I have added a Network Extension to my iOS project to use the WireGuard library. Everything was working fine up to Xcode 16, but after updating, I’m facing a build issue. The build fails with the following error: No such file or directory: '@rpath/WireGuardNetworkExtensioniOS.debug.dylib' I haven’t explicitly added any .dylib to my project. The Network Extension target builds and runs fine on Xcode 16.

Hi there, We’re developing a companion app for a smart home product that communicates over the user’s local network. To provision the device, it initially creates its own Wi-Fi network. The user joins this temporary network and enters their home Wi-Fi credentials via our app. The app then sends those credentials directly to the device, which stores them and connects to the local network for normal operation. We’re using AccessorySetupKit to discover nearby devices (via SSID prefix) and NEHotspotManager to join the accessory’s Wi-Fi network once the user selects it. This workflow works well in general. However, we’ve encountered a problem: if the user factory-resets the accessory, or needs to restart setup (for example, after entering the wrong Wi-Fi password), the device no longer appears in the accessory picker. In iOS 18, we were able to work around this by calling removeAccessory() after the device is selected. This forces the picker to always display the accessory again. But in iOS 26, a new confirmation dialog now appears when calling removeAccessory(), which confuses users during setup. We’re looking for a cleaner way to handle this scenario — ideally a way to make the accessory rediscoverable without prompting the user to confirm removal. Thanks for your time and guidance.

For years our iOS apps have experienced a networking problem, which blocks them connecting to our servers via their API endpoint domains. How can we recover after the scenario described below? Using 3rd party error logging solutions, which have different endpoint domains, we can record the error: NSUnderlyingError": Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=-1200 "(null)" UserInfo={_kCFStreamPropertySSLClientCertificateState=0, _kCFNetworkCFStreamSSLErrorOriginalValue=-9816, _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=3, _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-9816, _NSURLErrorNWPathKey=satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: pdp_ip0[lte], ipv4, dns, expensive, uses cell}, "_NSURLErrorFailingURLSessionTaskErrorKey": LocalDataTask <DEDBFA4D-810D-4438-A6A0-95E3B9668B9E>.<308>, "_kCFStreamErrorDomainKey": 3, "_NSURLErrorRelatedURLSessionTaskErrorKey": <__NSSingleObjectArrayI 0x301f82e60>( LocalDataTask <DEDBFA4D-810D-4438-A6A0-95E3B9668B9E>.<308> ) "NSLocalizedDescription": An SSL error has occurred and a secure connection to the server cannot be made., "NSLocalizedRecoverySuggestion": Would you like to connect to the server anyway? -9816 is the "server closed session with no notification" error based on comments in CoreFoundation source files. Subsequent API endpoint calls to the same domain return the same error. The SSL error occurs most prevalently after a server outage. However, despite our best efforts, we have been unable to replicate triggering the problem for development purposes via experiments with our server. When the error occurs the users report that: Fully closing (i.e. not just sending to background) and reopening the app does NOT clear connectivity to our server being blocked. Problem seems more prevalent when using mobile/cell data. Switching from mobile/cell data to WIFI resolves the connection problem and then switching back to mobile/cell data shows the problem again. So the underlying problem is not cleared. All other apps on the same device and mobile/cell data or WIFI connection, like Safari, have no problems connecting to the Internet. Deleting and reinstalling, or updating (when an update is available) resolves the problem. Or after waiting a few days the problem seems to resolve itself. The last two point above suggest that something is persisted/cached in the app preventing it from connecting properly with subsequent network attempts. Notes: We have one shared instance of the URLSession in the app for its networking because we are aware of the perils of multiple URLSession instances. We recently added conditions to call the URLSession await reset() method when detecting the SLL errors before repeating the request. It is debatable whether this reduces the problem as we still see logged cases with the subsequent requests hitting the same -9816 error. URLSession configuration: let config = URLSessionConfiguration.default config.timeoutIntervalForResource = 22 config.timeoutIntervalForRequest = 20 config.requestCachePolicy = .reloadIgnoringLocalCacheData config.urlCache = nil

