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

Networking Documentation

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System Information in macOS 26.2 RC no longer shows Wi-Fi SSIDs
System Information in macOS from 26.0 to 26.2 RC no longer provides Wi-Fi SSIDs; instead, it displays "< redacted> " for every SSID on my two MacBooks. This issue has been fixed in macOS 26.1 beta and macOS 26.2 beta, but it returns in the RC and the Final Release versions. Is it an expected behaviour or a bug in the Release Candidate? MacBook Air 2025: MacBook Pro 2021:
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4w
VPN with per-app and allowed IPs
We’re implementing VPN application using the WireGuard protocol and aiming to support both split-tunnel and per-app VPN configurations. Each mode works correctly on its own: per-app VPN functions well when configured with a full tunnel and split-tunnel works as expected when per-app is disabled. However, combining both configurations leads to issues. Specifically, the routing table is not set up properly, resulting in traffic that should not be routed through the tunnel is routed through the tunnel. Detailed description: Through our backend, we are pushing these two plist files to the iPad one after the other: VPN config with allowed IPs 1.1.1.1/32 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Inc//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>3fd861df-c917-4716-97e5-f5e96452436a</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadOrganization</key> <string>someorganization</string> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>config.11ff5059-369f-4a71-afea-d5fdbfa99c91</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>Configuration</string> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string> test</string> <key>PayloadDescription</key> <string>(Version 13) </string> <key>PayloadRemovalDisallowed</key> <true /> <key>PayloadContent</key> <array> <dict> <key>VPN</key> <dict> <key>AuthenticationMethod</key> <string>Password</string> <key>ProviderType</key> <string>packet-tunnel</string> <key>OnDemandUserOverrideDisabled</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>RemoteAddress</key> <string>172.17.28.1:51820</string> <key>OnDemandEnabled</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>OnDemandRules</key> <array> <dict> <key>Action</key> <string>Connect</string> </dict> </array> <key>ProviderBundleIdentifier</key> <string>some.bundle.id.network-extension</string> </dict> <key>VPNSubType</key> <string>some.bundle.id</string> <key>VPNType</key> <string>VPN</string> <key>VPNUUID</key> <string>d2773557-b535-414f-968a-5447d9c02d52</string> <key>OnDemandMatchAppEnabled</key> <true /> <key>VendorConfig</key> <dict> <key>VPNConfig</key> <string> Some custom configuration here </string> </dict> <key>UserDefinedName</key> <string>TestVPNServerrra</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>com.apple.vpn.managed.applayer</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>vpn.5e6b56be-a4bb-41a5-949e-4e8195a83f0f</string> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>9bebe6e2-dbef-4849-a1fb-3cca37221116</string> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string>Vpn</string> <key>PayloadDescription</key> <string>Configures VPN settings</string> <key>PayloadOrganization</key> <string>someorganization</string> </dict> </array> </dict> </plist> Command to set up per-app with Chrome browser <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Inc//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>Command</key> <dict> <key>Settings</key> <array> <dict> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.google.chrome.ios</string> <key>Attributes</key> <dict> <key>VPNUUID</key> <string>d2773557-b535-414f-968a-5447d9c02d52</string> <key>TapToPayScreenLock</key> <false /> <key>Removable</key> <true /> </dict> <key>Item</key> <string>ApplicationAttributes</string> </dict> </array> <key>RequestType</key> <string>Settings</string> </dict> <key>CommandUUID</key> <string>17ce3e19-35ef-4dbc-83d9-4ca2735ac430</string> </dict> </plist> From the log we see that our VPN application set up allowed IP 1.1.1.1 via NEIPv4Settings.includedRoutes but system routing all of the Chrome browser traffic through our application. Is this expected Apple iOS behavior, or are we misconfiguring the profiles?
