I did watch WWDC 2019 Session 716 and understand that an active audio session is key to unlocking low‑level networking on watchOS. I’m configuring my audio session and engine as follows: private func configureAudioSession(completion: @escaping (Bool) -> Void) { let audioSession = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() do { try audioSession.setCategory(.playAndRecord, mode: .voiceChat, options: []) try audioSession.setActive(true, options: .notifyOthersOnDeactivation) // Retrieve sample rate and configure the audio format. let sampleRate = audioSession.sampleRate print("Active hardware sample rate: \(sampleRate)") audioFormat = AVAudioFormat(standardFormatWithSampleRate: sampleRate, channels: 1) // Configure the audio engine. audioInputNode = audioEngine.inputNode audioEngine.attach(audioPlayerNode) audioEngine.connect(audioPlayerNode, to: audioEngine.mainMixerNode, format: audioFormat) try audioEngine.start() completion(true) } catch { print("Error configuring audio session: \(error.localizedDescription)") completion(false) } } private func setupUDPConnection() { let parameters = NWParameters.udp parameters.includePeerToPeer = true connection = NWConnection(host: "***.***.xxxxx.***", port: 0000, using: parameters) setupNWConnectionHandlers() } private func setupTCPConnection() { let parameters = NWParameters.tcp connection = NWConnection(host: "***.***.xxxxx.***", port: 0000, using: parameters) setupNWConnectionHandlers() } private func setupWebSocketConnection() { guard let url = URL(string: "ws://***.***.xxxxx.***:0000") else { print("Invalid WebSocket URL") return } let session = URLSession(configuration: .default) webSocketTask = session.webSocketTask(with: url) webSocketTask?.resume() print("WebSocket connection initiated") sendAudioToServer() receiveDataFromServer() sendWebSocketPing(after: 0.6) } private func setupNWConnectionHandlers() { connection?.stateUpdateHandler = { [weak self] state in DispatchQueue.main.async { switch state { case .ready: print("Connected (NWConnection)") self?.isConnected = true self?.failToConnect = false self?.receiveDataFromServer() self?.sendAudioToServer() case .waiting(let error), .failed(let error): print("Connection error: \(error.localizedDescription)") DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2) { self?.setupNetwork() } case .cancelled: print("NWConnection cancelled") self?.isConnected = false default: break } } } connection?.start(queue: .main) } I am reaching out to seek further assistance regarding the challenges I've been experiencing with establishing a UDP, TCP & web socket connection on watchOS using NWConnection for duplex audio streaming. Despite implementing the recommendations provided earlier, I am still encountering difficulties. Or duplex audio streaming not possible on apple watch?

I am currently creating a MacOS app that uses NetworkExtension and SystemExtension without going through the Store. Using entitlements, I manually codesign and create a pkg Installer, but when I run it I get an error message saying "No matching profile found." Below is the log /Applications/Runetale.app/Contents/MacOS/Runetale not valid: Error Domain=AppleMobileFileIntegrityError Code=-413 "No matching profile found" UserInfo={NSURL=file:///Applications/Runetale.app/, unsatisfiedEntitlements=<CFArray 0x71c040fa0 [0x1f7bec120]>{type = immutable, count = 3, values ​​= ( 0 : <CFString 0x71c04f340 [0x1f7bec120]>{contents = "com.apple.developer.system-extension.install"} 1 : <CFString 0x71c1ccaf0 [0x1f7bec120]>{contents = "com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension"} 2 : <CFString 0x71c04fc00 [0x1f7bec120]>{contents = "com.apple.developer.team-identifier"} )}, NSLocalizedDescription=No matching profile found} I looked into it myself and found that if you want to install the app without going through the Store, you need to use packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension instead of packet-tunnel-provider. here However, simply changing to packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension does not allow the build to pass. I use a build method that changes the value of entitlements only during codesign in order to pass the build. SYSEXT="$APP_BUNDLE/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/com.runetale.desktop.PacketTunnel.systemextension" if [ -d "$SYSEXT" ]; then echo "Signing PacketTunnel system extension with entitlements..." cp macos/PacketTunnel/PacketTunnelRelease.entitlements macos/PacketTunnel/PacketTunnelRelease-sign.entitlements sed -i '' 's/packet-tunnel-provider/packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension/' macos/PacketTunnel/PacketTunnelRelease-sign.entitlements codesign --force --options runtime --timestamp --entitlements "$ENTITLEMENTS_FILE" --sign "$DEV_ID_APP_CERT" "$SYSEXT" fi # 3. Sign the entire .app bundle (deep sign by signing the outer app after inner ones) echo "Signing Runetale App with entitlements..." cp macos/Runner/Release.entitlements macos/PacketTunnel/Release-sign.entitlements sed -i '' 's/packet-tunnel-provider/packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension/' macos/PacketTunnel/Release-sign.entitlementsmacos/PacketTunnel/Release-sign.entitlements codesign --force --options runtime --timestamp --entitlements "$APP_ENTITLEMENTS_FILE" --sign "$DEV_ID_APP_CERT" "$APP_BUNDLE" Is this build method wrong? The next solution I'm thinking of is as follows. Is there a way to write packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension directly to entitlments and pass the build? (provisioning profile?) Apply to forum and get permission to use packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension Thank you.

