TechCrunch’s Erick Schonfeld is reporting today that iOS 5 comes with a big surprise in that developer access to the UDID, the device’s unique ID number, is being deprecated.

What does this mean?

As early as i0S 6 perhaps, we developers will no longer be able to uniquely identify devices.  These are good and bad outcomes of this.  Developing user profiles based on the apps downloaded and ads clicked begins to get a bit creepy and this will now be thwarted.  But some of us developers use the UDID in ways that are not evil per se.

What about KEYBOX?  Is it impacted by this change?

Somewhat, yes.

KEYBOX lite uses the device’s UDID to detect when a user is importing an export secret file onto the same device that generated it when the secret file is obviously older than the install date.  In other words, cheaters who thought they could back up their secrets, uninstall KEYBOX lite and reinstall it and get another free 30 days of use.

KEYBOX lite then issues a stronger recommendation to purchase the full edition.  After all, anybody who loves KEYBOX enough to go through the hassle of reinstalling it over and over ought to just purchase it and support further development.

At no time was this UDID ever transmitted in any form to my site or any other by KEYBOX or KEYBOX lite.  In any case I will phase out this check in KEYBOX release 2.  I don’t like relying upon deprecated functionality in my apps.