I'm working on a Network Extension using NEDNSProxyProvider to inspect DNS traffic. However, I've run into a couple of issues: DNS Proxy is not capturing traffic when a public DNS (like 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1) is manually configured in the WiFi settings. It seems like the system bypasses the proxy in this case. Is this expected behavior? Is there a way to force DNS traffic through the proxy even if a public DNS is set? Using DNS Proxy and DNS Settings simultaneously doesn't work. Is there a known limitation or a correct way to combine these? How to set DNS or DNSSettings using DNSProxy? import NetworkExtension import SystemExtensions import SwiftUI protocol DNSProxyManagerDelegate { func managerStateDidChange(_ manager: DNSProxyManager) } class DNSProxyManager: NSObject { private let manager = NEDNSProxyManager.shared() var delegate: DNSProxyManagerDelegate? private(set) var isEnabled: Bool = false { didSet { delegate?.managerStateDidChange(self) } } var completion: (() -> Void)? override init() { super.init() self.load() } func toggle() { isEnabled ? disable() : start() } private func start() { let request = OSSystemExtensionRequest .activationRequest(forExtensionWithIdentifier: Constants.extensionBundleID, queue: DispatchQueue.main) request.delegate = self OSSystemExtensionManager.shared.submitRequest(request) log.info("Submitted extension activation request") } private func enable() { update { self.manager.localizedDescription = "DNS Proxy" let proto = NEDNSProxyProviderProtocol() proto.providerBundleIdentifier = Constants.extensionBundleID self.manager.providerProtocol = proto self.manager.isEnabled = true } } private func disable() { update { self.manager.isEnabled = false } } private func remove() { update { self.manager.removeFromPreferences { _ in self.isEnabled = self.manager.isEnabled } } } private func update(_ body: @escaping () -> Void) { self.manager.loadFromPreferences { (error) in if let error = error { log.error("Failed to load DNS manager: \(error)") return } self.manager.saveToPreferences { (error) in if let error = error { return } log.info("Saved DNS manager") self.isEnabled = self.manager.isEnabled } } } private func load() { manager.loadFromPreferences { error in guard error == nil else { return } self.isEnabled = self.manager.isEnabled } } } extension DNSProxyManager: OSSystemExtensionRequestDelegate { func requestNeedsUserApproval(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest) { log.info("Extension activation request needs user approval") } func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, didFailWithError error: Error) { log.error("Extension activation request failed: \(error)") } func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, foundProperties properties: [OSSystemExtensionProperties]) { log.info("Extension activation request found properties: \(properties)") } func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, didFinishWithResult result: OSSystemExtensionRequest.Result) { guard result == .completed else { log.error("Unexpected result \(result.description) for system extension request") return } log.info("Extension activation request did finish with result: \(result.description)") enable() } func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, actionForReplacingExtension existing: OSSystemExtensionProperties, withExtension ext: OSSystemExtensionProperties) -> OSSystemExtensionRequest.ReplacementAction { log.info("Existing extension willt be replaced: \(existing.bundleIdentifier) -> \(ext.bundleIdentifier)") return .replace } } import NetworkExtension class DNSProxyProvider: NEDNSProxyProvider { var handlers: [String: FlowHandler] = [:] var isReady = false let queue = DispatchQueue(label: "DNSProxyProvider") override func startProxy(options:[String: Any]? = nil, completionHandler: @escaping (Error?) -> Void) { completionHandler(nil) } override func stopProxy(with reason: NEProviderStopReason, completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) { completionHandler() } override func handleNewUDPFlow(_ flow: NEAppProxyUDPFlow, initialRemoteEndpoint remoteEndpoint: NWEndpoint) -> Bool { let id = shortUUID() handlers[id] = FlowHandler(flow: flow, remoteEndpoint: remoteEndpoint, id: id, delegate: self) return true } override func handleNewFlow(_ flow: NEAppProxyFlow) -> Bool { return false } } class FlowHandler { let id: String let flow: NEAppProxyUDPFlow let remoteEndpoint: NWHostEndpoint let delegate: FlowHandlerDelegate private var connections: [String: RemoteConnection] = [:] private var pendingPacketsByDomain: [String: [(packet: Data, endpoint: NWEndpoint, uniqueID: String, timestamp: Date)]] = [:] private let packetQueue = DispatchQueue(label: "com.flowhandler.packetQueue") init(flow: NEAppProxyUDPFlow, remoteEndpoint: NWEndpoint, id: String, delegate: FlowHandlerDelegate) { log.info("Flow received for \(id) flow: \(String(describing: flow))") self.flow = flow self.remoteEndpoint = remoteEndpoint as! NWHostEndpoint self.id = id self.delegate = delegate defer { start() } } deinit { closeAll(nil) } func start() { flow.open(withLocalEndpoint: flow.localEndpoint as? NWHostEndpoint) { error in if let error = error { self.delegate.flowClosed(self) return } self.readFromFlow() } } func readFromFlow() { self.flow.readDatagrams { packets, endpoint, error in if let error = error { self.closeAll(error) return } guard let packets = packets, let endpoints = endpoint, !packets.isEmpty, !endpoints.isEmpty else { self.closeAll(nil) return } self.processFlowPackets(packets, endpoints) self.readFromFlow() } } } Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Description Enterprise users are experiencing VPN resource access failures after upgrading to macOS Tahoe. Investigation indicates that configd (specifically IPMonitor) is incorrectly re-ranking network interfaces after a connectivity failure with probe server. This results in DNS queries routing through the physical network adapter (en0) instead of the VPN virtual adapter, even while the tunnel is active. This behaviour is not seen in previous macOS versions. Steps to Reproduce: Connect to an enterprise VPN (e.g., Ivanti Secure Access). Trigger a transient network condition where the Apple probe server is unreachable. For example make the DNS server down for 30 sec. Observe the system routing DNS queries for internal resources to the physical adapter. Expected Results The: VPN virtual interface should maintain its primary rank for enterprise DNS queries regardless of the physical adapter's probe status. Actual Results: IPMonitor detects an UplinkIssue, deprioritizes the VPN interface, and elevates the physical adapter to a higher priority rank. Technical Root Cause & Logs: The system logs show IPMonitor identifying an issue and modifying the interface priority at 16:03:54: IPMonitor Detection: The process identifies an inability to reach the Apple probe server and marks en0 with an advisory: Log snippet 2026-01-06 16:03:53.956399+0100 localhost configd[594]: [com.apple.SystemConfiguration:IPMonitor] configd[594] SetInterfaceAdvisory(en0) = UplinkIssue (2) reason='unable to reach probe server' Interface Re-ranking: Immediately following, IPMonitor recalculates the rank, placing the physical service ID at a higher priority (lower numerical rank) than the VPN service ID (net.pulsesecure...): Log snippet 2026-01-06 16:03:53.967935+0100 localhost configd[594]: [com.apple.SystemConfiguration:IPMonitor] 0. en0 serviceID=50CD9266-B097-4664-BFE6-7BAFCC5E9DC0 addr=192.168.0.128 rank=0x200000d 2026-01-06 16:03:53.967947+0100 localhost configd[594]: [com.apple.SystemConfiguration:IPMonitor] 1. en0 serviceID=net.pulsesecure.pulse.nc.main addr=192.168.0.128 rank=0x2ffffff 3.Physical adapter Is selected as Primary Interface: 2026-01-06 16:03:53.968145+0100 localhost configd[594]: [com.apple.SystemConfiguration:IPMonitor] 50CD9266-B097-4664-BFE6-7BAFCC5E9DC0 is the new primary IPv4 configd[594]: 50CD9266-B097-4664-BFE6-7BAFCC5E9DC0 is the new primary DNS Packet Trace Evidence Wireshark confirms that DNS queries for enterprise-specific DNS servers are being originated from the physical IP (192.168.0.128) instead of the virtual adapter: Time: 16:03:54.084 Source: 192.168.0.128 (Physical Adapter) Destination: 172.29.155.115 (Internal VPN DNS Server) Result: Connectivity Failure (Queries sent outside the tunnel)

