Explore best practices for creating inclusive apps for users of Apple accessibility features and users from diverse backgrounds.

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Developer Mode Restart without HomeButton
After enabling Developer Mode on my iPhone and restarting it, the device asks me to press the Home button to confirm. Unfortunately, my Home button is broken, so I can’t access Developer Mode. The iPhone itself still works, but I can’t enable the mode. Is there any way to bypass this without the Home button?
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101
Mar ’25
The camera preview screen cannot be previewed in full screen
I downloaded the official camera sample code(https://developer.apple.com/tutorials/sample-apps/capturingphotos-camerapreview )it's a .swiftpm package and created a SwiftUI project. I copied the official sample code into this new project, build it, and ran it on an iPhone 13 for testing. I found that there were black empty areas on the top and bottom of the application interface, which means that the application interface cannot be previewed in full screen. I have tried many methods but cannot preview in full screen. How can I modify the code?
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183
Apr ’25
Ipad 7th generation
I updated with 18.3 beta, but lost video and audio option with that update, I tried to restore with itune in windows 11, got struck between. Forcefully turned off ipad, after two tries got off.... Off like blinked out screen... Not tried all tricks to on, can't on....please tell a solution. Used all your advices in internet. It was 90% charged, working superbly. So far no risk... Please help me. No charging icon, no sign of life. How can On?
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458
Feb ’25
AVPlayer Visual Accessibility Issues
AVPlayer has 3 visual accessibility issues with videos out of the box: The contrast fails for the current time in the video The contrast fails for the remaining time in the video The hit area is too small for the time slider. The WCAG AA requirement is a minimum hit size of 24 x 24. The height of the hit area of the offending region is 8. Is there a known fix for any of these? This can be reproduced with this code in an app playground: import SwiftUI import AVKit import UIKit struct ContentView: View { private let video = URL(string: "https://server15700.contentdm.oclc.org/dmwebservices/index.php?q=dmGetStreamingFile/p15700coll2/15.mp4/byte/json")! @State private var player: AVPlayer? var body: some View { VStack { VideoPlayerView(player: player) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: 200) } .task { player = try? await loadPlayer(video: video) } } } private struct VideoPlayerView: UIViewControllerRepresentable { let player: AVPlayer? func makeUIViewController(context: Context) -> AVPlayerViewController { let controller = AVPlayerViewController() controller.player = player controller.modalPresentationStyle = .overFullScreen return controller } func updateUIViewController(_ uiViewController: AVPlayerViewController, context: Context) { uiViewController.player = player } } private func loadPlayer(video: URL) async throws -> AVPlayer { let videoAsset = AVURLAsset(url: video) let videoPlusSubtitles = AVMutableComposition() try await videoPlusSubtitles.add(videoAsset, withMediaType: .video) try await videoPlusSubtitles.add(videoAsset, withMediaType: .audio) return await AVPlayer(playerItem: AVPlayerItem(asset: videoPlusSubtitles)) } private extension AVMutableComposition { func add(_ asset: AVAsset, withMediaType mediaType: AVMediaType) async throws { let duration = try await asset.load(.duration) try await asset.loadTracks(withMediaType: mediaType).first.map { track in let newTrack = self.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: mediaType, preferredTrackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid) let range = CMTimeRangeMake(start: .zero, duration: duration) try newTrack?.insertTimeRange(range, of: track, at: .zero) } } }
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174
Apr ’25
VoiceOver doesn't work well for accessing PDFs/forms with tables
I have been working to remediate PDFs for a client. The documents/forms have many tables. When I correctly tag a table, using Foxit Editor Pro, it works beautifully on a PC reading it with NVDA. On Mac using VoiceOver the table isn't accessible. It doesn't matter if I try to read it in Adobe Acrobat, Foxit, or Preview. The reader often says the document is empty, omits column headers, and/or associates the wrong header with the column data. The documents have essentially the same coding behind them as for the web. Why is it they perform so well on a PC with NVDA, but so poorly with Mac VoiceOver? I am a Quality Assurance Specialist. I review websites apps, and documents for accessibility. Why can't I do my job using only my Mac system? As a Mac user, it frustrates me that I can't use my preferred system for checking documents to see if they are accessible because VoiceOver doesn't work well. I actually have to recommend to my clients and their customers that they need to use a PC with NVDA or Jaws for these documents to be able to get all the information. Unfortunately, most people aren't able to have, or maintain, both systems. Overall, Mac products are very high quality. This, and other issues with VoiceOver, seems to be a large gap in Apple's offerings and functionality. I would appreciate a human response to the original email I sent about this on 7/30/2025.
