My external device can generate a fixed Wi-Fi network. When I connect to this Wi-Fi using my iPhone 17 Pro Max (iOS version 26.0.1), and my app tries to establish a connection using the following method, this method returns -1 int connect(int, const struct sockaddr *, socklen_t) __DARWIN_ALIAS_C(connect); However, when I use other phones, such as iPhone 12, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, etc., to connect to this external device, the above method always returns successfully, with the parameters passed to the method remaining the same. I also tried resetting the network settings on the iPhone 17 Pro Max (iOS version 26.0.1), but it still cannot establish a connection.

This is a topic that’s come up a few times on the forums, so I thought I’d write up a summary of the issues I’m aware of. If you have questions or comments, start a new thread in the App & System Services > Networking subtopic and tag it with Network Extension. That way I’ll be sure to see it go by. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" Network Extension Provider Packaging There are two ways to package a network extension provider: App extension ( appex ) System extension ( sysex ) Different provider types support different packaging on different platforms. See TN3134 Network Extension provider deployment for the details. Some providers, most notably packet tunnel providers on macOS, support both appex and sysex packaging. Sysex packaging has a number of advantages: It supports direct distribution, using Developer ID signing. It better matches the networking stack on macOS. An appex is tied to the logged in user, whereas a sysex, and the networking stack itself, is global to the system as a whole. Given that, it generally makes sense to package your Network Extension (NE) provider as a sysex on macOS. If you’re creating a new product that’s fine, but if you have an existing iOS product that you want to bring to macOS, you have to account for the differences brought on by the move to sysex packaging. Similarly, if you have an existing sysex product on macOS that you want to bring to iOS, you have to account for the appex packaging. This post summarises those changes. Keep the following in mind while reading this post: The information here applies to all NE providers that can be packaged as either an appex or a sysex. When this post uses a specific provider type in an example, it’s just an example. Unless otherwise noted, any information about iOS also applies to iPadOS, tvOS, and visionOS. Process Lifecycle With appex packaging, the system typically starts a new process for each instance of your NE provider. For example, with a packet tunnel provider: When the users starts the VPN, the system creates a process and then instantiates and starts the NE provider in that process. When the user stops the VPN, the system stops the NE provider and then terminates the process running it. If the user starts the VPN again, the system creates an entirely new process and instantiates and starts the NE provider in that. In contrast, with sysex packaging there’s typically a single process that runs all off the sysex’s NE providers. Returning to the packet tunnel provider example: When the users starts the VPN, the system instantiates and starts the NE provider in the sysex process. When the user stops the VPN, the system stops and deallocates the NE provider instances, but leaves the sysex process running. If the user starts the VPN again, the system instantiates and starts a new instances of the NE provider in the sysex process. This lifecycle reflects how the system runs the NE provider, which in turn has important consequences on what the NE provider can do: An appex acts like a launchd agent [1], in that it runs in a user context and has access to that user’s state. A sysex is effectively a launchd daemon. It runs in a context that’s global to the system as a whole. It does not have access to any single user’s state. Indeed, there might be no user logged in, or multiple users logged in. The following sections explore some consequences of the NE provider lifecycle. [1] It’s not actually run as a launchd agent. Rather, there’s a system launchd agent that acts as the host for the app extension. App Groups With an app extension, the app extension and its container app run as the same user. Thus it’s trivial to share state between them using an app group container. Note When talking about extensions on Apple platforms, the container app is the app in which the extension is embedded and the host app is the app using the extension. For network extensions the host app is the system itself. That’s not the case with a system extension. The system extension runs as root whereas the container app runs an the user who launched it. While both programs can claim access to the same app group, the app group container location they receive will be different. For the system extension that location will be inside the home directory for the root user. For the container app the location will be inside the home directory of the user who launched it. This does not mean that app groups are useless in a Network Extension app. App groups are also a factor in communicating between the container app and its extensions, the subject of the next section. IMPORTANT App groups have a long and complex history on macOS. For the full story, see App Groups: macOS vs iOS: Working Towards Harmony. Communicating with Extensions With an app extension there are two communication options: App-provider messages App groups App-provider messages are supported by NE directly. In the container app, send a message to the provider by calling sendProviderMessage(_:responseHandler:) method. In the appex, receive that message by overriding the handleAppMessage(_:completionHandler:) method. An appex can also implement inter-process communication (IPC) using various system IPC primitives. Both the container app and the appex claim access to the app group via the com.apple.security.application-groups entitlement. They can then set up IPC using various APIs, as explain in the documentation for that entitlement. With a system extension the story is very different. App-provider messages are supported, but they are rarely used. Rather, most products use XPC for their communication. In the sysex, publish a named XPC endpoint by setting the NEMachServiceName property in its Info.plist. Listen for XPC connections on that endpoint using the XPC API of your choice. Note For more information about the available XPC APIs, see XPC Resources. In the container app, connect to that named XPC endpoint using the XPC Mach service name API. For example, with NSXPCConnection, initialise the connection