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Nov ’25
CoreBluetooth multi-peripheral high-frequency BLE streaming shows uneven packet distribution and lag on some A16/A17 iPads
We are observing a reproducible issue on some (not all) iPad models equipped with A16, where BLE streaming from multiple peripherals at ≥33–40 Hz results in uneven packet distribution, burst delivery, and application-level lag. The same application, peripherals, firmware, iOS version, and physical environment do not exhibit this behaviour on A14-based iPads (iPad 10). Affected Hardware: • iPad 11" with A16 • iOS versions: identical across tested devices • Issue affects some devices of the same model, not all Internal field data • ~25 affected • ~5 unaffected • Customers actively prefer iPad 10 (A14) due to stability When two or more BLE peripherals stream data concurrently at frequencies ≥33–40 Hz, affected iPads exhibit: • Uneven packet arrival timing • Burst delivery instead of uniform intervals • Increasing latency over time • Observable application-level lag This does not present as simple packet loss. Instead, packets arrive in clusters, breaking real-time assumptions. At ≤30–33 Hz, the issue does not reproduce. We tested: • One affected iPad 11 • One unaffected iPad 11 • Same iOS version • Same app build • Same peripherals • Same firmware • Same physical location • Same Wi-Fi state Only the affected device reproduces the issue. This rules out: • App logic • Peripheral firmware • iOS version • Environmental RF noise • Wi-Fi coexistence configuration Evidence Available We can provide: • Screenshots from a minimal test app showing packet counts • CSV files of packet timestamps • Source code for the BLE test app • Side-by-side comparison logs (affected vs unaffected device) All evidence is from the same app, built solely to measure packet timing. Additional Technical Notes • Issue persists after factory reset • Occurs without third-party BLE libraries (CoreBluetooth only) • Occurs regardless of foreground/background state • Not correlated with MTU size • Appears threshold-based (~33–40 Hz) • Appears device-specific, not model-wide
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2w
Content filter installed but not running
We have a content filter system extension as part of our macOS app. The filter normally works correctly, activation and deactivation works as expected but occasionally we see an issue when the content filter is activated. When this issues occurs, the filter activation appears to behave correctly, no errors are reported. Using "systemextensionsctl list" we see the filter is labelled as "[activated enabled]". However, the installed content filter executable does not run. We have seen this issue on macOS 15.3 and later and on the beta macOS 26.1 RC. It happens only occasionally but when it does there is no indication as to why the executable is not running. There are no crash logs or errors in launchd logs. Both rebooting and deactivating/activating the filter do not resolve the issue. The only fix appears to be completely uninstalling the app (including content filter) and reinstalling. I have raised a FB ticket, FB20866080. Does anyone have any idea what could cause this?
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Oct ’25
DeviceDiscoveryUI and Bonjour for iOS
I have some confusion around the usage of DeviceDiscoveryUI. The documentation suggests that it is available only on TVOS. But with the recent announcement of WifiAware, it has been used in iOS devices as well. Within DeviceDiscoveryUI, the DevicePicker or the DevicePairingView documentation seems to be available with iOS. Is this just a documentation mistake? Followup - Can I use DeviceDiscoveryUI's DevicePicker/ DevicePairingView to discover devices through Bonjour and then establish a connection through Network framework?
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132
Oct ’25
NEURLFilterManager Error 2 in macOS - How to Validate Configuration Parameters for setConfiguration or saveToPreferences
I'm currently testing URLFilter for use in a macOS product. After calling loadFromPreferences, I set the following configuration parameters: pirServerURL = URL(string: "http://localhost:8080")! pirAuthenticationToken = "AAAA" controlProviderBundleIdentifier = "{extension app bundle identifier}" However, when I call saveToPreferences, I get an Invalid Configuration error. Is there a way to determine which parameter is invalid or incorrectly set? Also, I would appreciate any macOS-specific examples of using NEURLFilterManager, as most of the documentation I’ve found seems to focus on iOS. Thank you.
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73
Nov ’25
Accessory Setup Kit (BLE) not showing multiple options nor the advertising name
I'm developing an application using the accessory setup kit (BLE) on iOS 18+. An important aspect of the connection process is being able to find and choose the correct device. I noticed on iOS 18.2 that I was able to both scroll through the discovered accessories as well as view the advertised name. However, after upgrading to 18.7.2, only a single device is viewable and the advertised name is no longer available. Is there a trigger for this feature that I need to enable or was this "multiple discovery" feature removed? If so, why?
