MapKit not loading, registration（Apple ID） flow blocked in mainland China #20
Description
- Describe the bug
When accessing the WWDC Scholars website from mainland China, the embedded map fails to load, and as a result, the registration process cannot proceed.
- To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:
1. Go to [https://www.wwdcscholars.com/]
2. Sign in with an Apple ID registered in mainland China
3. After logging in, get stuck in a redirect loop
4. When using a non-mainland Apple ID and proceeding to the registration form, the map does not load and the “Continue” button remains disabled even after filling out the city field
- Expected behavior
• The MapKit JS should load properly, displaying the map.
• Users should be able to manually input their location and proceed even if the map fails.
• Mainland China Apple ID users should be able to log in and reach the registration form.
- Actual behavior
• Map fails to initialize with 401 Unauthorized errors in console:
[MapKit] Initialization failed because the authorization token is invalid. Error: MapKit failed to initialize.
• Apple ID login from mainland China results in repeated redirects without successful login.
• Manually entering the city does not enable the “Continue” button.
• Clicking the “Feedback” button and submitting a form returns a 404 Not Found.
- Screenshots / Logs
Console error:
GET https://cdn.apple-mapkit.com/ma/bootstrap?apiVersion=2&mkjsVersion=5.65.0-6&poi=1 401 (Unauthorized)
- Device Info:
• Browser: Safari
• OS: macOS
• Location: Mainland China
• Apple ID region: Mainland China (and tested with a global Apple ID)
- Additional context
This may be due to a missing or expired MapKit JS JWT token. Additionally, the redirect loop during Apple ID login might be related to region-specific behavior of Apple’s auth service.
We’d appreciate it if fallback behavior could be implemented when the map fails to load (e.g., allowing city input alone), and if compatibility with Chinese Apple IDs could be improved.
Thank you!