Based on https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/nednssettings/searchdomains , we expect the values mentioned in searchDomains to be appended to a single label DNS query. However, we are not seeing this behavior. We have a packetTunnelProvider VPN, where we set searchDomains to a dns suffix (for ex: test.com) and we set matchDomains to applications and suffix (for ex: abc.com and test.com) . When a user tries to access https://myapp , we expect to see a DNS query packet for myapp.test.com . However, this is not happening when matchDomainsNoSearch is set to true. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/nednssettings/matchdomainsnosearch When matchDomainsNoSearch is set to false, we see dns queries for myapp.test.com and myapp.abc.com. What is the expected behavior of searchDomains?

On iOS 26 beta 5, it is impossible to add a VPN configuration when a passcode is set on the device. Every time, all it does is redirect to the Settings app with no prompt for passcode. The only way around this is to disable passcode on the device so adding a VPN configuration doesn’t have to open the Settings app. This issue happened intermittently in the past with previous iOS 26 betas and even on iOS 18, but the problem has worsened on iOS 26 beta 5 to the point where you have to turn off passcode to add a VPN. Feedback ID: FB17974765

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)?

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 everyone, I'm trying to establish a connection to a server that requires mutual TLS (mTLS) using NSURLSession in an iOS app. The server is configured with a self-signed root CA (in the project, we are using ca.cer) and requires clients to present a valid certificate during the TLS handshake. What I’ve done so far: Server trust is working: I manually trust the custom root CA using SecTrustSetAnchorCertificates and SecTrustEvaluateWithError. I also configured the necessary NSAppTransportSecurity exception in Info.plist to allow the server certificate to pass ATS. This is confirmed by logs showing: Server trust succeeded The .p12 identity is correctly created: Contains the client certificate and private key. Loaded using SecPKCS12Import with the correct password. I implemented the delegate method: func urlSession(_ session: URLSession, didReceive challenge: URLAuthenticationChallenge, completionHandler: @escaping (URLSession.AuthChallengeDisposition, URLCredential?) -> Void) { if challenge.protectionSpace.authenticationMethod == NSURLAuthenticationMethodServerTrust { // Server trust override code (working) ... } if challenge.protectionSpace.authenticationMethod == NSURLAuthenticationMethodClientCertificate { print("🔐 Client cert challenge triggered") if let identity = loadIdentity() { let credential = URLCredential(identity: identity, certificates: nil, persistence: .forSession) completionHandler(.useCredential, credential) } else { completionHandler(.cancelAuthenticationChallenge, nil) } return } completionHandler(.performDefaultHandling, nil) } The session is correctly created using my custom delegate: let delegate = MTLSDelegate(identity: identity, certificates: certs) let session = URLSession(configuration: .default, delegate: delegate, delegateQueue: nil) Despite everything above, the client certificate is never sent, and the request fails with: Error Domain=NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1206 "The server requires a client certificate." From logs, it's clear the delegate is being hit for NSURLAuthenticationMethodServerTrust, but not for NSURLAuthenticationMethodClientCertificate.