with init(machServiceName:options:), passing in the string from NEMachServiceName. To maximise security, set the .privileged flag. Note XPC Resources has a link to a post that explains why this flag is important. If the container app is sandboxed — necessary if you ship on the Mac App Store — then the endpoint name must be prefixed by an app group ID that’s accessible to that app, lest the App Sandbox deny the connection. See the app groups documentation for the specifics. When implementing an XPC listener in your sysex, keep in mind that: Your sysex’s named XPC endpoint is registered in the global namespace. Any process on the system can open a connection to it [1]. Your XPC listener must be prepared for this. If you want to restrict connections to just your container app, see XPC Resources for a link to a post that explains how to do that. Even if you restrict access in that way, it’s still possible for multiple instances of your container app to be running simultaneously, each with its own connection to your sysex. This happens, for example, if there are multiple GUI users logged in and different users run your container app. Design your XPC protocol with this in mind. Your sysex only gets one named XPC endpoint, and thus one XPC listener. If your sysex includes multiple NE providers, take that into account when you design your XPC protocol. [1] Assuming that connection isn’t blocked by some other mechanism, like the App Sandbox. Inter-provider Communication A sysex can include multiple types of NE providers. For example, a single sysex might include a content filter and a DNS proxy provider. In that case the system instantiates all of the NE providers in the same sysex process. These instances can communicate without using IPC, for example, by storing shared state in global variables (with suitable locking, of course). It’s also possible for a single container app to contain multiple sysexen, each including a single NE provider. In that case the system instantiates the NE providers in separate processes, one for each sysex. If these providers need to communicate, they have to use IPC. In the appex case, the system instantiates each provider in its own process. If two providers need to communicate, they have to use IPC. Managing Secrets An appex runs in a user context and thus can store secrets, like VPN credentials, in the keychain. On macOS this includes both the data protection keychain and the file-based keychain. It can also use a keychain access group to share secrets with its container app. See Sharing access to keychain items among a collection of apps. Note If you’re not familiar with the different types of keychain available on macOS, see TN3137 On Mac keychain APIs and implementations. A sysex runs in the global context and thus doesn’t have access to user state. It also doesn’t have access to the data protection keychain. It must use the file-based keychain, and specifically the System keychain. That means there’s no good way to share secrets with the container app. Instead, do all your keychain operations in the sysex. If the container app needs to work with a secret, have it pass that request to the sysex via IPC. For example, if the user wants to use a digital identity as a VPN credential, have the container app get the PKCS#12 data and password and then pass that to the sysex so that it can import the digital identity into the keychain. Memory Limits iOS imposes strict memory limits an NE provider appexen [1]. macOS imposes no memory limits on NE provider appexen or sysexen. [1] While these limits are not documented officially, you can get a rough handle on the current limits by reading the posts in this thread. Frameworks If you want to share code between a Mac app and its embedded appex, use a structure like this: MyApp.app/ Contents/ MacOS/ MyApp PlugIns/ MyExtension.appex/ Contents/ MacOS/ MyExtension … Frameworks/ MyFramework.framework/ … There’s one copy of the framework, in the app’s Frameworks directory, and both the app and the appex reference it. This approach works for an appex because the system always loads the appex from your app’s bundle. It does not work for a sysex. When you activate a sysex, the system copies it to a protected location. If that sysex references a framework in its container app, it will fail to start because that framework isn’t copied along with the sysex. The solution is to structure your app like this: MyApp.app/ Contents/ MacOS/ MyApp Library/ SystemExtensions/ MyExtension.systemextension/ Contents/ MacOS/ MyExtension Frameworks/ MyFramework.framework/ … … That is, have both the app and the sysex load the framework from the sysex’s Frameworks directory. When the system copies the sysex to its protected location, it’ll also copy the framework, allowing the sysex to load it. To make this work you have to change the default rpath configuration set up by Xcode. Read Dynamic Library Standard Setup for Apps to learn how that works and then tweak things so that: The framework is embedded in the sysex, not the container app. The container app has an additional LC_RPATH load command for the sysex’s Frameworks directory (@executable_path/../Library/SystemExtensions/MyExtension.systemextension/Contents/Frameworks). The sysex’s LC_RPATH load command doesn’t reference the container app’s Frameworks directory (@executable_path/../../../../Frameworks) but instead points to the sysex’s Framweorks directory (@executable_path/../Frameworks). Entitlements When you build an app with an embedded NE extension, both the app and the extension must be signed with the com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension entitlement. This is a restricted entitlement, that is, it must be authorised by a provisioning profile. The value of this entitlement is an array, and the values in that array differ depend on your distribution channel: If you distribute your app directly with Developer ID signing, use the values with the -systemextension suffix. Otherwise — including when you distribute the app on the App Store and when signing for development — use the values without that suffix. Make sure you authorise these values with your provisioning profile. If, for example, you use an App Store distribution profile with a Developer ID signed app, things won’t work because the profile doesn’t authorise the right values. In general, the easiest option is to use Xcode’s automatic code signing. However, watch out for the pitfall described in Exporting a Developer ID Network Extension. Revision History 2025-11-06 Added the Entitlements section. Explained that, with sysex packaging, multiple instances of your container app might connect simultaneously with your sysex. 2025-09-17 First posted.

