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W3i backs OpenUDID to stem 'enormous industry impact' of UDID depreciation

Firm looking for a standard

W3i backs OpenUDID to stem 'enormous industry impact' of UDID depreciation
App promo and monetisation specialist W3i has spoken out on Apple's decision to depreciate the use of UDIDs on iOS, calling on the industry to settle on a new standard.

The company claims that, while the exact action Apple is taking against apps that employ UDIDs is unclear, the need for all associated parties to rally around one replacement is apparent.

Impact assessment

"Eliminating access to UDID information has enormous industry impact, as it is these common identifiers that app developers and networks use to tie information," said W3i in a statement.

"In order to solve the overall problem, the industry needs a common identification solution."

The problem, of course, is that many parties have come forward with their own solutions, and – to date – there's been little consensus about which one the industry should adopt en masse.

"At this time, we do not see MAC address as a workable solution and have implemented multiple other solutions to address this problem – OpenUDID being one of them," added W3i.

Evolving issue

It's a stalemate that's resulted in W3i rating the strengths and weaknesses of each option, one by one.



The company claims it is supporting OpenUDID and claims it hopes others, too, will throw their weight behind it.

Appsfire is behind OpenUDID, though SecureUDID creator Crashlytics has already criticised it for being too similar to the existing UDID standard.

However, it was originally involved in OpenUDID, with both companies arguing about who has the best solution. 

"We fully anticipate this will be an evolving topic with many options to consider as time passes," W3i concluded.

"Like many others in this space, we’ll continue to monitor the direction and implement the solution that best meets the needs of our partners and work with the industry to quickly come to agreement on a standard."

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.