Apple is making an interesting change in iOS 5, phasing out the ability for developers to access a device’s Unique Device Identifier (UDID) and Apple is instead asking developers to create unique identifiers specific to their apps in order to tie installations to specific users. Developers can distribute a custom app provisioned for use on specific phones identified by their UDID and register this number with Apple to verify the installation of beta versions of iOS and also Apple now asks that the developer create their own UDID for their app, it should be interesting…………….
Apple is making a lot of big changes to its mobile operating system with iOS 5, which is dribbling out in betas for developers ahead of a general release later this year. But there is one big change some developers are just starting to take notice of that Apple isn’t talking about that much. In a recent update to the documentation for iOS 5, which is only available to registered Apple developers. Apple notes that it will be phasing out access to the unique device identifier or UDID on iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads. This is a big deal, especially for any mobile ad networks, game networks or any app which relies on the UDID to identify users. Many apps and mobile ad networks, for instance, uses the UDID or a hashed version to keep track of who their users are and what actions they have taken. App publishers are now supposed to create their own unique identifiers to keep track of users going forward, which means they may have to throw all of their historical user data out the window and start from scratch. The change may be in response to privacy concerns or as a way to pre-empt them. Mobile ad networks use the UDID to target ads. It is not clear whether Apple itself will stop relying on the UDID as a unique identifier for iAds, Game Center or other services.
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