I am developing a remote support tool for macOS. While we have successfully implemented a Privileged Helper Tool and LaunchDaemon architecture that works within an active Aqua session, we have observed a total failure to capture the screen buffer or receive input at the macOS Login Window. Our observation of competitor software (AnyDesk, TeamViewer) shows they maintain graphical continuity through logout/restart. We are seeking the official architectural path to replicate this system-level access. Current Technical Implementation Architecture: A root-level LaunchDaemon manages the persistent network connection. A PrivilegedHelperTool (installed in /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/) is used for elevated tasks. Environment: Tested on macOS 14.x (Sonoma) and macOS 15.x (Sequoia) on Apple Silicon. Capture Methods: We have implemented ScreenCaptureKit (SCK) as the primary engine and CGDisplayCreateImage as a fallback. Binary Status: All components are signed with a Developer ID and have been successfully Notarized. Observed Behavior & Blockers The "Aqua" Success: Within a logged-in user session, our CGI correctly identifies Display IDs and initializes the capture stream. Remote control is fully functional. The "Pre-Login" Failure: When the Mac is at the Login Window (no user logged in), the following occurs: The Daemon remains active, but the screen capture buffer returns NULL or an empty frame. ScreenCaptureKit fails to initialize, citing a lack of graphical context. No TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) prompt can appear because no user session exists. The "Bootstrap" Observation: We have identified that the loginwindow process exists in a restricted Mach bootstrap namespace that our Daemon (running in the System domain) cannot natively bridge. Comparative Analysis (Competitor Benchmarking) We have analyzed established remote desktop solutions like AnyDesk and Jump Desktop to understand their success at the login screen. Our findings suggest: Dual-Context Execution: They appear to use a Global LaunchAgent with LimitLoadToSessionType = ["LoginWindow"]. This allows a child process to run as root inside the login window’s graphical domain. Specialized Entitlements: These apps have migrated to the com.apple.developer.persistent-content-capture entitlement. This restricted capability allows them to bypass the weekly/monthly TCC re-authorization prompts and function in unattended scenarios where a user cannot click "Allow." Questions Entitlement Requirement: Is the persistent-content-capture entitlement the only supported way for a third-party app to capture the LoginWindow buffer without manual user intervention? LaunchAgent Strategy: To gain a graphical context at the login screen, is it recommended to load a specialized agent into the loginwindow domain via launchctl bootstrap loginwindow ...? ScreenCaptureKit vs. Legacy: Does ScreenCaptureKit officially support the LoginWindow session, or does it require an active Aqua session to initialize? MDM Bypass: For Enterprise environments, can a Privacy Preferences Policy Control (PPPC) payload grant "Screen Recording" to a non-entitled Daemon specifically for the login window context?

As part of iOS 26, we get X25519MLKEM768 key exchange group support, but SecP256r1MLKEM768 and SecP384r1MLKEM1024 are not supported. Is there any way to enable these key exchange groups on iOS 26? We need them for WKWebView and NSURLSession. STEPS TO REPRODUCE On iOS 26, connect to the PQC server using Safari. The key exchange group is limited to X25519MLKEM768.

I've implemented func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, task: URLSessionTask, willPerformHTTPRedirection response: HTTPURLResponse, newRequest request: URLRequest, completionHandler: @escaping (URLRequest?) -> Void) and func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, downloadTask: URLSessionDownloadTask, didWriteData bytesWritten: Int64, totalBytesWritten: Int64, totalBytesExpectedToWrite: Int64) I've put a breakpoint in each but the BP in willPerformHTTPRedirection never fires. When the didWriteData fires and I inspect downloadTask.originalRequest I see my original request URL When I inspect downloadTask.currentRequest the returned request contains a different URL. I'm the farthest thing from an HTTP wizard, but I had thought when originalRequest differs from currentRequest there had been some sort of server-side 'redirection'. Is there a way for my code to receive a callback when something like this happens? NOTE: my download code works fine, I'm just hoping to detect the case when currentRequest changes. any/all guidance greatly appreciated on the off chance it helps, are are my original and current request values: (lldb) po downloadTask.originalRequest ▿ Optional<URLRequest> ▿ some : https://audio.listennotes.com/e/p/c524803c1a90412f922948274ecc3625/ (lldb) po downloadTask.currentRequest ▿ Optional<URLRequest> ▿ some : https://26973.mc.tritondigital.com:443/OMNY_HAPPIERWITHGRETCHENRUBIN_PODCAST_P/media-session/76cfceb2-1801-4570-b830-ded57611a9cf/d/clips/796469f9-ea34-46a2-8776-ad0f015d6beb/e1b22d0b-6974-4bb8-81ba-b2480119983c/2f35a8ca-b982-44e9-8122-b3dc000ae0e1/audio/direct/t1769587393/Ep_571_Want_to_Join_Us_for_a_No-Spend_February_Plus_a_Better_Word_for_Squats.mp3?t=1769587393&in_playlist=751ada7f-ded3-44b9-bfb8-b2480119985b&utm_source=Podcast

