For our outdoor power supply company that builds public WiFi networks at camping sites, we want to implement the following features in our app: Scan surrounding WiFi networks When detecting specific public WiFi SSIDs, provide users with corresponding passwords Automatically connect to those WiFi networks Regarding the NEHotspotHelper API permission application, when I clicked on https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/network-extension, it redirected me to https://developer.apple.com/unauthorized/. I'm not sure where to properly apply for this permission now.

Is this even possible? Instead of any pairing dialog appearing, my central code get the "Authentication is insufficient" error when reading the characteristic. My peripheral (in the macOS app) code uses the .notifyEncryptionRequired property and uses .readEncryptionRequired and .writeEncryptionRequired permissions. No descriptors are set, but I think they get added automatically since this characteristic notifies. 2900 and 2902 descriptors are set by the peripheral/CoreBluetooth. If the Mac and iPhone are using the same Apple ID does that affect pairing?

I'm using NERelayManager to set Relay configuration which all works perfectly fine. I then do a curl with the included domain and while I see QUIC connection succeeds with relay server and H3 request goes to the server, the connection gets abruptly closed by the client with "Software caused connection abort". Console has this information: default 09:43:04.459517-0700 curl nw_flow_connected [C1.1.1 192.168.4.197:4433 in_progress socket-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, uses wifi)] Transport protocol connected (quic) default 09:43:04.459901-0700 curl [C1.1.1 192.168.4.197:4433 in_progress socket-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, uses wifi)] event: flow:finish_transport @0.131s default 09:43:04.460745-0700 curl nw_flow_connected [C1.1.1 192.168.4.197:4433 in_progress socket-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, uses wifi)] Joined protocol connected (http3) default 09:43:04.461049-0700 curl [C1.1.1 192.168.4.197:4433 in_progress socket-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, uses wifi)] event: flow:finish_transport @0.133s default 09:43:04.465115-0700 curl [C2 E47A3A0C-7275-4F6B-AEDF-59077ABAE34B 192.168.4.197:4433 quic, multipath service: 1, tls, definite, attribution: developer] cancel default 09:43:04.465238-0700 curl [C2 E47A3A0C-7275-4F6B-AEDF-59077ABAE34B 192.168.4.197:4433 quic, multipath service: 1, tls, definite, attribution: developer] cancelled [C2 FCB1CFD1-4BF9-4E37-810E-81265D141087 192.168.4.139:53898<->192.168.4.197:4433] Connected Path: satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, uses wifi Duration: 0.121s, QUIC @0.000s took 0.000s, TLS 1.3 took 0.111s bytes in/out: 2880/4322, packets in/out: 4/8, rtt: 0.074s, retransmitted bytes: 0, out-of-order bytes: 0 ecn packets sent/acked/marked/lost: 3/1/0/0 default 09:43:04.465975-0700 curl nw_flow_disconnected [C2 192.168.4.197:4433 cancelled multipath-socket-flow ((null))] Output protocol disconnected default 09:43:04.469189-0700 curl nw_endpoint_proxy_receive_report [C1.1 IPv4#124bdc4d:80 in_progress proxy (satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, proxy, uses wifi)] Privacy proxy failed with error 53 ([C1.1.1] masque Proxy: http://192.168.4.197:4433) default 09:43:04.469289-0700 curl [C1.1.1 192.168.4.197:4433 failed socket-flow (satisfied (Path is satisfied), viable, interface: en0[802.11], ipv4, ipv6, dns, uses wifi)] event: flow:failed_connect @0.141s, error Software caused connection abort Relay server otherwise works fine with our QUIC MASQUE clients but not with built-in macOS MASQUE client. Anything I'm missing?

My external device can generate a fixed Wi-Fi network. When I connect to this Wi-Fi using my iPhone 17 Pro Max (iOS version 26.0.1), and my app tries to establish a connection using the following method, this method returns -1 int connect(int, const struct sockaddr *, socklen_t) __DARWIN_ALIAS_C(connect); However, when I use other phones, such as iPhone 12, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, etc., to connect to this external device, the above method always returns successfully, with the parameters passed to the method remaining the same. I also tried resetting the network settings on the iPhone 17 Pro Max (iOS version 26.0.1), but it still cannot establish a connection.

How often do we see control filter start and stop? I read somewhere that data filter is long lived and control Filter is short lived. When does the operating system kills the control filter process?

