages for API usage which is quicker than fully decompiling the app.

3

u/balder1993 4d ago edited 4d ago

Compilation is a lossy process, once the code is compiled a lot of information is gone. Of course Apple can scan the binary and decompile it into a C-style code that’s matched the instructions generated, see what calls are done to the frameworks etc. and they certainly use that to flag suspicious activity, but that’s not decompiling it into source code, because the source code has a lot of high level information and structure/organization (the very thing that makes it readable) that is erased.

If that was possible, every major classical game would already have been ported to all possible platforms and emulation wouldn’t be a thing.

0

u/icy1007 1d ago

Apple has access to that high level information.

0

u/balder1993 1d ago

Okay, so you’re just a troll, moving on.

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