We are facing an issue with Apple Pay address details while customers are placing orders on our production site. By default, the following values are being passed during checkout: First Name: ApplePay Last Name: Express Address: ApplePay Street When we manually enter these same details, our validation correctly prevents the order from being placed and displays an appropriate error message. However, on our production site, real customers are still able to successfully place orders with these exact details. Could you please help us understand: How these orders are being allowed to proceed despite the validation? Is this behaviour expected from Apple Pay ? How can we prevent orders from being placed with such placeholder address details? Please let us know if you need any additional information from our side. We have also attached an image showing the address details and the corresponding order number for reference. Thanks in advance for your support.

I want to update coordinate of the lookaround instance object. But mapkit.js does not have LookAroundSceneRequest class, how am I going to do. In swift, there is MKLookAroundSceneRequest class, you can specify a new coordinate with this class, to get a new LookAroundScene object, then attach new LookAroundScene to the existing lookAround object, But how am I going to do the same with mapkit.js ?? it missing LookAroundSceneRequest class in js

Note: This document is specifically focused on what happens after a DEXT has passed its initial code-signing checks. Code-signing issues are dealt with in other posts. Preliminary Guidance: Using and understanding DriverKit basically requires understanding IOKit, something which isn't entirely clear in our documentation. The good news here is that IOKit actually does have fairly good "foundational" documentation in the documentation archive. Here are a few of the documents I'd take a look at: IOKit Fundamentals IOKit Device Driver Design Guidelines Accessing Hardware From Applications Special mention to QA1075: "Making sense of IOKit error codes",, which I happened to notice today and which documents the IOReturn error format (which is a bit weird on first review). Those documents do not cover the full DEXT loading process, but they are the foundation of how all of this actually works. Understanding the IOKitPersonalities Dictionary The first thing to understand here is that the "IOKitPersonalities" is called that because it is in fact a fully valid "IOKitPersonalities" dictionary. That is, what the system actually uses that dictionary "for" is: Perform a standard IOKit match and load cycle in the kernel. The final driver in the kernel then uses the DEXT-specific data to launch and run your DEXT process outside the kernel. So, working through the critical keys in that dictionary: "IOProviderClass"-> This is the in-kernel class that your in-kernel driver loads "on top" of. The IOKit documentation and naming convention uses the term "Nub", but the naming convention is not consistent enough that it applies to all cases. "IOClass"-> This is the in-kernel class that your driver loads on top of. This is where things can become a bit confused, as some families work by: Routing all activity through the provider reference so that the DEXT-specific class does not matter (PCIDriverKit). Having the DEXT subclass a specific subclass which corresponds to a specific kernel driver (SCSIPeripheralsDriverKit). This distinction is described in the documentation, but it's easy to overlook if you don't understand what's going on. However, compare PCIDriverKit: "When the system loads your custom PCI driver, it passes an IOPCIDevice object as the provider to your driver. Use that object to read and write the configuration and memory of your PCI hardware." Versus SCSIPeripheralsDriverKit: Develop your driver by subclassing IOUserSCSIPeripheralDeviceType00 or IOUserSCSIPeripheralDeviceType05, depending on whether your device works with SCSI Block Commands (SBC) or SCSI Multimedia Commands (SMC), respectively. In your subclass, override all methods the framework declares as pure virtual. The reason these differences exist actually comes from the relationship and interactions between the DEXT families. Case in point, PCIDriverKit doesn't require a specific subclass because it wants SCSIControllerDriverKit DEXTs to be able to directly load "above" it. Note that the common mistake many developers make is leaving "IOUserService" in place when they should have specified a family-specific subclass (case 2 above). This is an undocumented implementation detail, but if there is a mismatch between your DEXT driver ("IOUserSCSIPeripheralDeviceType00") and your kernel driver ("IOUserService"), you end up trying to call unimplemented kernel methods. When a method is "missing" like that, the codegen system ends up handling that by returning kIOReturnUnsupported. One special case here is the "IOUserResources" provider. This class is the DEXT equivalent of "IOResources" in the kernel. In both cases, these classes exist as an attachment point for objects which don't otherwise have a provider. It's specifically used by the sample "Communicating between a DriverKit extension and a client app" to allow that sample to load on all hardware but is not something the vast majority of DEXT will use. Following on from that point, most DEXT should NOT include "IOMatchCategory". Quoting IOKit fundamentals: "Important: Any driver that declares IOResources as the value of its IOProviderClass key must also include in its personality the IOMatchCategory key and a private match category value. This prevents the driver from matching exclusively on the IOResources nub and thereby preventing other drivers from matching on it. It also prevents the driver from having to compete with all other drivers that need to match on IOResources. The value of the IOMatchCategory property should be identical to the value of the driver's IOClass property, which is the driver’s class name in reverse-DNS notation with underbars instead of dots, such as com_MyCompany_driver_MyDriver." The critical point here is that including IOMatchCategory does this: "This prevents the driver from matching exclusively on the IOResources nub and thereby preventing other drivers from matching on it." The problem here is that this is actually the exceptional case. For a typical DEXT, including IOMatchCategory means that a system driver will load "beside" their DEXT, then open the provider blocking DEXT access and breaking the DEXT. DEXT Launching The key point here is that the entire process above is the standard IOKit loading process used by all KEXT. Once that process finishes, what actually happens next is the DEXT-specific part of this process: IOUserServerName-> This key is the bundle ID of your DEXT, which the system uses to find your DEXT target. IOUserClass-> This is the name of the class the system instantiates after launching your DEXT. Note that this directly mimics how IOKit loading works. Keep in mind that the second, DEXT-specific, half of this process is the first point your actual code becomes relevant. Any issue before that point will ONLY be visible through kernel logging or possibly the IORegistry. __ Kevin Elliott DTS Engineer, CoreOS/Hardware

