iApps Development Blog
iApps Development Blog
My Policy on UDIDs
There have been several reports circulating that a lot of iOS apps apparently grab your device’s unique identifying number, and silently send that number to the developer. You can see that number for yourself, by the way. When you connect your device to your computer and view the device in iTunes, the Summary screen shows the serial number. Click on the serial number, and the display changes to the UDID: one humongous hexadecimal number.
If you are asked by a developer to be a pre-release beta tester, the developer will ask you for your UDID. The number is necessary for the beta copy to be installable on your test device.
A UDID contains no personal information. Only Apple, any developers for whom you test iOS apps, and probably your carrier could link the device’s UDID to you as a person. Still, many users would find it creepy that a developer is “watching” your installation and perhaps usage of his or her app that you have downloaded from the App Store.
As a big proponent of Internet privacy I don’t like anything on a computing device sending stuff without my permission or knowledge. As it happens, I also believe in the Golden Rule, which is good for users of my apps: because I don’t want apps sending stuff without my knowledge, I have built all of my apps to behave in that manner. Therefore, for the record, none of my iOS apps are designed to send UDIDs or any other usage info to me or third parties on my behalf.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010