Usage Description Placeholder

ID

swift.usage_description_placeholder

Severity

info

Remediation Complexity

medium

Remediation Risk

low

Remediation Effort

medium

Resource

Code Smell

Language

Swift

Tags

code-smell, suspicious-code

Description

Reports privacy purpose-strings in Info.plist (keys matching NS*UsageDescription) whose value is empty, whitespace-only, or a recognisable placeholder such as TODO, FIXME, lorem ipsum, an ellipsis or a row of asterisks.

<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>TODO</string>                          <!-- FLAW -->

<key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
<string>...</string>                           <!-- FLAW -->

<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>Show nearby coffee shops on the map.</string>   <!-- OK -->

Rationale

App Store review rejects submissions whose purpose-strings are unhelpful, and iOS displays the text verbatim in the permission prompt and the privacy nutrition label. A placeholder shipped to production embarrasses the team and delays release.

Remediation

Replace the placeholder with a concise sentence that explains why the app needs the permission, in user-facing terms. Localise the string through InfoPlist.strings if the app ships in multiple languages.

References