The path from Network Extension’s in-provider networking APIs to Network framework has been long and somewhat rocky. The most common cause of confusion is NWEndpoint, where the same name can refer to two completely different types. I’ve helped a bunch of folks with this over the years, and I’ve decided to create this post to collect together all of those titbits. If you have questions or comments, please put them in a new thread. Put it in the App & System Services > Networking subtopic and tag it with Network Extension. That way I’ll be sure to see it go by. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" NWEndpoint History and Advice A tale that spans three APIs, two languages, and ten years. The NWEndpoint type has a long and complex history, and if you’re not aware of that history you can bump into weird problems. The goal of this post is to explain the history and then offer advice on how to get around specific problems. IMPORTANT This post focuses on NWEndpoint, because that’s the type that causes the most problems, but there’s a similar situation with NWPath. The History In iOS 9 Apple introduced the Network Extension (NE) framework, which offers a convenient way for developers to create a custom VPN transport. Network Extension types all have the NE prefix. Note I’m gonna use iOS versions here, just to keep the text simple. If you’re targeting some other platform, use this handy conversion table: iOS | macOS | tvOS | watchOS | visionOS --- + ----- + ---- + ------- + -------- 9 | 10.11 | 9 | 2 | - 12 | 10.14 | 12 | 5 | - 18 | 15 | 18 | 11 | 2 At that time we also introduced in-provider networking APIs. The idea was that an NE provider could uses these Objective-C APIs to communicate with its VPN server, and thereby avoiding a bunch of ugly BSD Sockets code. The in-provider networking APIs were limited to NE providers. Specifically, the APIs to construct an in-provider connection were placed on types that were only usable within an NE provider. For example, a packet tunnel provider could create a NWTCPConnection object by calling -createTCPConnectionToEndpoint:enableTLS:TLSParameters:delegate:] and -createTCPConnectionThroughTunnelToEndpoint:enableTLS:TLSParameters:delegate:, which are both methods on NEPacketTunnelProvider. These in-provider networking APIs came with a number of ancillary types, including NWEndpoint and NWPath. At the time we thought that we might promote these in-provider networking APIs to general-purpose networking APIs. That’s why the APIs use the NW prefix. For example, it’s NWTCPConnection, not NETCPConnection. However, plans changed. In iOS 12 Apple shipped Network framework as our recommended general-purpose networking API. This actually includes two APIs: A Swift API that follows Swift conventions, for example, the connection type is called NWConnection A C API that follows C conventions, for example, the connection type is called nw_connection_t These APIs follow similar design patterns to the in-provider networking API, and thus have similar ancillary types. Specifically, there are an NWEndpoint and nw_endpoint_t types, both of which perform a similar role to the NWEndpoint type in the in-provider networking API. This was a source of some confusion in Swift, because the name NWEndpoint could refer to either the Network framework type or the Network Extension framework type, depending on what you’d included. Fortunately you could get around this by qualifying the type as either Network.NWEndpoint or NetworkExtension.NWEndpoint. The arrival of Network framework meant that it no longer made sense to promote the in-provider networking APIs to general-purposes networking APIs. The in-provider networking APIs were on the path to deprecation. However, deprecating these APIs was actually quite tricky. Network Extension framework