iOS 18 open settings URLs

Accessibility & Inclusion General
scalo OP
Created Jul ’24
Replies 10
Boosts 4
Views 1.9k
Participants 10

A lot of apps use undocumented App-prefs URLs to help users get to the iOS Settings screen needed to set up the app. In iOS 18, it seems like these all stopped working.

Here are the ones I currently use:

  • App-prefs:MESSAGES - broken in iOS 18

Used for SMS Protection.

  • App-prefs:Phone - broken in iOS 18

Used for Live Voicemail, Silence Unknown Callers, and SMS Reporting.

Some but not most paths have specific documented replacements. E.g. for Call Blocking & Identification you can use CXCallDirectoryManager.sharedInstance.openSettings() and this still works in iOS 18. But I don't see any other direct replacements.

Apple probably doesn't consider this a bug but I filed FB14378568 anyway.

I consider this an accessibility issue because many older, inexperienced, or users with disabilities have trouble finding the right Settings screen based on a textual description alone.

Answered by scalo in 798260022

Good news! After a bit of trial and error I found replacement URLs that work:

Messages settings: App-prefs:com.apple.MobileSMS

Phone settings: App-prefs:com.apple.mobilephone

Verified on iOS 18 beta 4.

These URLs do not work with iOS 17 or (presumably) earlier.

Replies  10
Boosts  4
Views  1.9k
Participants  10
Scott OP
Jul ’24

Apple probably doesn't consider this a bug but I filed FB14378568 anyway.

Did you frame it as a bug report, or as a feature suggestion?

It’s definitely not a bug, since of course an “undocumented API” is no API at all. But lots of developers probably would concur with a suggestion to add proper APIs for these examples and others. You could call for others to submit their own suggestion feedback and reference your FB number.

0
mungbeans OP
Jul ’24

I filed a feature suggestion years ago, FB12745207. It remains open to this day. I know that similar feature requests have been filed by large well know companies.

1
ZedHuang OP
Jul ’24

iOS 18 beta 4 Still not fixed.

1
scalo OP
Aug ’24
Accepted Answer

Good news! After a bit of trial and error I found replacement URLs that work:

Messages settings: App-prefs:com.apple.MobileSMS

Phone settings: App-prefs:com.apple.mobilephone

Verified on iOS 18 beta 4.

These URLs do not work with iOS 17 or (presumably) earlier.

2
ZedHuang OP
Aug ’24

how about App-Prefs:General&path=Fonts ?

0
jfisch-ce OP
Aug ’24

It appears that to open an app's settings pane requires the bundle identifier. Safari's can be opened with App-Prefs:com.apple.mobilesafari, for example. I'm not sure about non-app paths, such as "General."

However, sub-paths also don't work any more. For example, App-Prefs:com.apple.mobilesafari&path=WEB_EXTENSIONS no longer works to open the "Extensions" sub-path. If anyone figures that part out, I would be immensely grateful.

0
furiosFast OP
Aug ’24

Do you know how to get this URL to work?​

App-Prefs:WIFI or App-Prefs:General&path=STORAGE_MGMT

1
minoh OP
4w

In iOS 18, App-prefs:General&path=ManagedConfigurationList no longer works, making it harder for users to navigate directly to specific settings screens, which impacts accessibility.

0
Noahdvir OP
1w

How to open Settings > Sounds and Haptics > Keyboard Feedback? I used to use prefs:root=Sounds&path=Keyboard%20Feedback but now it forwards me to Sounds and Haptics, not specifically into Keyboard Feedback.

0
benjaminbenjamin OP
1w

anyone know how to get to the app clip settings directly?

0
iOS 18 open settings URLs
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