Developers Unhappy With Bug Causing iCloud Unreliability

A number of developers are upset with an increasingly problematic iCloud server issue that is causing some apps that have implemented ‌iCloud‌ support to fail to sync properly.

iCloud Bug Feature Green
As outlined on the Developer Forums and on Twitter, there are CloudKit connectivity issues that have been occurring since November. Some users of apps that have ‌iCloud‌ support built in are seeing the following message: "Request failed with http status code 503."

The developers behind popular note taking app GoodNotes have been seeing the problem frequently enough that they wrote a support document for customers who are running into the error message. The GoodNotes team says that the app automatically retries to connect and thus the issue gets solved eventually, but they're not sure what's causing the connectivity error to begin with.

HTTP 503 is a temporary error code ("Service unavailable") indicating iCloud servers aren't responding correctly to requests from your devices. The error typically gets resolved as GoodNotes automatically retries, but we're getting many reports of the error lingering on, causing sync failures.

This issue is not apparent to us and we've escalated the case to Apple Technical Support team for investigation. It seems it's happening to other apps as well.

Some developers have noted that their apps have worked without issue for years prior to the sudden appearance of the ‌iCloud‌ server issue that is apparently causing the error message. From a developer on Apple's forums:

I have the same issue with a relatively small percentage of my users. They are getting 503 errors now, but last year did not. My code hasn't changed. I'm not even sure how to file a bug report because I cannot replicate the issue on my devices and it's occurring on a relatively small percentage of my users.

A handful of developers have been able to get help from Apple engineering, and one was able to change their ‌iCloud‌ container for their developer account to fix the issue, but there appear to be many developers who are still having issues.


Other developers have resorted to building ‌iCloud‌ status dashboard into their apps so customers can see when ‌iCloud‌ is non-functional.


‌iCloud‌ failures are a major problem for app developers because the end user of the app doesn't know that it's an Apple issue, so customers blame the app developers for a non-working sync feature that they have no control over.


Multiple developers have reported the ‌iCloud‌ syncing bug to Apple, but it has gone widely unaddressed based on the number of complaints and the fact that the issue has seemingly persisted for at least the last couple of months. It's likely that the problem popped up with the launch of iOS 15 and its sister updates, and it's not clear when a fix might be available.


Customers experiencing ‌iCloud‌ issues should be aware that it's likely an issue on Apple's end and not a bug that app developers can address at this time.

Tag: iCloud

Top Rated Comments

PsykX Avatar
24 months ago
I'll continue to say it : iCloud has never been reliable.
I assume it's because its foundations come from the defunct MobileMe service.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ouimetnick Avatar
24 months ago
iCloud syncing has always been unreliable. Remember how long it took them to fix iCloud tabs in safari? Old tabs closed weeks ago would reappear, support promised a fix was coming, but never really did. Eventually it started working again for most folks though, and we think you’re gonna love it.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brandon42 Avatar
24 months ago

Apple should really consider investing all the profitable money into iCloud data warehouses.
They did. The money just didn’t sync to the iCloud account yet. /s
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goonie4life9 Avatar
24 months ago
Not to worry, everyone! I just finished talking to a Senior Advisor who has been talking with Engineering. The Senior Advisor assured me that this if this were an issue, Apple would know about it before any customer or developer experienced it because Apple interacts with iCloud billions of times a second. So, to troubleshoot this known issues, Engineering stated folks need to completely remove iCloud from their devices. This does not mean sign-out from iCloud but rather completely uninstall iCloud from each and every device you own, by dragging iCloud to the trash, emptying the trash, and re-starting your devices. Now, the Senior Advisor acknowledged there is no way for the customer to do this. So, because customers cannot follow the troubleshooting steps from Engineering, Apple's Official Position on the Matter is that no further support will be provided until the customer follows the steps provided by Engineering and the customer must keep their devices up-to-date with the latest OS.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexe Avatar
24 months ago
I find iCloud synchronization in general to be super unreliable and intransparent.

In the finder on my Mac, files often show for an eternity that they are currently uploading or downloading, with no indicator of the progress or if anything is happening at all.

Same thing with the Photos app both on my iPhone and on my Mac. Sometimes, even very few items take extremely long to finish synchronizing without any apparent reason.

Sometimes files don't sync at all, ever, and it's unclear why.

iCloud is the only cloud service out there where you sometimes have to apply absolute brute-force work-arounds like "try to delete the stuck file and add it again, then it might sync" ?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdb8167 Avatar
24 months ago
Someone in Apple management should dig up the video of S. Jobs berating the original MobileMe team for it not working. Then push the video to the computer of every iCloud team member.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 17

28 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in December's iOS 17.2 Update

Friday December 1, 2023 2:57 am PST by
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen three more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 28 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released this December. 1. Help...
anker new xmas

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.1.2 With Security Fixes

Thursday November 30, 2023 10:12 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2, small updates to the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 operating systems that Apple introduced in September. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 come a few weeks after the release of iOS 17.1.1, another bug fix update. iOS 17.1.2 and iPadOS 17.1.2 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update....
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
paramount plus logo

Apple and Paramount Considering Discounted TV+ Streaming Bundle

Friday December 1, 2023 4:40 am PST by
Apple and Paramount have discussed bundling their TV streaming services at a discount, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The companies have talked about offering a combination of Paramount+ and Apple TV+ that would cost less than subscribing to both services separately, according to people familiar with the discussions. The discussions are in their early stages, and it is ...