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Weatherkit temperature way off
My app AirCompare is a smart home controller and makes system decisions based on local weather. Users have been seeing absurdly wrong (~10°F off) current temperatures, and of course that's a problem. I've seen similar complaints on Reddit and one poster claims that Apple switched from whatever DarkSky was using (which seemed accurate) to a predictive model from IBM. Compare iOS15 to iOS16 and you may see a large discrepancy in the Weather app. As a developer needing an accurate current temperature, I'm wondering if this is a temporary problem or whether we can expect this to continue going forward. If it's the latter, I'll need to find something more reliably accurate.
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340
Jun ’24
Need strategy for using WeatherKit in the background
I asked a similar question a while back: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/730946 Since then I have a new Mac and new iPhone and so I now have the hardware to actually play with WeatherKit. I've worked my way past all the entitlements stuff and have been able to use and expand on online examples. Cool. Trouble is, nearly every example you can find uses code designed to update the UI as fresh weather data is fetched. My app currently uses background URL fetches to obtain weather data, make some calculations and take appropriate actions, all in the background. Updating the UI was a separate challenge. So which asynchronous tool is the right one for this? How can I quickly update my existing code to call WeatherKit instead of going to a weather site for a download? I currently use something like a download task session: let weatherTask = session.downloadTask (with: URL(string: urlString)!) weatherTask.taskDescription = "weather" weatherTask.resume() or a dataTask session: var request = URLRequest(url: url) request.httpMethod = "GET" request.addValue("text/html", forHTTPHeaderField: "Content-Type") let taskWeatherPOP = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: request) { (data, response, error) in if error != nil { print("Error is \(String(describing: error))") } if let POPData = data, let report = String(data: POPData, encoding: String.Encoding.utf8) { if weatherReportPOP.contains("ServiceUnavailable") { print("A Weather POP report error") } else { weatherReportPOP = report } // Close the IF service unavailable } // Closes the IF weather data is not nil } // Close Task Weather taskWeatherPOP.resume()
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709
Jan ’24
Syntax for getting precipitationChance?
I'm getting my feet wet with weatherKit and have managed to get all the current weather I need with the code below. My app requires one more thing - the chance of precipitation in the next 0-20 minutes or so - in order to close the windows if the odds exceed some threshold. I haven't been able to find a single code example of retrieving the forecasted rain odds. It looks like the number I need will be in the MinuteWeather contained? in the HourlyForecast but it's completely a mystery to me how to extract what I need. I need a trail of breadcrumbs! I tried getting the hourly and daily forecasts but the value I'm looking for isn't there. import Foundation import WeatherKit @Observable class WeatherManager { private let weatherService = WeatherService() var weather: Weather? func getWeather(lat: Double, long: Double) async { do { weather = try await Task.detached(priority: .userInitiated) { [weak self] in return try await self?.weatherService.weather(for: .init(latitude: lat, longitude: long)) }.value } catch { print("Failed to get weather data. \(error)") } print("\(weather)") do { let daily = try await weatherService.weather(for: .init(latitude: lat, longitude: long), including: .daily) let hourly = try await weatherService.weather(for: .init(latitude: lat, longitude: long), including: .hourly) print("Daily: \(daily)") print("Hourly: \(hourly)") } catch let error { print("Failed to get the forecast. \(error)") } } // close getWeather function var icon: String { guard let iconName = weather?.currentWeather.symbolName else { return "--" } return iconName } var temperature: String { guard let temp = weather?.currentWeather.temperature else { return "--" } let convert = temp.converted(to: .fahrenheit).value return String(Int(convert)) + "°F" } var humidity: String { guard let humidity = weather?.currentWeather.humidity else { return "--" } let computedHumidity = humidity * 100 return String(Int(computedHumidity)) + "%" } var pressure: String { guard let press = weather?.currentWeather.pressure else { return "--" } let convertP = press.converted(to: UnitPressure.inchesOfMercury).value return String((convertP)) + " in. Hg" } var UVindex: String { guard let uv = weather?.currentWeather.uvIndex.value else { return "--" } return "\(uv)" + " index" } var POP: String { ???? return String(Int(chance)) + "%" } }
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642
Jan ’24
Use WeatherKit in an Xcode playground?
Can it be done? I can reliably crash Xcode by attempting the following in a playground: import UIKit import WeatherKit import CoreLocation let sanFrancisco = CLLocation(latitude: 37.7749, longitude: 122.4194) let weatherService = WeatherService() let weather = try await weatherService.weather(for: sanFrancisco) let temperature = weather.currentWeather.temperature print(temperature) Xcode 14.3.1 macOS 13.4.1
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1.4k
Jul ’23
WeatherKit in a background operation?
