Apps purged by Apple say it holds the key they need to get back in

Last year, Apple announced that it had created tools to help people limit the time they and their children spent on their iPhones. Around the same time, Apple began purging from its App Store a number of apps that offered similar services.

Now 17 companies affected by that purge say they have a technical answer to the privacy concerns that Apple cited for dropping them.

The companies on Thursday proposed the creation of an application programming interface, or A P I, a common bit of software that enables computer programs or apps to work with one another. The companies said the A P I could tap Apple technology that would allow them to track screen time without invading privacy.