7 ms·

I can’t understand Apple’s Critical Alert policy (2023)

98 points by logistra 1y ago

xtajv 1y ago
hey so idk if folks remember how DoNotDisturb got intro'd. (anybody else do "Lock-in" drills in school where we all had to be SILENT?)
DecentShoes 1y ago
It's easy to understand: Apple is deliberately abusing its power to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
gambiting 1y ago
>> By this logic, even the Health app shouldn't be allowed to use it. Apple is well known for giving their own apps permissions that no(or few) other apps can get - it's an unfair advantage and they keep getting slapped for it in courts but clearly not enough for them to stop doing it.
Zealotux 1y ago
Why can't I, the user, give a special permission to a specific app to override the silent mode just like I can with my emergency contacts?
- akimbostrawman 1y ago
  Because you are always only the user instead of the owner with an apple device and software.
  - aziaziazi 1y ago
    I understand and share your feeling, however I think OP question is interesting enough to deserve a more complete response. Trying to frame it another way: Is that specific non-par feature voluntary from Apple or might them just didn’t thought about it yet? If that’s voluntary, what’s the logic that make them think it’s better for their business to not allow that feature?
    - akimbostrawman 1y ago
      From my experience apple tries very hard to remove or hide any feature it can, there argument is probably to not overwhelm user and simplicity
      - aziaziazi 1y ago
        That’s a fair hypothesis. Thanks.
- jwatzman 1y ago
  For do not disturb, you can: settings -> focus -> do not disturb has a section at the top for allowing specific apps or specific people.
  - logistra 1y ago
    But that does not bypass silent mode. Critical alert does.
dinkblam 1y ago
> What’s even more confusing is that I’ve seen general-purpose to-do or reminder apps on the App Store that somehow got approved for Critical Alerts, even though their use case seems far less urgent thats because App Store review is a.) random and b.) they play favorites so the same rules don't apply to everyone we got rejected because of "Mac*" in the name. we pointed them to a dozen others that had it, where it seemingly was no problem. didn't help.
- codetrotter 1y ago
  > we got rejected because of "Mac*" in the name. we pointed them to a dozen others that had it, where it seemingly was no problem. didn't help. To be fair, it’s understandable for many reasons that they don’t want other companies to use “Mac” in the name of the software. - Brand dilution - Losing trademark if Mac becomes a generic word - It’s also annoying actually with apps that name themselves that way. Just because I’m on a Mac doesn’t mean I need that a whole bunch of my apps start with “Mac” in their name. Likewise for apps that start their name with lowercase i on iOS, and apps that end their name with droid on Android. Also, for the ones that were allowed anyway, were those already big outside of App Store by chance? Or have they been allowing even new apps that don’t have an existing user base into the App Store with names like that?
  - Agentlien 1y ago
    > Losing trademark if Mac becomes a generic word This is interesting considering that it was a common word before Apple started. Both the variety of apple called Macintosh and a Mac raincoat (named after Charles Macintosh). Though it would be really funny if the Beatles were referring to a computer in Penny Lane: "And the banker never wears a mac in the pouring rain. Very strange"
    - brazzy 1y ago
      Trademarks are specific to a kind of product or service. A Mac raincoat does not violate a trademark on Mac computers or software.
  - 1y ago
indianmouse 1y ago
They seem to shoot based on vague reasons. And they don't reason. If it is a no, it is a no. Time for an alternative app store. It is needed across the world. Single point of failure and control is not good for any ecosystem. Too much dependence on one single entity if one wants to exists in that is really some sh*ty concept. Break free and break good! EU has to help here...
- _factor 1y ago
  Let the App Store contain backup providers that are allowed to compete with iCloud while you’re at it. The ability to self host it yourself would be a game changer for the lockdown. There are too many apps with local data that can only be backed up via iCloud. For what’s essentially an archive upload to storage, Apple raises a lot of barriers.
- jeroenhd 1y ago
  You can install alternative app stores on iOS (within the EU). AltStore, Epic Games Store, and even a corporate-targeting store from Mobivention. Apple is pulling some shit that will probably be declared illegal the moment it hits the courts with installation fees when distributing apps outside of Apple's ecosystem, but AFAIK Epic is taking care of that for AltStore and Mobivention probably factors it into its corporate pricing structure. There's a lack of apps on these stores, though.
  - nazgu1 1y ago
    You can, indeed, but all apps have to pass Apple review. So they can still reject app on vague reasons.
    - dewey 1y ago
      That’s not true, they get notarized but not reviewed.
      - nazgu1 1y ago
        You are right, apps are not reviewed by humans. But there is automatic review in the process of notarization. And you still need to ask apple for all entitlements you need (Critical alerts, CarPlay etc), as in the case mentioned in this blog post.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
nottorp 1y ago
You have functionality that is overlapping with something provided by Apple. It's possible they will find reasons to reject your app indefinitely.
- agos 1y ago
  if that is so they could just say that they reject the app because it replicates built in functionality - it's a well known cause for rejection
  - nottorp 1y ago
    They could be A/B testing. Or more likely, Apple reviewers aren't paid so well and have 3 minutes to review each submission so they just reject for the first reason that comes up.
zug_zug 1y ago
Sounds like apple really needs a better review/appeal process, official set of standards, etc. Seems like it's bad for their ecosystem at this point.
- threeseed 1y ago
  a) They have an appeals process: https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review b) Standards has been in place for over a decade: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines
  - logistra 1y ago
    The appeals process does not apply to Critical Alert Entitlement requests, which must be submitted through the external form: https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/notifications-critical-alerts-entitlement/ https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/notifications-cr...
nazgu1 1y ago
