"Copy Link" Action Extension Fails to Copy a Link in the App, iTunes and iBooks Stores

Originator:johnvoorhees
Number:rdar://19511199 Date Originated:18-Jan-2015
Status:Open Resolved:
Product:App Store Product Version:8.1.2
Classification: Reproducible:
 
Sometime around January 15th, I noticed that the "Copy Link" action extension that is built into the iOS App Store, the iOS iTunes Store and the iBooks store were broken. "Copy Link" no longer copies the short URL to the selected store item in most instances, it only copies the title of the item. 
Since noticing this problem, I have learned additional details from others:
* The bug is global. I have heard from people all over North America, the United Kingdom and Europe who all report the same problem.
* The bug appears to be a server-side Apple issue, not a bug in the apps themselves. This is, of course, conjecture, but seems logical given that there have been no recent updates to the iOS store apps.
* The bug seems to be persistent. Except for one person who reports that the links work intermittently, "Copy Link" appears to have been broken continuously since around January 15th.
*  The Podcast and iTunes U storefronts are not affected however, which is strange because both share the itun.es short URL used by the iTunes Store. Go figure. 
* The bug may manifest itself differently on different versions of iOS. I have not tested it myself, but I heard from one person that on iOS 7, "Copy Link" copies the link, but not the title of an item -- the exact opposite of iOS 8.
* Short links still work. Although there is no way to generate a short appsto.re or itun.es URL in the affected apps currently, if you have a previously generated link, it works.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open the App Store, iTunes Store or iBook Store on iOS.
2. Choose an item for sale/download
3. Tap the Share button
4. Tap the "Copy Link" action extension.
5. Paste the results into any iOS text editor

Expected Results:
Pasting the results of tapping the "Copy Link" action extension into a text editor should paste the title of the item plus a custom short URL.

Actual Results:
Currently only the title of the item is copied when "Copy Link" is chosen.

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