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135
Jul ’25
New ipados 18.3 beta troubleshooting
Hi apple, ive been having a problem with my ipad pro 5th generation. since updating my ipad it has been acting weird lately… to be specific it keeps closing twice randomly and the widgets turn white andcmy screen keeps going black when i go on apps it keeps exiting out of the app also the new siri is so slow and wouldnt answer when i say [hey siri] only on random ocasions please help me fix this problem because i need my ipad for studying… thank you.
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735
Jan ’25
Safari to app relationship
if you are on the tik tok website on safari, you are able to view a video that originally brought you to the website the from the search log, but if you want to click on another video listed on the website, it claims you need to use the app to go farther, and upon proceeding it just brings you to the App Store regardless if you have the app already or not , and you are unable to view the video displayed on the website without searching for it separately on the app.
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411
Feb ’25
[macOS 15.4] Game Controller Background Input Capture Broken - Accessibility App No Longer Functions
Our application, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gamecontroller-mapper/id6737088417 which maps game controller inputs to keyboard/mouse events system-wide, has stopped functioning properly after the macOS 15.4 update. Specifically, the app can no longer capture game controller inputs when running in the background, severely impacting its core functionality. Environment macOS version: 15.4 Previous working versions: All versions prior to 15.4 App type: Background utility with accessibility permissions Hardware: All game controller brands compatible with macOS Detailed Description Before macOS 15.4 Our application correctly captured game controller inputs from any brand connected to Mac and successfully translated them to keyboard/mouse events system-wide. Users could control any application (e.g., scrolling through documents in Preview using controller buttons) while our app ran in the background with the accessibility permissions granted. After macOS 15.4 The application only works when it has active focus (is in the foreground). When any other application gains focus, our app completely stops receiving or detecting any input events from the game controller while running in the background. For instance, pressing the 'down' button on the controller while another app is active results in no event being registered within our application. We've tried updating the app to work in accessory mode (in the menubar), but the issue persists. Steps to Reproduce Install our application on macOS 15.3 or earlier Grant accessibility permissions when prompted Connect a compatible game controller (e.g., Xbox or other controller) Open another application (e.g., Preview with a PDF document) Press buttons on the controller to navigate the document without touching the keyboard Expected result on 15.3: Controller inputs are translated to keyboard events, even when our app is in the background Upgrade to macOS 15.4 Repeat steps 2-5 Actual result on 15.4: Controller inputs are only translated to keyboard events when our application has focus Technical Implementation Our app uses: CGEvent.tapCreate() to create a global event tap CGEvent for simulating keyboard and mouse events GCController.extendedGamepad?.valueChangedHandler for detecting controller inputs Proper NSAccessibilityUsageDescription and appropriate entitlements GCController.shouldMonitorBackgroundEvents = true to ensure controller events continue when the app is inactive Possible Relation to Recent Changes We noticed in the macOS 15.4 Release Notes: Game Controller - Resolved Issues: Fixed: Game controllers might stop responding when accessibility features, such as Voice Over, are enabled. (141497799) We suspect this fix might have introduced a regression or intentional limitation affecting applications like ours that rely on background event simulation with game controller input. Impact This change severely impacts: Applications designed to use game controllers as assistive input devices for users who may have difficulty using traditional keyboard and mouse inputs Applications for media control, presentation navigation, and other similar use cases Users who rely on our application for accessibility purposes Questions Is this an intentional security change or an unintended side effect of the controller fix mentioned in the release notes? Are there any new APIs or alternative approaches we should implement to restore functionality? If this is a system bug, when can we expect a fix? We would greatly appreciate any guidance on how to restore our application's functionality. Thank you for your assistance.