Hello, I’ve run into some strange behavior with the macOS System Extension using a Packet Tunnel. The issue showed up after the device went to sleep while the VPN was running. When I woke the computer, the VPN tried to reconnect but never succeeded — it just stayed stuck in the “connecting” state. I was able to turn the VPN off, but every attempt to turn it back on failed and got stuck at “connecting” again. Even removing the VPN configuration from Settings didn’t help. The only thing that worked was disabling the system extension completely. While checking the logs, I noticed thousands of identical log messages appearing within just a few seconds: nesessionmanager(562) deny(1) system-fsctl (_IO "h" 47) 17:11:52.481498+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5454 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481568+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5454 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481580+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5454 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481587+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5454 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481646+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5446 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481664+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5446 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481671+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5446 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481676+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5446 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481682+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5446 com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481687+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: got On Demand start message from pid 5446 com.apple.networkextension After the burst of these repeated messages, I started seeing logs like the following: 17:11:52.481759+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Spotify Helper[69038] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481790+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Spotify Helper[69038]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481949+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Spotify Helper[69038] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481966+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Spotify Helper[69038]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481986+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Spotify Helper[69038] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.481992+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Spotify Helper[69038]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482003+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Spotify Helper[69038] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482011+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Spotify Helper[69038]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482022+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Spotify Helper[69038] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482028+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Spotify Helper[69038]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482039+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Spotify Helper[69038] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482049+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Spotify Helper[69038]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482060+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from Slack Helper[84828] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482069+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from Slack Helper[84828]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482079+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Received a start command from sharingd[764] com.apple.networkextension 17:11:52.482086+0200 NESMVPNSession[Primary Tunnel:Secure DNS: Skip a start command from sharingd[764]: session in state connecting com.apple.networkextension It is clear that the connection is in a loop of submitting request to start and then failing. This problem occured only after sleep on macOS 26.0 and 15.6. This issue only occured after the system woke up from sleep. macOS 15.6 and 26.0. Is this a known problem, and how should I go about troubleshooting or resolving it?

Hi, after upgrading to MacOS Sequoia, my connection to my local IP address does not work. The issue is with the PF (MacOS advanced firewall), as I confirmed that my local application works disabling it temporarily. Does anyone know how can I do to solve this problem? As APP developer, this is a big problem for me. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I have created an application for NFC tag scanning and read the tag data. For that, i enabled the capability: NearField Communication Tag reading. Then I added 2 tag formats in the entitlement then i added info.plist: NFCReaderUsageDescription We need to use NFC com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.felica.systemcodes 8005 8008 0003 fe00 90b7 927a 12FC 86a7 com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.iso7816.select-identifiers D2760000850100 D2760000850101 but even though when i run the app and tap the nfc card im getting some error: NFCTag didBecomeActive 2025-08-29 19:08:12.272278+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113090] NFCTag didDetectTags 2025-08-29 19:08:12.282869+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113520] [CoreNFC] -[NFCTagReaderSession _connectTag:error:]:730 Error Domain=NFCError Code=2 "Missing required entitlement" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing required entitlement} 2025-08-29 19:08:12.284044+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113090] NFCTag restarting polling 2025-08-29 19:08:12.372116+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113090] NFCTag didDetectTags 2025-08-29 19:08:12.381535+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113378] [CoreNFC] -[NFCTagReaderSession _connectTag:error:]:730 Error Domain=NFCError Code=2 "Missing required entitlement" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing required entitlement} 2025-08-29 19:08:12.382246+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113090] NFCTag restarting polling 2025-08-29 19:08:12.470667+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113090] NFCTag didDetectTags 2025-08-29 19:08:12.479336+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113378] [CoreNFC] -[NFCTagReaderSession _connectTag:error:]:730 Error Domain=NFCError Code=2 "Missing required entitlement" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Missing required entitlement} 2025-08-29 19:08:12.480101+0530 SAFRAN_NFC[894:113090] NFCTag restarting polling Could you please help me wha tis the issue and give solution for that?

We’re looking to implement a custom IPSec IKEv2 VPN using the Packet Tunnel Provider network extension on iOS because we need to add extra information to EAP, which the built-in IKEv2 VPN configuration does not support. Is it possible to handle the full IKEv2 negotiation and IPSec tunneling within the Packet Tunnel Provider extension? Or are there limitations that would prevent implementing a full IKEv2 stack this way? Any insights or alternative approaches would be appreciated. Thanks!

I’m developing a iOS VPN app, and I need to execute a task in the main app even when it’s in the background or killed state. I know the Network Extension continues running during those times. Is there a way for the extension to immediately notify the app or trigger a task on the app side?