uses these APIs in a number of interesting ways, and so deprecating them required adding replacements. In addition, we’d needed different replacements for Swift and Objective-C, because Network framework has separate APIs for Swift and C-based languages. In iOS 18 we tackled that problem head on. To continue the NWTCPConnection example above, we replaced: -createTCPConnectionToEndpoint:enableTLS:TLSParameters:delegate:] with nw_connection_t -createTCPConnectionThroughTunnelToEndpoint:enableTLS:TLSParameters:delegate: with nw_connection_t combined with a new virtualInterface property on NEPacketTunnelProvider Of course that’s the Objective-C side of things. In Swift, the replacement is NWConnection rather than nw_connection_t, and the type of the virtualInterface property is NWInterface rather than nw_interface_t. But that’s not the full story. For the two types that use the same name in both frameworks, NWEndpoint and NWPath, we decided to use this opportunity to sort out that confusion. To see how we did that, check out the <NetworkExtension/NetworkExtension.apinotes> file in the SDK. Focusing on NWEndpoint for the moment, you’ll find two entries: … - Name: NWEndpoint SwiftPrivate: true … SwiftVersions: - Version: 5.0 … - Name: NWEndpoint SwiftPrivate: false … The first entry applies when you’re building with the Swift 6 language mode. This marks the type as SwiftPrivate, which means that Swift imports it as __NWEndpoint. That frees up the NWEndpoint name to refer exclusively to the Network framework type. The second entry applies when you’re building with the Swift 5 language mode. It marks the type as not SwiftPrivate. This is a compatible measure to ensure that code written for Swift 5 continues to build. The Advice This sections discusses specific cases in this transition. NWEndpoint and NWPath In Swift 5 language mode, NWEndpoint and NWPath might refer to either framework, depending on what you’ve imported. Add a qualifier if there’s any ambiguity, for example, Network.NWEndpoint or NetworkExtension.NWEndpoint. In Swift 6 language mode, NWEndpoint and NWPath always refer to the Network framework type. Add a __ prefix to get to the Network Extension type. For example, use NWEndpoint for the Network framework type and __NWEndpoint for the Network Extension type. Direct and Through-Tunnel TCP Connections in Swift To create a connection directly, simply create an NWConnection. This support both TCP and UDP, with or without TLS. To create a connection through the tunnel, replace code like this: let c = self.createTCPConnectionThroughTunnel(…) with code like this: let params = NWParameters.tcp params.requiredInterface = self.virtualInterface let c = NWConnection(to: …, using: params) This is for TCP but the same basic process applies to UDP. UDP and App Proxies in Swift If you’re building an app proxy, transparent proxy, or DNS proxy in Swift and need to handle UDP flows using the new API, adopt the NEAppProxyUDPFlowHandling protocol. So, replace code like this: class AppProxyProvider: NEAppProxyProvider { … override func handleNewUDPFlow(_ flow: NEAppProxyUDPFlow, initialRemoteEndpoint remoteEndpoint: NWEndpoint) -> Bool { … } } with this: class AppProxyProvider: NEAppProxyProvider, NEAppProxyUDPFlowHandling { … func handleNewUDPFlow(_ flow: NEAppProxyUDPFlow, initialRemoteFlowEndpoint remoteEndpoint: NWEndpoint) -> Bool { … } } Creating a Network Rule To create an NWHostEndpoint, replace code like this: let ep = NWHostEndpoint(hostname: "1.2.3.4", port: "12345") let r = NENetworkRule(destinationHost: ep, protocol: .TCP) with this: let ep = NWEndpoint.hostPort(host: "1.2.3.4", port: 12345) let r = NENetworkRule(destinationHostEndpoint: ep, protocol: .TCP) Note how the first label of the initialiser has changed from destinationHost to destinationHostEndpoint.

