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CloudKit Documentation

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Errors reading not-yet-sync'd iCloud files get cached
I have an app which uses ubiquitous containers and files in them to share data between devices. It's a bit unusual in that it indexes files in directories the user grants access to, which may or may not exist on a second device - those files are identified by SHA-1 hash. So a second device scanning before iCloud data has fully sync'd can create duplicate references which lead to an unpleasant user experience. To solve this, I store a small binary index in the root of the ubiquitous file container of the shared data, containing all of the known hashes, and as the user proceeds through the onboarding process, a background thread is attempting to "prime" the ubiquitous container by calling FileManager.default.startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAt() for each expected folder and file in a sane order. This likely creates a situation not anticipated by the iOS/iCloud integration's design, as it means my app has a sort of precognition of files it should not yet know about. In the common case, it works, but there is a corner case where iCloud sync has just begun, and very, very little metadata is available (the common case, however, in an emulator), in which two issues come up: I/O may hang indefinitely, trying to read a file as it is arriving. This one I can work around by running the I/O in a thread created with the POSIX pthread_create and using pthread_cancel to kill it after a timeout. Attempts to call FileManager.default.startDownloadingUbiquitousItemAt() fails with an error Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=257 "The file couldn’t be opened because you don’t have permission to view it.". The permissions aspect of it is nonsense, but I can believe there's no applicable "sort of exists, sort of doesn't" error code to use and someone punted. The problem is that this same error will be thrown on any attempt to access that file for the life of the application - a restart is required to make it usable. Clearly, the error or the hallucinated permission failure is cached somewhere in the bowels of iOS's FileManager. I was hoping startAccessingSecurityScopedResource() would allow me to bypass such a cache, as it does with URL.resourceValues() returning stale file sizes and last modified times. But it does not. Is there some way to clear this state without popping up a UI with an Exit button (not exactly the desired iOS user experience)?
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190
Aug ’25
Safe way to query for the existence of a CKRecordZone?
There's some logic in my app that first checks to see if a specific CloudKit record zone exists. If it doesn't, it creates the zone, and then my application continues on with its work. The way I've implemented this right now is by catching the zoneNotFound error when I call CKDatabase#recordZone(for:) (docs) and creating the zone when that happens: do { try await db.recordZone(for: zoneID) } catch let ckError as CKError where [.zoneNotFound, .userDeletedZone].contains(ckError.code) { // createZone is a helper function try await createZone(zoneID: zoneID, context: context) } This works great, but every time I do this, an error is logged in CloudKit Console, which creates a lot of noise and makes it harder to see real errors. Is there a way to do this without explicitly triggering a CloudKit error? I just found CKDatabase#recordZones(for:) (docs), which seems like it returns an empty array instead of throwing an error if the zone doesn't exist. Will calling that and looking for a non-empty array work just as well, but without logging lots of errors in the console?
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163
Apr ’25
How to test CKShare across multiple accounts?
I'm testing CloudKit Sharing (CKShare) in my app. My app uses CloudKit Sharing to share private data between users (this is not App Store Family Sharing or purchase sharing, it's app-level sharing via CKShare). To properly test this, I need three or four Apple Accounts with distinct roles in my app. This means I need three/four separate iCloud accounts signed in on test devices. Simulators are probably ok: two acting as "parents" (share owner and participant): parent1.sandbox@example.com parent2.sandbox@example.com, one or two as a "child" (participant) child1.sandbox@example.com child2.sandbox@example.com except obviously using my domain name. I attempted to create Sandbox Apple Accounts in App Store Connect, but these don't appear to work with CloudKit Sharing. I then created several standard Apple Accounts, but I've now hit a limit — I believe my mobile number (used for two-factor authentication on the test accounts) has been flagged or rate-limited for account creation, and I can no longer create or verify new accounts with it. It's also blocked the email addresses associated with those accounts from being used for new account creation. Can Apple or anyone advise on the recommended approach for testing CloudKit Sharing with multiple participants? are Sandbox accounts supposed to work for CKShare, or do I need full Apple Accounts? How do i create and verify these in the correct way to avoid hitting these limits or breaking terms of service?
