Hi everyone,
I'm currently working on a project where I need to send multicast packets across all available network interfaces using Apple Network Framework's NWConnectionGroup. Specifically, the MacBook (device I am using for sending multicast requests, MacOS: 15.1) is connected to two networks: Wi-Fi (Network 1) and Ethernet (Network 2), and I need to send multicast requests over both interfaces.
I tried using the .requiredInterface property as suggested by Eskimo in this post, but I’m running into issues.
It seems like I can't create an NWInterface object because it doesn't have any initializers.
Here is the code which I wrote:
var multicast_group_descriptor : NWMulticastGroup
var multicast_endpoint : NWEndpoint
multicast_endpoint = NWEndpoint.hostPort(host: NWEndpoint.Host("234.0.0.1"), port: NWEndpoint.Port(rawValue: 49154)!)
var connection_group : NWConnectionGroup
var multicast_params : NWParameters
multicast_params = NWParameters.udp
var interface = NWInterface(NWInterface.InterfaceType.wiredEthernet)
I get following error:
'NWInterface' cannot be constructed because it has no accessible initializers
I also experimented with the .requiredInterfaceType property. Even when I set it to .wiredEthernet and then change it to .wifi, I am still unable to send requests over the Wi-Fi network.
Here is the code I wrote:
var multicast_params : NWParameters
multicast_params = NWParameters.udp
multicast_params.allowLocalEndpointReuse = true
multicast_params.requiredInterfaceType = .wiredEthernet
var ip = multicast_params.defaultProtocolStack.internetProtocol! as! NWProtocolIP.Options
ip.disableMulticastLoopback = true
connection_group = NWConnectionGroup(with: multicast_group_descriptor, using: multicast_params)
connection_group.stateUpdateHandler = { state in
print(state)
if state == .ready {
connection_group.send(content: "Hello from machine on 15".data(using: .utf8)) { error in
print("Send to mg1 completed on wired Ethernet with error \(error?.errorCode)")
var params = connection_group.parameters
params.requiredInterfaceType = .wifi
connection_group.send(content: "Hello from machine on 15 P2 on Wi-Fi".data(using: .utf8)) { error in
print("Send to mg1 completed on Wi-Fi with error \(error?.errorCode)")
}
}
}
}
Is this expected behavior when using NWConnectionGroup? Or is there a different approach I should take to ensure multicast requests are sent over both interfaces simultaneously?
Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Harshal
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On my iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max devices, running iOS 26.0, 26.0.1, and 26.1, Wi-Fi raw socket communication works flawlessly. Even after keeping the connection active for over 40 minutes, there are no disconnections during data transmission.
However, on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, the raw socket connection drops within 20 seconds. Once it disconnects, the socket cannot reconnect unless the Wi-Fi module itself is reset.
I believe this issue is caused by a bug in the iPhone 17 series’ communication module. I have looked into many cases, and it appears to be related to a bug in the N1 chipset.
Are there any possible solutions or workarounds for this issue?
I'm looking at implementing an iOS app that has includes a Content Filter Provider to block access to certain domains when accessed on the device.
This uses NEFilterManager, NEFilterDataProvider and NEFilterControlProvider to handle configuration and manage the network flows and block as necessary.
My question is can you deploy this in an iOS 18+ app on the App Store to devices which are unmanaged, unsupervised and don't use Screen Time APIs?
Although not 100% clear, this technote seems to say it is not possible:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/Technotes/tn3134-network-extension-provider-deployment
Testing this on a Developer device and build works successfully without any MDM profiles installed.
A similar approach using the same APIs also works on macOS once user permissions have been given.
If it can't work on unsupervised, unmanaged iOS devices, is possible for the user to first manually install a MDM profile which includes the required 'Content Filter' details and then have it work?
If not, how would you filter iOS network traffic on an unmanaged, unsupervised device?
Is it necessary to use a VPN or DNS approach instead (which may be a lot less privacy compliant)?
[Q] How many instances of the same NEFilterDataProvider subclass can there be in a single running Network Extension at any given time?
I would expect that there can be only 1 instance but I'm looking at a memgraph where 2 instances are listed.
As it's the Network Extension framework that is responsible for creating, starting and stopping these instances, this is rather strange.
My company has a server that supports ticket-based TLS session resumption (per RFC 5077).
