Tell HN: An app is silently installing itself on my iPhone every day

This isn't the first system bug that primarily was visible due to headspace: https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/02/ios-11-1-2-date-bug-cra...

In 2017 it was an endless crash loop caused by any app with local time-based notifications.... Which for almost everyone at the Apple store I visited was meditation apps with daily meditation reminders (in Australia we were among the first to wake up on that affected date. The fix went out before most of the remaining world woke up)

I wonder if the daily reminder is triggering a reinstall? Perhaps try disabling the reminders before uninstalling.

Here's a Reddit thread of other people experiencing the same issue: https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1su82sc/headspace_app_...

My hypothesis is that headspace registered many user notifications and since user notifications trigger an app launch and perhaps you have optimize storage by offloading apps enabled? ios has a quirky app state where some local data exists but the app itself (ipa package) is offloaded

I wonder if U2, or Bono, has taken a significant stake in Headspace recently (kidding).

I have the same exact thing happening. I deleted the app a few days ago when was surprised to see it in my app list.

I had previously downloaded the app but and removed it because I never used it. A few days ago I noticed the app when browsing through my app list and thought maybe I didnt delete it properly, so I made sure to delete it. Then this morning my iPhone updated software versions and I found he Headpsace app again on my home, except this time it was grayed out and waiting for me to go on wifi to download.

I just deleted it again but am equally dumbfounded

Do you have Settings > Apps > App Store > (Automatic Downloads) App Downloads turned on?

I noticed apps appearing on my Home Screen I’d never heard of before. Turns out with that setting and Family Purchase sharing turned on, every time my wife installed a new app, it installed on my phone too.

That may not be your exact scenario, but I wonder if turning off that Automatic App Downloads setting (if enabled) changes anything. Could give you a clue, if so.

Very interesting, especially if it found a way to bypass the explicit disabling of automatic downloads…

Now imagine you’re roaming during a 10-day vacation…and you think you’re in control :) …

If you can take a sysdiagnose I’m sure it will have the answer in it. If you want to send me one (note: may contain sensitive information) feel free to contact me or any other person you trust who is familiar with iOS stuff?

Meanwhile, I can't install an iOS game i bought in 2021 (Azure Saga if it matters) because it's delisted from the app store.

Damned if you pay them, damned if you don't.

Is your phone connected to some work mobile device management? I could imagine someone has a jinxed Jamf or intune rule that is pushing things out.

Do you use iCloud drive?

This might be a stretch as I am taking a guess at the implementation, but apps can sync with iCloud Drive and I keep getting app folders showing up after telling it not sync but the prefs reset after certain states(not quite sure when/how)-- it then creates a new sync folder when interacting with the app again. (after having turned off sync and deleting the folder -- once it resets)

I am wondering if that app had that feature (icloud drive syncing) and something of the reverse is happening. Where you have a document still on icloud drive from when you installed the app. Maybe there is some action or state change going on after interacting with drive on a mac or something similar. And now it's created the right circumstances for icloud drive to try and sync the file but there is no app on any device so it downloads the app instead since it's missing and there is some dangling file looking for its home.

The iOS reviews for the app also confirm this story affecting others.

Did you ever install it, or Ginger?

An app store search also turned up "Headspace Care" (Ginger)

Ginger is now Headspace Care

It would be beyond malware for an app to install itself, since there's that app store hurdle to leap. (IMO)

I would call Apple support; you might even get an engineer call you back. I am sure they would love to know what the hell is going on.

Do you have MDM enabled on your device? Does your company offer Headspace as a perk and some arcane set of sketchy business agreements led to auto install policy in your company's MDM solution?

I think it's worth mentioning that you had the app installed around a year ago, as I can imagine some "restore from backup" scenario at play.

I'm currently with a 13 mini (26.4.2), never had this app installed, and am not encountering this issue.

If anyone wants to browse some of the SDKs in headspace:

https://appgoblin.info/apps/493145008/sdks

I see normal development and tracking SDKs. If anyone sees something interesting let me know.

If you've ever installed any companion app on your desktop macOS, your phone will try to sync apps (I think the same with Apple TV). Caught me off guard a few times.

I’m curious if everyone experiencing this is on 26.4.2? It came out 4 days ago according to Wikipedia…it would make sense that it lines up with when people are seeing it start.

I’m on the 26.5 beta and not seeing it at all.

Possible this is tied to your carrier?

Does it happen when WiFi and mobile data are disabled? Try disabling them an hour or so before 1pm EST.

If it still appears then it was never removed in the first place, which is a very different bug to it installing itself.

Just a theory, I give it about 0.001%.

What if it’s the U2 Bono of the apps?

Apple struck a partnership with them, they will roll it out as part of their OS, everyone will get some version of it for free? Some dev at Apple is testing the auto rollout feature, they didn’t realize it was for production?

Do you have an Apple Watch paired to this iPhone?

(I know that installing apps on iOS forces installation of the equivalent watchOS apps; not sure if having a watchOS app installed/running/activating itself forces installation of a "companion" iOS app that it might rely on.)

Just checked and it also installed itself on my phone. iPhone 17 Pro, non-US App Store, on latest iOS beta, no MDM. Sounds like an Apple Store bug to me.

Same here. I had installed Headspace long ago and deleted it. It's now reappearing if I delete it.

Had this happen as well. I haven’t used Headspace in years. Randomly had the app appear on Home Screen.

Side point, re this:

> Automatic downloads are turned off

Isn't it funny that we're so used to the misuse of language (ie lies) that this isn't even a point? I'm talking about software flags to represent your choices, that are merely an 'aspirational intention' and don't actually correlate with reality.

In my world, it shouldn't be possible to override 'turned off automatic downloads'. 'Off' shouldn't be a pacifier for the user, while Apple, Google or whoever can continue installing whatever they like. This isn't what words mean. There isn't actually a choice, but it misleads you into thinking there is. I'm sure there are legal words around this in the "ownership" contract, but "off" can't really mean "on".

this is the plot of Persona 5

its mythos! bet its found a flaw in ios and the app store and new devs are taking advantage of the flaw!!

i dont know whats up, id assume bug but i wanna say iphone is uniquely annoying to find out what is happening on it and why things happen. they make it especially tedious and that makes it much easier to think this kind of stuff is nefarious even if ut might not be

Do you have TestFlight installed? That’s the only other way I can think of delivering apps besides the App Store and MDM.

> Does anyone understand how or why this is happening?

They are drowning in tech debt. Here are two main issues I have with my iPhone/iOS: I can't search for the telegram app. It doesn't show up. It shows fine on the iPad. Also just a few minutes ago, app search decided not to work. I usually use it to pull my Wallet to pull my card. It was an awkward moment as I had no idea where the wallet app actually is.

I have lost count of the minor polish issues. The experience has degraded so much that you no longer care.

This is clearly bug in "automatic updates are turned off" feature, and the fix should be made there.

@_-x-_: "Settings > App Store > Show Install Confirmations > On".

Maybe that helps?

How did you find that? Any notification?

_Severance intensifies_

I’ve been getting this too, same app same behaviour… Anyone been able to figure out what is causing this?

Are other people using your phone?

Now you understand how it feels to be reminded that the device you "bought" from Apple isn't actually yours as they still have control over it, and if they decide to do something you don't want, you're powerless to stop them.

jailbreak phone?

Maybe a competitor is trying to FUD them?

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