Greetings.I have an app today that uses multipeer connectivity extensively. Currently, when the user switches away from the app, MPC disconnects the session(s) - this is by design apparently (per other feedback). I'd like to hear if anyone has experimented with iOS9 multitasking / multipeer and whether MPC sessions can stay alive?Thanks

Currently in our app, to identify a network switch in device we are doing NEHotspotHelper.register and then NEHotspotHelperHandler block. When the command type is evaluate and if the network.didJustJoin, we are identifying it as a network switch. As a part of moving our code base to iOS 26, if is found that NEHotspotHelper is deprecated. What is the proper replacement for this?

I want to detect if the adapter is connected to the iPhone even if no IP has been given to the iPhone. I can detect that the interface is connected when the iPhone has been given an IP address, but how can I detect the adapter when not?

Apologies if this is not the correct topic to post under. EpochField 5.2 is our application. It's a .NET MAUI application built against XCode 16. A customer of ours uses another app, TN3270, to connect to a mainframe host. After installing our app on an iPad and restarting the device, the TN3270 app will disconnect when suspended. Uninstalling our app (EpochField) will allow the TN3270 to suspend without disconnecting. We have tried removing background services, setting UIRequiresFullScreen to false or removing it entirely, and several other ideas. The only remedy seems to be uninstalling EpochField. On an iPad device: Install MochaSoft’s TN3270 app (free version is fine). Create a connection to ssl3270.nccourts.org, port 2023, SSL/TLS turned on, keep alive turned on. Verify that you can connect. Suspend the app by swiping up or choosing another app. Go back to TN3270 and verify that the app has not disconnected. Install EpochField 5.2. Do not run or configure the app, just install it. Repeat step 2. Restart the device. Open EpochField 5.2. You do not need to configure the app or login. Sometimes it isn't necessary to ever open EpochField to get the disconnects, but this is the most reliable way to reproduce the situation. Repeat step 2. The TN3270 app will now disconnect when suspended, even if EpochField is closed. You may need to wait a few seconds after suspending. Uninstall EpochField 5.2. Repeat step 2: the TN3270 app will now remain connected when suspended.

But the NMI and NDI of Samsung's Wi Fi Aware are not the same MAC address. May I ask Apple engineers why they are different from Samsung？

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

Hi everyone, I’m encountering what appears to be a system-level issue with NEAppPushProvider extensions being unable to communicate with other devices on the local network, even when the main app has already been granted Local Network permission by the user. Context The following problem occurs in an iPad app running iOS 18.5. The main app successfully requests and is granted Local Network access via NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription in its Info.plist configuration. It can connect to a WebSocket server hosted on the local network without any issues, resolving its address by name. The extension (NEAppPushProvider) uses the same networking code as the app, extended via target membership of a controller class. It attempts to connect to the same hostname and port but consistently fails to establish a connection. The system log shows it properly resolving DNS but being stopped due to "local network prohibited". An extract of the logs from the Unified Logging System: 12:34:10.086064+0200 PushProvider [C526 Hostname#fd7b1452:8443 initial parent-flow ((null))] event: path:start @0.000s 12:34:10.087363+0200 PushProvider [C526 Hostname#fd7b1452:8443 waiting parent-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, dns, uses wifi)] event: path:satisfied @0.005s 12:34:10.090074+0200 PushProvider [C526 Hostname#fd7b1452:8443 in_progress parent-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, dns, uses wifi)] event: flow:start_connect @0.006s 12:34:10.093190+0200 PushProvider [C526.1 Hostname#fd7b1452:8443 in_progress resolver (satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, dns, uses wifi)] event: resolver:start_dns @0.009s 12:34:10.094403+0200 PushProvider [C526.1.1 IPv4#f261a0dc:8443 waiting path (unsatisfied (Local network prohibited), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, uses wifi)] event: path:unsatisfied @0.010s 12:34:10.098370+0200 PushProvider [C526.1.1.1 IPv4#f261a0dc:8443 failed path (unsatisfied (Local network prohibited), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, uses wifi)] event: null:null @0.014s 12:34:10.098716+0200 PushProvider [C526.1 Hostname#fd7b1452:8443 failed resolver (satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, dns, uses wifi)] event: resolver:children_failed @0.015s 12:34:10.099297+0200 PushProvider [C526 Hostname#fd7b1452:8443 waiting parent-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, dns, uses wifi)] event: flow:child_failed @0.016s What I’ve Confirmed: The extension works perfectly if the DNS is changed to resolve the name to a public IP instead of a local one. The extension always connects by hostname. Devices on the local network can resolve each other’s IP addresses correctly and respond to pings. What I’ve Tried Adding NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription to the main app’s Info.plist, as recommended. Clean building the project again. Removing and reinstalling the app to ensure permission prompts are triggered fresh. Restarting the iPad. Ensuring main app cannot access the local network until the permission is granted. Ensuring the main app has connected to the same hostname and port before the extension attempts a connection Toggling the permission manually in Settings. Apple’s documentation states (TN3179): “In general, app extensions share the Local Network privilege state of their container app.” It also notes that some background-running extension types may be denied access if the privilege is undetermined. But in my case, the main app clearly has Local Network access, and the extension never receives it, even after repeated successful connections by the main app. Question Is this a known limitation with NEAppPushProvider? Is there a recommended way to ensure the extension is able to use the local network permission once the user has granted it on the app? Any feedback, suggestions, or confirmation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

