Networking

RSS for tag

Explore the networking protocols and technologies used by the device to connect to Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, and cellular data services.

Networking Documentation

Posts under Networking subtopic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

Networking Resources
General: Forums subtopic: App & System Services > Networking TN3151 Choosing the right networking API Networking Overview document — Despite the fact that this is in the archive, this is still really useful. TLS for App Developers forums post Choosing a Network Debugging Tool documentation WWDC 2019 Session 712 Advances in Networking, Part 1 — This explains the concept of constrained networking, which is Apple’s preferred solution to questions like How do I check whether I’m on Wi-Fi? TN3135 Low-level networking on watchOS TN3179 Understanding local network privacy Adapt to changing network conditions tech talk TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products support article Understanding Also-Ran Connections forums post Extra-ordinary Networking forums post Foundation networking: Forums tags: Foundation, CFNetwork URL Loading System documentation — NSURLSession, or URLSession in Swift, is the recommended API for HTTP[S] on Apple platforms. Moving to Fewer, Larger Transfers forums post Testing Background Session Code forums post Network framework: Forums tag: Network Network framework documentation — Network framework is the recommended API for TCP, UDP, and QUIC on Apple platforms. Building a custom peer-to-peer protocol sample code (aka TicTacToe) Implementing netcat with Network Framework sample code (aka nwcat) Configuring a Wi-Fi accessory to join a network sample code Moving from Multipeer Connectivity to Network Framework forums post NWEndpoint History and Advice forums post Wi-Fi (general): How to modernize your captive network developer news post Wi-Fi Fundamentals forums post Filing a Wi-Fi Bug Report forums post Working with a Wi-Fi Accessory forums post — This is part of the Extra-ordinary Networking series. Wi-Fi (iOS): TN3111 iOS Wi-Fi API overview technote Wi-Fi Aware framework documentation WirelessInsights framework documentation iOS Network Signal Strength forums post Network Extension Resources Wi-Fi on macOS: Forums tag: Core WLAN Core WLAN framework documentation Secure networking: Forums tags: Security Apple Platform Security support document Preventing Insecure Network Connections documentation — This is all about App Transport Security (ATS). WWDC 2017 Session 701 Your Apps and Evolving Network Security Standards [1] — This is generally interesting, but the section starting at 17:40 is, AFAIK, the best information from Apple about how certificate revocation works on modern systems. WWDC 2025 Session 314 Get ahead with quantum-secure cryptography Available trusted root certificates for Apple operating systems support article Requirements for trusted certificates in iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 support article About upcoming limits on trusted certificates support article Apple’s Certificate Transparency policy support article What’s new for enterprise in iOS 18 support article — This discusses new key usage requirements. Prepare your network environment for stricter security requirements support article — This is primarily of interest to folks developing management software, for example, an MDM server. Technote 2232 HTTPS Server Trust Evaluation Technote 2326 Creating Certificates for TLS Testing QA1948 HTTPS and Test Servers Miscellaneous: More network-related forums tags: 5G, QUIC, Bonjour On FTP forums post Using the Multicast Networking Additional Capability forums post Investigating Network Latency Problems forums post Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" [1] This video is no longer available from Apple, but the URL should help you locate other sources of this info.
0
0
4.5k
2d
How to listen for QUIC connections using the new NetworkListener in iOS 26?
I was excited about the new APIs added to Network.framework in iOS 26 that offer structure concurrency support out of the box and a more modern API design in general. However I have been unable to use them to create a device-to-device QUIC connection. The blocker I ran into is that NetworkListener's run method requires the network protocol to conform to OneToOneProtocol, whereas QUIC conforms to MultiplexProtocol. And there doesn't seem to be any way to accept an incoming MultiplexProtocol connection? Nor does it seem possible to turn a UDP connection into a QUIC connection using NetworkConnection.prependProtocols() as that also only works for network protocols conforming to OneToOneProtocol. I suspect this is an accidental omission in the API design (?), and already filed a Feedback (FB18620438). But maybe I am missing something and there is a workaround or a different way to listen for incoming QUIC connections using the new NetworkListener? QUIC.TLS has methods peerAuthenticationRequired(Bool) and peerAuthenticationOptional(Bool), which makes me think that peer to peer QUIC connections are intended to be supported? I would also love to see documentation for those methods. For example I wonder what exact effect peerAuthenticationRequired(false) and peerAuthenticationOptional(false) would have and how they differ.
7
0
584
Aug ’25
AdHoc IPA: "permission denied" when installing DNS Proxy NetworkExtension (all entitlements and profiles seem correct)
Hi all! I’m having trouble distributing an iOS app with a DNS Proxy NetworkExtension via AdHoc. The app and extension work perfectly with development profiles, but when I export and install the AdHoc IPA, I get a “permission denied” error when trying to install/enable the DNS Proxy extension. What I’ve done: Both the app and the DNS Proxy extension have their own App IDs in the Apple Developer portal. Both App IDs have the same App Group enabled: group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2. The extension App ID has the NetworkExtension capability with dns-proxy enabled. I created two AdHoc provisioning profiles (one for the app, one for the extension), both including the same devices and the correct entitlements. I assigned the correct AdHoc profiles to each target in Xcode and exported the IPA via Organizer. I install the IPA on a registered device using Apple Configurator. Entitlements (extracted from the signed binaries on device): App: <key>application-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2</string> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key><array> <string>packet-tunnel-provider</string> <string>dns-proxy</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246</string> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key><array> <string>group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2</string> </array> <key>get-task-allow</key><false/> DNSProxy Extension: <key>application-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2.DNSProxy</string> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key><array> <string>dns-proxy</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246</string> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key><array> <string>group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2</string> </array> <key>get-task-allow</key><false/> Error message (from my app’s logs): Error instalando DNS Proxy: permission denied Usuario: Roberto AppGroup: group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2 AppGroupPath: /private/var/mobile/Containers/Shared/AppGroup/D8AD2DED-AD96-4915-9B7A-648C9504679B Entitlements: BundleId: com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2 Debug info: Error Domain=NEDNSProxyErrorDomain Code=1 "permission denied" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=permission denied} Other details: The device is included in both AdHoc profiles. The App Group is present and identical in both entitlements. The extension’s bundle identifier matches the App ID in the portal. The extension is signed with the correct AdHoc profile. I have tried rebooting the device and reinstalling the IPA. The error only occurs with AdHoc; development builds work fine. Questions: Is there anything else I should check regarding AdHoc provisioning for NetworkExtension DNS Proxy? Are there any known issues with AdHoc and NetworkExtension on recent iOS versions? Is there a way to get more detailed diagnostics from the system about why the permission is denied? Could this be a bug in iOS, or am I missing a subtle configuration step? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
1
0
143
Jun ’25
MacOS 26 "Login Items and Extensions"system extension permission- toggle button not working
Hi Team, With Mac OS26, the "Login Items and Extension" is presented under two tabs " apps " and "Extensions" , when trying to enable the item from apps tab the toggle button is not toggling( looks like this is just a status only button (read only not edit). Any one else seeing this issue for their Network system extension app.
3
0
207
Jul ’25
Can't find server for API Endpoint that works.
Hi, I am making a AI-Powered app that makes api requests to the openai API. However, for security, I set up a vercel backend that handles the API calls securely, while my frontend makes a call to my vercel-hosted https endpoint. Interestingly, whenever I try to make that call on my device, an iPhone, I get this error: Task <91AE4DE0-2845-4348-89B4-D3DD1CF51B65>.<10> finished with error [-1003] Error Domain=NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1003 "A server with the specified hostname could not be found." UserInfo={_kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-72000, NSUnderlyingError=0x1435783f0 {Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=-1003 "(null)" UserInfo={_kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=10, _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-72000, _NSURLErrorNWResolutionReportKey=Resolved 0 endpoints in 3ms using unknown from query, _NSURLErrorNWPathKey=satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: pdp_ip0[lte], ipv4, ipv6, dns, expensive, uses cell}}, _NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey=LocalDataTask <91AE4DE0-2845-4348-89B4-D3DD1CF51B65>.<10>, _NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey=( "LocalDataTask <91AE4DE0-2845-4348-89B4-D3DD1CF51B65>.<10>" ), NSLocalizedDescription=A server with the specified hostname could not be found., NSErrorFailingURLStringKey=https://[my endpoint], NSErrorFailingURLKey=https://[my endpoint], _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=10} I'm completely stuck because when I directly make https requests to other api's like openai's endpoint, without the proxy, it finds the server completely fine. Running my endpoint on terminal with curl also works as intended, as I see api key usages. But for some reason, on my project, it does not work. I've looked through almost every single post I could find online, but a lot all of the solutions are outdated and unhelpful. I'm willing to schedule a call, meeting, whatever to resolve this issue and get help more in depth as well.