Hi All, I am currently working on a Network Extension App for MacOS using 3 types of extensions provided by Apple's Network Extension Framework. Content Filter, App Proxy (Want to get/capture/log all HTTP/HTTPS traffic), DNS Proxy (Want to get/capture/log all DNS records). Later parse into human readable format. Is my selection of network extension types correct for the intended logs I need? I am able to run with one extension: Main App(Xcode Target1) <-> Content Filter Extension. Here there is a singleton class IPCConnection between App(ViewController.swift) which is working fine with NEMachServiceName from Info.plist of ContentFilter Extension(Xcode Target2) However, when I add an App Proxy extension as a new Xcode Target3, I think the App and extension's communication getting messed up and App not getting started/Crashing. Here, In the same Main App, I am adding new separate IPCConnection for this extension. Here is the project organization/folder structure. MyNetworkExtension ├──MyNetworkExtension(Xcode Target1) │ ├── AppDelegate.swift │ ├── Assets.xcassets │ ├── Info.plist │ ├── MyNetworkExtension.entitlement │ | ── Main │ |-----ViewController.swift │ └── Base.lproj │ └── Main.storyboard ├── ContentFilterExtension(Xcode Target2) │ ├── ContentFilterExtension.entitlement │ │ ├── FilterDataProvider.swift │ │ ├── Info.plist │ │ ├── IPCConnection.swift │ │ └── main.swift ├── AppProxyProviderExtension(Xcode Target3) │ ├── AppProxyProviderExtension.entitlement │ │ ├── AppProxyIPCConnection.swift │ │ ├── AppProxyProvider.swift │ │ ├── Info.plist │ │ └── main.swift └── Frameworks ├── libbsm.tbd └── NetworkExtension.framework Is my Approach for creating a single Network Extension App with Multiple extensions correct or is there any better approach of project organization that will make future modifications/working easier and makes the maintenance better? I want to keep the logic for each extension separate while having the same, single Main App that manages everything(installing, activating, managing identifiers, extensions, etc). What's the best approach to establish a Communication from MainApp to each extension separately, without affecting one another? Is it good idea to establish 3 separate IPC Connections(each is a singleton class) for each extension? Are there any suggestions you can provide that relates to my use case of capturing all the network traffic logs(including HTTP/HTTPS, DNS Records, etc), especially on App to Extension Communication, where my app unable to keep multiple IPC Connections and maintain them separately? I've been working on it for a while, and still unable to make the Network Extension App work with multiple extensions(each as a new Xcode target). Main App with single extension is working fine, but if I add new extension, App getting crashed. I suspect it's due to XPC/IPC connection things! I really appreciate any support on this either directly or by any suggestions/resources that will help me get better understand and make some progress. Please reach out if in case any clarifications or specific information that's needed to better understand my questions. Thank you very much

