EASession(accessory:forProtocol:) always returns nil — MFI accessory iAP2 Platform: iOS 17+ | Hardware: Custom MFI-certified accessory (USB-C, iAP2) | Language: Swift Problem We have a custom MFI-certified accessory communicating over USB-C using ExternalAccessory. The app calls EASession(accessory:forProtocol:) after receiving EAAccessoryDidConnect but it always returns nil. We never get past session creation. What we have verified We captured a sysdiagnose on-device and analysed the accessoryd-packets log. The full iAP2 handshake completes successfully at the OS level: USB attach succeeds MFI auth certificate is present and Apple-issued Auth challenge and response complete successfully IdentificationInformation is accepted by iOS — protocol string and Team ID are correct EAAccessoryDidConnect fires as expected iOS sends StartExternalAccessoryProtocolSession — the OS-level session is established So the hardware, MFI auth, protocol string, and Team ID are all correct. Despite this, EASession(accessory:forProtocol:) returns nil in the app. We also confirmed: Protocol string in UISupportedExternalAccessoryProtocols in Info.plist matches the accessory exactly Protocol string in code matches Info.plist App entitlements are correctly configured EAAccessoryManager.shared().registerForLocalNotifications() is called before connection Current connection code @objc private func accessoryDidConnect(_ notification: Notification) { guard let accessory = notification.userInfo?[EAAccessoryKey] as? EAAccessory else { return } DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 1.0) { self.tryConnectToAccessory() } } private func tryConnectToAccessory() { DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 3.0) { for accessory in EAAccessoryManager.shared().connectedAccessories { let session = EASession(accessory: accessory, forProtocol: "") // session is always nil here } } } Questions The packet log shows a ~4 second gap between EAAccessoryDidConnect firing and iOS internally completing session readiness (StartExternalAccessoryProtocolSession). Is there a reliable way to know when iOS Is it actually ready to grant an EASession, rather than using a fixed delay? Is there a delegate callback or notification that fires when the accessory protocol session is ready to be opened, rather than relying on EAAccessoryDidConnect + an arbitrary delay? Are there any known conditions on iOS 17+ under which EASession returns nil even though the iAP2 handshake completed successfully at the OS level? Is retrying EASession after a nil result a supported pattern, or does a nil result mean the session will never succeed for that connection? Any guidance appreciated.