1
0
170
Jun ’25
Mac can't find or register NE App Extension without App Sandbox entitlement
Recently, while developing a network extension on macOS, I encountered a very interesting issue. When the App Sandbox entitlement is included, the NE (Network Extension) can be called and run normally. However, when the App Sandbox is removed, with everything else remaining unchanged, an error occurs. The logs are as follows: Failed to find an app extension with identifier app.acmeVpnM.extension and extension point com.apple.networkextension.packet-tunnel: (null) Found 0 registrations for app.acmeVpnM.extension (com.apple.networkextension.packet-tunnel) If you add app sandbox, it will run normally. this is my container app entitlement this is my NE extension (without App SandBox) I want to know the reason for this. App sandbox shouldn't be mandatory. How can I make my NE run in an environment without app sandbox?
2
0
191
May ’25
DHCP failure in macOS 15.4 and 15.5
We need your assistance as we are currently facing an issue without a workaround for users on macOS 15.4 and 15.5. FeedbackID: FB17547675 The problem has been observed on macOS versions 15.4 and 15.5. Apple has acknowledged this issue and confirmed that it is fixed in the macOS 15.6 beta. Although we tried to reproduce the issue in our environment, it did not occur, even on macOS 15.5. Therefore, we cannot verify if the fix in macOS 15.6 beta resolves the problem. We are actively working to identify an appropriate workaround for users on macOS 15.5. Some users have reported a failure to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi, possibly due to a DHCP failure. As a temporary solution, we added logic to restart Wi-Fi programmatically when either an APIPA address (169.254.x.x) or no IPv4 address is detected on the active interface. However, restarting Wi-Fi does not always resolve the issue, and the device may still fail to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Could you advise if there is a reliable method to detect DHCP failure and recover the device from this state? Also, any idea, how we can reproduce this scenario in our machine? Below is the failure. default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055003 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055269 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.336215 -0700 airportd WiFiUsageBssSession:: ChannelAfterRoam=0; ChannelAtJoin=36; FaultReasonApsdTimedOut=0; FaultReasonArpFailureCount=0; FaultReasonBrokenBackhaulLinkFailed=0; FaultReasonDhcpFailure=0; default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367852 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367909 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988565 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988703 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE info 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988852 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656415 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'network changed' default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656817 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656821 -0700 configd DHCP en0: supplying device type 'Mac' info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656934 -0700 configd DHCP en0: busy default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657351 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 0 for 1.358613 info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657404 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:37.019229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 1.36206 for 2.113913 default 2025-06-27 10:08:39.136955 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 3.47937 for 4.462224 default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.602229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.603143 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 7.94533 for 8.128784 default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735532 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735846 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 16.0786 for 8.749985 default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488315 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488550 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 24.8313 for 8.496864 default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988284 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988310 -0700 configd DHCP en0: reported address acquisition failure symptom default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988579 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 33.3312 for 8.300735 default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294478 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294485 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.295454 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 41.6373 for 8.798768 default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096673 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096688 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.097553 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 50.4394 for 8.807943 default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909050 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909054 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909375 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 59.2517 for 8.877971 default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792458 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792464 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.793641 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.794145 -0700 configd DHCP en0: not busy DNS failure resolver #1 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) resolver #2 domain : local options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300000 resolver #3 domain : 254.169.in-addr.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300200 resolver #4 domain : 8.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300400 resolver #5 domain : 9.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300600 resolver #6 domain : a.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300800 resolver #7 domain : b.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 301000 Route table Destination Gateway Flags Netif Expire 127 127.0.0.1 UCS lo0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 UH lo0 169.254 link#14 UCS en0 ! 169.254.160.160/32 link#14 UCS en0 ! 224.0.0/4 link#14 UmCS en0 ! 224.0.0.251 1:0:5e:0:0:fb UHmLWI en0 239.255.255.250 1:0:5e:7f:ff:fa UHmLWI en0 255.255.255.255/32 link#14 UCS en0 !
1
0
324
Jun ’25
DNS Proxy Provider remains active after app uninstall | iOS
Hi, I've encountered a strange behavior in the DNS Proxy Provider extension. Our app implements both DNS Proxy Provider and Content Filter Providers extensions, configured via MDM. When the app is uninstalled, the behavior of the providers differs: For Content Filter Providers (both Filter Control and Filter Data Providers), the providers stop as expected with the stop reason: /** @const NEProviderStopReasonProviderDisabled The provider was disabled. */ case providerDisabled = 5 However, for the DNS Proxy Provider, the provider remains in the "Running" state, even though there is no app available to match the provider's bundle ID in the uploaded configuration profile. When the app is reinstalled: The Content Filter Providers start as expected. The DNS Proxy Provider stops with the stop reason: /** @const NEProviderStopReasonAppUpdate The NEProvider is being updated */ @available(iOS 13.0, *) case appUpdate = 16 At this point, the DNS Proxy Provider remains in an 'Invalid' state. Reinstalling the app a second time seems to resolve the issue, with both the DNS Proxy Provider and Content Filter Providers starting as expected. This issue seems to occur only if some time has passed after the DNS Proxy Provider entered the 'Running' state. It appears as though the system retains a stale configuration for the DNS Proxy Provider, even after the app has been removed. Steps to reproduce: Install the app and configure both DNS Proxy Provider and Content Filter Providers using MDM. Uninstall the app. Content Filter Providers are stopped as expected (NEProviderStopReason.providerDisabled = 5). DNS Proxy Provider remains in the 'Running' state. Reinstall the app. Content Filter Providers start as expected. DNS Proxy Provider stops with NEProviderStopReason.appUpdate (16) and remains 'Invalid'. Reinstall the app again. DNS Proxy Provider now starts as expected. This behavior raises concerns about how the system manages the lifecycle of DNS Proxy Provider, because DNS Proxy Provider is matched with provider bundle id in .mobileconfig file. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Any suggestions on how to address or debug this behavior would be highly appreciated. Thank you!
22
1
1k
Oct ’25
Split tunnel w/o changing route table
I've built a VPN app that is based on wireguard on macOS (I have both AppStore ver. and Developer ID ver). I want to achieve split tunneling function without changing the system route table. Currently, I'm making changes in PacketTunnelProvider: NEPacketTunnelProvider. It has included/excluded routes that function as a split tunnel, just that all changes are immediately reflected on the route table: if I run netstat -rn in terminal, I would see all rules/CIDRs I added, displayed all at once. Since I have a CIDR list of ~800 entries, I'd like to avoid changing the route table directly. I've asked ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, .etc. An idea was to implement an 'interceptor' to intercept all packets in packetFlow(_:readPacketsWithCompletionHandler:), extract the destination IP from each packet, check if it matches your CIDR list, and either reinject it back to the system interface (for local routing) or process it through your tunnel. Well, LLMs could have hallucinations and I've pretty new to macOS programming. I'm asking to make sure I'm on the right track, not going delusional with those LLMs :) So the question is, does the above method sounds feasible? If not, is it possible to achieve split tunneling without changing the route table?