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308
Apr ’25
Defining boundaries of inline dialogs for VO users
Hello, I had submitted a question to clarify which components have accessibility APIs that trigger haptics for VoiceOver users https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/773182. The question stems from perhaps a more direct question about specific components: do tablists and disclosures natively intend to include haptics or screen reader hint or other state or properties to indicate to screen reader users where the component begins or ends? In some web experiences there are screen reader hint text stating "end of..." or "entering" as a way to define the boundaries of these inline dialogs. I had asked about haptics in the prior thread because I do not recall natively implemented version of this except in some haptic cues but have not experienced them consistently so I am not sure if that is an intended native Swift implementation or perhaps something custom.
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114
May ’25
False 3.1.1 Rejection: Real-World Dues Payments App
Hello everyone, Our community dues payment app only facilitates real-world maintenance-dues payments directly to property managers’ bank accounts. However, during testing it was likely flagged by the AI-driven review system for a metadata criterion and rejected under Guideline 3.1.1 (“Paid digital content must use IAP”). Meanwhile, hundreds of similar apps remain live on the App Store using the exact same model: The app is completely free No digital content or subscriptions are sold Dues payments are made via bank transfer or credit card directly to the manager Has anyone else encountered this? How did you overcome the metadata check in the AI-driven review process? Thanks!
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104
May ’25
AccessibilityHint for UIAlertAction
Hi, I am setting an accessibilityLabel and accessibilityHint property of a UIAlertAction. However, VoiceOver is only reading the label out. Usually, the label is read out, followed by a short pause and then the hint. Is this a known issue, where hints do not work for this element? I can append the hint to the label, but interested to know if there's something I'm doing wrong. Regards.
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334
Mar ’25
Screen reader not reading the month July when we use the shorter version "Jul" in app
When iOS screen reader reads the month "July" in its shorter version "Jul" its not reading it correctly as month, where as all other months name it reading it correctly in shorter version, so as a result all dates comes under that month when we display in front end and use a screen reader to read it then it will read out as number not date. I have tried the longer version with the screen reader and then its reads correctly July as well.
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7.3k
Mar ’25
AXChildren does not get all children
I'd like to add borders to all buttons in the iOS simulator from my Mac app. First I get the simulator window. Then I access the children of all AXGroup and if it's a button or a static text, I add a border. But for some buttons this does not work. In the example image the NavigationBarButtons are not found. I guess the problem is, that for some AXGroup the children array access with AXChildren is empty. Here is some relevant code: - (NSArray<DDHOverlayElement *> *)overlayChildrenOfUIElement:(AXUIElementRef)element index:(NSInteger)index { NSMutableArray<DDHOverlayElement *> *tempOverlayElements = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init]; NSLog(@">>> -----------------------------------------------------"); NSString *role = [UIElementUtilities roleOfUIElement:element]; NSRect frame = [UIElementUtilities frameOfUIElement:element]; NSLog(@"%@, role: %@, %@", element, role, [NSValue valueWithRect:frame]); NSArray *lineage = [UIElementUtilities lineageOfUIElement:element]; NSLog(@"lineage: %@", lineage); NSArray<NSValue *> *children = [UIElementUtilities childrenOfUIElement:element]; if (children.count < 1) { NSLog(@"NO CHILDREN"); } for (NSInteger i = 0; i < [children count]; i++) { NSValue *child = children[i]; AXUIElementRef uiElement = (__bridge AXUIElementRef)child; NSString *role = [UIElementUtilities roleOfUIElement:uiElement]; NSRect frame = [UIElementUtilities frameOfUIElement:uiElement]; NSLog(@"----%@, role: %@, %@", child, role, [NSValue valueWithRect:frame]); } NSLog(@"<<< -----------------------------------------------------"); for (NSInteger i = 0; i < [children count]; i++) { NSValue *child = children[i]; AXUIElementRef uiElement = (__bridge AXUIElementRef)child; NSString *role = [UIElementUtilities roleOfUIElement:uiElement]; NSRect frame = [UIElementUtilities frameOfUIElement:uiElement]; NSLog(@"%@, role: %@, %@", child, role, [NSValue valueWithRect:frame]); if ([role isEqualToString:@"AXButton"] || [role isEqualToString:@"AXTextField"] || [role isEqualToString:@"AXStaticText"]) { NSString *tag = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%ld%ld", (long)index, (long)i]; NSLog(@"tag: %@", tag); DDHOverlayElement *overlayElement = [[DDHOverlayElement alloc] initWithUIElementValue:child tag:tag]; [tempOverlayElements addObject:overlayElement]; } else if ([role isEqualToString:@"AXGroup"] || [role isEqualToString:@"AXToolbar"]) { [tempOverlayElements addObjectsFromArray:[self overlayChildrenOfUIElement:uiElement index:++index]]; } else if ([role isEqualToString:@"AXWindow"]) { [self.overlayWindowController setFrame:[UIElementUtilities frameOfUIElement:uiElement]]; [tempOverlayElements addObjectsFromArray:[self overlayChildrenOfUIElement:uiElement index:index]]; } } return [tempOverlayElements copy]; } For some AXGroup the children are found. For some they are empty. I cannot figure out why. Does anyone have an idea what I'm doing wrong?