I found currently there is no way to revoke sharing age to an app after I shared to it, no matter in testing or in app settings

I've tried pass different value like 13,16,18, but I don't see any difference..? could anyone tell what could happen differently if I pass a different value here?

Description Our NETransparentProxyProvider system extension maintains a persistent TLS/DTLS control channel to a security gateway. To maintain this stateful connection the extension sends application-level "Keep Alive" packets every few seconds (example : 20 seconds). The Issue: When the macOS device enters a sleep state, the Network Extension process is suspended, causing our application-level heartbeat to cease. Consequently, our backend gateway—detecting no activity—terminates the session via Dead Peer Detection (DPD). The problem is exacerbated by macOS Dark Wake cycles. We observe the extension's wake() callback being triggered periodically (approx. every 15 minutes) while the device remains in a sleep state (lid closed). During these brief windows: The extension attempts to use the existing socket, finds it terminated by the backend, and initiates a full re-handshake. Shortly after the connection is re-established, the OS triggers the sleep() callback and suspends the process again. This creates a "connection churn" cycle that generates excessive telemetry noise and misleading "Session Disconnected" alerts for our enterprise customers. Steps to Reproduce Activate Proxy: Start the NETransparentProxyProvider and establish a TLS session to a gateway. Apply Settings: Configure NETransparentProxyNetworkSettings to intercept outbound TCP/UDP traffic. Initialize Heartbeat: Start a 20-second timer (DispatchSourceTimer) to log and send keep-alive packets. Induce Sleep: Put the Mac to sleep (Apple Menu > Sleep). Observe Logs: Monitor the system via sysdiagnose or the macOS Console. Observation: Logs stop entirely during sleep, indicating process suspension. Observation: wake() and sleep() callbacks are triggered repeatedly during Dark Wake intervals, causing a cycle of re-connections. Expected Behavior We seek to minimize connection turnover during maintenance wakes and maintain session stability while the device is technically in a sleep state. Questions for Apple Is it possible to suppress the sleep and wake callback methods of NETransparentProxyProvider when the device is performing a maintenance/Dark Wake, only triggering them for a full user-initiated wake? Is it possible to prevent the NETransparentProxyProvider process from being suspended during sleep, or at least grant it a high-priority background execution slot to maintain the heartbeat? If suspension is mandatory, is there a recommended way to utilize TCP_KEEPALIVE socket options that the kernel can handle on behalf of the suspended extension? How can the extension programmatically identify if a wake() call is a "Dark Wake" versus a "Full User Wake" to avoid unnecessary re-connection logic?