4
0
148
Jun ’25
XPC connection consistently invalidated on app upgrade
Hi, Our project is a MacOS SwiftUI GUI application that bundles a System Network Extension, signed with a Developer ID certificate for distribution outside of the app store. The system network extension is used to write a packet tunnel provider. The signing of the app & network extension is handled by XCode (v16.0.0), we do not run codesign ourselves. We have no issues with XPC or the system network extension during normal usage, nor when the application is installed on a user's device for the first time. The problem only arises when the user upgrades the application. I have experienced this issue myself, as have our users. It's been reported on Apple Silicon macbooks running at least macOS 15.3.2. Much like the SimpleFirewall example (which we used as a reference), we use XPC for basic communication of state between the app and NE. These XPC connections stop working when the user installs a new version of the app, with OS logs from the process indicating that the connection is immediately invalidated. Subsequent connection attempts are also immediately invalidated. Toggling the VPN in system settings (or via the app) does not resolve the problem, nor does restarting the app, nor does deleting and reinstalling the app, nor does restarting the device. The only reliable workaround is to delete the system extension in Login Items & Extensions, under Network Extensions. No device restart is necessary to garbage collect the old extension - once the extension is reapproved by the user, the XPC issue resolves itself. This would be an acceptable workaround were it possible to automate the deleting of the system extension, but that appears deliberately not possible, and requiring our users to do this each time they update is unreasonable. When the upgraded app is opened for the first time, the OSSystemExtensionRequest request is sent, and the outcome is that the previously installed system network extension is replaced, as both the CFBundleVersion and CFBundleShortVersionString differ. When this issue is encountered, the output of systemextensionsctl list shows the later version is installed and activated. I've been able to reproduce this bug on my personal laptop, with SIP on and systemextensionsctl developer off, but on my work laptop with SIP off and systemextensionsctl developer on (where the network extension is replaced on each activation request, instead of only when the version strings differ), I do not encounter this issue, which leads me to believe it has something to do with the notarization process. We notarize the pkg using xcrun notarytool, and then staple to the pkg. This is actually the same issue described in: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/711713 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/667597 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/742992 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/728063 but it's been a while since any of these threads were updated, and we've made attempts to address it off the suggestions in the threads to no avail. Those suggestions are: Switching to a .pkg installer from a .dmg As part of the .pkg preinstall, doing all of the following: Stopping the VPN (scutil --nc stop), shutting down the app (using osascript 'quit app id'), and deleting the app (which claims to delete the network extension, but not the approval in Login Items & Extensions remains??), by running rm -rf on the bundle in /Applications As part of the .pkg postinstall: Forcing macOS to ingest the App bundle's notarization ticket using spctl --assess. Ensuring NSXPCListener.resume() is called after autoreleasepool { NEProvider.startSystemExtensionMode() } (mentioned in a forum thread above as a fix, did not help.) One thing I'm particularly interested in is the outcome of this feedback assistant ticket, as I can't view it: FB11086599. It was shared on this forum in the first thread above, and supposedly describes the same issue. I almost find it hard to believe that this issue has been around for this many years without a workaround (there's system network extension apps out there that appear to work fine when updating, are they not using XPC?), so I wonder if there's a fix described in that FB ticket. Since I can't view that above feedback ticket, I've created my own: FB17032197
6
0
554
1w
Why does an NSURLSessionDataTask sent from PacketTunnelProvider intermittently fail with error code NSURLErrorTimedOut (-1001) ?
Hi, We're hoping someone can help us determine why we're running into some odd behavior where a simple HTTP request is intermittently failing with error code NSURLErrorTimedOut (-1001) Background: HTTP request details: The request is sent from a PacketTunnelProvider and is meant to be a Captive Portal check. The request is insecure (HTTP, instead of HTTPS) but we have configured App Transport Security (ATS) to allow insecure HTTP loads from this hostname. See info.plist excerpt below. The request is sent using NSMutableURLRequest/NSURLSessionDataTask using an Ephemeral session configuration. We only modify 2 properties on NSMutableURLRequest The timeoutInterval property is set to 5 seconds. The allowsCellularAccess property is set to NO. No headers or other configuration are modified. NSURLSessionDataTask completionHandler receives an NSError: We checked the NSError's userInfo dictionary for an underlying error (NSUnderlyingErrorKey). The underlying error shows the same code NSURLErrorTimedOut (-1001). We haven't seen any underlying errors with code NSURLErrorAppTransportSecurityRequiresSecureConnection (-1022) . On a laptop, we confirmed that the Captive portal check site is accessible and loads correctly. Laptop and iOS device are on the same Wi-fi. I've witnessed the error in the debugger, and been able to load the site on my laptop at the same time. So, we don't have any reason to believe this is server related. The PacketTunnelProvider is configured to only handle DNS queries and is not intercepting/routing the HTTP traffic. The DNS query for the Captive portal request is handled correctly. In fact, outside of the PacketTunnelProvider, all sites load in Mobile Safari. So, we're not breaking internet on this device. In other words, we have no reason to believe our DNS handling is interfering with the HTTP request since other HTTP requests are working as expected. We setup CFNetwork Diagnostic Logging (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/network/debugging-https-problems-with-cfnetwork-diagnostic-logging) In console.app, we are able to find some logging on the Timeout See excerpt from Console.app's log below. We confirmed that the nscurl tool did not flag the request (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/identifying-the-source-of-blocked-connections) All ATS tests run with nscurl were successful. See nscurl command used below. Questions: What are next steps to debug this intermittent timeout? What should we look for in the CFNetwork Diagnostic Logging to help debug the issue further? Thanks in advance for your help! ATS configuration setup in both the UI and the PacketTunnel's info.plist file: <key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key> <dict> <key>NSExceptionDomains</key> <dict> <key>subdomain.subdomain.example.com</key> <dict> <key>NSExceptionAllowsInsecureHTTPLoads</key> <true/> <key>NSIncludesSubdomains</key> <true/> </dict> </dict> </dict> Excerpt from Console.app's log: CFNetwork Example PacketTunnel 10836 Diagnostics default 11:30:33.029032-0700 CFNetwork Diagnostics [3:834] 11:30:32.946 { Did Timeout: (null) Loader: request GET http://subdomain.subdomain.example.com/content/cpcheck.txt HTTP/1.1 Timeout Interval: 5.000 seconds init to origin load: 0.000592947s total time: 5.00607s total bytes: 0 } [3:834] nscurl command $ /usr/bin/nscurl --ats-diagnostics --verbose http://subdomain.subdomain.example.com/content/cpcheck.txt
2
0
113
Jun ’25
NEAppPushProvider ios 18.4+ Push Connectivity
Did iOS 18.4 ( and 18.5) with iPhone 14 or 15 introduce new network connectivity or battery optimization policies that would break Local Push Connectivity? (suspend PushProvider in a new way that prevents it from listening and reponding to incoming messages from private network server)? We have a private app using local push connectivity for real time local alerts on a local private network & server. The current application version works on prev devices including iPhone 12, iOS 14-18.1 that we know of. A new(er) installation with iPhone 14s & 15s on iOS 18.4 is having new connectivity problems that seem to occur along with sleep. Previously NEAppPushProvider could listen and reply to incoming messages from server for local notifications, incoming sip invites, and connection health messages. We'll be performing addtional testing to narrow the issue in the meantime, but it would be VERY helpful to have clarification regarding any iOS minor patches since 18.1 that are now breaking existing Local Push Connectivity applications. If so what are the recommendations or remedies. Are known issues with Network Extensions patched in 18.5? Are existing applications expected to redesign their networking solutions for 18.3 & 18.4? Did iOS18 versions later than 18.1 begin requiring new entitlements or exceptions for private apps in app store?