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101
3w
CloudKit sync fails across TestFlight iOS + macOS builds — “Field recordName is not marked queryable”
I’m running into a CloudKit sync issue that I can’t reconcile after multiple rebuilds, TestFlight uploads, and entitlement verification, and I’m hoping for guidance on what I’m missing or whether this is expected behavior. Context App: RankSpinnah Platforms: iOS + macOS Distribution: TestFlight Xcode: 26.x Both apps use the same bundle identifier, same container, and same Apple Developer team Automatic signing enabled; Xcode-managed profiles CloudKit capability enabled for both targets Both builds install and run correctly from TestFlight on: iPhone 17 Pro Apple-silicon Mac (M5 MacBook Pro) The Problem CloudKit data does not sync at all between devices. On both iOS and macOS, CloudKit queries return no records, and I consistently see this error: Field 'recordName' is not marked queryable This occurs even when querying for records that should exist and after fresh installs on both devices. What I’ve Verified Same iCloud account signed in on both devices CloudKit container exists and is enabled App Sandbox enabled with network access CloudKit entitlements present in the signed app (verified from the archived .app) TestFlight builds are using the correct container Rebuilt and re-uploaded after version bump (1.2.0 / build 2026.02.03) Both iOS and macOS apps successfully uploaded and installed via TestFlight Despite this, no data syncs, and the queryable error persists. What I’m Unsure About Whether recordName is expected to be non-queryable in production schemas Whether TestFlight + CloudKit requires an explicit production schema deploy beyond what Xcode manages Whether this indicates a schema mismatch between development and production environments Or whether something subtle changed in recent Xcode / CloudKit behavior Ask Can someone clarify: Whether querying by recordName should work in production CloudKit What specifically causes the “Field recordName is not marked queryable” error in TestFlight builds What steps are required to ensure CloudKit schemas are correctly deployed for cross-platform sync At this point I feel like I’m missing one critical step, but I can’t identify what it is. Thanks in advance for any guidance.
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140
Feb ’26
CKShare(rootRecord:) Returns Share with Nil Root Even When All CloudKit Best Practices Followed (iOS 26.2.1)
I’m seeing an issue with CloudKit sharing in iOS 26.2.1: When I call CKShare(rootRecord:) with a brand-new record in a fresh custom zone, the share is created with no root attached (rootFromShare == nil). After saving both the root and share in a single CKModifyRecordsOperation, fetching the share from the server still shows no root reference (rootRecordID == nil). No errors are thrown, but sharing simply fails. Key facts: • Custom zone created and confirmed (sharing enabled, capsRaw=7/15) • Brand-new record type and fresh IDs each run • Never reusing records or shares • Saving both root and share together in one operation • No default zone usage; always custom private zone Tested: • Multiple devices, iCloud accounts, and app versions • Both simulator and physical device Debug logs consistently show: • SHARE_CREATE_SHARE_LOCAL ... rootFromShare=nil • After save/fetch: rootRecordID=nil on server Has anyone seen this? Is there a new CloudKit regression in iOS 26.x, or am I missing something subtle? Minimal sample project and full debug logs available if needed. Any insights or workarounds would be hugely appreciated!
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196
4w
Mixing in-memory and persistent SwiftData containers in a Document-based App?
Hello, I'm trying to work on an iPadOS and macOS app that will rely on the document-based system to create some kind of orientation task to follow. Let say task1.myfile will be a check point regulation from NYC to SF and task2.myfile will be a visit as many key location as you can in SF. The file represent the specific landmark location and rules of the game. And once open, I will be able to read KML/GPS file to evaluate their score based with the current task. But opened GPS files does not have to be stored in the task file itself, it stay alongside. I wanted to use that scenario to experiment with SwiftData (I'm a long time CoreData user, I even wrote my own WebDAV based persistent store back in the day), and so, mix both on file and in memory persistent store, with distribution based on object class. With CoreData it would have been possible, but I do not see how to achieve that with SwiftData and DocumentGroup integration. Any idea how to do that?