Sorry if this is a stupid question but I haven't been able to find any information on whether an app can request and receive weatherKit data - the weather - while in the background. My app (AirCompare) makes extensive use of background URL sessions to fetch and process weather data. If certain conditions are met, a notification alert is sent to the user so the user can decide whether to activate the app. For instance if rain is in the forecast, the app alerts the user that they might want to close their windows. Making the app active will execute HomeKit control and accomplish that. Will I be able to replace the background URL session with the appropriate code and be able to fetch weather data in the background?
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1k
Jun ’23
Picker behavior change with iOS 14?
I have a couple apps that use text pickers and I've noticed a text alignment problem where left-aligned text is shoved so far left that the leftmost character or two gets cut off. The problem started with iOS 14 and continues in iOS 15. I have a kludge fix that adds two spaces to the beginning of the text string to be displayed in the picker. It works great, but I'd like to better understand what's going on. I've noticed that it's widely known that date pickers behave differently as of iOS 14. I haven't seen anything about text pickers. Does anyone know of a change that might effect text alignment in text pickers as of iOS 14? The details of my issue are available at stack overflow.
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731
Feb ’22
Why "would [my app] like to find and connect to devices on your local network"?
With iOS 14 there is a new privacy protection: Any attempt by an app to access the user's local network now causes a user to see an alert that the app "would like to find and connect to devices on your local network". For instance, see an earlier thread on this: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/654243 The rationale for this from Apple: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10110/  According to Apple's presentation above: If your app just accesses resources on the wide internet, you don't need to do anything different. You also don't need to update if you only interact with the local network using a system service, like AirPrint, AirPlay, AirDrop, or HomeKit. These system services handle device discovery without exposing the full list of devices to apps. On the other hand, if your app accesses the local network directly within your app, either with unicast or multicast protocols, your app will require permission. You'll also need to make a few simple updates to your app for iOS 14." Fine, but my troubled app does not need any local network information. It does look for the user's location (which might use local network information?) and also accesses the internet. Another app of mine uses the same information to a much larger degree and is not causing any problem. In Simulator (iPhone 11 Pro running iOS 14.0), my app does not appear on the list of "Apps that have requested permission to find and connect with devices ...". The app is running fine as expected. I cannot replicate the alert that is causing my app to be rejected. I don't know how to fix it!
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6.6k
Oct ’20
HomeKit entitlement now public?
Years ago I submitted a request to obtain entitlement for my app to access HomeKit from the background. There was a rumor back then that there was a secret background entitlement to enable this, and that's exactly what I needed. Today I received a cryptic Feedback from Apple on that old request: "After reviewing your feedback, we have some additional information for you: The HomeKit entitlement is public now. Please close your feedback if this is no longer an issue for you. Thanks!" What does this mean? I suspect it has nothing to do with what I asked for.
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876
Jul ’20
How to force a fresh install?
Some of my users experience a problem where background fetches never trigger. I've been unable to fix that from within the app but we've learned the hard way that a complete nuclear reinstall fixes the problem. That means trashing the app, logging out of the user's Apple ID, reinstalling the app (it may have required a new purchase?) and finally logging back in. Of course all older settings are lost but app function is fully restored.Logging out of the Apple ID account is a pain, though. A user reports that all credit cards in his Wallet were lost and had to be re-entered. Not a practical approach.Is there a simpler, less invasive way to force a true reinstall, even if it does detroy all saved settings? Open to ideas.
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8.2k
Jun ’20
Active app being sent to background - why?
I've been struggling to figure out why my app misbehaves for a few users. Their systems seem to be hostile towards the app. It's being sent to the background from the active state, and once in the background it seems to be quickly suspended. I do not see this on my phone or in Simulator, so it's very hard to diagnose. I have good logging that can detail background operation, but the logs die along with the app.The app is designed for longrun operation in the background. When the system allows, it gets some web data and reports to the user via a local notification. It's complicated but it all works, except for a few users. The app additionally has a "Night Mode", where it remains the active app all night and web data is gathered every 10 minutes on a timer. Mine ran perfectly all night last night but a user log shows the app was backgrounded after just 3 minutes. It must have also suspended shortly after that because there are zero log entries until the user woke up in the morning and logging resumed. That particular user is getting some background fetches this morning, so at least we know the proper permission settings are in place.What would cause an app to be so aggressively demoted?
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1k
May ’20
How to check for background fetch eligibility?