2
0
100
Jun ’25
Requested NSURLSession task is neither requested nor has it timed out
Our application has initiated an NSURLSession data task, and we have received an initiation ID. However, Application not received callback on the subsequent activity: the task has not been requested, has not timed out, and no error callback has been received. [06/17 09:29:40:559][ 0x282a7d8c0] Requested TaskIdentifier 120 2025-06-17 09:29:40.623337 +0530 nsurlsessiond SUBMITTING: com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666 default 2025-06-17 09:29:40.631280 +0530 dasd Submitted Activity: com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666 at priority 10 default Seen couple of rejection with for CPUUsagePolicy and MemoryPressurePolicy 2025-06-17 09:29:40.989360 +0530 dasd com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666:[ {name: CPUUsagePolicy, policyWeight: 5.000, response: {Decision: Must Not Proceed, Score: 0.00, Rationale: [{[Max allowed CPU Usage level]: Required:90.00, Observed:95.00},]}} {name: MemoryPressurePolicy, policyWeight: 5.000, response: {Decision: Must Not Proceed, Score: 0.00, Rationale: [{[memoryPressure]: Required:1.00, Observed:2.00},]}} ], FinalDecision: Must Not Proceed} default 2025-06-17 10:55:22.500277 +0530 dasd com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666:[ {name: MemoryPressurePolicy, policyWeight: 5.000, response: {Decision: Must Not Proceed, Score: 0.00, Rationale: [{[memoryPressure]: Required:1.00, Observed:2.00},]}} ], FinalDecision: Must Not Proceed} default And more an hour later then it throws with an error BUT NEVER indicated the same to client 2025-06-17 10:55:27.426549 +0530 WAVE PTX Task .&lt;120&gt; is for &lt;&gt;.&lt;&gt;.&lt;120&gt; default 2025-06-17 10:55:27.776951 +0530 nsurlsessiond Task .&lt;120&gt; summary for task failure {transaction_duration_ms=5147145, response_status=-1, connection=0, reused=1, request_start_ms=0, request_duration_ms=0, response_start_ms=0, response_duration_ms=0, request_bytes=0, response_bytes=0, cache_hit=false} default 2025-06-17 10:55:27.777096 +0530 nsurlsessiond NDSession &lt;714296D7-20F9-4A0A-8C31-71FB67F39A56&gt; Task .&lt;120&gt; for client will be retried after error Error Domain=_nsurlsessiondErrorDomain Code=6 UserInfo={NSErrorFailingURLStringKey=, NSErrorFailingURLKey=, _NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey=, _NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey=} - code: 6 default Then It got resumed and says successful but never got any callback on the same to client 2025-06-17 10:55:28.877245 +0530 nsurlsessiond NDSession &lt;714296D7-20F9-4A0A-8C31-71FB67F39A56&gt; Task .&lt;120&gt; resuming default 2025-06-17 10:55:55.225456 +0530 nsurlsessiond Task .&lt;120&gt; received response, status 401 content K default 2025-06-17 10:55:55.250371 +0530 nsurlsessiond Task .&lt;120&gt; finished successfully default Please refer feedback for diagnose logs: https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/feedback/18173303
7
0
179
Jul ’25
Content Filter: sourceAppAuditToken empty only for Firefox
Starting on macOS Sequoia, flows originated in Firefox have an empty sourceAppAuditToken. Other apps contain a valid token. Background: in order to fetch process info for a certain NEFilterFlow, my content filter extension uses sourceAppAuditToken, audit_token_to_pid() and proc_* (as recommended in #126820). When that fails, we use SecCodeCopyGuestWithAttributes, recommended in some other thread as a better alternative. Both approaches break when the sourceAppAuditToken is empty since they need the pid. Debugging: My logging shows audit token is empty for Firefox Typical logs from com.apple.networkextension also indicate it fails to fetch the same info I'm looking for: com.apple.networkextension debug 11:22:07.024588-0300 Fetching appInfo from cache for pid: 948 uuid: 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361 bundle id: (null) com.apple.networkextension debug 11:22:07.024657-0300 Calling delegate lookup handler with pid: 948, uuid: 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361, bundleID: (null) com.apple.networkextension debug 11:22:07.025856-0300 Could not look up appInfo for pid: 948 bundle id: (null) uuid: 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361 com.apple.networkextension error 11:22:07.025897-0300 Could not find app info, return the original flow without filling in app info Handling new flow: identifier = D89B5B5D-793C-4940-D992-4E90F2AD1900 procPID = 953 eprocPID = 948 direction = outbound inBytes = 0 outBytes = 0 signature = {length = 32, bytes = 0x4afeafde b484aa0c c5cb8698 0567343d ... 7cdee33e 135666dd } socketID = 19adf2904e92d9 localEndpoint = 0.0.0.0:0 remoteEndpoint = 17.33.202.170:443 protocol = 6 family = 2 type = 1 procUUID = 0C68E603-967E-3643-B225-378BD2A655F7 eprocUUID = 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361 Perhaps there's a bug when generating the audit token or could it be something with the Firefox signature? I double-checked Firefox and it seems fine: $ codesign --verify --verbose /Applications/Firefox.app /Applications/Firefox.app: valid on disk /Applications/Firefox.app: satisfies its Designated Requirement Not sure if relevant, but codesign with -dv showed different flags in CodeDirectory when compared to chrome: codesign -dv /Applications/Firefox.app ... CodeDirectory v=20500 size=863 flags=0x10000(runtime) hashes=18+5 ... Versus chrome CodeDirectory v=20500 size=1821 flags=0x12a00(kill,restrict,library-validation,runtime) hashes=46+7 location=embedded
3
0
598
Aug ’25
Is there any API for real-time Wi-Fi connection monitoring?
We are developing an iOS application with a key feature designed to enhance user safety: real-time assessment of Wi-Fi network security. The "Safe Wi-Fi" feature aims to inform users about the security level of the Wi-Fi network they are currently connected to. Our goal is to provide this information seamlessly and continuously, even when the user isn't actively using the app. Currently, we've implemented this feature using a NWPathMonitor. The limitation of NWPathMonitor is that it doesn't function when the app is in a kill state. We are looking for guidance on how to achieve persistent Wi-Fi security monitoring in the background or when the app is killed. Is there any API (Public, Special API, etc) or a recommended approach that allows for real-time Wi-Fi connection monitoring (including connection changes and network details) even when the app is not actively running or is in a kill state. Thank you in advance for your help.
1
0
169
Jun ’25
Network extension configuration "the wrong type"
On one test machine, our extension wouldn't load, because [NETransparentProxyManager loadAllFromPreferencesWithCompletionHandler] can't find a manager, saying Skipping configuration appname because it is of the wrong type. This is the first time I've seen this behaviour. (The containing app tries to find a configuration, if it can't find it it creates one, then modifies whatever it found or created, then stores it. I don't have the right logging yet for that, so I can't see the error messages. [NSLog instead of os_log_error.])
2
0
190
Oct ’25
Get BSSID to check for Rogue access point
Hi, I'm developing a security-focused iOS application and would like to detect potentially suspicious rogue access points. Specifically, I need to access the BSSID of the currently connected Wi-Fi network to analyze and identify inconsistencies (e.g. multiple APs using the same SSID). I understand that access to certain network information is restricted on iOS. Is it possible to use the Network Extension framework (or any approved API) to retrieve the BSSID? If so, are there any specific entitlements or usage descriptions required to ensure App Store approval? My goal is to implement this functionality in full compliance with App Store Review Guidelines and user privacy policies.
1
0
96
Jul ’25
Crashes in NEFilterPacketInterpose createChannel
Hello, Our users are seeing random crashes in our packet filter system extension on macOS. Any help pointing me in the right direction to either avoid the issue or fix it would be greatly appreciated. Attached is the crash log. Thank you. packetfilter.crash Crashed Thread: 2 Dispatch queue: com.apple.network.connections Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS) Exception Codes: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x0000000112918700 Exception Note: EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY Termination Signal: Bus error: 10 Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 0xa Terminating Process: exc handler [40687] ... Thread 2 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.network.connections 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff2089b46e os_channel_get_next_slot + 230 1 com.apple.NetworkExtension 0x00007fff2e2e2643 __40-[NEFilterPacketInterpose createChannel]_block_invoke + 560 2 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff20718806 _dispatch_client_callout + 8 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff2071b1b0 _dispatch_continuation_pop + 423 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff2072b564 _dispatch_source_invoke + 2061 5 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff20720318 _dispatch_workloop_invoke + 1784 6 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff20728c0d _dispatch_workloop_worker_thread + 811 7 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00007fff208bf45d _pthread_wqthread + 314 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00007fff208be42f start_wqthread + 15
8
0
1.5k
Jun ’25
Local Network permission appears to be ignored after reboot, even though it was granted
We have a Java application built for macOS. On the first launch, the application prompts the user to allow local network access. We've correctly added the NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription key to the Info.plist, and the provided description appears in the system prompt. After the user grants permission, the application can successfully connect to a local server using its hostname. However, the issue arises after the system is rebooted. When the application is launched again, macOS does not prompt for local network access a second time—which is expected, as the permission was already granted. Despite this, the application is unable to connect to the local server. It appears the previously granted permission is being ignored after a reboot. A temporary workaround is to manually toggle the Local Network permission off and back on via System Settings > Privacy & Security, which restores connectivity—until the next reboot. This behavior is highly disruptive, both for us and for a significant number of our users. We can reproduce this on multiple systems... The issues started from macOS Sequoia 15.0 By opening the application bundle using "Show Package Contents," we can launch the application via "JavaAppLauncher" without any issues. Once started, the application is able to connect to our server over the local network. This seems to bypass the granted permissions? "JavaAppLauncher" is also been used in our Info.plist file Removing the following plist in Recovery Mode seems to resolve the issue rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.networkextension.plist" Is this safe to do?