A user of my app reported that when my app copies files from a QNAP NAS to a folder on their Mac, they get the error "Result too large". When copying the same files from the Desktop, it works. I asked them to reproduce the issue with the sample code below and they confirmed that it reproduces. They contacted QNAP for support who in turn contacted me saying that they are not sure they can do anything about it, and asking if Apple can help. Both the app user and QNAP are willing to help, but at this point I'm also unsure how to proceed. Can someone at Apple say anything about this? Is this something QNAP should solve, or is this a bug in macOS? P.S.: I've had users in the past who reported the same issue with other brands, mostly Synology. import Cocoa @main class AppDelegate: NSObject, NSApplicationDelegate { func applicationDidFinishLaunching(_ aNotification: Notification) { let openPanel = NSOpenPanel() openPanel.canChooseDirectories = true openPanel.runModal() let source = openPanel.urls[0] openPanel.canChooseFiles = false openPanel.runModal() let destination = openPanel.urls[0] do { try copyFile(from: source, to: destination.appendingPathComponent(source.lastPathComponent, isDirectory: false)) } catch { NSAlert(error: error).runModal() } NSApp.terminate(nil) } private func copyFile(from source: URL, to destination: URL) throws { if try source.resourceValues(forKeys: [.isDirectoryKey]).isDirectory == true { try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: destination, withIntermediateDirectories: false) for source in try FileManager.default.contentsOfDirectory(at: source, includingPropertiesForKeys: nil) { try copyFile(from: source, to: destination.appendingPathComponent(source.lastPathComponent, isDirectory: false)) } } else { try copyRegularFile(from: source, to: destination) } } private func copyRegularFile(from source: URL, to destination: URL) throws { let state = copyfile_state_alloc() defer { copyfile_state_free(state) } var bsize = UInt32(16_777_216) if copyfile_state_set(state, UInt32(COPYFILE_STATE_BSIZE), &bsize) != 0 { throw NSError(domain: NSPOSIXErrorDomain, code: Int(errno)) } else if copyfile_state_set(state, UInt32(COPYFILE_STATE_STATUS_CB), unsafeBitCast(copyfileCallback, to: UnsafeRawPointer.self)) != 0 { throw NSError(domain: NSPOSIXErrorDomain, code: Int(errno)) } else if copyfile(source.path, destination.path, state, copyfile_flags_t(COPYFILE_DATA | COPYFILE_SECURITY | COPYFILE_NOFOLLOW | COPYFILE_EXCL | COPYFILE_XATTR)) != 0 { throw NSError(domain: NSPOSIXErrorDomain, code: Int(errno)) } } private let copyfileCallback: copyfile_callback_t = { what, stage, state, src, dst, ctx in if what == COPYFILE_COPY_DATA { if stage == COPYFILE_ERR { return COPYFILE_QUIT } } return COPYFILE_CONTINUE } }

This is my first driver and I have had the devil of a time trying to find any information to help me with this. I beg help with this, since I cannot find any tutorials that will get me over this problem. I am attempting to write a bridging driver for an older UPS that only communicates via RPC-over-USB rather than the HID Power Device class the OS requires. I have written the basic framework for the driver (details below) and am calling OSSystemExtensionRequest.submitRequest with a request object created by OSSystemExtensionRequest.activationRequest, but the didFailWithError callback is called with OSSystemExtensionErrorDomain of a value of 9, which appears to be a general failure to activate the driver. I can find no other information on how to address this issue, but I presume the issue is one of entitlements in either the entitlements file or Info.plist. I will have more code-based details below. For testing context, I am testing this on a 2021 iMac (M1) running Sequoia 15.7, and this iMac is on MDM, specifically Jamf. I have disabled SIP and set systemextensionsctl developer on, per the instructions here, and I have compiled and am attempting to debug the app using xcode 26.2. The driver itself targets DriverKit 25, as 26 does not appear to be available in xcode despite hints on google that it's out. For the software, I have a two-target structure in my xcode project, the main Manager app, which is a swift-ui app that both handles installation/activation of the driver and (if that finally manages to work) handles communication from the driver via its UserClient, and the driver which compiles as a dext. Both apps compile and use automated signing attached to our Apple Development team. I won't delve into the Manager app much, as it runs even though activation fails, except to include its entitlements file in case it proves relevant <dict> <key>com.apple.developer.driverkit.communicates-with-drivers</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.developer.system-extension.install</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-only</key> <true/> </dict> and the relevant activation code: func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, didFailWithError error: any Error) { // handling the error, which is always code value 9 } func activateDriver() { let request = OSSystemExtensionRequest.activationRequest(forExtensionWithIdentifier: "com.mycompany.driver.bundle.identifier", queue: .main) request.delegate = self OSSystemExtensionManager.shared.submitRequest(request) //... } And finally the Manager app has the following capabilities requested for its matching identifier in our Apple Developer Account: DriverKit Communicates with Drivers System Extension On the Driver side, I have two major pieces, the main driver class MyDriver, and UserClient class, StatusUserClient. MyDriver derives from IDriverKit/IOService.iig but (in case this is somehow important) does not have the same name as the project/target name MyBatteryDriver. StatusUserClient derives from DriverKit/IOUserClient.iig. I have os_log(OS_LOG_DEFAULT, "trace messages") code in every method of both classes, including the initializers and Start implementations, and the log entries never seem to show up in Console, so I presume that means the OS never tried to load the driver. Unless I'm looking in the wrong place? Because I don't think the driver code is the current issue, I won't go into it unless it becomes necessary. As I mentioned above, I think this is a code signing / entitlements issue, but I don't know how to resolve it. In our Apple Developer account, the Driver's matching identifier has the following capabilities requested: DriverKit (development) DriverKit Allow Any UserClient (development) DriverKit Family HID Device (development) -- NOTE: this is planned for future use, but not yet implemented by my driver code. Could that be part of the problem? DriverKit Transport HID (development) DriverKit USB Transport (development) DriverKit USB Transport - VendorID -- submitted, no response from Apple yet HID Virtual Device -- submitted, no response from Apple. yet. This is vestigial from an early plan to build the bridge via shared memory funneling to a virtual HID device. I think I've found a way to do it with one Service, but... not sure yet. Still, that's a problem for tomorrow. Apparently I've gone over the 7000 character maximum so I will add my entitlements and info.plist contents in a reply.

