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I have read about the IOKit-Extension to get the serial number from an iPhone inside an app: blog.jdevelop.eu

Actually i know one App in the Appstore which reads out the serial number and displays it, what now, is it allowed or not? Any experience?

dsolimano
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user905847
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2 Answers2

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From the developers site:

Be aware that you cannot submit an App with this IOKit-Extension into the Appstore!

rckoenes
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  • #rckoenes Can you please provide me the link on which this is mentioned. – Kirti Nikam Jun 30 '15 at 05:47
  • Well the site has changed since 2011 but it was there on the site. But as also clearly stated in the [App Store Review Guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/) 17.4 you can not get any persistent identifiers. – rckoenes Jun 30 '15 at 12:37
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I do not think it is allowed, since Apple changed terms and conditions to prevent ad networks from using the UUID of the phone to identify devices. It would otherwise allow tracking of people's devices without their approval, which Apple could be held liable for. Given the ruckus over the LocationGate in the USA and South Korea, this is not going to happen anymore, I'd say!

If you read the blog until the end, it states you cannot submit an App containing their extension. This is due to the reasons I explained earlier, and therefore, use the extension or use your own code to achieve the same result has the same consequence: it's not allowed in the App Store, for privacy issues and concerns.

Kheldar
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  • Thanks for your reply. My question was not precise enough: If it is not allowed to use the IOKit-Extension, is there a legal way to read out the serial number? As i said, i know one App in the store which actually do it. – user905847 Aug 22 '11 at 13:39
  • As far as I know it is not, for the reasons explained in my post. As for having apps doing things in the Store, I have had rejected apps even though others did the same thing, and Apple sometimes boots apps out after having allowed them for a while. It is not a good "proof" of validity therefore... – Kheldar Aug 22 '11 at 14:02
  • Ok, this helps, i will not try to get the serial number in my app and i will watch the app which i mean if it will be removed. I was also a bit confused about the latest news concerning the UUID beacause many apps use it, but maybe "deprecated" means only "we will cancel ist in iOS 10..." – user905847 Aug 22 '11 at 14:10
  • If what you want to know is if the application has been installed or removed, an easy solution is to provide some bit of functionality by requiring users to login to your site with a free account. You get the info, they get the service, everyone is happy :D – Kheldar Aug 22 '11 at 14:17
  • Full Ack, but it would have been easier for the user if the app could collect the data and send it directly to the server; the user then can connect the data with his account in a single step (personal activation code or something) So it takes two steps (or one input field more), but ths should be acceptable ;) We will see, thanks again for your replies. – user905847 Aug 22 '11 at 14:39