Smartphone manufacturer Apple is extending its deadline for developers to implement a new security feature in apps approved for the App Store.
Back in June, Apple introduced App Transport Security (ATS), a feature meant to boost user security and privacy by requiring apps to use secure connections over HTTPS, in its iOS 9 and OS X v10.11 updates. The company originally said all apps would be required to support ATS by January 1, 2017, but last week extended that deadline indefinitely.
“At WWDC 2016 we announced that apps submitted to the App Store will be required to support ATS at the end of the year. To give you additional time to prepare, this deadline has been extended and we will provide another update when a new deadline is confirmed,” a note on the company’s developer site read.
Other than the part about giving developers more time, Apple didn’t give a reason for the change. But some statistics from Appthority provided some insight.
Earlier this month, Appthority noted just 3 percent of the top iOS apps installed on enterprise devices worldwide complied with the ATS standard. As of Dec. 22, the company noted that figure had increased only slightly to 5 percent.
“It’s no surprise to us that developers were not ready to meet the Jan. 1 deadline initially set by Apple,” Appthority VP of Engineering Robbie Forkish reported. “Unfortunately, Apple has chosen to extend the deadline to comply with its ATS security mandate indefinitely, leaving enterprise data at risk while giving developers more time to comply. We hope this delay is a short-term setback.”
Filed Under: Apps
