App refused by Apple with error ITMS-90338: Non-public API usage

[clem0338]

Description

Hi,

we were able to migrate our solution from Xamarin to MAUI (.net 8).

After a 2 weeks fight, the app is finally working on Android and iOS in both Debug and Release configuration.

Unfortunately, after sending to Apple, the app is rejected because of the following:

ITMS-90338: Non-public API usage - The app references non-public symbols in [Our app name]: _SCDynamicStoreCreate, _SCDynamicStoreCreateRunLoopSource, _SCDynamicStoreKeyCreateNetworkServiceEntity, _SCDynamicStoreSetNotificationKeys. 
If method names in your source code match the private Apple APIs listed above, altering your method names will help prevent this app from being flagged in future submissions. In addition, note that one or more of the above APIs may be located in a static library that was included with your app. If so, they must be removed. For further information, visit the Technical Support Information at http://developer.apple.com/support/technical/ 

From what I understand, this is because the 4 methods (_SCDynamicStoreCreate, _SCDynamicStoreCreateRunLoopSource, _SCDynamicStoreKeyCreateNetworkServiceEntity, _SCDynamicStoreSetNotificationKeys) exists in the generated Mach-O binary.

Those methods are not used directly by our application but because of HttpClient we are using to request our business API
The methods are implemented in the System.Net.NetworkInformation assembly which is referenced in the System.Net.Http assembly

Installed Workload Id      Manifest Version       Installation Source
---------------------------------------------------------------------
android                    34.0.113/8.0.100       VS 17.11.35005.142
maccatalyst                17.2.8053/8.0.100      VS 17.11.35005.142
ios                        17.2.8053/8.0.100      VS 17.11.35005.142
maui-windows               8.0.40/8.0.100         VS 17.11.35005.142
aspire                     8.0.0/8.0.100          VS 17.11.35005.142

Use `dotnet workload search` to find additional workloads to install.

Steps to Reproduce

No response

Link to public reproduction project repository

No response

Version with bug

8.0.40 SR5

Is this a regression from previous behavior?

Not sure, did not test other versions

Last version that worked well

Unknown/Other

Affected platforms

iOS

Affected platform versions

Targeted iOS version: 11.0

Did you find any workaround?

No workaround found

Relevant log output

ITMS-90338: Non-public API usage - The app references non-public symbols in [Our app name]: _SCDynamicStoreCreate, _SCDynamicStoreCreateRunLoopSource, _SCDynamicStoreKeyCreateNetworkServiceEntity, _SCDynamicStoreSetNotificationKeys. 
If method names in your source code match the private Apple APIs listed above, altering your method names will help prevent this app from being flagged in future submissions. In addition, note that one or more of the above APIs may be located in a static library that was included with your app. If so, they must be removed. For further information, visit the Technical Support Information at http://developer.apple.com/support/technical/

[github-actions]

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[drasticactions]

SCDynamicStore is used by the runtime for NetworkChange (

runtime/src/libraries/System.Net.NetworkInformation/src/System/Net/NetworkInformation/NetworkAddressChange.OSX.cs

Line 18 in d38e559

public partial class NetworkChange

) (

runtime/src/libraries/Common/src/Interop/OSX/Interop.SystemConfiguration.cs

Line 10 in bb63e36

using SCDynamicStoreRef = System.IntPtr;

)

(assuming that this file is also used for iOS as well).

I believe if you (or a library you are using) consume this function, then it will access SCDynamicStore and bring it in. Else, it would get linked out. This isn't an MAUI UI bug; it's more fundamental.

@rolfbjarne Is there anything they can do to diagnose which component is pulling in SCDynamicStore? Could this be a bug?

[rolfbjarne]

These functions are not private API, they're very much public:

• https://developer.apple.com/documentation/systemconfiguration/1437828-scdynamicstorecreate?language=objc
• https://developer.apple.com/documentation/systemconfiguration/1437797-scdynamicstorecreaterunloopsourc/
• https://developer.apple.com/documentation/systemconfiguration/1517288-scdynamicstorekeycreatenetworkse
• https://developer.apple.com/documentation/systemconfiguration/1437820-scdynamicstoresetnotificationkey?language=objc

So this looks like Apple updated their list of private APIs, and got it wrong (it wouldn't be the first time this has happened).

Typically publishing again works (because someone else complained and Apple fixed it), otherwise you'll have to escalate this to Apple (forums, support ticket, etc.)

[clem0338]

@drasticactions: Upon examining the main assembly (out of the bin folder), there is no usage of the System.Net.NetworkInformation namespace in our program or in the libraries used, only references to System.Net.Http.

@rolfbjarne: I'm very surprised to be the only one using System.Net.Http.HttpClient on iOS, is there any (cross platform) alternatives ?

[rolfbjarne]

@rolfbjarne Is there anything they can do to diagnose which component is pulling in SCDynamicStore?

One rather crude way (but it could be effective), would be to:

• Build the project for device.
• Search the project directory (including the bin and obj directories) for the function names.

Example:

$ dotnet build /p:RuntimeIdentifier=ios-arm64 /p:Configuration=Release
$ grep SCDynamicStoreCreate -R .
<hopefully interesting output>

There are a lot of intermediate build files in the bin and obj directories, and which files contain mentions of these functions may reveal which code references them.

[clem0338]

Thanks for your advice, here is the result (of course I replaced the app name)

cedric@MacMini2020 ca7de8d236573ef8d3d4f42f9a3be06280d8c75ec51ec0927c59e6aaa93a5d31 % grep -lr _SCDynamicStoreCreate
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/ipa/Payload/[appname].app/[appname]
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/nativelibraries/[appname]
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/nativelibraries/aot-output/arm64/System.Net.NetworkInformation.dll.llvm.o
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/nativelibraries/aot-output/arm64/System.Net.NetworkInformation.dll.o
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/nativelibraries/aot-output/arm64/System.Net.NetworkInformation.dll.s
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/nativelibraries/aot-output/arm64/System.Net.NetworkInformation.dll.s.opt.bc
./obj/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/nativelibraries/aot-output/arm64/System.Net.NetworkInformation.dll.s.bc
./bin/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/[appname].app.dSYM/Contents/Resources/Relocations/aarch64/[appname].yml
./bin/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/[appname].app.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF/[appname]
./bin/Release/net8.0-ios/ios-arm64/[appname].app/[appname]
cedric@MacMini2020 ca7de8d236573ef8d3d4f42f9a3be06280d8c75ec51ec0927c59e6aaa93a5d31 %

[rolfbjarne]

OK, so the reference is clearly from System.Net.NetworkInformation.dll.

Note that you don't have to use this assembly yourself, any code you call may also call System.Net.NetworkInformation, which may make it rather difficult to remove.

As I said, my recommendation would be to contact Apple, because this clearly seems like an error on their side.

[clem0338]

I have created a ticket on Apple Developer Forum, just waiting for it to be ... approved. Wait and see

[PureWeen]

@clem0338 can we close this issue?

[clem0338]

@PureWeen: Here is the thread in Apple developer forum. I also sent a contact request with no response so far. I'd like this thread to stay open until further notice (or feedback from Apple).

[drasticactions]

IMO it should probably be moved to dotnet/runtime at least, since it's not a MAUI UI issue, but I do agree that it should stay open since it's related to the runtime, even if Apple needs to be the one to address it.

[drasticactions]

Thanks @jfversluis!

For those triaging this, this is not a dotnet bug directly but Apple's reviewers flagged APIs within the runtime that they said were private, but are not. This should stay open until we know from Apple that this is resolved, in case others trying to submit apps get hit by this.