1
0
70
Jul ’25
Networking Resources
General: Forums subtopic: App & System Services > Networking TN3151 Choosing the right networking API Networking Overview document — Despite the fact that this is in the archive, this is still really useful. TLS for App Developers forums post Choosing a Network Debugging Tool documentation WWDC 2019 Session 712 Advances in Networking, Part 1 — This explains the concept of constrained networking, which is Apple’s preferred solution to questions like How do I check whether I’m on Wi-Fi? TN3135 Low-level networking on watchOS TN3179 Understanding local network privacy Adapt to changing network conditions tech talk TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products support article Understanding Also-Ran Connections forums post Extra-ordinary Networking forums post Foundation networking: Forums tags: Foundation, CFNetwork URL Loading System documentation — NSURLSession, or URLSession in Swift, is the recommended API for HTTP[S] on Apple platforms. Moving to Fewer, Larger Transfers forums post Testing Background Session Code forums post Network framework: Forums tag: Network Network framework documentation — Network framework is the recommended API for TCP, UDP, and QUIC on Apple platforms. Building a custom peer-to-peer protocol sample code (aka TicTacToe) Implementing netcat with Network Framework sample code (aka nwcat) Configuring a Wi-Fi accessory to join a network sample code Moving from Multipeer Connectivity to Network Framework forums post NWEndpoint History and Advice forums post Wi-Fi (general): How to modernize your captive network developer news post Wi-Fi Fundamentals forums post Filing a Wi-Fi Bug Report forums post Working with a Wi-Fi Accessory forums post — This is part of the Extra-ordinary Networking series. Wi-Fi (iOS): TN3111 iOS Wi-Fi API overview technote Wi-Fi Aware framework documentation WirelessInsights framework documentation iOS Network Signal Strength forums post Network Extension Resources Wi-Fi on macOS: Forums tag: Core WLAN Core WLAN framework documentation Secure networking: Forums tags: Security Apple Platform Security support document Preventing Insecure Network Connections documentation — This is all about App Transport Security (ATS). WWDC 2017 Session 701 Your Apps and Evolving Network Security Standards [1] — This is generally interesting, but the section starting at 17:40 is, AFAIK, the best information from Apple about how certificate revocation works on modern systems. WWDC 2025 Session 314 Get ahead with quantum-secure cryptography Available trusted root certificates for Apple operating systems support article Requirements for trusted certificates in iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 support article About upcoming limits on trusted certificates support article Apple’s Certificate Transparency policy support article What’s new for enterprise in iOS 18 support article — This discusses new key usage requirements. Prepare your network environment for stricter security requirements support article — This is primarily of interest to folks developing management software, for example, an MDM server. Technote 2232 HTTPS Server Trust Evaluation Technote 2326 Creating Certificates for TLS Testing QA1948 HTTPS and Test Servers Miscellaneous: More network-related forums tags: 5G, QUIC, Bonjour On FTP forums post Using the Multicast Networking Additional Capability forums post Investigating Network Latency Problems forums post Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" [1] This video is no longer available from Apple, but the URL should help you locate other sources of this info.
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
4.5k
Activity
2d
The iOS 26 simulator crashed due to NWPathMonitor
Simulator: iPhone 16 pro (iOS 26) Minimum Deployments: iOS 16.0+, not iOS 17. Here is the demo: import SwiftUI import NetworkExtension struct ContentView: View { private var monitor = NWPathMonitor() var body: some View { VStack { Text("Hello, world!") } .task { let _ = URLSession.shared } } }
Replies
1
Boosts
1
Views
352
Activity
Jun ’25
How to listen for QUIC connections using the new NetworkListener in iOS 26?
I was excited about the new APIs added to Network.framework in iOS 26 that offer structure concurrency support out of the box and a more modern API design in general. However I have been unable to use them to create a device-to-device QUIC connection. The blocker I ran into is that NetworkListener's run method requires the network protocol to conform to OneToOneProtocol, whereas QUIC conforms to MultiplexProtocol. And there doesn't seem to be any way to accept an incoming MultiplexProtocol connection? Nor does it seem possible to turn a UDP connection into a QUIC connection using NetworkConnection.prependProtocols() as that also only works for network protocols conforming to OneToOneProtocol. I suspect this is an accidental omission in the API design (?), and already filed a Feedback (FB18620438). But maybe I am missing something and there is a workaround or a different way to listen for incoming QUIC connections using the new NetworkListener? QUIC.TLS has methods peerAuthenticationRequired(Bool) and peerAuthenticationOptional(Bool), which makes me think that peer to peer QUIC connections are intended to be supported? I would also love to see documentation for those methods. For example I wonder what exact effect peerAuthenticationRequired(false) and peerAuthenticationOptional(false) would have and how they differ.
Replies
7
Boosts
0
Views
584
Activity
Aug ’25
AdHoc IPA: "permission denied" when installing DNS Proxy NetworkExtension (all entitlements and profiles seem correct)
Hi all! I’m having trouble distributing an iOS app with a DNS Proxy NetworkExtension via AdHoc. The app and extension work perfectly with development profiles, but when I export and install the AdHoc IPA, I get a “permission denied” error when trying to install/enable the DNS Proxy extension. What I’ve done: Both the app and the DNS Proxy extension have their own App IDs in the Apple Developer portal. Both App IDs have the same App Group enabled: group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2. The extension App ID has the NetworkExtension capability with dns-proxy enabled. I created two AdHoc provisioning profiles (one for the app, one for the extension), both including the same devices and the correct entitlements. I assigned the correct AdHoc profiles to each target in Xcode and exported the IPA via Organizer. I install the IPA on a registered device using Apple Configurator. Entitlements (extracted from the signed binaries on device): App: <key>application-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2</string> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key><array> <string>packet-tunnel-provider</string> <string>dns-proxy</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246</string> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key><array> <string>group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2</string> </array> <key>get-task-allow</key><false/> DNSProxy Extension: <key>application-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2.DNSProxy</string> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key><array> <string>dns-proxy</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key><string>6PBG234246</string> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key><array> <string>group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2</string> </array> <key>get-task-allow</key><false/> Error message (from my app’s logs): Error instalando DNS Proxy: permission denied Usuario: Roberto AppGroup: group.com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2 AppGroupPath: /private/var/mobile/Containers/Shared/AppGroup/D8AD2DED-AD96-4915-9B7A-648C9504679B Entitlements: BundleId: com.irakai.SafeLinkApp2 Debug info: Error Domain=NEDNSProxyErrorDomain Code=1 "permission denied" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=permission denied} Other details: The device is included in both AdHoc profiles. The App Group is present and identical in both entitlements. The extension’s bundle identifier matches the App ID in the portal. The extension is signed with the correct AdHoc profile. I have tried rebooting the device and reinstalling the IPA. The error only occurs with AdHoc; development builds work fine. Questions: Is there anything else I should check regarding AdHoc provisioning for NetworkExtension DNS Proxy? Are there any known issues with AdHoc and NetworkExtension on recent iOS versions? Is there a way to get more detailed diagnostics from the system about why the permission is denied? Could this be a bug in iOS, or am I missing a subtle configuration step? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
143
Activity
Jun ’25
MacOS 26 "Login Items and Extensions"system extension permission- toggle button not working
Hi Team, With Mac OS26, the "Login Items and Extension" is presented under two tabs " apps " and "Extensions" , when trying to enable the item from apps tab the toggle button is not toggling( looks like this is just a status only button (read only not edit). Any one else seeing this issue for their Network system extension app.
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
207
Activity
Jul ’25
Can't find server for API Endpoint that works.
Hi, I am making a AI-Powered app that makes api requests to the openai API. However, for security, I set up a vercel backend that handles the API calls securely, while my frontend makes a call to my vercel-hosted https endpoint. Interestingly, whenever I try to make that call on my device, an iPhone, I get this error: Task <91AE4DE0-2845-4348-89B4-D3DD1CF51B65>.<10> finished with error [-1003] Error Domain=NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1003 "A server with the specified hostname could not be found." UserInfo={_kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-72000, NSUnderlyingError=0x1435783f0 {Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=-1003 "(null)" UserInfo={_kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=10, _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-72000, _NSURLErrorNWResolutionReportKey=Resolved 0 endpoints in 3ms using unknown from query, _NSURLErrorNWPathKey=satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: pdp_ip0[lte], ipv4, ipv6, dns, expensive, uses cell}}, _NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey=LocalDataTask <91AE4DE0-2845-4348-89B4-D3DD1CF51B65>.<10>, _NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey=( "LocalDataTask <91AE4DE0-2845-4348-89B4-D3DD1CF51B65>.<10>" ), NSLocalizedDescription=A server with the specified hostname could not be found., NSErrorFailingURLStringKey=https://[my endpoint], NSErrorFailingURLKey=https://[my endpoint], _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=10} I'm completely stuck because when I directly make https requests to other api's like openai's endpoint, without the proxy, it finds the server completely fine. Running my endpoint on terminal with curl also works as intended, as I see api key usages. But for some reason, on my project, it does not work. I've looked through almost every single post I could find online, but a lot all of the solutions are outdated and unhelpful. I'm willing to schedule a call, meeting, whatever to resolve this issue and get help more in depth as well.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
170
Activity
Jun ’25
Mac can't find or register NE App Extension without App Sandbox entitlement
Recently, while developing a network extension on macOS, I encountered a very interesting issue. When the App Sandbox entitlement is included, the NE (Network Extension) can be called and run normally. However, when the App Sandbox is removed, with everything else remaining unchanged, an error occurs. The logs are as follows: Failed to find an app extension with identifier app.acmeVpnM.extension and extension point com.apple.networkextension.packet-tunnel: (null) Found 0 registrations for app.acmeVpnM.extension (com.apple.networkextension.packet-tunnel) If you add app sandbox, it will run normally. this is my container app entitlement this is my NE extension (without App SandBox) I want to know the reason for this. App sandbox shouldn't be mandatory. How can I make my NE run in an environment without app sandbox?