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.

Hello, I've been experimenting with the new NEURLFilter API and so far the results are kind of strange. SimpleURLFilter sample contains a bloom filter that seems to be built from this dataset in pir-service-example. I was able to run SimpleURLFilter sample and configure it to use PIRService from the example repo. I also observed the requests that iOS has been sending: requesting config and then sending /queries request. What I haven't seen is any .deny verdict for any URL. Even when calling NEURLFilter.verdict(for: url) directly I cannot see a .deny verdict. Is there anything wrong with the sample or is there a known issue with NEURLFilter in the current beta (beta 8) that prevents it from working?

When installing a new version the app while a tunnel is connected, seemingly the old packet tunnel process gets stopped but the new one does not come back up. Reportedly, a path monitor is reporting that the device has no connectivity. Is this the expected behavior? When installing an update from TestFlight or the App store, the packet tunnel instance from the old tunnel is stopped, but, due to the profile being on-demand and incldueAllNetworks, the path monitoring believes the device has no connectivity - so the new app is never downloaded. Is this the expected behavior? During development, the old packet tunnel gets stopped, the new app is installed, but the new packet tunnel is never started. To start it, the user has to toggle the VPN twice from the Settings app. The tunnel could be started from the VPN app too, if we chose to not take the path monitor into account, but then the user still needs to attempt to start the tunnel twice - it only works on the second try. As far as we can tell, the first time around, the packet tunnel never gets started, the app receives an update about NEVPNStatus being set to disconnecting yet NEVPNConnection does not throw. The behavior I was naively expecting was that the packet tunnel process would be stopped only when the new app is fully downloaded and when the update is installed, Are we doing something horribly wrong here?

When setting up a packet tunnel with a profile that has includeAllNetworks set to true, we seemingly cannot send any traffic inside the tunnel using any kind of an API. We've tried using BSD sockets, as we ping a host only reachable within the tunnel to establish whether we have connectivity - this does not work. When using NWConnection from the Network framework and specifying the required interface via virtualInterface from the packet tunnel, the connection state never reaches ready. Our interim solution is to, as ridiculous as it sounds, include a whole userspace networking stack so we can produce valid TCP packets just to send into our own tunnel. We require a TCP connection within our own tunnel to do some configuration during tunnel setup. Is there no better solution?