During development, before things eventually go live, if the associated server for a message filter extension has a self signed SSL then if/how can test iPhones be configured such that the OS will connect to the server when they are performing a message filter query request?

I am learning about layer 3 VPN implementations for MacOS, and am slowly making my way through docs and tutorials. I noticed that part of creating an instance of NETunnelProviderManager on the app side of the project requires the specification of protocolConfiguration via an instance of NETunnelProviderProtocol. One of the arguments for this class is serverAdress, which to my understanding, tells the OS where to route traffic towards at the end of the day. My question: many VPNs these days allow the option to specify the location for which you want your traffic to be routed through. I imagine this would necessitate changing this serverAddress field in the backend. However, setting this option (on a commercially available VPN) doesn't typically prompt the OS notification that you get when initially installing a VPN configuration for the first time. How is this functionality achieved? I could see one possible solution being that most VPN providers route through a main service beforehand (so the first IP in the chain never has to change), though I could see this being problematic for a number of other reasons. Assuming you have a valid NETunnelProviderManager object called manager, is this valid? self.manager?.protocolConfiguration?.serverAddress = "somewhereElse" Even if it compiles, will the traffic be properly re-routed? My understanding of the flow right now is that in order to "lock in" a new configuration, or modify it, you need to call manager.saveToPreferences, which triggers the OS notification I mentioned earlier.

We are trying to connect an accessory to the home's Wi-Fi network and we want to pass that name from the app to the accessory. Passing via Bluetooth. Is there and API available on iOS to list the networks that the phone can see?

I am developing an App based on Network Extension that lets all network requests on device access the Internet through a private Relay. I created an empty iOS App and only the entitlements file and ViewController.swift(Main.storyboard) file have been modified. The code was copied from the official video https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10002/ But, running the App on iPhone, the saveToPreferences API reported Error Domain=NERelayErrorDomain Code=3 "(null)" and the App doesn't look like it's changed at all (it doesn't jump to the Settings - VPN&Relay). Does anyone know why？Any reply would be greatly appreciated. The contents of the entitlements file: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>relay</string> </array> </dict> </plist> ViewController.swift: import UIKit import NetworkExtension class ViewController: UIViewController { override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() // Do any additional setup after loading the view. } @IBAction func tap(_ sender: Any) { let newRelay = NERelay() let relayURL = URL(string: "https://relay.example.com:443/") newRelay.http3RelayURL = relayURL newRelay.http2RelayURL = relayURL newRelay.additionalHTTPHeaderFields = ["Authorization" : "PrivateToken=123"] let manager = NERelayManager.shared() manager.relays = [newRelay] manager.matchDomains = ["internal.example.com"] manager.isEnabled = false manager.saveToPreferences { err in print(err) } } }

Hello, im currently developing proxy app with XrayCore trying to bypass APNs when tunnel us up and i found .excludeAPNs property in NETunnelProviderProtocol that works only when includeAllNetworks property is also TRUE. I wonder if there is a possible way to make APNs bypass tunnel in split tunnelling mode? because we use excludedRoutes and full tunnel is not an option

For our outdoor power supply company that builds public WiFi networks at camping sites, we want to implement the following features in our app: Scan surrounding WiFi networks When detecting specific public WiFi SSIDs, provide users with corresponding passwords Automatically connect to those WiFi networks Regarding the NEHotspotHelper API permission application, when I clicked on https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/network-extension, it redirected me to https://developer.apple.com/unauthorized/. I'm not sure where to properly apply for this permission now.