We are currently working on enhancing our iOS app with satellite mode support, allowing users to access a limited set of core features even in the absence of traditional cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. As part of this capability, we're introducing a chatbot feature that relies on both WebSocket and HTTP connections for real-time interaction and data exchange. Given the constrained nature of satellite networks—especially in terms of latency, bandwidth, and connection stability—we're evaluating the feasibility of supporting these communication protocols under such conditions. Could you please advise whether WebSocket and HTTP connections are expected to work over satellite networks?

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.

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

Hi, Our project is a MacOS SwiftUI GUI application that bundles a (Sandboxed) 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 (NEPacketTunnelProvider), as our project requires the creation of a TUN device. In order for our System VPN to function, it must reach out to a (self-hosted) server (i.e. to discover a list of peers). Being self-hosted, this server is typically not accessible via the public web, and may only be accessible from within a VPN (such as those also implemented using NEPacketTunnelProvider, e.g. Tailscale, Cloudflare WARP). What we've discovered is that the networking code of the System Network Extension process does not attempt to use the other VPN network interfaces (utunX) on the system. In practice, this means requests to IPs and hostnames that should be routed to those interfaces time out. Identical requests made outside of the Network System Extension process use those interfaces and succeed. The simplest example is where we create a URLSession.downloadTask for a resource on the server. A more complicated example is where we execute a Go .dylib that continues to communicate with that server. Both types of requests time out. Two noteworthy logs appear when packets fail to send, both from the kernel 'process': cfil_hash_entry_log:6088 <CFIL: Error: sosend_reinject() failed>: [30685 com.coder.Coder-Desktop.VPN] <UDP(17) out so b795d11aca7c26bf 57728068503033955 57728068503033955 age 0> lport 3001 fport 3001 laddr 100.108.7.40 faddr 100.112.177.88 hash 58B15863 cfil_service_inject_queue:4472 CFIL: sosend() failed 49 I also wrote some test code that probes using a UDP NWConnection and NWPath availableInterfaces. When run from the GUI App, multiple interfaces are returned, including the one that routes the address, utun5. When ran from within the sysex, only en0 is returned. I understand routing a VPN through another is unconventional, but we unfortunately do need this functionality one way or another. Is there any way to modify which interfaces are exposed to the sysex? Additionally, are these limitations of networking within a Network System Extension documented anywhere? Do you have any ideas why this specific limitation might exist?

I have an app that connect to specific wifi but the macos always save password while i do not want user to remember the password. Anyway to stop or work around on it?

Question 1: After NetworkExtension is installed, when the software receives a pushed uninstall command, it needs to download the entire software but fails to uninstall this NetworkExtension. Are there any solutions? Question 2: How can residual, uninstalled NetworkExtensions be cleaned up when SIP (System Integrity Protection) is enabled?