Error Appstore connect : Missing Purpose String in Info.plist File

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

If you're using Expo, you can add solve by adding infoPlist to app.json like so:

  "expo": {
     "ios": {
       "bundleIdentifier": "com.app.myapp",
       "infoPlist": {
         "NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription": "Some message to appease Apple.",
       },
     },
   }

Expo Docs

Answer 2

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...).

Answer 3

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 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

For more simplifying you can add these lines in your info.plist. These error are coming because Starting spring 2019, all apps submitted to the App Store that access user data will be required to include a purpose string.

1. Open info.plist as source code.

2. Add these following lines in your plist

   <key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
   <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Location access for "some reason"!</string>
   <key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
   <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Location access for "some reason"!</string>
   <key>NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
   <string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Location access for "some reason"!</string>
   

Answer 6

NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription Your location is required for xyz benefits for you NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription Your location is required for xyz benefits for you

Answer 7

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 8

This issue is occurring because you haven't included

 <NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription>

for your app. I faced the same issue when I tried to submit my app on the AppStore. After the app was processed, I got the same mail. I just added the description and now its resolved.

Hope this helps.

Answer 9

There are the following cases:

NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription (iOS>11)
NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription          (iOS>11)
NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription             (iOS<=10)
NSLocationUsageDescription                   (seems very old, iOS8?)

Apple states at:

Add the NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription key and the NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription key to your Info.plist file.

and:

If your app supports iOS 10 and earlier, add the NSLocationAlwaysUsage

NSLocationUsageDescription seems dead, the only ref in ADC site is: https://developer.apple.com/ibeacon/Getting-Started-with-iBeacon.pdf

So to be sure, use first 3.

Answer 10

"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.

Open Info.plist as source code.
Add these following lines in your plist

<key>NSLocationAlwaysAndWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Location access for "some reason"!</string>
<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Location access for "some reason"!</string>
<key>NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
<string>$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Location access for "some reason"!</string>

Answer 11

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 12

same issue in Feb 19, got an email with a bunch of permissions I am not using, I assume they are from plugins. Apple says in March 19 it is a requirement so I am adding these in info.plst and uploading again.

It is very silly indeed.

Answer 13

I had <key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription </key> instead of <key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>

be sure to remove trailing whitespace

Answer 14

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 15

Please review the email you received from **App Store Connect **

Identify The Missing Key

Instructions

1. Open info.plist file.

2. Add and search for the missing key from the options provided (e.g. Contacts = Privacy - Contacts Usage Description)

3. Add Usage Description:

$(PRODUCT_NAME) needs Contacts access to "Provide The Reason Here".

Example:

Answer 16

With Xcode 11 copy the key NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription and add this to Info -> Custom iOS Target Properties -> Click + in the bottom left of this tab and as a value insert some kind of description like This app requires location access to function properly..

Answer 17

My app also got that， and I do nothing about it but it can run well ,next time I think should add such key in plist,just do some description

Answer 18

A short answer to the above problem -

NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription must be updated with the following description in Info.plist file

{Your App Name} requires access to the location to suggest dengue outbreak zones.

Answer 19

In our case, we were using NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription in our app, but not NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription.

Reading from the comments here (thanks matt-oakes), it looks like NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription is being used by one of the dependency frameworks we use.

Running our app it doesn't show the actual NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription permission modal, so it looks to just handle this in the background.

So in summary, adding NSLocationAlwaysUsageDescription to the Info.plist fixed the warning email, and did not change any behaviour in the app 👍🏻