We have a VPN app that uses NEPacketTunnelProvider with includeAllNetworks = true. We've encountered an issue where push notifications are not delivered over Wi-Fi while the tunnel is active in a pre-MFA quarantine state (tunnel is up but traffic is blocked on server side), regardless of whether excludeAPNS is set to true or false. Observed behavior Wi-Fi excludeAPNS = true - Notifications not delivered Wi-Fi excludeAPNS = false - Notifications not delivered Cellular excludeAPNS = true - Notifications delivered Cellular excludeAPNS = false - Notifications not delivered On cellular, the behavior matches our expectations: setting excludeAPNS = true allows APNS traffic to bypass the tunnel and notifications arrive; setting it to false routes APNS through the tunnel and notifications are blocked (as expected for a non-forwarding tunnel). On Wi-Fi, notifications fail to deliver in both cases. Our question Is this expected behavior when includeAllNetworks is enabled on Wi-Fi, or is this a known issue / bug with APNS delivery? Is there something else in the Wi-Fi networking path that includeAllNetworks affects beyond routing, which could prevent APNS from functioning even when the traffic is excluded from the tunnel? Sample Project Below is the minimal code that reproduces this issue. The project has two targets: a main app and a Network Extension. The tunnel provider captures all IPv4 and IPv6 traffic via default routes but does not forward packets — simulating a pre-MFA quarantine state. The main app configures the tunnel with includeAllNetworks = true and provides a UI toggle for excludeAPNS. PacketTunnelProvider.swift (Network Extension target): import NetworkExtension class PacketTunnelProvider: NEPacketTunnelProvider { override func startTunnel(options: [String : NSObject]?, completionHandler: @escaping (Error?) -> Void) { let settings = NEPacketTunnelNetworkSettings(tunnelRemoteAddress: "127.0.0.1") let ipv4 = NEIPv4Settings(addresses: ["198.51.100.1"], subnetMasks: ["255.255.255.0"]) ipv4.includedRoutes = [NEIPv4Route.default()] settings.ipv4Settings = ipv4 let ipv6 = NEIPv6Settings(addresses: ["fd00::1"], networkPrefixLengths: [64]) ipv6.includedRoutes = [NEIPv6Route.default()] settings.ipv6Settings = ipv6 let dns = NEDNSSettings(servers: ["198.51.100.1"]) settings.dnsSettings = dns settings.mtu = 1400 setTunnelNetworkSettings(settings) { error in if let error = error { completionHandler(error) return } self.readPackets() completionHandler(nil) } } private func readPackets() { packetFlow.readPackets { [weak self] packets, protocols in self?.readPackets() } } override func stopTunnel(with reason: NEProviderStopReason, completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) { completionHandler() } override func handleAppMessage(_ messageData: Data, completionHandler: ((Data?) -> Void)?) { if let handler = completionHandler { handler(messageData) } } override func sleep(completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) { completionHandler() } override func wake() { } } ContentView.swift (Main app target) — trimmed to essentials: import SwiftUI import NetworkExtension struct ContentView: View { @State private var excludeAPNs = false @State private var manager: NETunnelProviderManager? var body: some View { VStack { Toggle("Exclude APNs", isOn: $excludeAPNs) .onChange(of: excludeAPNs) { Task { await saveAndReload() } } Button("Connect") { Task { await toggleVPN() } } } .padding() .task { await loadManager() } } private func loadManager() async { let managers = try? await NETunnelProviderManager.loadAllFromPreferences() if let existing = managers?.first { manager = existing } else { let m = NETunnelProviderManager() let proto = NETunnelProviderProtocol() proto.providerBundleIdentifier = "<your-extension-bundle-id>" proto.serverAddress = "127.0.0.1" proto.includeAllNetworks = true proto.excludeAPNs = excludeAPNs m.protocolConfiguration = proto m.localizedDescription = "TestVPN" m.isEnabled = true try? await m.saveToPreferences() try? await m.loadFromPreferences() manager = m } if let proto = manager?.protocolConfiguration as? NETunnelProviderProtocol { excludeAPNs = proto.excludeAPNs } } private func saveAndReload() async { guard let manager else { return } if let proto = manager.protocolConfiguration as? NETunnelProviderProtocol { proto.includeAllNetworks = true proto.excludeAPNs = excludeAPNs } manager.isEnabled = true try? await manager.saveToPreferences() try? await manager.loadFromPreferences() } private func toggleVPN() async { guard let manager else { return } if manager.connection.status == .connected { manager.connection.stopVPNTunnel() } else { await saveAndReload() try? manager.connection.startVPNTunnel() } } } Steps to reproduce Build and run the sample project with above code on a physical iOS device. Connect to a Wi-Fi network. Set excludeAPNS = true using the toggle and tap Connect. Send a push notification to the device to a test app with remote notification capability (e.g., via a test push service or the push notification console). Observe that the notification is not delivered. Disconnect. Switch to cellular. Reconnect with the same settings. Send the same push notification — observe that it is delivered. Environment iOS 26.2 Xcode 26.2 Physical device (iPhone 15 Pro)