The same is with CarPlay for example. You need to apply form entitlement. For me this is weird, it is user choice if he would like to have critical alerts, CarPlay UI and so on. And Apple have review process to not pass apps that abuse this mechanisms./
SuperShibe 1y ago
This seems like something you could fix by reminding them that the DMA exists (if your app is available in the EU)
petercooper 1y ago
I could shorten this to "I can't understand Apple" much of the time. I love Apple products, but they do make some wacky decisions that surely make sense somehow (probably due to scale, regulation, or business aims) but the reasoning is entirely opaque nowadays. One thing I thought Steve Jobs did reasonably well was at least try to justify Apple's decisions, but they don't have anyone who levels with people in that way anymore.
xtajv 1y ago
Ok sorry, I'm going to state the obvious. The "Apple Critical Alerts" API is clearly intended as a replacement channel for cellular emergency alerts[0]. (If not a "replacement", then perhaps a "supplemental" option. Redundancy is good when we're talking about whether "911" works). The "Apple Critical Alert" API policy, restricting who's allowed to call the API, is a good thing. You just do not get performant public notifications if you allow just anybody to broadcast. (Milli)seconds count, people. I hate Singleton patterns as much as anybody. And I hate when business happens behind closed doors, with limited public access, and restricted opportunity for public comment. But again, if we're talking about the choice between """ locking down this one special channel, because it's responsible for real-time public safety alerts """ vs. """ asking how many broadcasters can possibly share that channel, before contention and congestion result in human-perceptible delays to alert delivery. """ Then I would opt for the former. --- [0] You know how your phone will buzz REAL loud if there's like, an Amber Alert or Tsunami or something? That's a feature of the cellular system. To my knowledge, emergency alerts and 911 calls go over a separate dedicated mini-channel, which has gone by various names through POTS/2G/3G/5G and beyond. A.K.A.s: - Public Warning System (PWS) - Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) - CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert Service)
- xtajv 1y ago
  P.S. I'm sorry to be grouchy about it- I just don't think folks realize that yes, 1. emergency infrastructure really does run over the same networks as everything else 2. That We carve out special lanes for emergency/911 packets. That traffic is special.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
    What?! You mean I don’t get to have every phone in a store buzz, when we have a special on tinned prunes? What is the feature for, if not that? Overzealous marketing is why we can’t have nice things.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
- cnity 1y ago
uni_baconcat 1y ago
I have checked all apps on my phone. Besides Apple first party apps such as Home and Message, only one earthquake alert app has this level of notification.
bitpush 1y ago
People should realize that Apple plays favorites and lets their own apps use private APIs. Developers that bet on Apple platforms (iOS in particular) are at the mercy of Apple, and the company doesnt even try to play fair most of the time.
- threeseed 1y ago
  Apple has always considered their apps to be part of the OS. It was only because of legal disputes that they were ever split off. And it is shocking that Apple the OS company has a favourable relationship with Apple the app company. Never happens in IT.
mimsee 1y ago
If this reminder app to take meds can't access this API, how can HomeAssistant's iOS app access it where, I the user, can base the trigger for a critical notification on virtually anything?
- logistra 1y ago
  Yeah. That's why I am so confused.
os2warpman 1y ago
I don’t know if a pill reminder app rises to the level of importance where a critical alert is needed. There are only five apps on my phone, out of over a hundred, that use critical alerts. PulsePoint, if someone near me is having a heart attack Messages, if one of my kids is in trouble Health, if I am having a heart attack Home, if my smoke alarm is going off ActiveAlert, my fire department’s dispatch notification app, which will tell me where to drive the ambulance if someone is having a heart attack If I’m in a darkened theater and someone nearby needs cpr, my house is on fire, or one of my kids is in trouble I want the phone to make a sound. I want someone else’s phone to make a sound if they get those notifications, too. If it’s time to take their atorvastatin I don’t give a shit their phone better stay shut the hell up. If someone’s calendar app slipped through the cracks and got permission to issue critical alerts, THAT is the problem, not the fact that a pill reminder app can’t.
- Martinussen 1y ago
  If I miss the dosing window by more than an hour or so it'll either ruin my sleep or ruin my day after lunch, I have responsibilities and can easily lose track of time for an hour or two while working or in meetings, so the iOS medication reminders are very useful to me personally, at least. edit: though if I remember or see the initial reminder and log it, it obviously won't go off with sound. If it pings, I've basically always already forgotten.
  - xattt 1y ago
    With all due respect and without knowing your clinical history at all, this level of sensitivity to a statin probably warrants a review of your med with your provider.
    - xtajv 1y ago
      No it doesn't. Some of us are just like, really particular about schedules. (The internet is full of weirdos, sorry).
    - Martinussen 1y ago
bArray 1y ago
I think the main point is being missed here: > Apple’s own Health app uses Critical Alerts for its medication reminders, so I assumed my use case would qualify. I submitted a request for access to the API, but it was rejected. I think what is being developed is a competitor to a space that Apple are in and want to be more involved in, and that is why you will not get permission to use the necessary API.
- LadyCailin 1y ago
  That anti competitive stance has been working very well for Apple lately.
- maratc 1y ago
  I use "Apple’s own Health app" medication reminders and from what I can see, they do not use Critical Alerts. They behave differently from the app I use that prompts me of the sugar levels of a relative (that app does use Critical Alerts, and the difference is very clear.)
  - terabytest 1y ago
    Critical alerts are available as an optional setting for medication reminders in the iOS Health app.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
lapcat 1y ago
For some reason the submission title is labeled (2023) even though the blog post is dated 08 May, 2025.