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Oct ’25
NEURLFilterManager Error 9 with SimpleURLFilter Sample - Filter Status Changes from 'starting' to 'stopped'
I'm working with Apple's SimpleURLFilter sample project and consistently encountering an error when trying to implement the URL filter. Here are the details: Setup: Downloaded the official SimpleURLFilter sample project from Apple Set the developer team for both targets (main app and extension) Built and ran the PIR server on my laptop using Docker as per the sample instructions Built the iOS project on my iPhone running iOS 26.0.1 Server is accessible at my Mac's IP address on port 8080 Configuration: PIR Server URL: http://[my-mac-ip]:8080 Authentication Token: AAAA (as specified in service-config.json) Privacy Pass Issuer URL: (left empty) Fail Closed: enabled Code Changes: The only modifications I made were: Updated bundle identifiers to include my team identifier Updated PIR server's service-config.json to match: com.example.apple-samplecode.SimpleURLFilter[TEAM_ID].url.filtering Modified URLFilterControlProvider.swift: Added existingPrefilterTag: String? parameter to fetchPrefilter() method Added tag: "bloom_filter" parameter to NEURLFilterPrefilter initializer Issue: After configuring the filter and entering my passcode in Settings, I consistently see: Received filter status change: <FilterStatus: 'starting'> Received filter status change: <FilterStatus: 'stopped' errorMessage: 'The operation couldn't be completed. (NetworkExtension.NEURLFilterManager.Error error 9.)'> Questions: What does NEURLFilterManager.Error error 9 specifically indicate? Could the URLFilterControlProvider modifications be causing this issue? Are there debugging steps to get more detailed error information? Any guidance would be appreciated!
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Nov ’25
Apple-Hosted Background Assets question
I have a Vision Pro app, which I intend to use Apple-Hosted Background Assets for some of my videos after watching: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/325 I added a Apple-Hosted, Managed extension. New Target -> Background Download -> Apple-Hosted, Managed After creating an Archive, I tried uploading it to TestFlight, it complains about a DTPlatformName error in my Info.plist. So I added the following : <key>DTPlatformName</key> <string>xros</string> With which, I managed to upload the app with the extension to TestFlight. However, when I tried installing the app on TestFlight to Vision Pro, it gives me an error that says the app cannot be verified. Any help or pointers is greatly appreciated. Info.plist Entitlements
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Oct ’25
NEVPNConnectionErrorDomainPlugin code 7 on URLFilter sample code
Hello, I have been playing around the the SimpleURLFilter sample code. I keep getting this error upon installed the filter profile on the device: mapError unexpected error domain NEVPNConnectionErrorDomainPlugin code 7 which then causes this error: Received filter status change: <FilterStatus: 'stopped' errorMessage: 'The operation couldn’t be completed. (NetworkExtension.NEURLFilterManager.Error error 14.)'> I can't find much info about code 7. Here is the configuration I am trying to run: <Configuration: pirServerURL: 'http://MyComputer.local:8080' pirAuthenticationToken: 'AAAA' pirPrivacyPassIssuerURL: 'http://MyComputer.local:8080' enabled: 'true' shouldFailClosed: 'true' controlProviderBundleIdentifier: 'krpaul.SimpleURLFilter.SimpleURLFilterExtension' prefilterFetchInterval: '2700.0'>
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289
Nov ’25
How to find WHY my app triggers LNP popoup on MacOS 15
My App is a rather small menu-bar status-item app with 2 informational windows. It does NOT make use of ANY of the APIs mentioned here: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/663874 that are bound to need "Local Network" hence trigger TCC dialog. Yet - on first run of the app, the dialog pops. App is Obj-C, and the only APIs used are Notification-Center (for scheduling local notifications to the user), XPC connections and calls to other (our) apps for gathering that information, plus normal AppKit windowing (Controls, Text-fields, etc.) nothing else. Obviously SOMETHING I do causes the thing - and I know for sure this app DOES NOT NEED access to the local network - only I do not know how to identify the specific API I need to avoid using (or change the way I'm using) Are there any specific system logs to watch for? Is there any official set of APIs that will trigger the dialog? Provided that I cannot avoid this - could this permission be granted via MDM profile payload? Our product comes with
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Jan ’25
URL Filter - blocked web page behaviour
1) Blocked page UX When a URL is blocked, the browser typically shows a generic error like “"Safari cannot open the page because it couldn’t load any data,” with no indication that the page was blocked by a policy. Is there any plan to add an API that allows developers to present a custom “blocked” page or remediation action, similar to NEFilterControlProvider’s remediationMap? Even a minimal hook (custom HTML, deep link, or support URL) would make the experience clearer for users. 2) Cross‑app link‑opening behavior With a block rule in place, direct navigation in Safari is blocked as expected. However, tapping the same URL in a messaging app (e.g., WhatsApp) opens Safari - and the page loads, not blocked. Repro steps: Configure a URL Filter extension that blocks https://example.com. Case A: Open a browser and type the URL in the address bar → blocked (expected). Case B: Tap the same URL in WhatsApp (or another messenger) → a browser opens and the page loads (unexpected). iOS version - 26.0