We have done Wireshark captures that show that our iOS client app, which uses URLSession for REST and WebSocket connections to the server, is not sending the TLS "session_ticket" extension in the Client Hello package that necessary to enable ticket-based resumption with the server.
Is it expected that URLSession does not support ticket-based TLS session resumption?
If "yes", is there any way to tell URLSession to enable ticket-based session resumption? the lower-level API set_protocol_options_set_tls_tickets_enabled() hints that the overall TLS / HTTP stack on IOS does support ticket-based resumption, but I can't see how to use that low-level API with URLSession.
I can provide (lots) more technical details if necessary, but hopefully this is enough context to determine whether ticket-based TLS resumption is supported with URLSession.
Any tips / clarifications would be greatly appreciated.
I have an iOS app which contains a Network Extension that subclasses the NEPacketTunnelProvider, acting as a packet-tunnel VPN. After deploying the app on the device as a regular app, it runs the following code fragment:
NETunnelProviderManager.loadAllFromPreferences { managers, _ in
self.manager = managers?.first ?? NETunnelProviderManager()
self.manager.protocolConfiguration = getConfiguration()
self.manager.saveToPreferences { error in
// Handle errors or show a "Connect" button in the UI
}
}
This asks the user to install the extension as a "Device VPN". I can then use try? self.manager?.connection.startVPNTunnel() to start the VPN (and later stop it when needed). So far, this works fine.
Now, I want to deploy the app with an MDM and set it up as the "custom VPN" of a "Per-App VPN". I have tested the setup using
a real MDM, AND
using the "development" setup described in NETunnelProviderManager.
In both cases, the "Per-App VPN" shows up as a VPN in the "Settings" app.
However, in both cases I am unable to retrieve, configure or use the "Per-App VPN". The code fragment posted above returns no NETunnelProviderManager at all. When instantiating one on my own and triggering self.manager.saveToPreferences(), it queries the user to install a "Device VPN". While I can control and use the latter, this is clearly not what I want after having gone through the pain of installing the "Per-App VPN".
How can I retrieve the NETunnelProviderManager of the "Per-App VPN"? And then use it to configure and control the VPN connection? (Ideally, I would like to use the same app and the same Network Extension for both use cases, leaving the choice of which VPN type to use to the user or the user's MDM administrator.)
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Networking
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'>
Hello,
I am working to integrate the new com.apple.developer.networking.carrier-constrained.app-optimized entitlement in my iOS 26 app so that my app can use a carrier-provided satellite network, and want to confirm my understanding of how to detect and optimize for satellite network conditions.
(Ref: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/entitlements/com.apple.developer.networking.carrier-constrained.app-optimized )
My current approach:
I plan to set the entitlement to true once my app is optimized for satellite networks.
To detect if the device is connected to a satellite network, I intend to use the Network framework’s NWPath properties:
isUltraConstrained — I understand this should be set to true when the device is connected to a satellite network.
(Ref: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/network/nwpath/isultraconstrained )
linkQuality == .minimal — I believe this will also be set in satellite scenarios, though it may not be exclusive to satellite connections.
(Ref:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/network/nwpath/linkquality-swift.enum/minimal )
Questions:
Is it correct that isUltraConstrained will reliably indicate a satellite connection?
Should I also check for linkQuality == .minimal, or is isUltraConstrained sufficient?
Are there any additional APIs or best practices for detecting and optimizing for satellite connectivity that I should be aware of?
Thank you for confirming whether my understanding and approach are correct, and for any additional guidance.
Hello Apple Support Team,
We are experiencing a performance issue with HTTP/3 in our iOS application during testing.
Problem Description:
Network requests using HTTP/3 are significantly slower than expected. This issue occurs on both Wi-Fi and 4G networks, with both IPv4 and IPv6. The same setup worked correctly in an earlier experiment.
Key Observations:
The slowdown disappears when the device uses:
· A personal hotspot.
· Network Link Conditioner (with no limitations applied).
· Internet sharing from a MacBook via USB (where traffic was also inspected with Wireshark without issues).
The problem is specific to HTTP/3 and does not occur with HTTP/2.
The issue is reproducible on iOS 15, 18.7, and the latest iOS 26 beta.
HTTP/3 is confirmed to be active (via assumeHttp3Capable and Alt-Svc header).
Crucially, the same backend endpoint works with normal performance on Android devices and using curl with HTTP/3 support from the same network.