I'm able to discover a service with Bonjour, which gets me an nw_browse_result_t from which I can get an nw_endpoint_t and then an nw_connection_t. That's all fine. But this particular service runs on 3 ports. The port numbers of the other 2 ports are in the txt record (but they are well-known and stable anyway). How can I create 2 more nw_connection_t to the same host/IP but on a different port? I already have this working with NSNetService, but am trying to update to Network.framework. I've found nw_endpoint_get_address() but the docs say it returns null "if the endpoint is not of type nw_endpoint_type_address" and indeed nw_browse_result_t gives me an nw_endpoint_type_bonjour_service.

I added a Content Filter to my app, and when running it in Xcode (Debug/Release), I get the expected permission prompt: "Would like to filter network content (Allow / Don't Allow)". However, when I install the app via TestFlight, this prompt doesn’t appear at all, and the feature doesn’t work. Is there a special configuration required for TestFlight? Has anyone encountered this issue before? Thanks!

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?

I’m developing an app designed for hospital environments, where public internet access may not be available. The app includes two components: the main app and a Local Connectivity Extension. Both rely on persistent TCP socket connections to communicate with a local server. We’re observing a recurring issue where the extension’s socket becomes unresponsive every 1–3 hours, but only when the device is on the lock screen, even if the main app remains in the foreground. When the screen is not locked, the connection is stable and no disconnections occur. ❗ Issue Details: • What’s going on: The extension sends a keep-alive ping packet every second, and the server replies with a pong and a system time packet. • The bug: The server stops receiving keep alive packets from the extension.  • On the server, we detect about 30 second gap on the server, a gap that shows no packets were received by the extension. This was confirmed via server logs and Wireshark).  • On the extension, from our logs there was no gap in sending packets. From it’s perspective, all packets were sent with no error.  • Because no packet are being received by the server, no packets will be sent to the extension. Eventually the server closes the connection due to keep-alive timeout.  • FYI we log when the NEAppPushProvider subclass sleeps and it did NOT go to sleep while we were debugging. 🧾 Example Logs: Extension log: 2025-03-24 18:34:48.808 sendKeepAliveRequest() 2025-03-24 18:34:49.717 sendKeepAliveRequest() 2025-03-24 18:34:50.692 sendKeepAliveRequest() ... // continuous sending of the ping packet to the server, no problems here 2025-03-24 18:35:55.063 sendKeepAliveRequest() 2025-03-24 18:35:55.063 keepAliveTimer IS TIME OUT... in CoreService. // this is triggered because we did not receive any packets from the server 2025-03-24 18:34:16.298 No keep-alive received for 16 seconds... connection ID=95b3... // this shows that there has been no packets being received by the extension ... 2025-03-24 18:34:30.298 Connection timed out on keep-alive. connection ID=95b3... // eventually closes due to no packets being received 2025-03-24 18:34:30.298 Remote Subsystem Disconnected {name=iPhone|Replica-Ext|...} ✅ Observations: • The extension process continues running and logging keep-alive attempts. • However, network traffic stops reaching the server, and no inbound packets are received by the extension. • It looks like the socket becomes silently suspended or frozen, without being properly closed or throwing an error. ❓Questions: • Do you know why this might happen within a Local Connectivity Extension, especially under foreground conditions and locked ? • Is there any known system behavior that might cause the socket to be suspended or blocked in this way after running for a few hours? Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi, I am working on a use case where I want to read the wifi signal strength data in the terms of RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) values (or) any other way of representation. when my iPhone is connected to the wifi and Move around the house. Is this use case possible ? If yes, what are all the entitlements that I have to obtain?

I was having a look through the documentation for NEPacketTunnelProvider, and wanted to know if it's possible for startTunnel(..) and stopTunnel(..) to run simultaneously, and thus require synchronization between resources they deal with? For example, if the VPN is toggled rapidly from system settings, could the setup that occurs in my startTunnel() definition (class instantiation and setTunnelNetworkSettings(value)) potentially occur after the tear-down logic (resource cleanup, setTunnelNetworkSettings(nil)), leaving the system in a state where the VPN is deactivated, but the configuration is in place?