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152
May ’25
Making PhotoLibrary UIImagePickerController a11y compliant
I am invoking the UIImagePickerController of type UIImagePickerControllerSourceTypePhotoLibrary from my viewController. I want shift the keyboard focus to the Cancel button which is the first interactive element on the gallery picker. When a user has full keyboard access turned on they should be able to tap tab and interact with the gallery picker modal. How do I achieve this?
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153
May ’25
Apple greets Global Accessibility Awareness Day with severe accessibility violations on macOS
I'm reposting here my FB17602742, submitted yesterday: The strong wording of this message comes from years of Apple ignoring the needs of users who can't tolerate UI animations and convulsions. At this point, it's clear that Apple is either intentionally harming users like me or simply doesn't care about meeting even the most basic accessibility standards on macOS. Yes, many UI animations and convulsions can, fortunately, be disabled - but not through straightforward UI controls. Instead, users are forced to look for obscure Terminal commands found scattered across the Internet. The "Reduce motion" checkbox in System Settings is simply a fake control that doesn't do anything - instead of actually disabling all UI animations and convulsions. What's worse, two of the most offensive UI animations cannot be disabled at all. Apple has consistently dismissed requests to let users disable the following UI animations: Scroll bar rollover highlight effect (introduced on macOS 10.7.3). Every time the cursor passes over a scroll bar, it gets highlighted. This draws the user's attention to random scroll bars for no reason - just because the cursor happened to pass over them. It results in HUNDREDS of unnecessary, annoying events of distraction daily!
 Expand/collapse animation of NSOutlineView (e.g., when opening/closing folders in the list view in the Finder, or any other app using outline views). This animation is extremely distracting, irritating, and time-wasting. Global Accessibility Awareness Day is approaching. Dear Apple, Please adhere to the most basic accessibility standards. Stop the needless suffering of countless users like me. Let us disable the two aforementioned UI convulsions. Thank you for your attention to the issue.