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
191
Activity
May ’25
DHCP failure in macOS 15.4 and 15.5
We need your assistance as we are currently facing an issue without a workaround for users on macOS 15.4 and 15.5. FeedbackID: FB17547675 The problem has been observed on macOS versions 15.4 and 15.5. Apple has acknowledged this issue and confirmed that it is fixed in the macOS 15.6 beta. Although we tried to reproduce the issue in our environment, it did not occur, even on macOS 15.5. Therefore, we cannot verify if the fix in macOS 15.6 beta resolves the problem. We are actively working to identify an appropriate workaround for users on macOS 15.5. Some users have reported a failure to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi, possibly due to a DHCP failure. As a temporary solution, we added logic to restart Wi-Fi programmatically when either an APIPA address (169.254.x.x) or no IPv4 address is detected on the active interface. However, restarting Wi-Fi does not always resolve the issue, and the device may still fail to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Could you advise if there is a reliable method to detect DHCP failure and recover the device from this state? Also, any idea, how we can reproduce this scenario in our machine? Below is the failure. default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055003 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055269 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.336215 -0700 airportd WiFiUsageBssSession:: ChannelAfterRoam=0; ChannelAtJoin=36; FaultReasonApsdTimedOut=0; FaultReasonArpFailureCount=0; FaultReasonBrokenBackhaulLinkFailed=0; FaultReasonDhcpFailure=0; default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367852 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367909 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988565 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988703 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE info 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988852 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656415 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'network changed' default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656817 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656821 -0700 configd DHCP en0: supplying device type 'Mac' info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656934 -0700 configd DHCP en0: busy default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657351 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 0 for 1.358613 info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657404 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:37.019229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 1.36206 for 2.113913 default 2025-06-27 10:08:39.136955 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 3.47937 for 4.462224 default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.602229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.603143 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 7.94533 for 8.128784 default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735532 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735846 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 16.0786 for 8.749985 default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488315 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488550 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 24.8313 for 8.496864 default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988284 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988310 -0700 configd DHCP en0: reported address acquisition failure symptom default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988579 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 33.3312 for 8.300735 default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294478 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294485 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.295454 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 41.6373 for 8.798768 default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096673 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096688 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.097553 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 50.4394 for 8.807943 default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909050 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909054 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909375 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 59.2517 for 8.877971 default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792458 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792464 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.793641 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.794145 -0700 configd DHCP en0: not busy DNS failure resolver #1 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) resolver #2 domain : local options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300000 resolver #3 domain : 254.169.in-addr.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300200 resolver #4 domain : 8.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300400 resolver #5 domain : 9.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300600 resolver #6 domain : a.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300800 resolver #7 domain : b.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 301000 Route table Destination Gateway Flags Netif Expire 127 127.0.0.1 UCS lo0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 UH lo0 169.254 link#14 UCS en0 ! 169.254.160.160/32 link#14 UCS en0 ! 224.0.0/4 link#14 UmCS en0 ! 224.0.0.251 1:0:5e:0:0:fb UHmLWI en0 239.255.255.250 1:0:5e:7f:ff:fa UHmLWI en0 255.255.255.255/32 link#14 UCS en0 !
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
324
Activity
Jun ’25
DNS Proxy Provider remains active after app uninstall | iOS
Hi, I've encountered a strange behavior in the DNS Proxy Provider extension. Our app implements both DNS Proxy Provider and Content Filter Providers extensions, configured via MDM. When the app is uninstalled, the behavior of the providers differs: For Content Filter Providers (both Filter Control and Filter Data Providers), the providers stop as expected with the stop reason: /** @const NEProviderStopReasonProviderDisabled The provider was disabled. */ case providerDisabled = 5 However, for the DNS Proxy Provider, the provider remains in the "Running" state, even though there is no app available to match the provider's bundle ID in the uploaded configuration profile. When the app is reinstalled: The Content Filter Providers start as expected. The DNS Proxy Provider stops with the stop reason: /** @const NEProviderStopReasonAppUpdate The NEProvider is being updated */ @available(iOS 13.0, *) case appUpdate = 16 At this point, the DNS Proxy Provider remains in an 'Invalid' state. Reinstalling the app a second time seems to resolve the issue, with both the DNS Proxy Provider and Content Filter Providers starting as expected. This issue seems to occur only if some time has passed after the DNS Proxy Provider entered the 'Running' state. It appears as though the system retains a stale configuration for the DNS Proxy Provider, even after the app has been removed. Steps to reproduce: Install the app and configure both DNS Proxy Provider and Content Filter Providers using MDM. Uninstall the app. Content Filter Providers are stopped as expected (NEProviderStopReason.providerDisabled = 5). DNS Proxy Provider remains in the 'Running' state. Reinstall the app. Content Filter Providers start as expected. DNS Proxy Provider stops with NEProviderStopReason.appUpdate (16) and remains 'Invalid'. Reinstall the app again. DNS Proxy Provider now starts as expected. This behavior raises concerns about how the system manages the lifecycle of DNS Proxy Provider, because DNS Proxy Provider is matched with provider bundle id in .mobileconfig file. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Any suggestions on how to address or debug this behavior would be highly appreciated. Thank you!
Replies
22
Boosts
1
Views
1k
Activity
Oct ’25
Split tunnel w/o changing route table
I've built a VPN app that is based on wireguard on macOS (I have both AppStore ver. and Developer ID ver). I want to achieve split tunneling function without changing the system route table. Currently, I'm making changes in PacketTunnelProvider: NEPacketTunnelProvider. It has included/excluded routes that function as a split tunnel, just that all changes are immediately reflected on the route table: if I run netstat -rn in terminal, I would see all rules/CIDRs I added, displayed all at once. Since I have a CIDR list of ~800 entries, I'd like to avoid changing the route table directly. I've asked ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, .etc. An idea was to implement an 'interceptor' to intercept all packets in packetFlow(_:readPacketsWithCompletionHandler:), extract the destination IP from each packet, check if it matches your CIDR list, and either reinject it back to the system interface (for local routing) or process it through your tunnel. Well, LLMs could have hallucinations and I've pretty new to macOS programming. I'm asking to make sure I'm on the right track, not going delusional with those LLMs :) So the question is, does the above method sounds feasible? If not, is it possible to achieve split tunneling without changing the route table?