98 points by logistra 1y ago

hey so idk if folks remember how DoNotDisturb got intro'd. (anybody else do "Lock-in" drills in school where we all had to be SILENT?)

DecentShoes 1y ago

It's easy to understand: Apple is deliberately abusing its power to gain an unfair competitive advantage.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

gambiting 1y ago

>> By this logic, even the Health app shouldn't be allowed to use it. Apple is well known for giving their own apps permissions that no(or few) other apps can get - it's an unfair advantage and they keep getting slapped for it in courts but clearly not enough for them to stop doing it.

Zealotux 1y ago

Why can't I, the user, give a special permission to a specific app to override the silent mode just like I can with my emergency contacts?

akimbostrawman 1y ago
Because you are always only the user instead of the owner with an apple device and software.
- aziaziazi 1y ago
  I understand and share your feeling, however I think OP question is interesting enough to deserve a more complete response. Trying to frame it another way: Is that specific non-par feature voluntary from Apple or might them just didn’t thought about it yet? If that’s voluntary, what’s the logic that make them think it’s better for their business to not allow that feature?
  - akimbostrawman 1y ago
    From my experience apple tries very hard to remove or hide any feature it can, there argument is probably to not overwhelm user and simplicity
    - aziaziazi 1y ago
      That’s a fair hypothesis. Thanks.
jwatzman 1y ago
For do not disturb, you can: settings -> focus -> do not disturb has a section at the top for allowing specific apps or specific people.
- logistra 1y ago
  But that does not bypass silent mode. Critical alert does.

dinkblam 1y ago

> What’s even more confusing is that I’ve seen general-purpose to-do or reminder apps on the App Store that somehow got approved for Critical Alerts, even though their use case seems far less urgent thats because App Store review is a.) random and b.) they play favorites so the same rules don't apply to everyone we got rejected because of "Mac*" in the name. we pointed them to a dozen others that had it, where it seemingly was no problem. didn't help.

