iOS Privacy Manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy) present and complete

Apple has required PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy for all iOS app updates since May 1, 2024. A missing or incomplete manifest means Apple's automated binary validation rejects your upload before a human reviewer ever sees it. Beyond the submission block, an incomplete manifest misrepresents your app's data practices to users and regulators — violating GDPR Art.5(1)(c) data-minimisation transparency and CCPA §1798.100 disclosure requirements. If your app or any of its third-party pods uses Required Reason APIs (UserDefaults, FileManager, SystemBootTime, DiskSpace) without declaring them, every update you ship is an unverifiable compliance gap.

Create ios/[AppName]/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy as a property list and declare all four required keys. For Expo managed workflow, add the privacyManifests key in your app config plugin or install expo-privacy-manifests. After updating, run:

find ios/ -name PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy

to enumerate manifests from your own code and all CocoaPods. Then use Xcode's Privacy Report (Product → Archive → Validate App → Check privacy manifest) to catch undeclared Required Reason API usages before you submit.

• ID: app-store-privacy-data.privacy-declarations.no-privacy-manifest

• Severity: critical

• What to look for: For iOS apps (ios-only or ios-and-android), search the entire ios/ directory for PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy. If not found, this check fails immediately. If found, open the file and verify it contains all four required keys: NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypes (array of dictionaries with NSPrivacyAccessedAPIType and NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypeReasons), NSPrivacyCollectedDataTypes (array), NSPrivacyTracking (boolean), and NSPrivacyTrackingDomains (array, may be empty). Then cross-reference NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypes against code: search for UserDefaults/NSUserDefaults → must declare type NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryUserDefaults; FileManager.default.urls(for:) or NSHomeDirectory() → NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryFileTimestamp; NSProcessInfo.processInfo (systemUptime) → NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategorySystemBootTime; NSFileSystemFreeSize/NSFileSystemSize → NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryDiskSpace; UIDevice.identifierForVendor → NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryUserDefaults (IDFV is covered differently — check Apple docs); CTTelephonyNetworkInfo → NSPrivacyAccessedAPICategoryUserDefaults. In React Native and Expo apps, also search node_modules/ for any pod that uses these APIs — their PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy files must be present (they're bundled with compliant SDK versions). Flag if a Required Reason API is used in source or via a dependency that lacks a compliant privacy manifest.

• Pass criteria: PrivacyInfo. At least 1 implementation must be verified.xcprivacy exists under ios/, contains all four required top-level keys, and all Required Reason APIs used in code or via dependencies are declared with at least one valid reason code. A partial or placeholder implementation does not count as pass. Report the count even on pass.

• Fail criteria: File is missing entirely; or present but missing required keys; or code/dependencies use Required Reason APIs that are not declared in the manifest.

• Skip (N/A) when: App targets Android only (no ios/ directory detected, no iOS build configuration, no Expo iOS platform).

• Detail on fail: Cite the specific gap. Example: "PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy missing from ios/ directory — required since May 2024 for all iOS app updates" or "NSPrivacyAccessedAPITypes declares UserDefaults but source uses NSProcessInfo.processInfo.systemUptime (SystemBootTime) — missing reason declaration"

• Remediation: Apple has required privacy manifests for all app updates since May 1, 2024. Missing or incomplete manifests cause binary rejection before human review.

  1. Create ios/[AppName]/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy as a property list with the four required keys
  2. For each Required Reason API your app uses, add the type and at least one reason code from Apple's list at https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/privacy_manifest_files/describing_use_of_required_reason_api
  3. For Expo apps, add the privacyManifests key to your app config plugin or use the expo-privacy-manifests package
  4. Verify all third-party pods have their own PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy — run find ios/ -name PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy to enumerate them
  5. Use Xcode's Privacy Report (Product → Archive → Validate App → Check privacy manifest) to find gaps before submission

  Review the configuration in src/ or app/ directory for implementation patterns.