Authentication

Implement authentication flows on iOS using the AuthenticationServices framework, including Sign in with Apple, OAuth/third-party web auth, Password AutoFill, and biometric authentication.

Contents

• Sign in with Apple
• Credential Handling
• Credential State Checking
• Token Validation
• Existing Account Setup Flows
• ASWebAuthenticationSession (OAuth)
• Password AutoFill Credentials
• Biometric Authentication
• SwiftUI SignInWithAppleButton
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Sign in with Apple

Add the "Sign in with Apple" capability in Xcode before using these APIs.

UIKit: ASAuthorizationController Setup

import AuthenticationServices

final class LoginViewController: UIViewController {
    func startSignInWithApple() {
        let provider = ASAuthorizationAppleIDProvider()
        let request = provider.createRequest()
        request.requestedScopes = [.fullName, .email]

        let controller = ASAuthorizationController(authorizationRequests: [request])
        controller.delegate = self
        controller.presentationContextProvider = self
        controller.performRequests()
    }
}

extension LoginViewController: ASAuthorizationControllerPresentationContextProviding {
    func presentationAnchor(for controller: ASAuthorizationController) -> ASPresentationAnchor {
        view.window!
    }
}

Delegate: Handling Success and Failure

extension LoginViewController: ASAuthorizationControllerDelegate {
    func authorizationController(
        controller: ASAuthorizationController,
        didCompleteWithAuthorization authorization: ASAuthorization
    ) {
        guard let credential = authorization.credential
            as? ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential else { return }

        let userID = credential.user  // Stable, unique, per-team identifier
        let email = credential.email  // nil after first authorization
        let fullName = credential.fullName  // nil after first authorization
        let identityToken = credential.identityToken  // JWT for server validation
        let authCode = credential.authorizationCode  // Short-lived code for server exchange

        // Save userID to Keychain for credential state checks
        // See references/keychain-biometric.md for Keychain patterns
        saveUserID(userID)

        // Send identityToken and authCode to your server
        authenticateWithServer(identityToken: identityToken, authCode: authCode)
    }

    func authorizationController(
        controller: ASAuthorizationController,
        didCompleteWithError error: any Error
    ) {
        let authError = error as? ASAuthorizationError
        switch authError?.code {
        case .canceled:
            break  // User dismissed
        case .failed:
            showError("Authorization failed")
        case .invalidResponse:
            showError("Invalid response")
        case .notHandled:
            showError("Not handled")
        case .notInteractive:
            break  // Non-interactive request failed -- expected for silent checks
        default:
            showError("Unknown error")
        }
    }
}

Credential Handling

ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential properties and their behavior:

Critical: email and fullName are provided ONLY on the first authorization. Cache them immediately during the initial sign-up flow. If the user later deletes and re-adds the app, these values will not be returned.

func handleCredential(_ credential: ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential) {
    // Always persist the user identifier
    let userID = credential.user

    // Cache name and email IMMEDIATELY -- only available on first auth
    if let fullName = credential.fullName {
        let name = PersonNameComponentsFormatter().string(from: fullName)
        UserProfile.saveName(name)  // Persist to your backend
    }
    if let email = credential.email {
        UserProfile.saveEmail(email)  // Persist to your backend
    }
}

Credential State Checking

Check credential state on every app launch. The user may revoke access at any time via Settings > Apple Account > Sign-In & Security.

func checkCredentialState() async {
    let provider = ASAuthorizationAppleIDProvider()
    guard let userID = loadSavedUserID() else {
        showLoginScreen()
        return
    }

    do {
        let state = try await provider.credentialState(forUserID: userID)
        switch state {
        case .authorized:
            proceedToMainApp()
        case .revoked:
            // User revoked -- sign out and clear local data
            signOut()
            showLoginScreen()
        case .notFound:
            showLoginScreen()
        case .transferred:
            // App transferred to new team -- migrate user identifier
            migrateUser()
        @unknown default:
            showLoginScreen()
        }
    } catch {
        // Network error -- allow offline access or retry
        proceedToMainApp()
    }
}

Credential Revocation Notification

NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
    forName: ASAuthorizationAppleIDProvider.credentialRevokedNotification,
    object: nil,
    queue: .main
) { _ in
    // Sign out immediately
    AuthManager.shared.signOut()
}

Token Validation

The identityToken is a JWT. Send it to your server for validation -- never trust it client-side alone.