codetrotter 1y ago
> we got rejected because of "Mac*" in the name. we pointed them to a dozen others that had it, where it seemingly was no problem. didn't help. To be fair, it’s understandable for many reasons that they don’t want other companies to use “Mac” in the name of the software. - Brand dilution - Losing trademark if Mac becomes a generic word - It’s also annoying actually with apps that name themselves that way. Just because I’m on a Mac doesn’t mean I need that a whole bunch of my apps start with “Mac” in their name. Likewise for apps that start their name with lowercase i on iOS, and apps that end their name with droid on Android. Also, for the ones that were allowed anyway, were those already big outside of App Store by chance? Or have they been allowing even new apps that don’t have an existing user base into the App Store with names like that?
- Agentlien 1y ago
  > Losing trademark if Mac becomes a generic word This is interesting considering that it was a common word before Apple started. Both the variety of apple called Macintosh and a Mac raincoat (named after Charles Macintosh). Though it would be really funny if the Beatles were referring to a computer in Penny Lane: "And the banker never wears a mac in the pouring rain. Very strange"
  - brazzy 1y ago
    Trademarks are specific to a kind of product or service. A Mac raincoat does not violate a trademark on Mac computers or software.
- 1y ago

indianmouse 1y ago

They seem to shoot based on vague reasons. And they don't reason. If it is a no, it is a no. Time for an alternative app store. It is needed across the world. Single point of failure and control is not good for any ecosystem. Too much dependence on one single entity if one wants to exists in that is really some sh*ty concept. Break free and break good! EU has to help here...

_factor 1y ago
Let the App Store contain backup providers that are allowed to compete with iCloud while you’re at it. The ability to self host it yourself would be a game changer for the lockdown. There are too many apps with local data that can only be backed up via iCloud. For what’s essentially an archive upload to storage, Apple raises a lot of barriers.
jeroenhd 1y ago
You can install alternative app stores on iOS (within the EU). AltStore, Epic Games Store, and even a corporate-targeting store from Mobivention. Apple is pulling some shit that will probably be declared illegal the moment it hits the courts with installation fees when distributing apps outside of Apple's ecosystem, but AFAIK Epic is taking care of that for AltStore and Mobivention probably factors it into its corporate pricing structure. There's a lack of apps on these stores, though.
- nazgu1 1y ago
  You can, indeed, but all apps have to pass Apple review. So they can still reject app on vague reasons.
  - dewey 1y ago
    That’s not true, they get notarized but not reviewed.
    - nazgu1 1y ago
      You are right, apps are not reviewed by humans. But there is automatic review in the process of notarization. And you still need to ask apple for all entitlements you need (Critical alerts, CarPlay etc), as in the case mentioned in this blog post.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

nottorp 1y ago

You have functionality that is overlapping with something provided by Apple. It's possible they will find reasons to reject your app indefinitely.

agos 1y ago
if that is so they could just say that they reject the app because it replicates built in functionality - it's a well known cause for rejection
- nottorp 1y ago
  They could be A/B testing. Or more likely, Apple reviewers aren't paid so well and have 3 minutes to review each submission so they just reject for the first reason that comes up.

zug_zug 1y ago

Sounds like apple really needs a better review/appeal process, official set of standards, etc. Seems like it's bad for their ecosystem at this point.

threeseed 1y ago
a) They have an appeals process: https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review b) Standards has been in place for over a decade: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines
- logistra 1y ago
  The appeals process does not apply to Critical Alert Entitlement requests, which must be submitted through the external form: https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/notifications-critical-alerts-entitlement/ https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/notifications-cr...

nazgu1 1y ago

The same is with CarPlay for example. You need to apply form entitlement. For me this is weird, it is user choice if he would like to have critical alerts, CarPlay UI and so on. And Apple have review process to not pass apps that abuse this mechanisms./

SuperShibe 1y ago

This seems like something you could fix by reminding them that the DMA exists (if your app is available in the EU)

petercooper 1y ago

I could shorten this to "I can't understand Apple" much of the time. I love Apple products, but they do make some wacky decisions that surely make sense somehow (probably due to scale, regulation, or business aims) but the reasoning is entirely opaque nowadays. One thing I thought Steve Jobs did reasonably well was at least try to justify Apple's decisions, but they don't have anyone who levels with people in that way anymore.

