I have an NEPacketTunnelProvider that's configured using NEPacketTunnelNetworkSettings. I'm using NEDNSSettings to configure the DNS resolver of the packet tunnel, and would like to specify the exact domains that should use this resolver using the matchDomains member variable. While it's not explicitly mentioned in the documentation [1], I've noticed that if a domain is present in matchDomains, then all subdomains of it will also be resolved using this resolver, as if a wildcard match rule is in place. I wanted to ask if this the intended behavior, and if so, is there any way to disable it so that only exact domain matches will be resolved? I.e., if "example.com" is in the matchDomains list, I would like requests for this domain be resolved using the configured DNS resolver, while ignoring requests to the subdomain"test.example.com". [1] https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/nednssettings/matchdomains

I have a requirement to create a VPN app which only works on Cellular. But I'm facing an issue like when wifi is ON, OS is using wifi interface to route the traffic instead of cellular. I tried some ways like let cellularParams = NWParameters.udp cellularParams.requiredInterfaceType = .cellular But this is not working properly as expected. How can I manually bind to cellular interface in iOS?

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?

Hi there, I am working on an app that configures a PacketTunnelProvider to establish a VPN connection. Unfortunately, while a VPN connection is established, I am unable to update the app via testflight. Downloading other app updates works fine. I noticed that after I receive the alert that updating failed, the vpn badge appears at the top of my screen (the same ux that occurs when the connection is first established). So it's almost like it tried to close the tunnel, and seeing that the app update failed it restablishes the tunnel. I am unsure of why I would not be able to update my app. Maybe stopTunnel is not being called with NEProviderStopReason.appUpdate?

I'm currently developing an iOS app with image upload functionality. To enhance upload speed, I'm considering implementing parallel uploads using Swift’s TaskGroup. However, I have concerns that in environments with limited bandwidth, parallelization might introduce overhead and contention, ultimately slowing down uploads instead of improving them. Specifically, I'm curious about: Is this concern valid? Does parallelizing uploads become counterproductive in low-bandwidth conditions due to overhead and network contention? If so, I'm considering dynamically adjusting the concurrency level based on network conditions. Does anyone have experience or best practices regarding such an approach? Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi, I built a system that can detect and block Short Form Videos like Instagram Reels and Youtube Shorts. It works by connecting the iphone to a VPN and then do statistics on network packets (no decryption). I was wondering the feasibility of porting this to run on device. Functionality wise I would need: packet interception, packet drop, DNS query interception. I saw that Content filter providers could be something to look into, but then I read an article of how you would have to have a managed device which is not ideal for the end user. New to apple development, the lack of snippets and code examples is confusing.

Using NEHotspotConfigurationManager.joinAccessoryHotspot(_ accessory: ASAccessory, passphrase: String) to connect the WiFi, but this function implicitly sets joinOnce to YES. Is there any api that can use ASAccessory to connect to WiFi while maintaining JoinOnce = false. Is it possible to open up this feature？

Hello, I have encountered an issue with an iPhone 15PM with iOS 18.5. The NSHTTPCookieStorage failed to clear cookies, after clearing them, I was still able to retrieve them. However, on the same system NSHTTPCookie *cookie; NSHTTPCookieStorage *storage = [NSHTTPCookieStorage sharedHTTPCookieStorage]; for (cookie in [storage cookies]) { [storage deleteCookie:cookie]; } NSArray *cookies = [[NSHTTPCookieStorage sharedHTTPCookieStorage] cookiesForURL:[[self url] absoluteURL]]; // still able to get cookies,why???

Please ask Apple to provide an interface for sending follow-ups like Samsung's WiFi Aware.