func sendTokenToServer(credential: ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential) async throws {
    guard let tokenData = credential.identityToken,
          let token = String(data: tokenData, encoding: .utf8),
          let authCodeData = credential.authorizationCode,
          let authCode = String(data: authCodeData, encoding: .utf8) else {
        throw AuthError.missingToken
    }

    var request = URLRequest(url: URL(string: "https://api.example.com/auth/apple")!)
    request.httpMethod = "POST"
    request.setValue("application/json", forHTTPHeaderField: "Content-Type")
    request.httpBody = try JSONEncoder().encode(
        ["identityToken": token, "authorizationCode": authCode]
    )

    let (data, response) = try await URLSession.shared.data(for: request)
    guard (response as? HTTPURLResponse)?.statusCode == 200 else {
        throw AuthError.serverValidationFailed
    }
    let session = try JSONDecoder().decode(SessionResponse.self, from: data)
    // Store session token in Keychain -- see references/keychain-biometric.md
    try KeychainHelper.save(session.accessToken, forKey: "accessToken")
}

Server-side, validate the JWT against Apple's public keys at https://appleid.apple.com/auth/keys (JWKS). Verify: iss is https://appleid.apple.com, aud matches your bundle ID, exp not passed.

Existing Account Setup Flows

On launch, silently check for existing Sign in with Apple and password credentials before showing a login screen:

func performExistingAccountSetupFlows() {
    let appleIDRequest = ASAuthorizationAppleIDProvider().createRequest()
    let passwordRequest = ASAuthorizationPasswordProvider().createRequest()

    let controller = ASAuthorizationController(
        authorizationRequests: [appleIDRequest, passwordRequest]
    )
    controller.delegate = self
    controller.presentationContextProvider = self
    controller.performRequests(
        options: .preferImmediatelyAvailableCredentials
    )
}

Call this in viewDidAppear or on app launch. If no existing credentials are found, the delegate receives a .notInteractive error -- handle it silently and show your normal login UI.

ASWebAuthenticationSession (OAuth)

Use ASWebAuthenticationSession for OAuth and third-party authentication (Google, GitHub, etc.). Never use WKWebView for auth flows.

import AuthenticationServices

final class OAuthController: NSObject, ASWebAuthenticationPresentationContextProviding {
    func startOAuthFlow() {
        let authURL = URL(string:
            "https://provider.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=YOUR_ID&redirect_uri=myapp://callback&response_type=code"
        )!
        let session = ASWebAuthenticationSession(
            url: authURL, callback: .customScheme("myapp")
        ) { callbackURL, error in
            guard let callbackURL, error == nil,
                  let code = URLComponents(url: callbackURL, resolvingAgainstBaseURL: false)?
                      .queryItems?.first(where: { $0.name == "code" })?.value else { return }
            Task { await self.exchangeCodeForTokens(code) }
        }
        session.presentationContextProvider = self
        session.prefersEphemeralWebBrowserSession = true  // No shared cookies
        session.start()
    }

    func presentationAnchor(for session: ASWebAuthenticationSession) -> ASPresentationAnchor {
        ASPresentationAnchor()
    }
}

SwiftUI WebAuthenticationSession

struct OAuthLoginView: View {
    @Environment(\.webAuthenticationSession) private var webAuthSession

    var body: some View {
        Button("Sign in with Provider") {
            Task {
                let url = URL(string: "https://provider.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=YOUR_ID")!
                let callbackURL = try await webAuthSession.authenticate(
                    using: url, callback: .customScheme("myapp")
                )
                // Extract authorization code from callbackURL
            }
        }
    }
}

Callback types: .customScheme("myapp") for URL scheme redirects; .https(host:path:) for universal link redirects (preferred).

Password AutoFill Credentials

Use ASAuthorizationPasswordProvider to offer saved keychain credentials alongside Sign in with Apple:

func performSignIn() {
    let appleIDRequest = ASAuthorizationAppleIDProvider().createRequest()
    appleIDRequest.requestedScopes = [.fullName, .email]

    let passwordRequest = ASAuthorizationPasswordProvider().createRequest()

    let controller = ASAuthorizationController(
        authorizationRequests: [appleIDRequest, passwordRequest]
    )
    controller.delegate = self
    controller.presentationContextProvider = self
    controller.performRequests()
}

