[0x0]

The scanner isn't foolproof. You could fool it if you obfuscate your calls to performSelector well enough, for example

if jsonResponseFromYourBackend contains:"runThis" then performSelector:json["runThis"]

and make sure you don't send a runThis param while the app is in review.

Unfortunately for Apple's app review process, Apple's own objective-C language and runtime has very strong dynamic reflection capabilities.

[joosters]

Apple could potentially close any loopholes here by scanning new apps for their API usage, checking for any 'bad' calls, and then writing the remaining discovered calls into a permissions file that is delivered with the app in the store.

At runtime, any API calls made by the app are checked against this file; if a new API call is found, then it must have escaped Apple's code scanning logic. The API call can be rejected and logged for Apple to improve their scanner.

[edude03]

This is a great idea actually. Actually, isn't google already doing this via SELinux? You give the app a manifest of calls it's allowed to make, and if the call isn't in the manifest the call gets rejected?

[AstralStorm]

SELinux is not that strong. It works on kernel syscall boundaries and some parameters thereof, and those aren't particularly fine grained. Service access is governed by a separate Google API, for example.

Moreover, any random app cannot enhance SELinux policy of the system.

[leonatan]

There are many legitimate uses of calling methods and functions using reflection. Expecting to hit all of them in a short review process is comically optimistic for anything but the simplistic of apps.

Your suggestion of enforcing this also makes no sense from performance or privacy standpoint.