Hello Apple Developer Community, I'm working on implementing App Clips for a restaurant platform and need guidance on configuring custom App Clip experiences using URL redirects. Context: We have multiple restaurant locations, each needing branded App Clip cards (custom image, title, subtitle). With hundreds of tables across many venues, creating individual App Clip experiences for each table in App Store Connect isn't scalable. Currently: Using a single, generic App Clip experience for all locations => https://example.com Desired Flow: Customer scans QR code at restaurant table ↓ https://example.com/123 ↓ iOS fetches URL ↓ Server responds with 302 redirect ↓ https://example.com/brands/le-pain-quotidien?venue=abc123 ↓ iOS displays App Clip card with "Le Pain Quotidien" branding ↓ User taps "Open" → App Clip launches with correct context What I've Tried: Configured multiple App Clip experiences in App Store Connect Implemented 302 redirects from short URLs to branded URLs Tested various redirect configurations without success Questions: Does iOS fetch and follow redirects before displaying the App Clip card, or does it only use the originally scanned URL? What App Clip experience URLs should be configured in App Store Connect for this redirect scenario? Are there specific HTTP headers or redirect requirements for iOS to properly recognize the final destination? Should the App Clip experience be registered for example.com/123 or example.com/brands/le-pain-quotidien? Reference: Apple's documentation suggests this is possible: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/AppClip/configuring-the-launch-experience-of-your-app-clip#Use-short-URLs-or-redirects Has anyone successfully implemented custom App Clip cards using URL redirects? Any guidance on the correct configuration approach would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

**Environment Platform:** iOS Distribution: TestFlight Product type: Consumable In-App Purchase Account used for testing: Real Apple ID (not Sandbox) StoreKit: StoreKit 1 iOS version: iOS 17+ (also reproduced on earlier versions) Issue Description We are encountering an issue when testing consumable in-app purchases in a TestFlight build using a real Apple ID. Under normal circumstances, consumable products should be purchasable repeatedly. However, in TestFlight, after a successful purchase flow, the same product may become unavailable for repurchase, and the transaction appears to be stuck, even though: • finishTransaction: is correctly called • The transaction state is .purchased • No pending transactions are left in the payment queue Once this happens, subsequent purchase attempts result in behavior similar to a non-consumable product (e.g. “already purchased” or no purchase UI shown).

When I have to pull in hundreds of commits from upstream, I like to try to make sure things still compile - frequently, to try to limit how far I need to go to back fix things. One issue is missing symbols in the kext, since you won't know until you try to load the kext. And loading the kext each commit is not realistic. So I went and made up a call to something that does not exist, in my case, strqcmp(). I could not get the various tools like kmutil libraries --all-symbols to print out that this function was going to fail, so I wrote a little script (thanks ChatGPT); ./scripts/kpi_check.py --arch arm64e -k module/os/macos/zfs.kext/ First missing symbols: _crfree _crhold _strqcmp Hurrah. But sadly, my brain was then curious as to why crhold() and crfree() work. Worked for years. Only dtrace calls them in XNU sources but otherwise not mentioned there, not listed in my frameworks, nm is not seeing it. Somewhat of a rabbit hole. I don't even need to know, it does work after all. I should just let it go right? and yet... how does it work? My best guess is a symbols.alias pointing it to kauth_cred_ref() somewhere? Maybe? Anyway, pretty low priority but it's an itch...

