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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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 :) …

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Possible this is tied to your carrier?

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’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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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".

> 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.

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

Maybe that helps?

Are other people using your phone?

this is the plot of Persona 5

_Severance intensifies_

How did you find that? Any notification?

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

jailbreak phone?

Maybe a competitor is trying to FUD them?

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