I've checked the CFNetwork logs in the Console but haven't found any suspicious errors or obvious clues that explain the slowdown.
We are using a standard URLSession with basic configuration.
Attempted to collect qlog diagnostics by setting the QUIC_LOG_DIRECTORY=~/ tmp environment variable, but the logs were not generated.
Question:
What could cause HTTP/3 performance to improve only when the device is connected through a hotspot, unrestricted Network Link Conditioner, or USB-tethered connection? The fact that Android and curl work correctly points to an issue specific to the iOS network stack. Are there known conditions or policies (e.g., related to network interface handling, QoS, or specific packet processing) that could lead to this behavior?
Additionally, why might the qlog environment variable fail to produce logs, and are there other ways to obtain detailed HTTP/3 diagnostic information from iOS?
Any guidance on further diagnostic steps or specific system logs to examine would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your assistance.
We're encountering an issue with our Network Extension (utilizing NEPacketTunnelProvider and NETransparentProxy) on macOS 14.5 (23F79).
On some systems, the VPN fails to automatically start after a reboot despite calling startVPNTunnel(). There are no error messages.
Our code attempts to start the tunnel:
.......
do {
try manager.connection.startVPNTunnel()
Logger.default("Started tunnel successfully")
} catch {
Logger.error("Failed to launch tunnel")
}
......
System log analysis reveals the tunnel stopping due to userLogout (NEProviderStopReason(rawValue: 12)) during reboot.
However, the Transparent Proxy stops due to userInitiated (NEProviderStopReason(rawValue: 1)) for the same reboot.
We need to understand:
Why the VPNTunnel isn't starting automatically.
Why the userLogout reason is triggered during reboot.
Additional Context:
We have manually started the VPN from System Settings before reboot.
Hello all,
WWDC 2025 introduced Wi‑Fi Aware (NAN) support on iOS 26 for peer-to-peer discovery and direct connections, but I noticed macOS Tahoe doesn’t include it. I couldn’t find any references to Wi‑Fi Aware APIs or framework support in the macOS SDK.
Is Apple planning to bring Wi‑Fi Aware to macOS?
If so, will this come in a future update to macOS 26 (e.g., 26.x), or is it deferred to macOS 27 or beyond?
Thanks for any insights!
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Networking
I was wondering if anybody knows if it's possible for an app to use a QR code to join a Wi-Fi network - the same functionality as the iOS 11 Camera app?I have some code reading a QR Code that looks something like - "WIFI:S:name-of-network;T:WPA;P:password;;"This QR code works perfectly in the native camera app - asking the user if they'd like to join the Wi-Fi network and successfully joining if they do.When I scan the QR code in my own code, I get the following error: canOpenURL: failed for URL: "WIFI:S:name-of-network;T:WPA;P:password;;" - error: "The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -10814.)"In my app, I've got URL Schemes for "prefs" and have added "wifi" in LSApplicationQueriesSchemes.Am I doing something wrong, or is this simply not possible?If it's not possible, is there anyway to use the iOS native camera functionality within an app?
iOS 18.4 introduced some requirements on the Key Usage of 802.1x server certificates, as described here. https://support.apple.com/en-us/121158
When using TLS_ECDHE_RSA or TLS_DHE_RSA cipher suites, 802.1X server certificates containing a Key Usage extension must have Digital Signature key usage set.
When using the TLS_RSA cipher suite, 802.1X server certificates containing a Key Usage extension must have Key Encipherment key usage set.
It reads like the change is supposed to affect 802.1x only. However, we have found out that the new restrictions are actually imposed on all TLS connections using the Network framework, including in Safari.
Unlike other certificate errors which can be either ignored by users (as in Safari) or by code (via sec_protocol_options_set_verify_block), these new ones can't. Even if passing completion(true) in the TLS verification block, the connection still ends up in waiting state with error -9830: illegal parameter.
I understand that these requirements are valid ones but as a generic TLS library I also expect that Network framework could at least allow overriding the behavior. The current treatment is not consistent with those on other certificate errors.
Since I can't upload certificates, here is how to reproduce a certificate that fails.