My app is configured with the App Clip experiences, and a Clip App card pops up when an NFC tag is scanned—whether the host app is not launched, running in the background, or active in the foreground. I want to prevent the App Clip card from popping up when the host app is in the foreground; how can this be achieved?

We recently migrated our entire product to Apple Unified Logging due to the various benefits it provides. However we immediately started hitting the "log quarantine" problem ("QUARANTINED DUE TO HIGH LOGGING VOLUME"). This is partly because we are indeed over logging in a few cases (which we have to work on fixing), but also partly because it's a complicated product with potentially hundreds of libraries, and some of the code can legitimately be very busy. For example we have a system extension that's implemented both as a NetworkExtension client and an EndpointSecurity client, if we were to log decent information about each network or file system event so we can troubleshoot something, they are bound to be high volume logs. Now when our app is running in a normal user environment, this is not a problem. We can disable certain heavy log levels, or at least disable persisting for certain logs (one of the benefits of Apple Unified Logging we really like is that it allows very flexible controls, log config command, OSLogPreferences, configuration profile, we can employ whatever that suits a specific case). But ultimately, the question is what if we end up with a troubleshooting case we don't know exactly where a problem is so we just need the full logs at debug level? And not only just enabled, but because we might not know when the issue can happen either we also need to persist the full set of logs for as long as possible? We will start hitting log quarantine again. Granted this is a very extreme case, but if worst comes to worst, how can we even do that with Apple Unified Logging? Is there an option that allows us to override the quarantine, if but temporarily? I've searched a few relevant forum posts, some of which described log quarantine but no one had mentioned any solution for it (besides having to stop logging so much from the app but as I explained we do have legitimate cases where log volume can still be huge). I've also read The Eskimo's "Your Friend the System Log" and browsed some of the troubleshooting config profiles provided by Apple hoping to discover some hidden payloads but found none so far. There is an OSLogRateLimit environment variable that I noticed if I run a launchctl print system/<a-launch-daemon-lable> and it's usually 64. Is this something relevant? And knowing Apple it's probably something that can't be tampered with?

TL;DR: How does one use DNSServiceReconfirmRecord() to invalidate mDNS state of a device that's gone offline? I'm using the DNSServiceDiscovery API (dns_sd.h) for a local P2P service. The problem I'm trying to solve is how to deal with a peer that abruptly loses connectivity, i.e. by turning off WiFi or simply by moving out of range or otherwise losing connectivity. In this situation there is of course no notification that the peer device has gone offline; it simply stops sending any packets. After my own timeout mechanism determines the peer is not responding, I mark it as offline in my own data structures. The problem is how to discover when/if it comes back online later. My DNSServiceBrowse callback won't be invoked because mDNS doesn't know the device went offline in the first place. I am trying to use DNSServiceReconfirmRecord, which appears to be for exactly this use case -- "Instruct the daemon to verify the validity of a resource record that appears to be out of date (e.g. because TCP connection to a service's target failed.)" However my attempts always return a BadReference error (-65541). The function requires me to pass a DNS record, and the only one I know is the TXT record; perhaps it needs a different one? Which, and how would I get it? Thanks!

I have implemented CKSyncEngine synchronization, and it works well. I can update data on one device and see the changes propagate to another device quickly. However, the initial sync when a user downloads the app on a new device is a significant issue for both me and my users. One problem is that the sync engine fetches deletion events from the server. On a new device, the local database is empty, so these deletions are essentially no-ops. This would not be a big problem if there were only a few records or if it was fast. I measured the initial sync and found that there are 150 modified records and 62,168 deletions. Counting these alone takes over five minutes, even without processing them. The deletions do nothing because the local database has nothing to delete, yet they still add a significant delay. I understand that the sync engine ensures consistency across all devices, but five minutes of waiting with the app open just to insert a small number of records is excessive. The problem would be worse if there were tens of thousands of new records to insert, since downloading and saving the data would take even longer. This leads to a poor user experience. Users open the app and see data being populated for several minutes, or they are stuck on a screen that says the data is being synchronized with iCloud. I am wondering if there is a way to make the sync engine ignore deletion events when the state serialization is nil. Alternatively, is there a recommended method for handling initial synchronization more efficiently? One idea I considered is storing all the data as a backup in iCloud Documents, along with the state serialization at that point in time. When a user opens the app for the first time, I could download the file, extract the data, and set the state serialization to the saved value. I am not sure if this would work. I do not know if state serialization is tied to the device or if it only represents the point where the sync engine left off. My guess is that it might reference some local device storage. I am not sure what else to try. I could fetch all data using CloudKit, create the sync engine with an empty state serialization, and let it fetch everything again, but that would still take a long time. My records are very small, mostly a date when something happened and an ID referencing the parent. Since the app tracks watched episodes, I only store the date the user watched the episode and the ID of that episode.