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128
Aug ’25
CloudKit CKRecordZone Deletion Issue
CloudKit CKRecordZone Deletion Issue Problem: CloudKit record zones deleted via CKDatabase.modifyRecordZones(deleting:) or CKModifyRecordZonesOperation are successfully removed but then reappear. I suspect they are automatically reinstated by CloudKit sync, despite successful deletion confirmation. Environment: SwiftData with CloudKit integration Custom CloudKit zones created for legacy zone-based sharing Observed Behavior: Create custom zone (e.g., "TestZone1") via CKDatabase.modifyRecordZones(saving:) Copy records to zone for sharing purposes Delete zone using any CloudKit deletion API - returns success, no errors Immediate verification: Zone is gone from database.allRecordZones() After SwiftData/CloudKit sync or app restart: Zone reappears Reproduction: Tested with three different deletion methods - all exhibit same behaviour: modifyRecordZones(deleting:) async API CKModifyRecordZonesOperation (fire-and-forget) CKModifyRecordZonesOperation with result callbacks Zone deletion succeeds, change tokens (used to track updates to shared records) cleaned up But zones are restored presumably by CloudKit background sync Expected: Deleted zones should remain deleted Actual: Zones are reinstated, creating orphaned zones
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133
Dec ’25
UserDefaults to SwifData Migration
Is there a way to move user data from UserDefaults to SwiftData when the app is in production so that people don’t lose their data. Currently my audio journals in my journal app has everything in the UserDefaults. Now this is bad for obvious reasons but I was thinking if there was a way. It’s only been 1 week since published and I have already had17 people download it.
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171
Mar ’25
CloudKit console fails to query indexed records in Production
"No records found" If I create a new record on the console, I can copy the record name. I can then query for recordName and get that individual record back. BUT no other queries work. I cannot query all records. I cannot query by individual property. Just returns "no records found" Seems like my indexes got messed up. Is there a way to reset indexes on prod? This is on a coredata.cloudkit managed zone.
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128
Aug ’25
Xcode 26: Sendable checking + NSManagedObjectContext.perform in Swift 6
I have some code which handles doing some computation on a background thread before updating Core Data NSManagedObjects by using the NSManagedObjectContext.perform functions. This code is covered in Sendable warnings in Xcode 26 (beta 6) because my NSManagedObject subclasses (autogenerated) are non-Sendable and NSManagedObjectContext.perform function takes a Sendable closure. But I can't really figure out what I should be doing. I realize this pattern is non-ideal for Swift concurrency, but it's what Core Data demands AFAIK. How do I deal with this? let moc = object.managedObjectContext! try await moc.perform { object.completed = true // Capture of 'object' with non-Sendable type 'MySpecialObject' in a '@Sendable' closure try moc.save() } Thanks in advance for your help!
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Aug ’25
How to figure out sync errors in Production?
I'm using SwiftData with CloudKit private database. I was able to identify the error on my device by debugging in Xcode with com.apple.CoreData.SQLDebug flag. However, in Production, I couldn't find a way to get the cause of errors. I tried inspecting the error coming from eventChangedNotification. The NSPersistentCloudKitContainer.Event error does not contain any underlying error (neither CKError.userInfo nor in NSError.underlyingError). It only reports a partial failure with CKErrorDomain code 2. If a user encounter an error, there seems to be no way to retrieve the error details. Is there any way to access the error details or logs in Production?
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220
Jan ’26
SwiftData crashes on fetchHistory
Hi, would it be possible that instead of crashing when calling fetchHistory that function simply throws an error instead? fetchHistory seems to crash when it cannot understand the models if they are not compatible etc… which is understandable, but it makes it really difficult to handle and debug, there's not a lot of details, and honestly I would just rather that it throws an error and let me ignore a history entry that might be useless rather than crashing the entire app. Thank you!