Create a OpenSSL config file test.cnf
[ req ]
default_bits = 2048
distinguished_name = dn
x509_extensions = v3_ca
prompt = no
[ dn ]
CN = example.com
[ v3_ca ]
subjectKeyIdentifier = hash
authorityKeyIdentifier = keyid:always,issuer
basicConstraints = CA:TRUE
keyUsage = critical, keyCertSign, cRLSign
Generate certificate and private key
openssl req -x509 -new -nodes -keyout key.pem -out cert.pem -days 365 -config test.cnf
And here is the client code to test.
// Target server and port
let host = NWEndpoint.Host("example.com")
let port = NWEndpoint.Port("443")!
// Configure insecure TLS options
let tlsOptions = NWProtocolTLS.Options()
sec_protocol_options_set_verify_block(tlsOptions.securityProtocolOptions, { _, _, completion in
// Always trust
completion(true)
}, DispatchQueue.global())
let params = NWParameters(tls: tlsOptions)
let connection = NWConnection(host: .init(host), port: .init(rawValue: port)!, using: params)
connection.stateUpdateHandler = { newState in
switch newState {
case .ready:
print("TLS connection established")
case .failed(let error):
print("Connection failed: \(error)")
case .cancelled:
print("Connection canceled")
case .preparing:
print("Connection preparing")
case .waiting(let error):
print("Connection waiting: \(error)")
case .setup:
print("Connection setup")
default:
break
}
}
connection.start(queue: .global())
Output
Connection preparing
Connection waiting: -9830: illegal parameter
Previously reported as FB17099740
I'm using a Mac Studio in a homelab context and use Homebrew to manage the installed services. The services include things that access the local network, for example Prometheus which monitors some other servers, a reverse proxy which fronts other web services on the network, and a DNS server which can use another as upstream.
Local Network Access permissions make it impossible to reliably perform unattended updates of services because an updated binary requires a GUI login to grant local network permissions (again).
I use brew services to manage the services as launchd agents, i.e. they run in a non-root GUI context. I know that I can also use sudo brew services which instead installs the services as launchd daemons, but running services as root has negative security implication and generally doesn't look like a good idea to me.
If only there was a way to disable local network access checks altogether…
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.}
Topic:
App & System Services
SubTopic:
Networking
I am trying to connect an iPhone 16 (iOS 18.3) to a Wi-Fi device with the SSID "DIRECT-DR_6930_KP201128", but every time, without being able to enter the Wi-Fi password, the message "Unable to join the network 'DIRECT-DR_6930_KP201128'" is displayed. Below are the system logs from the connection failure. Could you please tell me the cause of the connection failure?
By the way, an iPhone SE 2nd (iOS 18.2.1) can connect to the same Wi-Fi device without any issues.
System Logs:
・Jan 31 19:18:14 900-iPhone-16-docomo Preferences(WiFiKit)[351] : {ASSOC-} association finished for DIRECT-DR_6930_KP201128 - success 0
・Jan 31 19:18:14 900-iPhone-16-docomo runningboardd(RunningBoard)[33] : Assertion 33-351-4412 (target:[app<com.apple.Preferences(DE1AB487-615D-473C-A8D6-EAEF07337B18)>:351]) will be created as inactive as start-time-defining assertions exist
・Jan 31 19:18:14 900-iPhone-16-docomo Preferences(WiFiKit)[351] : association failure: (error Error Domain=com.apple.wifikit.error Code=12 "Unknown Error" UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=Unknown Error, NSUnderlyingError=0x303307660 {Error Domain=com.apple.corewifi.error.wifid Code=-3938 "(null)"}})
・Jan 31 19:18:14 900-iPhone-16-docomo Preferences(WiFiKit)[351] : dismissing credentials view controller for DIRECT-DR_6930_KP201128
I have been battling this intermittent error for some time. It is generally random and has been difficult to reproduce until yesterday when I stumbled across a way to reproduce it each time. I can cause the code to throw this error:
Task <70E3909F-8C30-4F34-A8B0-4AF3B41DD81B>.<1> finished with error [-1001] Error Domain=NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1001 "The request timed out." UserInfo={_kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-2103, _NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey=BackgroundDownloadTask <70E3909F-8C30-4F34-A8B0-4AF3B41DD81B>.<1>, _NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey=(
"BackgroundDownloadTask <70E3909F-8C30-4F34-A8B0-4AF3B41DD81B>.<1>",
"LocalDownloadTask <70E3909F-8C30-4F34-A8B0-4AF3B41DD81B>.<1>"
), NSLocalizedDescription=The request timed out., _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=4, NSErrorFailingURLStringKey=https://redacted*, NSErrorFailingURLKey=https://redacted*}
*"redacted" is the backend URL, and it is the correct and same path for each
immediately after restarting an actual device. I have been over the following threads with no results:
What is kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-4 (kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=4)
Request timed out with _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=60
How to better diagnose -1001 "The request timed out." URLSession errors
Random timed out error on app start
Because I was able to reproduce it, I have been able to get the following logs:
Console Logs.txt
Last bit of information is that I had Network Instruments running, and when this error occurred, I found that the Connection ID was "No Connection" and it appears the request was never actually sent, though it waited the full time out for a backend response.
