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Mobile App Development vocabulary · Permissions, Privacy and Security

Keychain

Meaning in mobile app development, with examples

/ˈkiːˌtʃeɪn/nounCommon term

In mobile app development, keychain means: Apple's encrypted storage for small secrets such as passwords, tokens and keys, protected by the system and kept separate from normal app data.

In Turkish: anahtar zinciri, keychain

How it is used

iOS developers save access tokens to the keychain rather than UserDefaults. Keychain items can survive app deletion and can be shared between apps from the same developer team. The closest Android counterpart is the Android Keystore system, which protects cryptographic keys.

Example sentences

  1. Store the refresh token in the keychain, not in UserDefaults.

  2. Users stay logged in after reinstalling because the token is still in the keychain.

Common collocations

  • save to the keychain
  • keychain item
  • keychain access
  • Android Keystore
  • local storageSpace on the device itself where an app saves data, such as settings, files or a database, so it is available without contacting a server.
  • biometric authenticationConfirming a user's identity with a physical feature, such as a fingerprint or a face scan, instead of or in addition to a password or PIN.
  • device tokenA unique string that identifies one installation of an app on one device; the server needs it to send push notifications to that device.
  • jailbreakRemoving the software limits Apple puts on an iPhone so it can run unapproved apps and changes; on Android, getting similar full access is called rooting.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Permissions, Privacy and Security

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