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Sep ’25
The network connection fails with NEFilterDataProvider and QQMusic running at the same time
The environment: macOS 12.0 ~ 15.6 A NetworkExtension NEFilterDataProvider configured with filterSockets = YES, filterPackets = NO, and it doesn't actually block any network connection. QQMusic (download: https://y.qq.com/n/ryqq/download_detail/mac?ADTAG=YQQ) is constantly playing. Any of the following operations can reproduce the issue: Kill the NetworkExtension process and then restarted by the system. Disable the NEFilterDataProvider, and then enable it. When this problem occurs, there are two different phenomena on the NetworkExtension process: It is zombie, or is in high CPU state (100%). When the NetworkExtension process is zombie, obviously, the new network connections will enter it, and they can't be disposed by the old zombie process, so the network is disconnected. Spindump-qqmusic-ne-zombie When the NetworkExtension process is in high CPU state, its thread DispatchQueue "NEFilterExtensionProviderContext queue" is blocked in the kernel when calling close. Spindump-qqmusic-ne-cpuhigh In most cases, the network will recover after stopping QQ Music, that is the suspended zombie NetworkExtension process will exist or the cpu of it return to normal. To reproduce the issue in a simple environment, I have tried many ways to simulate the network behavior of QQMusic, but all failed. It seems that this issue is caused by UDP traffic of QQMusic, because everything is ok after blocking the UDP connections of QQMusic (the music is still playing at this time) in the NEFilterDataProvider.
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Oct ’25
Example of DNS Proxy Provider Network Extension
I am trying to setup a system-wide DNS-over-TLS for iOS that can be turned off and on from within the app, and I'm struggling with the implementation details. I've searched online, searched forums here, used ChatGPT, and I'm getting conflicting information or code that is simply wrong. I can't find example code that is valid and gets me moving forward. I think I need to use NEDNSProxyProvider via the NetworkExtension. Does that sound correct? I have NetworkExtension -> DNS Proxy Capability set in both the main app and the DNSProxy extension. Also, I want to make sure this is even possible without an MDM. I see conflicting information, some saying this is opened up, but things like https://developer.apple.com/documentation/Technotes/tn3134-network-extension-provider-deployment saying a device needs to be managed. How do private DNS apps do this without MDM? From some responses in the forums it sounds like we need to parse the DNS requests that come in to the handleNewFlow function. Is there good sample code for this parsing? I saw some helpful information from Eskimo (for instance https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/723831 ) and Matt Eaton ( https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/665480 )but I'm still confused. So, if I have a DoT URL, is there good sample code somewhere for what startProxy, stopProxy, and handleNewFlow might look like? And valid code to call it from the main app?
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246
Oct ’25
URL Filter not blocking specified keywords
I have been playing around with the new URL Filtering API. I have successfully installed and configured the sample code, Installed the example app to my iPhone, and am also running the PIR server locally on my Mac. In my input.txtpb file, I simply have 2 endpoints: rows: [{ keyword: "instagram.com", value: "1" }, { keyword: "youtube.com/shorts", value: "1" }] Neither of these are blocked when I attempt to load them from either a browser, or their dedicated apps. Are there any debugging tips I should know about? Additionally, I have also noticed a few times I have left the filter running on my phone, after leaving my LAN (where the PIR server is running), suddenly throughout the day I'm having random, completely unrelated endpoints blocked on my phone. I thought this API was never supposed to produce false positives (without calling back to the PIR server for confirmation).
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137
Sep ’25
Local Hotspot
Hello, we are developing hardware that needs to connect to an iPhone via Wi-Fi to send requests to a server. On Android, we have managed to create a programmatic local hotspot within the app to facilitate connection and improve the user experience. On iOS, however, Personal Hotspot must be manually enabled from the system settings, and the user must manually enter the SSID and password, which significantly degrades the UX. My questions are: Is there a workaround, unofficial method, or private API to generate a local hotspot from an app on iOS, similar to what can be done on Android? Is there an alternative within the MFi program or through specific frameworks to facilitate a quick and automatic connection between the hardware and the iPhone without relying on the manual Personal Hotspot? Are there any best practices for improving the local Wi-Fi connection experience between an accessory and an iPhone in the absence of hotspot controls? I would appreciate any guidance, experience, or resources that would help me better understand the feasible options in iOS for scenarios where fast and direct communication between hardware and mobile devices via Wi-Fi is required.