I am currently developing a custom-protocol VPN application for iOS using PacketTunnelProvider. I have also integrated an HTTP proxy service, which is launched via a dylib. The overall flow is as follows: App -> VPN TUN -> Local HTTP Proxy -> External Network I have a question: I am capturing all traffic, and normally, requests sent out by the HTTP proxy are also captured again by the VPN. However, when I send requests using createUdpSession in my code, they are not being captured by the virtual interface (TUN). What could be the reason for this? override func startTunnel(options: [String : NSObject]?, completionHandler: @escaping (Error?) -> Void) { let tunnelNetworkSettings = NEPacketTunnelNetworkSettings(tunnelRemoteAddress: "192.168.18.0") tunnelNetworkSettings.mtu=1400 let ipv4Settings = NEIPv4Settings(addresses: ["192.169.10.10"], subnetMasks: ["255.255.255.0"]) ipv4Settings.includedRoutes=[NEIPv4Route.default()] ipv4Settings.excludedRoutes = [NEIPv4Route(destinationAddress: "10.0.0.0", subnetMask: "255.0.0.0"), NEIPv4Route(destinationAddress: "172.16.0.0", subnetMask: "255.240.0.0"), NEIPv4Route(destinationAddress: "192.168.0.0", subnetMask: "255.255.0.0"), NEIPv4Route(destinationAddress:"127.0.0.0", subnetMask: "255.0.0.0"), ] tunnelNetworkSettings.ipv4Settings = ipv4Settings // Configure proxy settings let proxySettings = NEProxySettings() proxySettings.httpEnabled = true proxySettings.httpServer = NEProxyServer(address: "127.0.0.1", port: 7890) proxySettings.httpsEnabled = true proxySettings.httpsServer = NEProxyServer(address: "127.0.0.1", port: 7890) proxySettings.excludeSimpleHostnames = true proxySettings.exceptionList=["localhost","127.0.0.1"] tunnelNetworkSettings.proxySettings = proxySettings setTunnelNetworkSettings(tunnelNetworkSettings) { [weak self] error in if error != nil { completionHandler(error) return } completionHandler(nil) let stack = TUNInterface(packetFlow: self!.packetFlow) RawScoketFactory.TunnelProvider=self stack.register(stack: UDPDirectStack()) stack.register(stack: TCPDirectStack()) stack.start() } } NWUdpSession.swift // // NWUDPSocket.swift // supervpn // // Created by TobbyQuinn on 2025/2/3. // import Foundation import NetworkExtension import CocoaLumberjack public protocol NWUDPSocketDelegate: AnyObject{ func didReceive(data:Data,from:NWUDPSocket) func didCancel(socket:NWUDPSocket) } public class NWUDPSocket:NSObject{ private let session:NWUDPSession private let timeout:Int private var pendingWriteData: [Data] = [] private var writing = false private let queue:DispatchQueue=QueueFactory.getQueue() public weak var delegate:NWUDPSocketDelegate? public init?(host:String,port:UInt16,timeout:Int=Opt.UDPSocketActiveTimeout){ guard let udpSession = RawScoketFactory.TunnelProvider?.createUDPSession(to: NWHostEndpoint(hostname: host, port: "\(port)"), from: nil) else{ return nil } session = udpSession self.timeout=timeout super.init() session.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: #keyPath(NWUDPSession.state),options: [.new], context: nil) session.setReadHandler({ dataArray, error in self.queueCall{ guard error == nil, let dataArray = dataArray else { print("Error when reading from remote server or connection reset") return } for data in dataArray{ self.delegate?.didReceive(data: data, from: self) } } }, maxDatagrams: 32) } /** Send data to remote. - parameter data: The data to send. */ public func write(data: Data) { pendingWriteData.append(data) checkWrite() } public func disconnect() { session.cancel() } public override func observeValue(forKeyPath keyPath: String?, of object: Any?, change: [NSKeyValueChangeKey : Any]?, context: UnsafeMutableRawPointer?) { guard keyPath == "state" else { return } switch session.state { case .cancelled: queueCall { self.delegate?.didCancel(socket: self) } case .ready: checkWrite() default: break } } private func checkWrite() { guard session.state == .ready else { return } guard !writing else { return } guard pendingWriteData.count > 0 else { return } writing = true session.writeMultipleDatagrams(self.pendingWriteData) {_ in self.queueCall { self.writing = false self.checkWrite() } } self.pendingWriteData.removeAll(keepingCapacity: true) } private func queueCall(block:@escaping ()->Void){ queue.async { block() } } deinit{ session.removeObserver(self, forKeyPath: #keyPath(NWUDPSession.state)) } }

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.