Hello, We have a SwiftUI-based application that runs as a LaunchAgent and communicates with other internal components using Unix domain sockets (UDS). On Sequoia (macOS virtualized environment), when installing the app, we encounter the Local Network Privacy Alert, asking: "Allow [AppName] to find and connect to devices on the local network?" We are not using any actual network communication — only interprocess communication via UDS. Is there a way to prevent this system prompt, either through MDM configuration or by adjusting our socket-related implementation? Here's a brief look at our Swift/NIO usage: class ClientHandler: ChannelInboundHandler { ... public func channelRead(context: ChannelHandlerContext, data: NIOAny) { ... } ... } // init bootstrap. var bootstrap: ClientBootstrap { return ClientBootstrap(group: group) // Also tried to remove the .so_reuseaddr, the prompt was still there. .channelOption(ChannelOptions.socketOption(.so_reuseaddr), value: 1) .channelInitializer { channel in // Add ChannelInboundHandler reader. channel.pipeline.addHandler(ClientHandler()) } } // connect to the UDS. self.bootstrap.connect(unixDomainSocketPath: self.path).whenSuccess { (channel) in .. self.channel = channel } ... ... // Send some data. self.channel?.writeAndFlush(buffer).wait() Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I am working on a case in our organisation where hundreds if not a thousand wireless network clients are affected by regular, usually 30 sometimes 60 minute sometime they are unnoticeable but often people having meetings notice that a lot. We excluded wireless network configuration issue since disconnections happens to clients both connected to Cisco and Ubiquiti Access Points. WLC logs mostly show EAP timeout errors - clients are getting disauthenticated and authenticated back - usually without any action needed - but the meeting is being interrupted. What I found in Macbook logs with sudo log show [options] is the main reason of network disconnection: 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219192+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine updateTimeSincePreviousTriggerForStudy:msgKey:dictKey:]::913:msgkey:WFAAWDWASDS_symptomsDnsTimeSincePreviousTriggerMinutes dictKey:dps_lastSymptomsDpsTrigger previous_TS:(null) current_TS:Tue Feb 4 14:16:31 2025 difference:0 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219704+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine updateScreenState]::198:DPS Fast Reset Recommendation Engine: (screenON & foreGrnd traffic) is DETECTED 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219713+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine recommendSymptomsDpsRecovery:symptomsDnsStats:awdlState:currentSymptomsCondition:isLANPingSuccessful:appUsage:averageCCA:]::966:PeerDiagnostics: Data not received from peerDiagnostics 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219714+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine checkForPriorityNetwork]::256:Priority Network Check Disabled: NO IsPriorityNetwork: YES 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219732+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine isResetAllowedForKey:forPrefSelector:]::330:key:symptomsDps_lastScreenOnRecoveryWD previousWD_TS:(null) currentWD_TS:Tue Feb 4 14:16:31 2025 recommendation:YES 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219735+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine updateSymptomsDPSRecoveryWDStatsForKey:]::210:Added key: symptomsDps_numRecommendedScreenOnRecoveryWD value:1 dict:(null) 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219737+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[DPSQuickRecoveryRecommendationEngine recommendSymptomsDpsRecovery:symptomsDnsStats:awdlState:currentSymptomsCondition:isLANPingSuccessful:appUsage:averageCCA:]::1023:PeerDiagnostics: Recommendation for DNS Symptoms Recovery: Reassoc Do you guys have any idea where can I see that DNS symptoms? I can also see some reading like: 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219169+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[WAEngine gatherConsecutiveDatapathReadings:forProcessToken:andReply:]_block_invoke::4235:DNS Symptoms pre-decision check:: Associated:YES Primary:YES isCaptive:NO isValidDnsConfig:YES 2025-02-04 14:16:31.219169+0100 0xc01342 Default 0x0 86459 0 wifianalyticsd: [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[WAEngine gatherConsecutiveDatapathReadings:forProcessToken:andReply:]_block_invoke::4238:SDNS: WiFi Not Primary - setting suppressedReason kSymptomsDnsWiFiInterfaceNotPrimary WiFi Not Primary - how if this is my only interface? - I removed all other Killing and disabling wifianalyticsd does not help - the process is being spawned by launchd on airportd request: 2025-02-04 08:54:11.903825+0100 0xb85274 Default 0x0 627 0 airportd: (WiFiAnalytics) [com.apple.wifi.analytics:Default] -[WAClient _establishDaemonConnection]_block_invoke::1057:XPC: establishing connection to daemon with token ending in: <private>... 2025-02-04 08:54:11.907779+0100 0xb8504a Default 0x0 627 0 airportd: (IO80211) [com.apple.WiFiManager:] Info: <airport[627]> -[dpsManager submitDpsSymptom:isCriticalApp:]_block_invoke: 2025-02-04 08:54:11.907943+0100 0xb8504a Default 0x0 627 0 airportd: (IO80211) -[dpsManager submitDpsSymptom:isCriticalApp:]_block_invoke: Error preparing DPSNotification for submission: Error Domain=com.apple.wifi.analytics.errordomain Code=9014 "WAErrorCodeDaemonContactTimeout" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=WAErrorCodeDaemonContactTimeout}, or null WAMessageAWD 2025-02-04 08:54:11.908055+0100 0xb8504a Default 0x0 627 0 airportd: (IO80211) [com.apple.WiFiManager:] <airport[627]> -[dpsManager submitDpsSymptom:isCriticalApp:]_block_invoke: Error preparing DPSNotification for submission: Error Domain=com.apple.wifi.analytics.errordomain Code=9014 "WAErrorCodeDaemonContactTimeout" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=WAErrorCodeDaemonContactTimeout}, or null WAMessageAWD 2025-02-04 08:54:11.910453+0100 0xb85274 Default 0x0 627 0 airportd: (libxpc.dylib) [com.apple.xpc:connection] [0x80fe64640] activating connection: mach=true listener=false peer=false name=com.apple.wifianalyticsd 2025-02-04 08:54:11.911105+0100 0xb85382 Default 0x0 1 0 launchd: [system/com.apple.wifianalyticsd:] internal event: WILL_SPAWN, code = 0 2025-02-04 08:54:11.911229+0100 0xb85382 Default 0x0 1 0 launchd: [system/com.apple.wifianalyticsd:] service state: spawn scheduled 2025-02-04 08:54:11.911233+0100 0xb85382 Default 0x0 1 0 launchd: [system/com.apple.wifianalyticsd:] service state: spawning 2025-02-04 08:54:11.911384+0100 0xb85382 Default 0x0 1 0 launchd: [system/com.apple.wifianalyticsd:] launching: ipc (mach) 2025-02-04 08:54:11.920272+0100 0xb85382 Default 0x0 1 0 launchd: [system/com.apple.wifianalyticsd [86459]:] xpcproxy spawned with pid 86459 Do you guys have any idea what is the cause of this behaviour? Or how to disable wifianalyticsd process for good?