I've had a Unreal Engine project that uses libwebsocket to make a websocket connection with SSL to a server. Recently I made a build using Unreal Engine 5.4.4 on MacOS Sequoia 15.5 and XCode 16.4 and for some reason the websocket connection now fails because it can't get the local issuer certificate. It fails to access the root certificate store on my device (Even though, running the project in the Unreal Editor works fine, it's only when making a packaged build with XCode that it breaks) I am not sure why this is suddenly happening now. If I run it in the Unreal editor on my macOS it works fine and connects. But when I make a packaged build which uses XCode to build, it can't get the local issuer certificate. I tried different code signing options, such as sign to run locally or just using sign automatically with a valid team, but I'm not sure if code signing is the cause of this issue or not. This app is only for development and not meant to be published, so that's why I had been using sign to run locally, and that used to work fine but not anymore. Any guidance would be appreciated, also any information on what may have changed that now causes this certificate issue to happen. I know Apple made changes and has made notarizing MacOS apps mandatory, but I'm not sure if that also means a non-notarized app will now no longer have access to the root certificate store of a device, in my research I haven't found anything about that specifically, but I'm wondering if any Apple engineers might know something about this that hasn't been put out publicly.

Recently, my application was having trouble sending udp messages after it was reinstalled. The cause of the problem was initially that I did not grant local network permissions when I reinstalled, I was aware of the problem, so udp worked fine after I granted permissions. However, the next time I repeat the previous operation, I also do not grant local network permissions, and then turn it back on in the Settings, and udp does not work properly (no messages can be sent, the system version and code have not changed). Fortunately, udp worked after rebooting the phone, and more importantly, I was able to repeat the problem many times. So I want to know if the process between when I re-uninstall the app and deny local network permissions, and when I turn it back on in Settings, is that permissions have been granted normally, and not fake, and not required a reboot to reset something for udp to take effect. I'm not sure if it's the system, or if it's a similar situation as described here, hopefully that will help me find out

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!

