Last December, Apple allowed developers to use an API called UIGetScreenImage() to grab a screenshot on the device regardless of the content displayed. Today, however, Apple has change its mind and privatized the API. App Store developers are none too happy about this move, including one developer, Manfred Nerurkar, who posted an entry on his blog describing a call from Apple's Developer Relations.
According to Nerukar, Apple called saying that developers would need to transition to a new framework called AVFoundation, but this framework is only available to iOS 4 users. What happens to users of older hardware that can't upgrade to iOS 4? It looks like they will be left behind on applications that used the UIGetScreenImage() API.
What's even worse is that the new suggested framework doesn't do all of the tasks that the UIGetScreenImage() API could do; this includes capturing a static image of the screen.
Of course, Apple chose to do this because of a potential security risk as UIGetScreenImage() allows developers to grab an image of the screen including sensitive layers (like a new text message alert).
If you are a registered iPhone developer, you can read more about this on the Apple Developer Forums.
via TUAW
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