Apple is apparently ready to give iOS app developers an alternative to the Unique Device Identifier, or UDID, codes as a tool for legitimately keeping track of user’s iPhones. The still unnamed new system will still let developers keep track of who uses their apps, but presumably will do a better job of addressing privacy concerns.
APIs that let developers access the identifier codes were shut down by Apple last year, and the company eventually began rejecting apps that used UDID codes, too. According to the Wall Street Journal, an unnamed source said the new system could use number codes that aren’t tied to specific devices, unlike the new deprecated UDID system.
Assuming the sources are correct, developers and advertisers will have a new system they can use that gives them the information they relied on through UDID tracking, but without the headaches and inconvenience the few workaround systems that cropped up offer.
Developers could get a first look at the UDID replacement as early as next week during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Apple uses the annual event to give developers a better look at where the company’s technologies are going, and also gives them the opportunity to talk with its engineers.
Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote event starts at 10AM pacific time on Monday, June 11. The Mac Observer will be on location with live coverage.