While updating our test devices to iOS 26, we noticed that the connection between devices are flaky. Often when connecting to a Peer from a device running iOS 26 we can observe the invite coming through and when accepting said invite, both ends going to .connecting state and a while later going back to .notConnected within the peer(_ peerID: MCPeerID, didChange state: MCSessionState) function. This happens regularly and retrying the invitation process several times usually resolves it. Do anyone have any information or guidance on how to resolve this issue?

I'm working on enabling a content filter in my iOS app using NEFilterManager and NEFilterProviderConfiguration. The setup works perfectly in debug builds when running via Xcode, but fails on TestFlight builds with the following error: **Failed to save filter settings: permission denied ** **Here is my current implementation: ** (void)startContentFilter { NSUserDefaults *userDefaults = [NSUserDefaults standardUserDefaults]; [userDefaults synchronize]; [[NEFilterManager sharedManager] loadFromPreferencesWithCompletionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) { dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{ if (error) { NSLog(@"Failed to load filter: %@", error.localizedDescription); [self showAlertWithTitle:@"Error" message:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"Failed to load content filter: %@", error.localizedDescription]]; return; } NEFilterProviderConfiguration *filterConfig = [[NEFilterProviderConfiguration alloc] init]; filterConfig.filterSockets = YES; filterConfig.filterBrowsers = YES; NEFilterManager *manager = [NEFilterManager sharedManager]; manager.providerConfiguration = filterConfig; manager.enabled = YES; [manager saveToPreferencesWithCompletionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) { dispatch_async(dispatch_get_main_queue(), ^{ if (error) { NSLog(@"Failed to save filter settings: %@", error.localizedDescription); [self showAlertWithTitle:@"Error" message:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"Failed to save filter settings: %@", error.localizedDescription]]; } else { NSLog(@"Content filter enabled successfully!"); [self showAlertWithTitle:@"Success" message:@"Content filter enabled successfully!"]; } }); }]; }); }]; } **What I've tried: ** Ensured the com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension entitlement is set in both the app and system extension. The Network extension target includes content-filter-provider. Tested only on physical devices. App works in development build, but not from TestFlight. **My questions: ** Why does saveToPreferencesWithCompletionHandler fail with “permission denied” on TestFlight? Are there special entitlements required for using NEFilterManager in production/TestFlight builds? Is MDM (Mobile Device Management) required to deploy apps using content filters? Has anyone successfully implemented NEFilterProviderConfiguration in production, and if so, how?

I have a question. I work for a mobile operator, and when you insert the SIM, the default APN is automatically configured. However, afterward, using the internal Device Manager platform, we send the corresponding APN of an MVNO to that MSISDN. However, the iPhone device (any model, recent iOS versions) receives the notification of the APN change, but it doesn't reflect the change in the APN settings menu. Do you know how we could make the iPhone device reflect the APN change?

The Wi‑Fi Alliance’s Wi‑Fi Aware data communication uses IPv6. However, in Chapter 53 “Wi‑Fi Aware” of the Accessory Design Guidelines for Apple Devices, Release R26, it is stated that “The Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) for IPv6 address resolution is not supported.” This has caused confusion among developers: Does Apple’s Wi‑Fi Aware data communication actually use IPv6? What is the impact of “The Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP) for IPv6 address resolution is not supported” in Apple’s implementation?