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90
Apr ’25
SwiftData and CloudKit Issues
Hi, I'm using SwiftData in my app, and I want to sent data to iCloud with CloudKit, but I found that If the user turns off my App iCloud sync function in the settings App, the local data will also be deleted. A better way is maintaining the local data, just don't connect to iCloud.How should I do that? I need guidance!!! I'm just getting started with CloudKit And I would be appreciated!
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251
Nov ’25
I want to make sure to make my app’s data persist across devices, updates, and reinstalls, you need to store it in the cloud.
i want to save data like images, text,amd mapviews with swiftui. It is only saved but if you delete the app of buy a new iPhone everything is deleted, how can I make if that the information saved on my app is saved even after I update the app, delete the app, or put the app in another iPhone with SwiftUI? i have watched youtube videos and im still confused,please help.
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133
Oct ’25
Issue with SwiftData inheritance
Every time I insert a subclass (MYShapeLayer) into the model context, the app crashes with an error: DesignerPlayground crashed due to fatalError in BackingData.swift at line 908. Never access a full future backing data - PersistentIdentifier(id: SwiftData.PersistentIdentifier.ID(backing: SwiftData.PersistentIdentifier.PersistentIdentifierBacking.managedObjectID(0xb2dbc55f3f4c57f2 <x-coredata://B1E3206B-40DE-4185-BC65-4540B4705B40/MYShapeLayer/p1>))) with Optional(A6CA4F89-107F-4A66-BC49-DD7DAC689F77) struct ContentView: View { @Environment(\.modelContext) private var modelContext @Query private var designs: [MYDesign] var layers: [MYLayer] { designs.first?.layers ?? [] } var body: some View { NavigationStack { List { ForEach(layers) { layer in Text(layer.description) } } .onAppear { let design = MYDesign(title: "My Design") modelContext.insert(design) try? modelContext.save() } .toolbar { Menu("Add", systemImage: "plus") { Button(action: addTextLayer) { Text("Add Text Layer") } Button(action: addShapeLayer) { Text("Add Shape Layer") } } } } } private func addTextLayer() { if let design = designs.first { let newLayer = MYLayer(order: layers.count, kind: .text) newLayer.design = design modelContext.insert(newLayer) try? modelContext.save() } } private func addShapeLayer() { if let design = designs.first { let newLayer = MYShapeLayer(shapeName: "Ellipse", order: layers.count) newLayer.design = design modelContext.insert(newLayer) try? modelContext.save() } } } #Preview { ContentView() .modelContainer(for: [MYDesign.self, MYLayer.self, MYShapeLayer.self], inMemory: true) } @Model final class MYDesign { var title: String = "" @Relationship(deleteRule: .cascade, inverse: \MYLayer.design) var layers: [MYLayer] = [] init(title: String = "") { self.title = title } } @available(iOS 26.0, macOS 26.0, *) @Model class MYLayer { var design: MYDesign! var order: Int = 0 var title: String = "" init(order: Int = 0, title: String = "New Layer") { self.order = order self.title = title } } @available(iOS 26.0, macOS 26.0, *) @Model class MYShapeLayer: MYLayer { var shapeName: String = "" init(shapeName: String, order: Int = 0) { self.shapeName = shapeName super.init(order: order) } }
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158
Sep ’25
SQLite strftime() support with Core Data FetchRequest
My entity has a startDate (NSTime) attribute where I use the date and time in my detail display of the entity. And in my list, I need to group my entities by day (YYMMDD) based on the start date; and I want to ensure that it can adapt to the region where the user is currently (e.g. if user travels or migrate, the YYMMDD should be adapted based on the current region). Does Core Data SectionedFetchRequest supports strftime() functions from SQLite (https://sqlite.org/lang_datefunc.html) or what is an effective alternative sectioned fetch in my case?
