Using the Latest Code Signature Format

Question

Created Jan ’21

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Hello,

Lately, I saw an article from Apple talking about the "Using the Latest Code Signature Format".
This is the article.
I'm trying to figure out the meaning of this. We have an app in the store published in 2014 and hasn't been touched since then. The article states that starting 14.2 the system checks for a new signature and in the near future it will reject apps without that signature ("In a future release, the new format will become mandatory, and the system won’t launch apps with the old signature format").
We tested the app on 14.2/3/4 and didn't get this warning message although it's stated in the article.
We cannot upload a new app as it will take a tremendous amount of time to rewrite it, and if broken we will have a serious production issue as lots of customers are still using it.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks in advance!

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Answer 1

Etresoft OP

Jan ’21

We have an app in the store

Then none of that applies to you.

We cannot upload a new app as it will take a tremendous amount of time to rewrite it, and if broken we will have a serious production issue as lots of customers are still using it.

This doesn't make any sense. If you did need to resubmit for some reason, it should only take a couple of minutes. What do you mean by "rewrite"? You don't need to rewrite the app to submit a new version.

This particular issue does not apply to you as Apple manages certificates in the store. However, it sounds like you could have some very serious problems with your app. You should investigate what is going on. Ensure that you can re-build the app and resubmit it in a couple of minutes should the need arise. If there is any reason why you can't do that, then you are in serious, serious trouble.

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Answer 2

noam OP

Jan ’21

What I meant is that it's an app we created in 2014 and didn't touch its code since then. It contains UIWebview etc. where in order to submit a new review will make us change a lot of code. We don't want to touch it, just leave it alive as long as it will take by itself.

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Answer 3

Etresoft OP

Jan ’21

It contains UIWebview etc. where in order to submit a new review will make us change a lot of code. We don't want to touch it, just leave it alive as long as it will take by itself.

This app will likely stop working entirely when Apple removes support for those deprecated APIs. Apple has gotten much more aggressive about this sort of thing recently. It would be better to just pull the app if you are not supporting it.

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Answer 4

DTS Engineer OP

Apple

Jan ’21

I want to highlight the following quote from Using the Latest Code Signature Format:

For apps that you distribute through the App Store or TestFlight, App
Store Connect first verifies your signature, and then re-signs the app
using an Apple identity, before making the app available for download.
Apps available through these channels already have the new signature
format.

So, if you only distribute your app via the App Store, I agree with Etresoft’s conclusion that this isn’t a problem for you.

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@apple.com"

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