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96
Sep ’25
Network extension doesn't get the updated preferred language after changing phone language
We’ve noticed an issue where after running a network extension, if the phone’s language is changed the Locale.preferredLanguages array is not updated and still returns the old array. It only returns the updated array when the app is reinstalled or the phone is restarted. This is unlike the app itself where using the same Locale.preferredLanguages API immediately returns the updated array. We think this issue is also the cause of notifications that are sent by the network extension being in the previous language as long as the app isn’t reinstalled or the phone is restarted, despite our Localizable file having localised strings for the new language. Feedback ID: FB20086051 The feedback report includes a sample project with steps on how to reproduce the issue.
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168
Sep ’25
SSL certificate failure
This problem doesn’t appear to relate to the app as everything worked when using http (although an https setup issue may still be the problem). The problem appears to relate to the SSL server certificate on the Ubuntu server and the fact that apple does not accept that it is secure. However I have no problem with the equivalent Android app or web browser connections to the same rest API web services. There are numerous posts on these problems on Apple and other Forums, but none have helped me successfully address the issue. I ran an SSL server test on https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/ which gives ratings for SSL sites. The test gave an A rating although a number of minor issues were shown that may be crucial to the iOS failure. Some Sectigo certificates said self signed, which I couldn't understand. Error message from XCode log attached 2025-09-10 10:28:01.725091+0100 locateandclock[2291:1585213] ATS failed system trust 2025-09-10 10:28:01.725192+0100 locateandclock[2291:1585213] Connection 1: system TLS Trust evaluation failed(-9802) 2025-09-10 10:28:01.725291+0100 locateandclock[2291:1585213] Connection 1: TLS Trust encountered error 3:-9802 2025-09-10 10:28:01.725352+0100 locateandclock[2291:1585213] Connection 1: encountered error(3:-9802) 2025-09-10 10:28:01.726727+0100 locateandclock[2291:1585213] Task <4E41098F-6B71-4FB8-8753-78DD32961812>.<1> HTTP load failed, 0/0 bytes (error code: -1200 [3:-9802]) 2025-09-10 10:28:01.736504+0100 locateandclock[2291:1585213] Task <4E41098F-6B71-4FB8-8753-78DD32961812>.<1> finished with error [-1200] Error Domain=NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1200 "An SSL error has occurred and a secure connection to the server cannot be made." UserInfo={NSLocalizedRecoverySuggestion=Would you like to connect to the server anyway?, _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=3, NSErrorPeerCertificateChainKey=( "<cert(0x10681be00) s: *.xxxxxxxxxxx.co.uk i: Sectigo Public Server Authentication CA DV R36>", "<cert(0x10681c800) s: Sectigo Public Server Authentication CA DV R36 i: Sectigo Public Server Authentication Root R46>", "<cert(0x10681d200) s: Sectigo Public Server Authentication Root R46 i: Sectigo Public Server Authentication Root R46>" ), NSErrorClientCertificateStateKey=0, NSErrorFailingURLKey=https://xxxxxxxxxxxx.co.uk/insertclocking, NSErrorFailingURLStringKey=https://xxxxxxxxxxxx.co.uk/insertclocking, NSUnderlyingError=0x282361650 {Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=-1200 "(null)" UserInfo={_kCFStreamPropertySSLClientCertificateState=0, kCFStreamPropertySSLPeerTrust=<SecTrustRef: 0x281cf4460>, _kCFNetworkCFStreamSSLErrorOriginalValue=-9802, _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=3, _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-9802, kCFStreamPropertySSLPeerCertificates=( "<cert(0x10681be00) s: *.xxxxxxxxxxxxxco.uk i: Sectigo Public Server Authentication CA DV R36>", "<cert(0x10681c800) s: Sectigo Public Server Authentication CA DV R36 i: Sectigo Public Server Authentication Root R46>", "<cert(0x10681d200) s: Sectigo Public Server Authentication Root R46 i: Sectigo Public Server Authentication Root R46>" )}}, _NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey=( "LocalDataTask <4E41098F-6B71-4FB8-8753-78DD32961812>.<1>" ), _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-9802, _NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey=LocalDataTask <4E41098F-6B71-4FB8-8753-78DD32961812>.<1>, NSURLErrorFailingURLPeerTrustErrorKey=<SecTrustRef: 0x281cf4460>, NSLocalizedDescription=An SSL error has occurred and a secure connection to the server cannot be made.}
5
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261
Oct ’25