Any help would be appreciated. This data request is being used after sending a certain APNs to update necessary data in the background, and has been the source of many user complaints.
Hi,
Our project is a MacOS SwiftUI GUI application that bundles a System Network Extension, signed with a Developer ID certificate for distribution outside of the app store. The system network extension is used to write a packet tunnel provider. The signing of the app & network extension is handled by XCode (v16.0.0), we do not run codesign ourselves. We have no issues with XPC or the system network extension during normal usage, nor when the application is installed on a user's device for the first time. The problem only arises when the user upgrades the application. I have experienced this issue myself, as have our users. It's been reported on Apple Silicon macbooks running at least macOS 15.3.2.
Much like the SimpleFirewall example (which we used as a reference), we use XPC for basic communication of state between the app and NE. These XPC connections stop working when the user installs a new version of the app, with OS logs from the process indicating that the connection is immediately invalidated. Subsequent connection attempts are also immediately invalidated. Toggling the VPN in system settings (or via the app) does not resolve the problem, nor does restarting the app, nor does deleting and reinstalling the app, nor does restarting the device.
The only reliable workaround is to delete the system extension in Login Items & Extensions, under Network Extensions. No device restart is necessary to garbage collect the old extension - once the extension is reapproved by the user, the XPC issue resolves itself.
This would be an acceptable workaround were it possible to automate the deleting of the system extension, but that appears deliberately not possible, and requiring our users to do this each time they update is unreasonable.
When the upgraded app is opened for the first time, the OSSystemExtensionRequest request is sent, and the outcome is that the previously installed system network extension is replaced, as both the CFBundleVersion and CFBundleShortVersionString differ. When this issue is encountered, the output of systemextensionsctl list shows the later version is installed and activated.
I've been able to reproduce this bug on my personal laptop, with SIP on and systemextensionsctl developer off, but on my work laptop with SIP off and systemextensionsctl developer on (where the network extension is replaced on each activation request, instead of only when the version strings differ), I do not encounter this issue, which leads me to believe it has something to do with the notarization process. We notarize the pkg using xcrun notarytool, and then staple to the pkg.
This is actually the same issue described in:
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/711713
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/667597
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/742992
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/728063
but it's been a while since any of these threads were updated, and we've made attempts to address it off the suggestions in the threads to no avail.
Those suggestions are:
Switching to a .pkg installer from a .dmg
As part of the .pkg preinstall, doing all of the following: Stopping the VPN (scutil --nc stop), shutting down the app (using osascript 'quit app id'), and deleting the app (which claims to delete the network extension, but not the approval in Login Items & Extensions remains??), by running rm -rf on the bundle in /Applications
As part of the .pkg postinstall: Forcing macOS to ingest the App bundle's notarization ticket using spctl --assess.
Ensuring NSXPCListener.resume() is called after autoreleasepool { NEProvider.startSystemExtensionMode() } (mentioned in a forum thread above as a fix, did not help.)
One thing I'm particularly interested in is the outcome of this feedback assistant ticket, as I can't view it: FB11086599. It was shared on this forum in the first thread above, and supposedly describes the same issue. I almost find it hard to believe that this issue has been around for this many years without a workaround (there's system network extension apps out there that appear to work fine when updating, are they not using XPC?), so I wonder if there's a fix described in that FB ticket.
Since I can't view that above feedback ticket, I've created my own: FB17032197
I have some concerns related to shortening the lifetime of certificates, as per
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/102028
Does this apply to Private CA root certificates?
And if yes:
does it apply if I use ATS and higher level API like URLSession
does it apply it I carry my root CA cert in my app payload and use low level libraries without ATS support?
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.