ConsentIQ for macOS

What you will see

Open the disk image, drag ConsentIQ into Applications, and open it. An warning appears instead of the app. Which warning you see depends on how old your Mac’s system is, and the steps to get past it are different.

On macOS Sequoia (15) and later, an alert headed “Apple could not verify ‘ConsentIQ’ is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy”. Its buttons are Move to Bin and Done. Neither of them opens the app, which is the part people get stuck on.

On macOS Sonoma (14) and earlier, an alert headed “‘ConsentIQ’ cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified”, saying “macOS cannot verify that this app is free from malware”. Its buttons are Move to Bin and Cancel.

In both cases do not click Move to Bin. It deletes the app you just downloaded.

What to click on macOS Sequoia (15) and later

1. Click Done. The alert closes and nothing is deleted.
2. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and scroll down to Security.
3. Check the line there reads “ConsentIQ” was blocked to protect your Mac. If it names anything else, stop: you are not looking at this file.
4. Click Open Anyway beside it, and authenticate with Touch ID or your login password.
5. A last alert asks whether you are sure. Click Open Anyway. This is the one and only time you have to do any of this.

What to click on macOS Sonoma (14) and earlier

1. Click Cancel.
2. In Applications, Control-click (or right-click) ConsentIQ and choose Open.
3. The alert comes back, this time saying “macOS cannot verify the developer of ‘ConsentIQ’. Are you sure you want to open it?” and carrying an extra button. Click Open.

If you are on Sequoia or later, that second route does not work and never will: Apple removed it. Most instructions you will find elsewhere still describe it, which is why it is written out here rather than left to a search.

Why we are asking you to do that

To get an app checked by Apple (notarised), you need a paid Apple developer membership, and only a registered company can hold one. ConsentIQ is not a registered company yet. Windows has the same problem for the same reason, and both warnings will stop at the same time.

We would rather tell you exactly what the warning says than let it surprise you. When the membership is in place the warning stops, and nothing about the app changes.

We have also not used a trick to make this look solved. An app can be given a signature that is not linked to any real company. It does not stop the warning, but it makes the app look signed at a glance. This app is honestly unsigned instead.

If your practice’s IT rules say not to install unsigned apps, that is a sensible rule, and this app does not meet it. ConsentIQ works in a web browser with the same features, so you do not need this app.