Replies
4
Boosts
0
Views
148
Activity
Jun ’25
XPC connection consistently invalidated on app upgrade
Hi, Our project is a MacOS SwiftUI GUI application that bundles a System Network Extension, signed with a Developer ID certificate for distribution outside of the app store. The system network extension is used to write a packet tunnel provider. The signing of the app & network extension is handled by XCode (v16.0.0), we do not run codesign ourselves. We have no issues with XPC or the system network extension during normal usage, nor when the application is installed on a user's device for the first time. The problem only arises when the user upgrades the application. I have experienced this issue myself, as have our users. It's been reported on Apple Silicon macbooks running at least macOS 15.3.2. Much like the SimpleFirewall example (which we used as a reference), we use XPC for basic communication of state between the app and NE. These XPC connections stop working when the user installs a new version of the app, with OS logs from the process indicating that the connection is immediately invalidated. Subsequent connection attempts are also immediately invalidated. Toggling the VPN in system settings (or via the app) does not resolve the problem, nor does restarting the app, nor does deleting and reinstalling the app, nor does restarting the device. The only reliable workaround is to delete the system extension in Login Items & Extensions, under Network Extensions. No device restart is necessary to garbage collect the old extension - once the extension is reapproved by the user, the XPC issue resolves itself. This would be an acceptable workaround were it possible to automate the deleting of the system extension, but that appears deliberately not possible, and requiring our users to do this each time they update is unreasonable. When the upgraded app is opened for the first time, the OSSystemExtensionRequest request is sent, and the outcome is that the previously installed system network extension is replaced, as both the CFBundleVersion and CFBundleShortVersionString differ. When this issue is encountered, the output of systemextensionsctl list shows the later version is installed and activated. I've been able to reproduce this bug on my personal laptop, with SIP on and systemextensionsctl developer off, but on my work laptop with SIP off and systemextensionsctl developer on (where the network extension is replaced on each activation request, instead of only when the version strings differ), I do not encounter this issue, which leads me to believe it has something to do with the notarization process. We notarize the pkg using xcrun notarytool, and then staple to the pkg. This is actually the same issue described in: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/711713 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/667597 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/742992 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/728063 but it's been a while since any of these threads were updated, and we've made attempts to address it off the suggestions in the threads to no avail. Those suggestions are: Switching to a .pkg installer from a .dmg As part of the .pkg preinstall, doing all of the following: Stopping the VPN (scutil --nc stop), shutting down the app (using osascript 'quit app id'), and deleting the app (which claims to delete the network extension, but not the approval in Login Items & Extensions remains??), by running rm -rf on the bundle in /Applications As part of the .pkg postinstall: Forcing macOS to ingest the App bundle's notarization ticket using spctl --assess. Ensuring NSXPCListener.resume() is called after autoreleasepool { NEProvider.startSystemExtensionMode() } (mentioned in a forum thread above as a fix, did not help.) One thing I'm particularly interested in is the outcome of this feedback assistant ticket, as I can't view it: FB11086599. It was shared on this forum in the first thread above, and supposedly describes the same issue. I almost find it hard to believe that this issue has been around for this many years without a workaround (there's system network extension apps out there that appear to work fine when updating, are they not using XPC?), so I wonder if there's a fix described in that FB ticket. Since I can't view that above feedback ticket, I've created my own: FB17032197
Replies
6
Boosts
0
Views
554
Activity
1w
Why does an NSURLSessionDataTask sent from PacketTunnelProvider intermittently fail with error code NSURLErrorTimedOut (-1001) ?
Hi, We're hoping someone can help us determine why we're running into some odd behavior where a simple HTTP request is intermittently failing with error code NSURLErrorTimedOut (-1001) Background: HTTP request details: The request is sent from a PacketTunnelProvider and is meant to be a Captive Portal check. The request is insecure (HTTP, instead of HTTPS) but we have configured App Transport Security (ATS) to allow insecure HTTP loads from this hostname. See info.plist excerpt below. The request is sent using NSMutableURLRequest/NSURLSessionDataTask using an Ephemeral session configuration. We only modify 2 properties on NSMutableURLRequest The timeoutInterval property is set to 5 seconds. The allowsCellularAccess property is set to NO. No headers or other configuration are modified. NSURLSessionDataTask completionHandler receives an NSError: We checked the NSError's userInfo dictionary for an underlying error (NSUnderlyingErrorKey). The underlying error shows the same code NSURLErrorTimedOut (-1001). We haven't seen any underlying errors with code NSURLErrorAppTransportSecurityRequiresSecureConnection (-1022) . On a laptop, we confirmed that the Captive portal check site is accessible and loads correctly. Laptop and iOS device are on the same Wi-fi. I've witnessed the error in the debugger, and been able to load the site on my laptop at the same time. So, we don't have any reason to believe this is server related. The PacketTunnelProvider is configured to only handle DNS queries and is not intercepting/routing the HTTP traffic. The DNS query for the Captive portal request is handled correctly. In fact, outside of the PacketTunnelProvider, all sites load in Mobile Safari. So, we're not breaking internet on this device. In other words, we have no reason to believe our DNS handling is interfering with the HTTP request since other HTTP requests are working as expected. We setup CFNetwork Diagnostic Logging (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/network/debugging-https-problems-with-cfnetwork-diagnostic-logging) In console.app, we are able to find some logging on the Timeout See excerpt from Console.app's log below. We confirmed that the nscurl tool did not flag the request (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/identifying-the-source-of-blocked-connections) All ATS tests run with nscurl were successful. See nscurl command used below. Questions: What are next steps to debug this intermittent timeout? What should we look for in the CFNetwork Diagnostic Logging to help debug the issue further? Thanks in advance for your help! ATS configuration setup in both the UI and the PacketTunnel's info.plist file: <key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key> <dict> <key>NSExceptionDomains</key> <dict> <key>subdomain.subdomain.example.com</key> <dict> <key>NSExceptionAllowsInsecureHTTPLoads</key> <true/> <key>NSIncludesSubdomains</key> <true/> </dict> </dict> </dict> Excerpt from Console.app's log: CFNetwork Example PacketTunnel 10836 Diagnostics default 11:30:33.029032-0700 CFNetwork Diagnostics [3:834] 11:30:32.946 { Did Timeout: (null) Loader: request GET http://subdomain.subdomain.example.com/content/cpcheck.txt HTTP/1.1 Timeout Interval: 5.000 seconds init to origin load: 0.000592947s total time: 5.00607s total bytes: 0 } [3:834] nscurl command $ /usr/bin/nscurl --ats-diagnostics --verbose http://subdomain.subdomain.example.com/content/cpcheck.txt
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
113
Activity
Jun ’25
NEAppPushProvider ios 18.4+ Push Connectivity
Did iOS 18.4 ( and 18.5) with iPhone 14 or 15 introduce new network connectivity or battery optimization policies that would break Local Push Connectivity? (suspend PushProvider in a new way that prevents it from listening and reponding to incoming messages from private network server)? We have a private app using local push connectivity for real time local alerts on a local private network & server. The current application version works on prev devices including iPhone 12, iOS 14-18.1 that we know of. A new(er) installation with iPhone 14s & 15s on iOS 18.4 is having new connectivity problems that seem to occur along with sleep. Previously NEAppPushProvider could listen and reply to incoming messages from server for local notifications, incoming sip invites, and connection health messages. We'll be performing addtional testing to narrow the issue in the meantime, but it would be VERY helpful to have clarification regarding any iOS minor patches since 18.1 that are now breaking existing Local Push Connectivity applications. If so what are the recommendations or remedies. Are known issues with Network Extensions patched in 18.5? Are existing applications expected to redesign their networking solutions for 18.3 & 18.4? Did iOS18 versions later than 18.1 begin requiring new entitlements or exceptions for private apps in app store?