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388
Sep ’25
CloudKit shares and iOS26 public beta (23A5336a)
I am developing an app that uses CloudKit sharing. I recently upgraded my iPad to use 23A5336a. After that upgrade, I can no longer accept a share that is sent to me. I have rebooted the iPad and logged out of the iCloud account and logged back in. Every time I get a share link and tap it, it says: " The owner stopped sharing or your account (xxx) doesn't have permission to open it" This same code, running on the iOS26 device can share with device running iOS18. Is this a known defect? Anything I can do to help resolve this issue?
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243
Sep ’25
[Mac] CloudKit CKQuerySubscription silent push notifications not arriving
I have the following code running on macOS and iOS: CKQuerySubscription *zsub = [[CKQuerySubscription alloc] initWithRecordType:ESS_CLOUDCONTROLLER_RECORDTYPE_PUSHNOTE predicate:[NSPredicate predicateWithFormat:@"TRUEPREDICATE"] subscriptionID:@"pushZSub" options:CKQuerySubscriptionOptionsFiresOnRecordUpdate|CKQuerySubscriptionOptionsFiresOnRecordCreation|CKQuerySubscriptionOptionsFiresOnRecordDeletion]; zsub.zoneID = zid; CKNotificationInfo *inf = [[CKNotificationInfo alloc] init]; inf.shouldSendContentAvailable = YES; inf.desiredKeys = @[ESS_PN_RECORDFIELD_KEY_OVERALLDATE]; zsub.notificationInfo = inf; CKModifySubscriptionsOperation *msop = [[CKModifySubscriptionsOperation alloc] initWithSubscriptionsToSave:@[zsub] subscriptionIDsToDelete:nil]; msop.qualityOfService = NSQualityOfServiceUserInitiated; msop.modifySubscriptionsCompletionBlock = ^(NSArray<CKSubscription *> * _Nullable savedSubscriptions, NSArray<CKSubscriptionID> * _Nullable deletedSubscriptionIDs, NSError * _Nullable operationError) { dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{ if (savedSubscriptions.count == 1) { //works also when already created. compH(YES, nil); } else { compH(NO, nil); } }); }; [self.database addOperation:msop]; (code synopsis: after i create a custom zone (not shown in code), I add a ckquerysubscription to it for a specific record type, configured as a silent notification) When I change the according record in my Mac app, I get an immediate silent push on iOS. On macOS, however, after I change the record in my iOS app, I don't get one. Sometimes, one silent push makes it through every now and then a minute+ late or so, and after that, it's going missing again. What's the deal? Everything's set up correctly (com.apple.developer.aps-environment is set, container-identifiers are the same, icloud services are the same, ubiquity-kvstore-identifier are the same). I obviously register for remote notifications in both apps. I see all the records and subscriptions and zones in both the Mac and iOS app. I tried setting alertBody to an empty string, or soundName to an empty string, or both to an empty string: no difference I tried having different subscriptions for my Mac and iOS app, since they use different bundle ids, but that was merged into one subscription server-side, so I'm thinking that's not it I tried making it not-silent by setting contentAvailable to NO and adding a full alertBody, title and subtitle. Again, worked on iOS, not on macOS. This has been going on since macOS 14 Sonoma (when I first got reports of this. Now running on macOS 26.3). Before Sonoma, it worked just fine. Now I thought perhaps it's because I had a subscription on the default zone, and not a custom one, so I tried subscribing to changes on a record in a custom zone (see code above), but that did not change anything either. It's all working fine, only the push notifications are not making it through to the Mac app. If I sudo killall apsd (kill the push service daemon), the last push notification suddenly miraculously makes it through, by the way. At this point, I'm out of ideas and would very much appreciate pointers as to how to debug this. Polling every 30 seconds for changes is so 1990s. Speaking of which, this is a rather long-time-running app (started in 2011). Could my CloudKit database be “too old” or “corrupted” or whatever? Thank you kindly, – Matthias
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2w