Hi, I’m implementing a macOS DNS Proxy as a system extension and running into a persistent activation error: OSSystemExtensionErrorDomain error 9 (validationFailed) with the message: extension category returned error This happens both on an MDM‑managed Mac and on a completely clean Mac (no MDM, fresh install). Setup macOS: 15.x (clean machine, no MDM) Xcode: 16.x Team ID: AAAAAAA111 (test) Host app bundle ID: com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy DNS Proxy system extension bundle ID: com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy The DNS Proxy is implemented as a NetworkExtension system extension, not an app extension. Host app entitlements From codesign -d --entitlements :- /Applications/NetShieldProxy.app: xml com.apple.application-identifier AAAAAAA111.com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy <key>com.apple.developer.system-extension.install</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key> <string>AAAAAAA111</string> <key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key> <array> <string>group.com.example.NetShieldmac</string> </array> <key>com.apple.security.files.user-selected.read-only</key> <true/> xml com.apple.application-identifier AAAAAAA111.com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>dns-proxy-systemextension</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key> <string>AAAAAAA111</string> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key> <array> <string>group.com.example.NetShieldmac</string> <string>group.example.NetShieldmac</string> <string>group.example.agent.enterprise.macos</string> <string>group.example.com.NetShieldmac</string> </array> DNS Proxy system extension Info.plist On the clean Mac, from: bash plutil -p "/Applications/NetShieldProxy.app/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy.systemextension/Contents/Info.plist" I get: json { "CFBundleExecutable" => "com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy", "CFBundleIdentifier" => "com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy", "CFBundleName" => "com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy", "CFBundlePackageType" => "SYSX", "CFBundleShortVersionString" => "1.0.1.8", "CFBundleSupportedPlatforms" => [ "MacOSX" ], "CFBundleVersion" => "0.1.1", "LSMinimumSystemVersion" => "13.5", "NSExtension" => { "NSExtensionPointIdentifier" => "com.apple.dns-proxy", "NSExtensionPrincipalClass" => "com_example_agent_NetShieldProxy_dnsProxy.DNSProxyProvider" }, "NSSystemExtensionUsageDescription" => "SYSTEM_EXTENSION_USAGE_DESCRIPTION" } The DNSProxyProvider class inherits from NEDNSProxyProvider and is built in the system extension target. Activation code In the host app, I use: swift import SystemExtensions final class SystemExtensionActivator: NSObject, OSSystemExtensionRequestDelegate { private let extensionIdentifier = "com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy" func activate(completion: @escaping (Bool) -> Void) { let request = OSSystemExtensionRequest.activationRequest( forExtensionWithIdentifier: extensionIdentifier, queue: .main ) request.delegate = self OSSystemExtensionManager.shared.submitRequest(request) } func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, didFailWithError error: Error) { let nsError = error as NSError print("Activation failed:", nsError) } func request(_ request: OSSystemExtensionRequest, didFinishWithResult result: OSSystemExtensionRequest.Result) { print("Result:", result.rawValue) } } Runtime behavior on a clean Mac (no MDM) config.plist is created under /Library/Application Support/NetShield (via a root shell script). A daemon runs, contacts our backend, and writes /Library/Application Support/NetShield/state.plist with a valid dnsToken and other fields. The app NetShieldProxy.app is installed via a notarized, stapled Developer ID .pkg. The extension bundle is present at: /Applications/NetShieldProxy.app/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy.systemextension. When I press Activate DNS Proxy in the UI, I see in the unified log: text NetShieldProxy: [com.example.agent:SystemExtensionActivator] Requesting activation for system extension: com.example.agent.NetShieldProxy.dnsProxy NetShieldProxy: [com.example.agent:SystemExtensionActivator] SystemExtensionActivator - activation failed: extension category returned error (domain=OSSystemExtensionErrorDomain code=9) NetShieldProxy: [com.example.agent:SystemExtensionActivator] SystemExtensionActivator - OSSystemExtensionError code enum: 9 NetShieldProxy: [com.example.agent:SystemExtensionActivator] SystemExtensionActivator - validationFailed And: bash systemextensionsctl list -> 0 extension(s) There is no prompt in Privacy & Security on this clean Mac. Question Given: The extension is packaged as a system extension (CFBundlePackageType = SYSX) with NSExtensionPointIdentifier = "com.apple.dns-proxy". Host and extension share the same Team ID and Developer ID Application cert. Entitlements on the target machine match the provisioning profile and Apple’s docs for DNS Proxy system extensions (dns-proxy-systemextension). This is happening on a clean Mac with no MDM profiles at all. What are the likely reasons for OSSystemExtensionErrorDomain error 9 (validationFailed) with "extension category returned error" in this DNS Proxy system extension scenario? Is there any additional configuration required for DNS Proxy system extensions (beyond entitlements and Info.plist) that could trigger this category-level validation failure? Any guidance or examples of a working DNS Proxy system extension configuration (host entitlements + extension Info.plist + entitlements) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi all, I have a working macOS (Intel) system extension app that currently uses only a Content Filter (NEFilterDataProvider). I need to capture/log HTTP and HTTPS traffic in plain text, and I understand NETransparentProxyProvider is the right extension type for that. For HTTPS I will need TLS inspection / a MITM proxy — I’m new to that and unsure how complex it will be. For DNS data (in plain text), can I use the same extension, or do I need a separate extension type such as NEPacketTunnelProvider, NEFilterPacketProvider, or NEDNSProxyProvider? Current architecture: Two Xcode targets: MainApp and a SystemExtension target. The SystemExtension target contains multiple network extension types. MainApp ↔ SystemExtension communicate via a bidirectional NSXPC connection. I can already enable two extensions (Content Filter and TransparentProxy). With the NETransparentProxy, I still need to implement HTTPS capture. Questions I’d appreciate help with: Can NETransparentProxy capture the DNS fields I need (dns_hostname, dns_query_type, dns_response_code, dns_answer_number, etc.), or do I need an additional extension type to capture DNS in plain text? If a separate extension is required, is it possible or problematic to include that extension type (Packet Tunnel / DNS Proxy / etc.) in the same SystemExtension Xcode target as the TransparentProxy? Any recommended resources or guidance on TLS inspection / MITM proxy setup for capturing HTTPS logs? There are multiple DNS transport types — am I correct that capturing DNS over UDP (port 53) is not necessarily sufficient? Which DNS types should I plan to handle? I’ve read that TransparentProxy and other extension types (e.g., Packet Tunnel) cannot coexist in the same Xcode target. Is that true? Best approach for delivering logs from multiple extensions to the main app (is it feasible)? Or what’s the best way to capture logs so an external/independent process (or C/C++ daemon) can consume them? Required data to capture (not limited to): All HTTP/HTTPS (request, body, URL, response, etc.) DNS fields: dns_hostname, dns_query_type, dns_response_code, dns_answer_number, and other DNS data — all in plain text. I’ve read various resources but remain unclear which extension(s) to use and whether multiple extension types can be combined in one Xcode target. Please ask if you need more details. Thank you.

