Since upgrading to Big Sur I've found that generally NONE of the Apple supplied apps can connect to the internet. For example, Safari, App Store, mail. However Chrome, outlook CAN! Even more curious, when I turn on my VPN all the Apple apps can connect. And yes, I do have wifi connectivity.

As soon as I upgraded to Big Sur most APPLE apps cannot connect to Internet - eg Safari, App Store, Mail. However, 3rd party apps can - eg chrome, outlook. Curiously, turning my VPN ON allows all apps to connect to internet. Sometimes* Safari does connect for a short time, but I haven't worked out what it is yet. I haven't tried disabling bluetooth . Does it seem a coincidence to the fact that Big Sur now bypasses all VPN and firewall settings for exactly the same apple apps that I can't get to connect?