I've implemented a custom system extension VPN for macOS, using a Packet Tunnel Provider. I saw something suspicious on macOS 15.2.0: When I disconnected my VPN, the UTUN was not being cleared. This results in a lot of UTUNs when the user connects and disconnects multiple times. utun77: flags=8051<UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 utun78: flags=8051<UP,POINTOPOINT,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 This happens only on macOS 15.2. I tried the same app on older versions (15.0, 15.1.x), and it didn't reproduce. Can those 'dirty' UTUNs cause a networking problem? Since it happens only on macOS 15.2, is there a bug in this OS version? How can I check if something in my code causes this behavior? How can I 'fix' it or force clean the 'dirty' UTUNs?

I have been using networking multicast permissions in my Xamarin application for UDP device discovery, and it has been working reliably for years. However, I am now encountering an issue specific to iPadOS 18.1 (potentially also iPadOS 18, though I haven’t tested this). The issue is that my app no longer requests the required network permission on devices running iPadOS 18.1. On the other hand, the app works perfectly on iPhone and iPadOS 17.7 without any problems. Has there been any change in the networking or permissions framework in iPadOS 18.1 that could cause this behavior? I would appreciate any guidance or insights to resolve this issue. Thank you for your assistance!

I was trying to log the flow description using control filter and data filter. But when I am trying to log the proc ID in control filter, it is always 0, but in data filter, it logs some value. Same goes with the eproc ID. I want to use the flow description data in some other target so I will be sending the data using sockets and I cannot share data from data filter due to its restrictions and control filter isn't providing the proc ID. What should I do?