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154
May ’25
Verification error: unable to get local issuer certificate
C:\Users\xjc>openssl s_client -connect gateway.push.apple.com:2195 -showcerts Connecting to 17.188.183.32 CONNECTED(000000AC) depth=1 C=US, O=Entrust, Inc., OU=See www/legal-terms, OU=(c) 2012 Entrust, Inc. - for authorized use only, CN=Entrust Certification Authority - L1K verify error:num=20:unable to get local issuer certificate verify return:1 depth=0 C=US, ST=California, L=Cupertino, O=Apple Inc., CN=gateway.push.apple.com verify return:1 B0640000:error:0A000410:SSL routines:ssl3_read_bytes:ssl/tls alert handshake failure:ssl\record\rec_layer_s3.c:908:SSL alert number 40 Certificate chain 0 s:C=US, ST=California, L=Cupertino, O=Apple Inc., CN=gateway.push.apple.com i:C=US, O=Entrust, Inc., OU=See www/legal-terms, OU=(c) 2012 Entrust, Inc. - for authorized use only, CN=Entrust Certification Authority - L1K a:PKEY: rsaEncryption, 2048 (bit); sigalg: RSA-SHA256 v:NotBefore: Aug 16 21:34:09 2024 GMT; NotAfter: Aug 15 21:34:07 2025 GMT -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIGqDCCBZCgAwIBAgIQCUjuxVwL1mhSlrjSSk/+BzANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADCB WnKd+td/wZ6Ej6EB mDF8JCSKz/ck+NnLfGM0jFdcTCl8dKuqM9XetP4ls1sVyUuLM7sJiQvMVDzluZ22 LA9EMc5ZcbdV96ZpKS3ETk5n7355fyVX+jZ24ZvfhtdyPvdUGuHzcrK/YfB0AsjY hIhXgkxMfqJDjj7Af1CDPSAv9cylGI5b9v5QX93pM8uGxSRZTGS5m4qJG0Jj4UpV QlzppFg+qE41yDrdy4rLxROW4bp/HPvEjo1YoAle3K208UMffVPBqGfZqbZ01+hP gHCeamBb6QlV2Zq6q/VEKUO6p6oFQnI0phQiAQ== -----END CERTIFICATE----- 1 s:C=US, O=Entrust, Inc., OU=See www/legal-terms, OU=(c) 2012 Entrust, Inc. - for authorized use only, CN=Entrust Certification Authority - L1K i:C=US, O=Entrust, Inc., OU=See www/legal-terms, OU=(c) 2009 Entrust, Inc. - for authorized use only, CN=Entrust Root Certification Authority - G2 a:PKEY: rsaEncryption, 2048 (bit); sigalg: RSA-SHA256 v:NotBefore: Oct 5 19:13:56 2015 GMT; NotAfter: Dec 5 19:43:56 2030 GMT -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIFDjCCA/agAwIBAgIMDulMwwAAAABR03eFMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBCwUAMIG+MQsw CQYDVQQGEwJVUzEWMBQGA1UEChMNRW50cnVzdCwgSW5jLjEoMCYGA1UECxMfU2Vl IHd3dy5lbnRydXN0Lm5ldC9sZWdhbC10ZXJtczE5MDcGA1UECxMwKGMpIDIwMDkg RW50cnVzdCwgSW5jLiAtIGZvciBhdXRob3JpemVkIHVzZSBvbmx5MTIwMAYDVQQD EylFbnRydXN0IFJvb3QgQ2VydGlmaWNhdGlvbiBBdXRob3JpdHkgLSBHMjAeFw0x NTEwMDUxOTEzNTZaFw0zMDEyMDUxOTQzNTZaMIG6MQswCQYDVQQGEwJVUzEWMBQG A1UEChMNRW50cnVzdCwgSW5jLjEoMCYGA1UECxMfU2VlIHd3dy5lbnRydXN0Lm5l dC9sZWdhbC10ZXJtczE5MDcGA1UECxMwKGMpIDIwMTIgRW50cnVzdCwgSW5jLiAt IGZvciBhdXRob3JpemVkIHVzZSBvbmx5MS4wLAYDVQQDEyVFbnRydXN0IENlcnRp ZmljYXRpb24gQXV0aG9yaXR5IC0gTDFLMIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8A MIIBCgKCAQEA2j+W0E25L0Tn2zlem1DuXKVh2kFnUwmqAJqOV38pa9vH4SEkqjrQ jUcj0u1yFvCRIdJdt7hLqIOPt5EyaM/OJZMssn2XyP7BtBe6CZ4DkJN7fEmDImiK m95HwzGYei59QAvS7z7Tsoyqj0ip/wDoKVgG97aTWpRzJiatWA7lQrjV6nN5ZGhT JbiEz5R6rgZFDKNrTdDGvuoYpDbwkrK6HIiPOlJ/915tgxyd8B/lw9bdpXiSPbBt