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
100
Activity
Jun ’25
How can i create a WIFI Hotspot in iphone
I am creating an application that needs to connect to an Iot device, so i want to make a wifi hotspot with a custom SSID and password and WPA3. Could you please provide an example code in Objective-C to get started?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
205
Activity
May ’25
Requested NSURLSession task is neither requested nor has it timed out
Our application has initiated an NSURLSession data task, and we have received an initiation ID. However, Application not received callback on the subsequent activity: the task has not been requested, has not timed out, and no error callback has been received. [06/17 09:29:40:559][ 0x282a7d8c0] Requested TaskIdentifier 120 2025-06-17 09:29:40.623337 +0530 nsurlsessiond SUBMITTING: com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666 default 2025-06-17 09:29:40.631280 +0530 dasd Submitted Activity: com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666 at priority 10 default Seen couple of rejection with for CPUUsagePolicy and MemoryPressurePolicy 2025-06-17 09:29:40.989360 +0530 dasd com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666:[ {name: CPUUsagePolicy, policyWeight: 5.000, response: {Decision: Must Not Proceed, Score: 0.00, Rationale: [{[Max allowed CPU Usage level]: Required:90.00, Observed:95.00},]}} {name: MemoryPressurePolicy, policyWeight: 5.000, response: {Decision: Must Not Proceed, Score: 0.00, Rationale: [{[memoryPressure]: Required:1.00, Observed:2.00},]}} ], FinalDecision: Must Not Proceed} default 2025-06-17 10:55:22.500277 +0530 dasd com.apple.CFNetwork-cc-166-373-Task .&lt;120&gt;:A71666:[ {name: MemoryPressurePolicy, policyWeight: 5.000, response: {Decision: Must Not Proceed, Score: 0.00, Rationale: [{[memoryPressure]: Required:1.00, Observed:2.00},]}} ], FinalDecision: Must Not Proceed} default And more an hour later then it throws with an error BUT NEVER indicated the same to client 2025-06-17 10:55:27.426549 +0530 WAVE PTX Task .&lt;120&gt; is for &lt;&gt;.&lt;&gt;.&lt;120&gt; default 2025-06-17 10:55:27.776951 +0530 nsurlsessiond Task .&lt;120&gt; summary for task failure {transaction_duration_ms=5147145, response_status=-1, connection=0, reused=1, request_start_ms=0, request_duration_ms=0, response_start_ms=0, response_duration_ms=0, request_bytes=0, response_bytes=0, cache_hit=false} default 2025-06-17 10:55:27.777096 +0530 nsurlsessiond NDSession &lt;714296D7-20F9-4A0A-8C31-71FB67F39A56&gt; Task .&lt;120&gt; for client will be retried after error Error Domain=_nsurlsessiondErrorDomain Code=6 UserInfo={NSErrorFailingURLStringKey=, NSErrorFailingURLKey=, _NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey=, _NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey=} - code: 6 default Then It got resumed and says successful but never got any callback on the same to client 2025-06-17 10:55:28.877245 +0530 nsurlsessiond NDSession &lt;714296D7-20F9-4A0A-8C31-71FB67F39A56&gt; Task .&lt;120&gt; resuming default 2025-06-17 10:55:55.225456 +0530 nsurlsessiond Task .&lt;120&gt; received response, status 401 content K default 2025-06-17 10:55:55.250371 +0530 nsurlsessiond Task .&lt;120&gt; finished successfully default Please refer feedback for diagnose logs: https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/feedback/18173303
Replies
7
Boosts
0
Views
179
Activity
Jul ’25
Content Filter: sourceAppAuditToken empty only for Firefox
Starting on macOS Sequoia, flows originated in Firefox have an empty sourceAppAuditToken. Other apps contain a valid token. Background: in order to fetch process info for a certain NEFilterFlow, my content filter extension uses sourceAppAuditToken, audit_token_to_pid() and proc_* (as recommended in #126820). When that fails, we use SecCodeCopyGuestWithAttributes, recommended in some other thread as a better alternative. Both approaches break when the sourceAppAuditToken is empty since they need the pid. Debugging: My logging shows audit token is empty for Firefox Typical logs from com.apple.networkextension also indicate it fails to fetch the same info I'm looking for: com.apple.networkextension debug 11:22:07.024588-0300 Fetching appInfo from cache for pid: 948 uuid: 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361 bundle id: (null) com.apple.networkextension debug 11:22:07.024657-0300 Calling delegate lookup handler with pid: 948, uuid: 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361, bundleID: (null) com.apple.networkextension debug 11:22:07.025856-0300 Could not look up appInfo for pid: 948 bundle id: (null) uuid: 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361 com.apple.networkextension error 11:22:07.025897-0300 Could not find app info, return the original flow without filling in app info Handling new flow: identifier = D89B5B5D-793C-4940-D992-4E90F2AD1900 procPID = 953 eprocPID = 948 direction = outbound inBytes = 0 outBytes = 0 signature = {length = 32, bytes = 0x4afeafde b484aa0c c5cb8698 0567343d ... 7cdee33e 135666dd } socketID = 19adf2904e92d9 localEndpoint = 0.0.0.0:0 remoteEndpoint = 17.33.202.170:443 protocol = 6 family = 2 type = 1 procUUID = 0C68E603-967E-3643-B225-378BD2A655F7 eprocUUID = 5C40B765-C6C9-3641-A822-2BC44D264361 Perhaps there's a bug when generating the audit token or could it be something with the Firefox signature? I double-checked Firefox and it seems fine: $ codesign --verify --verbose /Applications/Firefox.app /Applications/Firefox.app: valid on disk /Applications/Firefox.app: satisfies its Designated Requirement Not sure if relevant, but codesign with -dv showed different flags in CodeDirectory when compared to chrome: codesign -dv /Applications/Firefox.app ... CodeDirectory v=20500 size=863 flags=0x10000(runtime) hashes=18+5 ... Versus chrome CodeDirectory v=20500 size=1821 flags=0x12a00(kill,restrict,library-validation,runtime) hashes=46+7 location=embedded
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
598
Activity
Aug ’25
Is there any API for real-time Wi-Fi connection monitoring?
We are developing an iOS application with a key feature designed to enhance user safety: real-time assessment of Wi-Fi network security. The "Safe Wi-Fi" feature aims to inform users about the security level of the Wi-Fi network they are currently connected to. Our goal is to provide this information seamlessly and continuously, even when the user isn't actively using the app. Currently, we've implemented this feature using a NWPathMonitor. The limitation of NWPathMonitor is that it doesn't function when the app is in a kill state. We are looking for guidance on how to achieve persistent Wi-Fi security monitoring in the background or when the app is killed. Is there any API (Public, Special API, etc) or a recommended approach that allows for real-time Wi-Fi connection monitoring (including connection changes and network details) even when the app is not actively running or is in a kill state. Thank you in advance for your help.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
169
Activity
Jun ’25
Network extension configuration "the wrong type"
On one test machine, our extension wouldn't load, because [NETransparentProxyManager loadAllFromPreferencesWithCompletionHandler] can't find a manager, saying Skipping configuration appname because it is of the wrong type. This is the first time I've seen this behaviour. (The containing app tries to find a configuration, if it can't find it it creates one, then modifies whatever it found or created, then stores it. I don't have the right logging yet for that, so I can't see the error messages. [NSLog instead of os_log_error.])
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
190
Activity
Oct ’25
Get BSSID to check for Rogue access point
Hi, I'm developing a security-focused iOS application and would like to detect potentially suspicious rogue access points. Specifically, I need to access the BSSID of the currently connected Wi-Fi network to analyze and identify inconsistencies (e.g. multiple APs using the same SSID). I understand that access to certain network information is restricted on iOS. Is it possible to use the Network Extension framework (or any approved API) to retrieve the BSSID? If so, are there any specific entitlements or usage descriptions required to ensure App Store approval? My goal is to implement this functionality in full compliance with App Store Review Guidelines and user privacy policies.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
96
Activity
Jul ’25
Crashes in NEFilterPacketInterpose createChannel
Hello, Our users are seeing random crashes in our packet filter system extension on macOS. Any help pointing me in the right direction to either avoid the issue or fix it would be greatly appreciated. Attached is the crash log. Thank you. packetfilter.crash Crashed Thread: 2 Dispatch queue: com.apple.network.connections Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGBUS) Exception Codes: KERN_PROTECTION_FAILURE at 0x0000000112918700 Exception Note: EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY Termination Signal: Bus error: 10 Termination Reason: Namespace SIGNAL, Code 0xa Terminating Process: exc handler [40687] ... Thread 2 Crashed:: Dispatch queue: com.apple.network.connections 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00007fff2089b46e os_channel_get_next_slot + 230 1 com.apple.NetworkExtension 0x00007fff2e2e2643 __40-[NEFilterPacketInterpose createChannel]_block_invoke + 560 2 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff20718806 _dispatch_client_callout + 8 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff2071b1b0 _dispatch_continuation_pop + 423 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff2072b564 _dispatch_source_invoke + 2061 5 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff20720318 _dispatch_workloop_invoke + 1784 6 libdispatch.dylib 0x00007fff20728c0d _dispatch_workloop_worker_thread + 811 7 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00007fff208bf45d _pthread_wqthread + 314 8 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00007fff208be42f start_wqthread + 15
Replies
8
Boosts
0
Views
1.5k
Activity
Jun ’25
Local Network permission appears to be ignored after reboot, even though it was granted
We have a Java application built for macOS. On the first launch, the application prompts the user to allow local network access. We've correctly added the NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription key to the Info.plist, and the provided description appears in the system prompt. After the user grants permission, the application can successfully connect to a local server using its hostname. However, the issue arises after the system is rebooted. When the application is launched again, macOS does not prompt for local network access a second time—which is expected, as the permission was already granted. Despite this, the application is unable to connect to the local server. It appears the previously granted permission is being ignored after a reboot. A temporary workaround is to manually toggle the Local Network permission off and back on via System Settings > Privacy & Security, which restores connectivity—until the next reboot. This behavior is highly disruptive, both for us and for a significant number of our users. We can reproduce this on multiple systems... The issues started from macOS Sequoia 15.0 By opening the application bundle using "Show Package Contents," we can launch the application via "JavaAppLauncher" without any issues. Once started, the application is able to connect to our server over the local network. This seems to bypass the granted permissions? "JavaAppLauncher" is also been used in our Info.plist file Removing the following plist in Recovery Mode seems to resolve the issue rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/com.apple.networkextension.plist" Is this safe to do?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
70
Activity
Jul ’25