xtajv 1y ago

Ok sorry, I'm going to state the obvious. The "Apple Critical Alerts" API is clearly intended as a replacement channel for cellular emergency alerts[0]. (If not a "replacement", then perhaps a "supplemental" option. Redundancy is good when we're talking about whether "911" works). The "Apple Critical Alert" API policy, restricting who's allowed to call the API, is a good thing. You just do not get performant public notifications if you allow just anybody to broadcast. (Milli)seconds count, people. I hate Singleton patterns as much as anybody. And I hate when business happens behind closed doors, with limited public access, and restricted opportunity for public comment. But again, if we're talking about the choice between """ locking down this one special channel, because it's responsible for real-time public safety alerts """ vs. """ asking how many broadcasters can possibly share that channel, before contention and congestion result in human-perceptible delays to alert delivery. """ Then I would opt for the former. --- [0] You know how your phone will buzz REAL loud if there's like, an Amber Alert or Tsunami or something? That's a feature of the cellular system. To my knowledge, emergency alerts and 911 calls go over a separate dedicated mini-channel, which has gone by various names through POTS/2G/3G/5G and beyond. A.K.A.s: - Public Warning System (PWS) - Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) - CMAS (Commercial Mobile Alert Service)

xtajv 1y ago
P.S. I'm sorry to be grouchy about it- I just don't think folks realize that yes, 1. emergency infrastructure really does run over the same networks as everything else 2. That We carve out special lanes for emergency/911 packets. That traffic is special.
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
  What?! You mean I don’t get to have every phone in a store buzz, when we have a special on tinned prunes? What is the feature for, if not that? Overzealous marketing is why we can’t have nice things.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
cnity 1y ago

uni_baconcat 1y ago

I have checked all apps on my phone. Besides Apple first party apps such as Home and Message, only one earthquake alert app has this level of notification.

bitpush 1y ago

People should realize that Apple plays favorites and lets their own apps use private APIs. Developers that bet on Apple platforms (iOS in particular) are at the mercy of Apple, and the company doesnt even try to play fair most of the time.

threeseed 1y ago
Apple has always considered their apps to be part of the OS. It was only because of legal disputes that they were ever split off. And it is shocking that Apple the OS company has a favourable relationship with Apple the app company. Never happens in IT.

mimsee 1y ago

If this reminder app to take meds can't access this API, how can HomeAssistant's iOS app access it where, I the user, can base the trigger for a critical notification on virtually anything?

logistra 1y ago
Yeah. That's why I am so confused.

os2warpman 1y ago

I don’t know if a pill reminder app rises to the level of importance where a critical alert is needed. There are only five apps on my phone, out of over a hundred, that use critical alerts. PulsePoint, if someone near me is having a heart attack Messages, if one of my kids is in trouble Health, if I am having a heart attack Home, if my smoke alarm is going off ActiveAlert, my fire department’s dispatch notification app, which will tell me where to drive the ambulance if someone is having a heart attack If I’m in a darkened theater and someone nearby needs cpr, my house is on fire, or one of my kids is in trouble I want the phone to make a sound. I want someone else’s phone to make a sound if they get those notifications, too. If it’s time to take their atorvastatin I don’t give a shit their phone better stay shut the hell up. If someone’s calendar app slipped through the cracks and got permission to issue critical alerts, THAT is the problem, not the fact that a pill reminder app can’t.

Martinussen 1y ago
If I miss the dosing window by more than an hour or so it'll either ruin my sleep or ruin my day after lunch, I have responsibilities and can easily lose track of time for an hour or two while working or in meetings, so the iOS medication reminders are very useful to me personally, at least. edit: though if I remember or see the initial reminder and log it, it obviously won't go off with sound. If it pings, I've basically always already forgotten.
- xattt 1y ago
  With all due respect and without knowing your clinical history at all, this level of sensitivity to a statin probably warrants a review of your med with your provider.
  - xtajv 1y ago
    No it doesn't. Some of us are just like, really particular about schedules. (The internet is full of weirdos, sorry).
  - Martinussen 1y ago

bArray 1y ago

I think the main point is being missed here: > Apple’s own Health app uses Critical Alerts for its medication reminders, so I assumed my use case would qualify. I submitted a request for access to the API, but it was rejected. I think what is being developed is a competitor to a space that Apple are in and want to be more involved in, and that is why you will not get permission to use the necessary API.

LadyCailin 1y ago
That anti competitive stance has been working very well for Apple lately.
maratc 1y ago
I use "Apple’s own Health app" medication reminders and from what I can see, they do not use Critical Alerts. They behave differently from the app I use that prompts me of the sugar levels of a relative (that app does use Critical Alerts, and the difference is very clear.)
- terabytest 1y ago
  Critical alerts are available as an optional setting for medication reminders in the iOS Health app.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

lapcat 1y ago

For some reason the submission title is labeled (2023) even though the blog post is dated 08 May, 2025.