Apple sets a May 1st cutoff for new apps that use UDIDs, don’t support iPhone 5 and Retina screens

Apple sets a May 1st cutoff for app submissions that use UDIDs, don't support iPhone 5 or Retina screens

Apple has been weaning app developers away from UDID and its privacy concerns for more than a year, but it looks like the company's about to put its foot down -- and up the hardware support requirements in the process. As of May 1st, the company will stop accepting new app submissions that demand a UDID to single out individual devices; creators will have to use the ad and vendor identifiers that came with iOS 6. They'll also have to develop apps for Retina displays as a matter of course, including the taller iPhone 5 screen. We can't imagine that the news will please those who have a need for legacy UDID support, or can't easily update a long-serving app for Retina screens, but Apple clearly feels it's time to move on.

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Apple (1), (2)

Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims

Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims

Hacking group AntiSec (connected to Anonymous and LulzSec) made some bold claims Tuesday that it had obtained the unique device identifiers (UDIDs) of 12 million iOS devices from an FBI laptop, setting more than a few people on edge. The FBI has already denied that anything was stolen, but Apple has gone one step further to argue that it had no involvement. Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris tells AllThingsD that Apple hasn't given UDIDs to the FBI "or any organization" -- suggesting that either AntiSec or the FBI isn't telling the whole story of what data emerged and where. Even if there are real UDIDs floating around, Kerris adds that they don't necessarily pose much danger. She notes that programming hooks in iOS 6 will provide an alternative to UDID for device-specific data, and that apps will eventually be forbidden from using the older identifiers altogether. While the truth in the situation is hard to pin down, the technical reality doesn't leave much risk that our iPads and iPhones will be compromised. At least, not after this month.

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Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple alternative to UDID may come soon, track app use without pesky privacy issues

Apple alternative to UDID may come soon, track app use without pesky privacy issues

Apple has already provided a few clues as to what it's going to put on the plate for developers at WWDC. One change that's unlikely to be touted at the keynote, or even the entire conference, could prove to be the most important for app writers: an alternative to the UDID (Unique Device Identifier) that Apple started phasing out a year ago. If Wall Street Journal tipsters are right, the hardware-specific ID will be replaced with tagging independent of any one iPad or iPhone, such as a number sequence. The system as it's teased would let developers track user behavior and improve their apps without spooking users worried that Apple, or someone else, might snoop over their shoulders by linking a UDID to the owner. It sure sounds like a remedy to mounting privacy concerns to us, although an unveiling supposedly due within the "coming weeks" raises the possibility that the new ID won't show its face until after the programming hordes have already left San Francisco.

Apple alternative to UDID may come soon, track app use without pesky privacy issues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jun 2012 06:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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