Error Appstore connect : Missing Purpose String in

Question

I've submitted my app for review to the App Store Connect. Although the app is still under review, I've received an email to inform me that I have to fix an error. Here is the content of the message:

Dear Developer,

We identified one or more issues with a recent delivery for your app XXXXX. Your delivery was successful, but you may wish to correct the following issues in your next delivery:

"Missing Purpose String in Info.plist File. Your app's code references one or more APIs that access sensitive user data. The app's Info.plist file should contain a NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription key with a user-facing purpose string explaining clearly and completely why your app needs the data. Starting spring 2019, all apps submitted to the App Store that access user data will be required to include a purpose string.If you're using external libraries or SDKs, they may reference APIs that require a purpose string. While your app might not use these APIs, a purpose string is still required. You can contact the developer of the library or SDK and request they release a version of their code that doesn't contain the APIs.

After you’ve corrected the issues, you can use Xcode or Application Loader to upload a new binary to iTunes Connect.

Best regards,

The App Store Team

My app is fully built with Expo and I don't know how to access and modify the Info.plist.

Any idea?

Answer 1

I also face the same issue but after 27 hours, I received the email about approved even I did nothing. So wait for approximately 24 hours instead of doing all this process again.

Answer 2

These answers all tell you how to comply with the App Store rules to avoid the warning but the true fix would be for Expo to allow you to disable their SDKs requirement for Location Services unless you actually use them - I'm not sure if this is possible.

Answer 3

We did receive the same email and we aren't using the CoreLocation at all. After a quick search, we found that Parse SDK could use CoreLocation. In Apple's email, they clearly say:

If you're using external libraries or SDKs, they may reference APIs that require a purpose string.

That mean the minute your code or any other Library or SDKs can use CoreLocation, even if you don't use it, you need to provide privacy description for "When In Use" and "Always Use".

It is also something new from Apple and for now it's only a warning but it will be required starting in Spring 2019 for new submissions.

Answer 4

It's a new requirement from apple, even if you do not use location. If you want to add the permissions in Xcode, look for "Privacy - Location Usage Description" and "Privacy - Location When In Use Usage Description" and type a custom string for each of them.

Answer 5

I have some apps in the store and I tried to distribute a version for QA and the same thing happened in two different Apps. I think this is a new criteria to accept the builds uploads to Appstore connect.

The solution is simple, add the following lines in the .plist file.

<key>NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription</key>

<string>custom message</string>

<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>

<string>custom message</string>

PS: In my case have not using any feature of location, but I added these lines in order to comply with Appstore connect guidelines. Btw after receive that email, I could test the app even when they said that build it had some issues.

I hope this work for you guys.

Answer 6

EDIT April 2019 : You now have to add these two keys, as spring 2019 has begun. Note that NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription is now deprecated (since iOS 11) and has been replaced with NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription and NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription. If you want to support lower than iOS 11, you'll have to use the three values.

To sum up you have to:

• Add NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription AND NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription for iOS 11 and more
• And add NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription if you want to support iOS 10 and less
• And finally, you can add NSLocationUsageDescription if you wan to support iOS 8 and less.

You can submit your app even if you got this message !

I’ve just faced the same issue yesterday, even if the app isn’t using the location functionality. It may be related to some framework included in the project that have this optional feature.

I can confirm that my app has been approved even without the NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription and NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription key in info.plist

Indeed, as Apple stated in the mail :

Starting spring 2019, all apps submitted to the App Store that access user data will be required to include a purpose string.

So the only thing to do is to add this key (right now is better, so that you won’t forget) in you project so that it will be included in your next update.

Just add two new entries in your info.plist, with NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription and NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription as keys and a short description of why you use them as the value (even if you don’t really use them...).