A user is having problems with my app and I've traced his log files to discover that the user never receives a background fetch opportunity. Every setting seems to be OK, including not being in lo power mode, but nothing ever happens. Users phone is iOS12. The app works fine on my iOS 13 phone and in Simulator for iOS 12.Is there a way to determine if your app is truly registered for background fetches?On a related note, it'd be nice to know the availability of all of these, as dictated by the user's choices in Settings: • iCloud key,value store, NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.default • Notifications • Background app refresh • Location servicesI can check the Notifications: let center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current() center.getNotificationSettings { settings in guard (settings.authorizationStatus == .authorized) else { self.logSB.error("Authorization status is NOT authorized") return } self.logSB.debug("Authorization status IS authorized") if settings.alertSetting == .enabled { // Schedule an alert-only notification. self.logSB.debug("Authorization alert is enabled") } else { // Schedule a notification with a badge and sound. self.logSB.error("Authorization alert is NOT enabled") } }
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2.1k
May ’20
Users not seeing local notifications
Some users are telling me they "never" or rarely get alerts sent by my app while in the background. I have no such problem on my phone - I get alerts frequently. I've checked every setting we can find related to background app refresh, and to notifications, but all seems in order.My app (AirCompare) does background fetches, processes a small amount of web data, and then sends an alert. This all works fine for me and most users. In the case of the affected user, my app logging shows that alerts were requested, but the user never saw them.Here's an example alert, one relaed to the weather:requestIdentifier = "Tickle Weather" content.title = "... Weather update ..." content.subtitle = "" content.body = "my alert text" content.sound = nil logSB.info("Tickle Weather alert sent at \(currentDate)") let trigger = UNTimeIntervalNotificationTrigger.init(timeInterval: 0.2, repeats: false) let request = UNNotificationRequest(identifier:requestIdentifier, content: content, trigger: trigger) UNUserNotificationCenter.current().add(request) { (error) in if (error != nil){ self.logSB.error("ERROR sending a notification at \(currentDate)") } // close error conditional } // close userNotificationThe user's logs show that web data were fetched and processed and that the alerts are sent with no error logged. But the user sees nothing.What are we missing?[update] I forgot to mention: When the user crosses a geofence set within my app, that notification comes through. Occaionally one of the previously missing alerts will fire at the same time, even a day late.
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842
May ’20
HomeKit debugger warning: No handlers for message: HMFMessage
My app uses HomeKit to control a few accessories and it seems to work fine. But while connected to the Debugger in Xcode, I'm seeing a lot of these reports:Date, time myApp[] [Messaging.Dispatcher] No handlers for message: HMFMessage kCharacteristicValueUpdatedNotificationKey(big key)I believe the source of the message may be my Ecobee 3 thermostat. I use a couple switched outlets also but I don't think these warnings have occur when I interact with them.Is there something I can do to intercept the message and eliminate the debugger warning? I don't really care what the debugger is saying or not, but I'm suspicious that there may be a performance problem when I interact with the Ecobee, and I'm hopeful that handling the message properly might help with that. The performance problem is generally slow responsiveness and an occasional failure to respond to a temperature change.
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1k
May ’20
Macbook Pro backlight brightness
I'd like to find a way to control the display backlight brightness using the method in use before Mojave. The method I'm looking for may be even older.I have one of the cursed late-2011 Macbook Pros with the failed AMD Radeon graphics. Using the excellent solution from dosdude, I have disabled the AMD discrete graphics and everything runs fine using the Intel graphics. Everything EXCEPT adjusting screen brightness. (I think there are other issues with sleep but that doesn't concern me.) Symptoms include no response to the F1 and F2 buttons and no slider in System Preferences. Most folks get max brightness all the time. I was living with that until a recent update to 10.14.6. Now I'm locked at some lower level.Loss of brightness control is a well-documented shortcoming of the dosdude fix. It's a small price to pay to unbrick your Macbook! But it would be awesome to restore dimming.Anyway, the loss of brightness control corresponds to a system upgrade. I think dimming worked fine under Sierra but disappeared with High Sierra. Possibly it was Mojave that killed it. I'm sure the details are in the dosdude patch thread and I could retrieve those details if it matters. The possibility of returning to the dimming control used back then is tantalizing. Maybe that's because I have no idea how impossible it is?If there was an easy approach to this I'm pretty sure a talented guy like dosdude would have found it. So I'm wondering if he left some stone unturned. Some kext replacement or such that might restore dimming to all of us suffering along with one of Apple's rare lemon models.
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1.4k
May ’20
Numbers and String.localizedStringWithFormat
My app uses a text field where the user enters a number. Upon an entry, the app checks to make sure that the user has entered a number and not gibberish, then stores the numerical entry as a double.let stored = NumberFormatter().number(from: textField.text! as String)!.doubleValueThen calculations are made and the gui updated. For updating the text field, I convert a stored double back to text:numberInput.text = String.localizedStringWithFormat("%.\3f %@", stored, "")It all works fine, for entries under 1000.Problem: When a comma is inserted by the localizer, as in "1,000", and the user does not clear the entire entry or enters a comma manually - for instance edits the old entry to show "1,001" - that is no longer recognized as a number. Of course entering 1001 is fine. I cannot just strip out the comma because it can have different meanings in different locations. I want to show the comma in the textfield to propoerly format the number display.Ideas?
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1.1k
Apr ’20