// In delegate:
func authorizationController(
    controller: ASAuthorizationController,
    didCompleteWithAuthorization authorization: ASAuthorization
) {
    switch authorization.credential {
    case let appleIDCredential as ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential:
        handleAppleIDLogin(appleIDCredential)
    case let passwordCredential as ASPasswordCredential:
        // User selected a saved password from keychain
        signInWithPassword(
            username: passwordCredential.user,
            password: passwordCredential.password
        )
    default:
        break
    }
}

Set textContentType on text fields for AutoFill to work:

usernameField.textContentType = .username
passwordField.textContentType = .password

Biometric Authentication

Use LAContext from LocalAuthentication for Face ID / Touch ID as a sign-in or re-authentication mechanism. For protecting Keychain items with biometric access control (SecAccessControl, .biometryCurrentSet), see the ios-security skill.

import LocalAuthentication

func authenticateWithBiometrics() async throws -> Bool {
    let context = LAContext()
    var error: NSError?

    guard context.canEvaluatePolicy(
        .deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithBiometrics, error: &error
    ) else {
        throw AuthError.biometricsUnavailable
    }

    return try await context.evaluatePolicy(
        .deviceOwnerAuthenticationWithBiometrics,
        localizedReason: "Sign in to your account"
    )
}

Required: Add NSFaceIDUsageDescription to Info.plist. Missing this key crashes on Face ID devices.

SwiftUI SignInWithAppleButton

import AuthenticationServices

struct AppleSignInView: View {
    @Environment(\.colorScheme) var colorScheme

    var body: some View {
        SignInWithAppleButton(.signIn) { request in
            request.requestedScopes = [.fullName, .email]
        } onCompletion: { result in
            switch result {
            case .success(let authorization):
                guard let credential = authorization.credential
                    as? ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential else { return }
                handleCredential(credential)
            case .failure(let error):
                handleError(error)
            }
        }
        .signInWithAppleButtonStyle(
            colorScheme == .dark ? .white : .black
        )
        .frame(height: 50)
    }
}

Common Mistakes

1. Not checking credential state on app launch

// DON'T: Assume the user is still authorized
func appDidLaunch() {
    if UserDefaults.standard.bool(forKey: "isLoggedIn") {
        showMainApp()  // User may have revoked access!
    }
}

// DO: Check credential state every launch
func appDidLaunch() async {
    await checkCredentialState()  // See "Credential State Checking" above
}

2. Not performing existing account setup flows

// DON'T: Always show a full login screen on launch
// DO: Call performExistingAccountSetupFlows() first;
//     show login UI only if .notInteractive error received

3. Assuming email/name are always provided

// DON'T: Force-unwrap email or fullName
let email = credential.email!  // Crashes on subsequent logins

// DO: Handle nil gracefully -- only available on first authorization
if let email = credential.email {
    saveEmail(email)  // Persist immediately
}

4. Not implementing ASAuthorizationControllerPresentationContextProviding

// DON'T: Skip the presentation context provider
controller.delegate = self
controller.performRequests()  // May not display UI correctly

// DO: Always set the presentation context provider
controller.delegate = self
controller.presentationContextProvider = self  // Required for proper UI
controller.performRequests()

5. Storing identityToken in UserDefaults

// DON'T: Store tokens in UserDefaults
UserDefaults.standard.set(tokenString, forKey: "identityToken")

// DO: Store in Keychain
// See references/keychain-biometric.md for Keychain patterns
try KeychainHelper.save(tokenData, forKey: "identityToken")

Review Checklist

• "Sign in with Apple" capability added in Xcode project
• ASAuthorizationControllerPresentationContextProviding implemented
• Credential state checked on every app launch (credentialState(forUserID:))
• credentialRevokedNotification observer registered; sign-out handled
• email and fullName cached on first authorization (not assumed available later)
• identityToken sent to server for validation, not trusted client-side only
• Tokens stored in Keychain, not UserDefaults or files
• performExistingAccountSetupFlows called before showing login UI
• Error cases handled: .canceled, .failed, .notInteractive
• NSFaceIDUsageDescription in Info.plist for biometric auth
• ASWebAuthenticationSession used for OAuth (not WKWebView)
• prefersEphemeralWebBrowserSession set for OAuth when appropriate
• textContentType set on username/password fields for AutoFill

References

• Keychain & biometric patterns: references/keychain-biometric.md
• AuthenticationServices
• ASAuthorizationAppleIDProvider
• ASAuthorizationAppleIDCredential
• ASAuthorizationController
• ASWebAuthenticationSession
• ASAuthorizationPasswordProvider
• SignInWithAppleButton
• Implementing User Authentication with Sign in with Apple