Tags NetworkExtension, NEFilterManager, Content-Filter, TestFlight, iOS, Swift, Entitlements, App-Groups Problem Summary I'm experiencing a critical issue with a Network Extension Content Filter that works perfectly in debug mode but fails in TestFlight with: ``` -[NEFilterManager saveToPreferencesWithCompletionHandler:]_block_invoke_3: failed to save the new configuration: Error Domain=NEFilterErrorDomain Code=5 "permission denied" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=permission denied} ``` This is blocking completion of a client project and requires urgent assistance. Environment • Platform: iOS • Minimum Deployment: iOS 16.0 • Development: Xcode with Flutter integration • Testing Method: TestFlight (production build) • Works in: Debug mode (direct device deployment) • Fails in: TestFlight builds What Works vs. What Fails WORKS IN DEBUG MODE (✓): • Network extension installs successfully • System permission dialog appears correctly • Filter starts and blocks content as expected • All domain management functions work FAILS IN TESTFLIGHT (✗): • System permission dialog never appears • NEFilterManager.saveToPreferences fails immediately • Error Code 5: "permission denied" • Cannot set up the filter at all Implementation Details ARCHITECTURE: The implementation consists of: Main App (Flutter) - handles UI and configuration Network Extension Plugin (Swift) - bridges Flutter to NetworkExtension framework FilterDataProvider (Swift) - implements content filtering logic App Group - shared storage for configuration (group.app.v1.dev0) PERMISSION REQUEST CODE: ```swift func requestPermissions(completion: @escaping (Result<Bool, Error>) -> Void) { NEFilterManager.shared().loadFromPreferences { error in if let error = error { DispatchQueue.main.async { completion(.failure(error)) } return } let config = NEFilterProviderConfiguration() config.organization = "Testing config.filterBrowsers = true config.filterSockets = true let manager = NEFilterManager.shared() manager.providerConfiguration = config manager.localizedDescription = " Screen Shield" manager.isEnabled = true manager.saveToPreferences { saveError in DispatchQueue.main.async { completion(saveError == nil ? .success(true) : .failure(saveError!)) } } } } ``` EXTENSION INFO.PLIST: ```xml ENTITLEMENTS: ```xml What I've Already Tried VERIFIED ENTITLEMENTS (✓) • Both main app and extension have matching entitlements • App Group identifier is identical in both targets • content-filter-provider capability is set CHECKED PROVISIONING PROFILES (✓) • Created distribution provisioning profiles with Network Extension capability • App Group is included in all profiles • All capabilities are enabled in App Store Connect VERIFIED APP GROUP CONFIGURATION (✓) • App Group exists in Apple Developer portal • Added to both App ID and Extension App ID • Regenerated provisioning profiles after adding CODE SIGNING (✓) • Both targets build and sign successfully • No code signing errors during archive • Extension is embedded in main app bundle TESTFLIGHT REQUIREMENTS (✓) • Using distribution certificate for archive • Archive validation passes without warnings • Upload to TestFlight successful BUILD CONFIGURATION (✓) • Minimum deployment target is iOS 16.0 for both targets • Extension deployment target matches main app • All required frameworks are properly linked Specific Questions Permission Dialog: In debug mode, the system permission dialog appears. In TestFlight, it never shows. Is there a TestFlight-specific permission issue with Network Extensions? Entitlements Propagation: Are there known issues with entitlements not being properly included in TestFlight builds despite being present in the archive? Distribution vs Development: Are there any differences in how Network Extensions are authorized between development builds and distribution builds? Additional Context • The extension works flawlessly when deployed directly from Xcode • No console errors or warnings in TestFlight build • UserDefaults(suiteName:) successfully accesses the App Group in both modes • Filter logic itself is tested and working (confirmed in debug mode) • This is urgent as it's blocking client project completion I tested this with both adult acc and also with child app What I Need Specific steps to diagnose why NEFilterManager.saveToPreferences returns Code 5 in TestFlight Confirmation of whether Network Extension entitlements require special handling for TestFlight Any known issues or workarounds for this specific error in production builds Debugging techniques that work in TestFlight environment (since console logs are limited) System Information • Xcode Version: Latest stable • iOS Target: 16.0+ • Swift Version: 5.0 • Framework: Flutter with native iOS plugin • Build Type: Distribution (Ad Hoc via TestFlight) Thank you for any assistance. This is blocking critical client work and I need to resolve it urgently.