After Apple-to-Apple pairing is completed, the paired device will be recorded in “Settings → Privacy & Security → Paired Devices”. However, after Android-to-Apple pairing is completed, the device is not saved to this list. Android device can be normally displayed on the Apple official Wi-Fi Aware Sample. However, the indicator is not green. During pairing, the Apple log shows: state: authenticated, and the Android side triggers the callback onPairingSetupSucceeded. During pairing verification, the Apple log shows: state: authenticated, and the Android side triggers the callback onPairingVerificationSucceed. My iPhone is iPhone 13， iOS 26.0 （23A5287g）

Development environment Xcode 26.0 Beta 6 iOS 26 Simulator macOS 15.6.1 To verify TLS 1.3 session resumption behavior in URLSession, I configured URLSessionConfiguration as follows and sent an HTTP GET request: let config = URLSessionConfiguration.ephemeral config.tlsMinimumSupportedProtocolVersion = .TLSv13 config.tlsMaximumSupportedProtocolVersion = .TLSv13 config.httpMaximumConnectionsPerHost = 1 config.httpAdditionalHeaders = ["Connection": "close"] config.enablesEarlyData = true let session = URLSession(configuration: config, delegate: nil, delegateQueue: nil) let url = URL(string: "https://www.google.com")! var request = URLRequest(url: url) request.assumesHTTP3Capable = true request.httpMethod = "GET" let task = session.dataTask(with: request) { data, response, error in if let error = error { print("Error during URLSession data task: \(error)") return } if let data = data, let responseString = String(data: data, encoding: .utf8) { print("Received data via URLSession: \(responseString)") } else { print("No data received or data is not UTF-8 encoded") } } task.resume() However, after capturing the packets, I found that the ClientHello packet did not include the early_data extension. It seems that enablesEarlyData on URLSessionConfiguration is not being applied. How can I make this work properly?

I am writing to seek clarification on two technical issues related to iOS frameworks (CoreBluetooth and NetworkExtension). These observations are critical for optimizing our app's performance, and I would appreciate any official guidance or documentation references. CoreBluetooth Scanning Frequency and Cycle Issue: We noticed inconsistent BLE device discovery times (ranging from 0.5s to 1.5s) despite the peripheral advertising at 2Hz (500ms interval). Questions: Does iOS regulate the BLE scan interval or duty cycle internally? If yes, what factors affect this behavior (e.g., foreground/background state, connected devices)? Are there recommended practices to reduce discovery latency for peripherals with fixed advertising intervals? Is there a way to configure scan parameters (e.g., scan window/interval) programmatically, similar to Android's BluetoothLeScanner? Test Context: Device: iPhone 13 mini (iOS 17.6.1) Code: CBCentralManager.scanForPeripherals(withServices: nil, options: [CBCentralManagerScanOptionAllowDuplicatesKey: true]) NEHotspotConfigurationManager Workflow and Latency Issue: Using NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply(_:) to connect to Wi-Fi occasionally takes up to 8 seconds to complete. Questions: What is the internal workflow of the apply method? Does it include user permission checks, SSID scanning, authentication, or IP assignment steps? Are there known scenarios where this method would block for extended periods (e.g., waiting for user interaction, network timeouts)? Is the latency related to system-level retries or radio coexistence with other wireless activities (e.g., Bluetooth)? Test Context: Configuration: NEHotspotConfiguration(ssid: "TestSSID") Behavior: Delay occurs even when the Wi-Fi network is in range and credentials are correct.

On "Accessory Interface Specification CarPlay Addendum R10", it says that it is recommended that the accessory uses a MIMO (2x2) hardware configuration, does this imply that WiFi 5 and SISO (1X1) will be phased out in the near future? When will WiFi 6 MIMO (2x2) become mandatory? On "Accessory Interface Specification CarPlay Addendum R10", it says that Spatial Audio is mandatory. However, for aftermarket in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system due to the number of speakers are less than 6, is it allowed not to support spatial audio for this type of aftermarket IVI system?

Apple's Wi-Fi Aware demo shows that pairing is required before establishing a connection. Is this pairing mandatory? Can Android devices pair with Apple devices? My Android device strictly supports Wi-Fi Aware 4.0 and I want to achieve interoperability with Apple devices.