We've received several reports of a new bug while setting up our products with WAC. The Accessory Setup UI appears with a blank network selected and the message 'This accessory will be set up to join "(null)".' at top. The user can tap "Show Other Networks..." to select another network, but this experience is very confusing. Why does this UI present a choice that is known to be invalid when other valid choices exist? I've captured a screenshot and sysdiagnose from this case. In most cases this problem happens only intermittently, but I can reproduce it consistently by disconnecting my iPhone from any WiFi network (WiFi remains enabled). My suggestion for a better user experience is that this UI should select the default network according to these rules: The network to which iPhone is currently connected. Any network which is in the known/my list for this iPhone Any valid network I believe rule #1 is the existing behavior, but applying rules #2 and #3 as fallbacks would be an improvement. Is there anything I can change in my iOS code or in my accessory's WAC server to improve this experience?

Hello team, I am trying to find out a way to block urls in the chrome browser if it is found in local blocked list cache. I found URL Filter Network very much suitable for my requirement. But I see at multiple places that this solution is only for Enterprise level or MDM or supervised device. So can I run this for normal user ? as my targeting audience would be bank users. One more thing how can I test this in development environment if we need supervised devices and do we need special entitlement ? When trying to run sample project in the simulator then getting below error

Eager to see the Wi-Fi Aware communication between iPhone (iOS 26) and an Android device, I tried iOS 26 beta on my iPhone16. and tried below code snippet from provided example at https://developer.apple.com/documentation/wifiaware/building-peer-to-peer-apps. Idea is to first verify discovery of Android WiFiAware service on iOS. extension WAPublishableService { public static var simulationService: WAPublishableService { allServices[simulationServiceName]! } } extension WASubscribableService { public static var simulationService: WASubscribableService { allServices[simulationServiceName]! } } struct ContentView: View { @State private var showingDevicePicker = false @State private var pairedDevices: [WAPairedDevice] = [] // To hold discovered/paired devices var body: some View { VStack { Button("Discover Devices") { showingDevicePicker = true // Trigger the device picker presentation } .sheet(isPresented: $showingDevicePicker) { DevicePicker(.wifiAware(.connecting(to: .selected([]), from: .simulationService))) { endpoint in print("Paired Endpoint: \(endpoint)") } label: { Image(systemName: "plus") Text("Add Device") } fallback: { Image(systemName: "xmark.circle") Text("Unavailable") } } List(pairedDevices) { device in Text(device.name ?? "Unknown Device") } } } } With suggested entitlement of WiFiAware and info.plist of service info. Then I had Android device with WIFiAware service publishing service (service name set '_sat-simulation._udp') from this app https://github.com/anagramrice/NAN. But above iOS app is unable to find the service published from android device. Am I missing something? Note: the above Android-NAN app seems to be working fine between Android to Another Android.

Hello, I have a few questions regarding URL Filter (iOS 26) and Content Filter Providers. URL Filter According to the WWDC26 video, URL Filter appears to be available for both consumer and enterprise deployments. This seems consistent with the classic Network Extension Provider Deployment documentation (TN3134 – August 2025), where no specific deployment restriction is mentioned. However, a more recent document (Apple Platform Deployment, September 2025) indicates the following for URL Filter: “Requires supervision on iPhone, iPad and Mac” (with a green checkmark). 👉 My question: Is URL Filter actually available for consumer use on non-supervised iPhones (deployed on Testflight and AppStore), or is supervision now required? Content Filter Providers From past experience, I remember that Content Filter Providers were only available on supervised devices. Based on the current documentation, I am questioning their usability in a consumer context, i.e. on non-supervised iPhones. In the Network Extension Provider Deployment documentation, it is stated that this is a Network Extension and that, since iOS 16, it is a “per-app on managed device” restriction. In the more recent Apple Platform Deployment document, it states for iPhone and iPad: “App needs to be installed on the user’s iOS and iPadOS device and deletion can be prevented if the device is supervised.” 👉 My understanding: Supervised device: The Content Filter Provider is installed via a host application that controls enabling/disabling the filter, and the host app can be prevented from being removed thanks to supervision. Non-supervised device: The Content Filter Provider is also installed via a host application that controls enabling/disabling the filter, but the app can be removed by the user, which would remove the filter. 👉 My question: Can Content Filter Providers be used in a consumer context on non-supervised iPhones (deployed on Testflight and AppStore), accepting that the user can uninstall the host app (and therefore remove the filter)? Thank you in advance for your feedback. Sources: TN3134 => TN3134: Network Extension provider deployment | Apple Developer Documentation Apple Platform Deployment / Filter content for Apple devices => https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/deployment/dep1129ff8d2/1/web/1.0