LOrJz5RBGXFEaLpHPATpXbo+8DX3Fbae8i4VHj9HyMg4p3NFXU2wO7GOFyk36t0F ASK7lDYqjVs1/lMZLwhGwSqzGmIdTivZGwIDAQABo4IBDDCCAQgwDgYDVR0PAQH/ BAQDAgEGMBIGA1UdEwEB/wQIMAYBAf8CAQAwMwYIKwYBBQUHAQEEJzAlMCMGCCsG AQUFBzABhhdodHRwOi8vb2NzcC5lbnRydXN0Lm5ldDAwBgNVHR8EKTAnMCWgI6Ah hh9odHRwOi8vY3JsLmVudHJ1c3QubmV0L2cyY2EuY3JsMDsGA1UdIAQ0MDIwMAYE VR0gADAoMCYGCCsGAQUFBwIBFhpodHRwOi8vd3d3LmVudHJ1c3QubmV0L3JwYTAd BgNVHQ4EFgQUgqJwdN28Uz/Pe9T3zX+nYMYKTL8wHwYDVR0jBBgwFoAUanImetAe 733nO2lR1GyNn5ASZqswDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQADggEBADnVjpiDYcgsY9NwHRkw y/YJrMxp1cncN0HyMg/vdMNY9ngnCTQIlZIv19+4o/0OgemknNM/TWgrFTEKFcxS BJPok1DD2bHi4Wi3Ogl08TRYCj93mEC45mj/XeTIRsXsgdfJghhcg85x2Ly/rJkC k9uUmITSnKa1/ly78EqvIazCP0kkZ9Yujs+szGQVGHLlbHfTUqi53Y2sAEo1GdRv c6N172tkw+CNgxKhiucOhk3YtCAbvmqljEtoZuMrx1gL+1YQ1JH7HdMxWBCMRON1 exCdtTix9qrKgWRs6PLigVWXUX/hwidQosk8WwBD9lu51aX8/wdQQGcHsFXwt35u Lcw= -----END CERTIFICATE----- Server certificate subject=C=US, ST=California, L=Cupertino, O=Apple Inc., CN=gateway.push.apple.com issuer=C=US, O=Entrust, Inc., OU=See www/legal-terms, OU=(c) 2012 Entrust, Inc. - for authorized use only, CN=Entrust Certification Authority - L1K Acceptable client certificate CA names C=US, O=Apple Inc., OU=Apple Certification Authority, CN=Apple Root CA CN=Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority, OU=G4, O=Apple Inc., C=US CN=Apple Application Integration 2 Certification Authority, OU=Apple Certification Authority, O=Apple Inc., C=US CN=Apple Corporate Authentication CA 1, OU=Certification Authority, O=Apple Inc., C=US C=US, O=Apple Inc., OU=Apple Worldwide Developer Relations, CN=Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority CN=Apple Corporate Root CA, OU=Certification Authority, O=Apple Inc., C=US C=US, O=Apple Inc., OU=Apple Certification Authority, CN=Apple Application Integration Certification Authority C=US, ST=California, L=Cupertino, O=Apple Inc., CN=gateway.push.apple.com Client Certificate Types: RSA sign, ECDSA sign Requested Signature Algorithms: ECDSA+SHA256:RSA-PSS+SHA256:RSA+SHA256:ECDSA+SHA384:RSA-PSS+SHA384:RSA+SHA384:RSA-PSS+SHA512:RSA+SHA512:RSA+SHA1 Shared Requested Signature Algorithms: ECDSA+SHA256:RSA-PSS+SHA256:RSA+SHA256:ECDSA+SHA384:RSA-PSS+SHA384:RSA+SHA384:RSA-PSS+SHA512:RSA+SHA512 SSL handshake has read 4138 bytes and written 687 bytes Verification error: unable to get local issuer certificate New, SSLv3, Cipher is AES128-SHA Protocol: TLSv1.2 Server public key is 2048 bit Secure Renegotiation IS supported Compression: NONE Expansion: NONE No ALPN negotiated SSL-Session: Protocol : TLSv1.2 Cipher : AES128-SHA Session-ID: Session-ID-ctx: Master-Key: D504C13BDBC59CDF3B883D1B626FA2B59000754DED57CD77A72F761A52AEED719DA06C100FBA1430BB9D8DECFC7C9307 PSK identity: None PSK identity hint: None SRP username: None Start Time: 1741092949 Timeout : 7200 (sec) Verify return code: 20 (unable to get local issuer certificate) Extended master secret: yes
1
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538
Mar ’25