Apple's new "Sign in with Apple" login feature that debuts with iOS 13 later this year will be mandatory for all apps that offer third-party sign-in options to users, the company said in an update to developers on Monday.
Apple in a post to its Developer news webpage outlines a handful of updates to the App Store Review Guidelines, noting changes to the ruleset that impact app makers and their wares.
Among the modifications is upcoming support for "Sign in with Apple," a newly announced user authentication feature that enables streamlined access to apps and websites.
The single sign-on feature was touted onstage as a safe and secure alternative to ubiquitous solutions Facebook and Google, but the company failed to mention that developers offering those third-party sign-in options, among others, will be required to also integrate Apple's system.
"Sign In with Apple will be available for beta testing this summer. It will be required as an option for users in apps that support third-party sign-in when it is commercially available later this year," Apple said.
The feature allows users to create a new account with supporting apps, websites and services without exposing potentially sensitive private information. Unlike existing solutions, "Sign in with Apple" users are able to authenticate via Face ID or Touch ID and filter what information is passed on to the provider, greatly reducing their online footprint.
Unique to Apple's method is a specialized email forwarding subsystem that allows users to mask their personal address with an anonymized version generated on a per-app or service basis. The strategy not only ensures privacy, but also a means to completely terminate communications with an entity when an account is closed.