Hi, I’ve been struggling for a while with an issue around an auto-renewable subscription using StoreKit 2 and I’d like to double-check here whether I’m missing something, or if anyone has seen similar behavior. Context • iOS / iPadOS app, first release • 1 auto-renewable subscription (only product in the app) • Using StoreKit 2 only (Product, Transaction, AppStore) • Review device according to the message: iPad Air 11” (M3), iPadOS 26.2 • I keep failing on Guideline 2.1 – App Completeness • The App Review message is always the same: “The In-App Purchase products in the app exhibited one or more bugs which create a poor user experience. Specifically, no action occurred when we tapped on the Continue to Purchase button.” In App Store Connect, the subscription is properly configured, is in the state Ready for Review, and is correctly associated with this app version. What I see (locally + TestFlight) In TestFlight and local builds, the behavior looks correct: • Product.products(for: […]) returns the product, the price and currency are displayed correctly on the paywall / subscription card. • The user taps “Get PRO” → my overlay is shown (“Preparing purchase…” → then a screen with confirmation and price). • After tapping the “Continue to Purchase” button in that overlay, I call await product.purchase(). • On my devices, the system StoreKit purchase sheet always appears. • In the sandbox logs I can see: • a successful result from purchase() • a verified transaction via VerificationResult • the “user has PRO” flag being set correctly after refreshing entitlements (Transaction.currentEntitlements + fallback Transaction.latest(for:)). I’ve tested this on multiple real devices and with several sandbox Apple IDs – I cannot reproduce the “nothing happens after tapping” problem. What App Review reports App Review repeatedly claims that “no action occurred when we tapped on the Continue to Purchase button.” From their screenshots and description, the flow is: 1. They open Settings → subscription card. 2. They see the loaded price, so the product has clearly been fetched successfully from the App Store. 3. They tap my “Get SalonFlow PRO” button. 4. My overlay appears with the subscription name and price. 5. They tap “Continue to Purchase” (in my UI this is “Pokračovat k nákupu”). 6. According to them, nothing happens – no system StoreKit confirmation, no error message, no visible action. Important: this overlay did not appear as an extra complication, but as a reaction to their earlier feedback: • Originally, I had a simple flow: button in the card → directly calling purchase(). • App Review at that time said that after tapping the button “nothing happens”. • I added the overlay specifically to make it obvious that the button does react and that the app is preparing the system purchase: I show the product, the price, and a text explaining that a system App Store confirmation will appear next. • Only from that overlay do I call purchase(). So: in their environment they obviously do reach the overlay (meaning the button definitely does “something”), but the actual StoreKit purchase sheet never shows up. Additional changes and “safety belts” From the App Review video it was clear they were tapping the purchase button roughly 3 seconds after launching the app. So I tightened the flow even more: • The “Get SalonFlow PRO” button is now: • disabled until the product has been loaded from the App Store, • visually dimmed, with a spinner and a short text like “Loading subscription information, please wait…”. • The button only becomes active once the product is actually loaded and ready. • After that, the user goes through a two-step process: 1. tap “Get SalonFlow PRO” → overlay with details, 2. tap “Continue to Purchase” → this is where I call purchase(). On my devices, after that step the system purchase confirmation always appears. But App Review still says that after tapping “Continue to Purchase” nothing happens. What I’d like to ask 1. Has anyone seen a situation where Product.purchase() with StoreKit 2 works fine in TestFlight and sandbox testing, but in the App Review environment the system purchase sheet never appears (no error, just “nothing”)? 2. Are there any known edge cases on iPad (iPadOS 26.2, iPad Air M3) where the StoreKit purchase sheet might fail to show even if: • AppStore.canMakePayments == true, • the product is valid and loaded, • and no error is thrown from purchase()? 3. Could App Review consider my two-step flow (button → overlay → confirm button calling purchase()) problematic in itself, even though the overlay is there precisely because of their initial complaint that “nothing happens” after tapping the button? 4. Is there anything concrete you’d recommend: • adding to the logs, • changing in the timing/order of the purchase() call, • or adjusting in the UI, to make it absolutely clear what is happening in their environment if the system sheet never appears? From my point of view, the implementation follows the StoreKit 2 documentation, everything works correctly in real tests and TestFlight, but the App Review environment behaves differently and I keep getting stuck on Guideline 2.1. I’d really appreciate any experience, tips (“we had exactly this and fixed it by X”), or even a recommendation to radically simplify the flow back to a minimal “button → directly purchase()” without any intermediate overlay. Thanks a lot for any help – this review loop has been going on for weeks and I’d really like to finally resolve it.