We are developing a client server application using TCP bsd sockets. When our client is connected to the server, copying another client .app bundle from a file server on the same machine (using Finder or terminal using cp), occasionally causes the first client to disconnect. The client receives an EBROKENPIPE error when attempting to write to its socket. In the Console, the following message appears just before the disconnection: necp_socket_find_policy_match: Marking socket in state 258 as defunct This issue seems to occur only when copying an .app bundle signed with the same TeamIdentifier as the running client. Copying arbitrary files or bundles with a different TeamIdentifier does not trigger the problem. We are running on macOS 15.5. The issue appears specific to macOS 15 and was not observed on earlier versions. Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Most apps perform ordinary network operations, like fetching an HTTP resource with URLSession and opening a TCP connection to a mail server with Network framework. These operations are not without their challenges, but they’re the well-trodden path. If your app performs ordinary networking, see TN3151 Choosing the right networking API for recommendations as to where to start. Some apps have extra-ordinary networking requirements. For example, apps that: Help the user configure a Wi-Fi accessory Require a connection to run over a specific interface Listen for incoming connections Building such an app is tricky because: Networking is hard in general. Apple devices support very dynamic networking, and your app has to work well in whatever environment it’s running in. Documentation for the APIs you need is tucked away in man pages and doc comments. In many cases you have to assemble these APIs in creative ways. If you’re developing an app with extra-ordinary networking requirements, this post is for you. Note If you have questions or comments about any of the topics discussed here, put them in a new thread here on DevForums. Make sure I see it by putting it in the App & System Services > Networking area. And feel free to add tags appropriate to the specific technology you’re using, like Foundation, CFNetwork, Network, or Network Extension. Links, Links, and More Links Each topic is covered in a separate post: The iOS Wi-Fi Lifecycle describes how iOS joins and leaves Wi-Fi networks. Understanding this is especially important if you’re building an app that works with a Wi-Fi accessory. Network Interface Concepts explains how Apple platforms manage network interfaces. If you’ve got this far, you definitely want to read this. Network Interface Techniques offers a high-level overview of some of the more common techniques you need when working with network interfaces. Network Interface APIs describes APIs and core techniques for working with network interfaces. It’s referenced by many other posts. Running an HTTP Request over WWAN explains why most apps should not force an HTTP request to run over WWAN, what they should do instead, and what to do if you really need that behaviour. If you’re building an iOS app with an embedded network server, see Showing Connection Information in an iOS Server for details on how to get the information to show to your user so they can connect to your server. Many folks run into trouble when they try to find the device’s IP address, or other seemingly simple things, like the name of the Wi-Fi interface. Don’t Try to Get the Device’s IP Address explains why these problems are hard, and offers alternative approaches that function correctly in all network environments. Similarly, folks also run into trouble when trying to get the host name. On Host Names explains why that’s more complex than you might think. If you’re working with broadcasts or multicasts, see Broadcasts and Multicasts, Hints and Tips. If you’re building an app that works with a Wi-Fi accessory, see Working with a Wi-Fi Accessory. If you’re trying to gather network interface statistics, see Network Interface Statistics. There are also some posts that are not part of this series but likely to be of interest if you’re working in this space: TN3179 Understanding local network privacy discusses the local network privacy feature. Calling BSD Sockets from Swift does what it says on the tin, that is, explains how to call BSD Sockets from Swift. When doing weird things with the network, you often find yourself having to use BSD Sockets, and that API is not easy to call from Swift. The code therein is primarily for the benefit of test projects, oh, and DevForums posts like these. TN3111 iOS Wi-Fi API overview is a critical resource if you’re doing Wi-Fi specific stuff on iOS. TLS For Accessory Developers tackles the tricky topic of how to communicate securely with a network-based accessory. A Peek Behind the NECP Curtain discusses NECP, a subsystem that control which programs have access to which network interfaces. Networking Resources has links to many other useful resources. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" Revision History 2025-07-31 Added a link to A Peek Behind the NECP Curtain. 2025-03-28 Added a link to On Host Names. 2025-01-16 Added a link to Broadcasts and Multicasts, Hints and Tips. Updated the local network privacy link to point to TN3179. Made other minor editorial changes. 2024-04-30 Added a link to Network Interface Statistics. 2023-09-14 Added a link to TLS For Accessory Developers. 2023-07-23 First posted.

I had noticed that my slaac address changed between one beta and the other, but wasn't sure. Now with the RC 15.4 RC (24E247) I made point of preserving the info before updating from the previous beta. What I noticed is that not only the slaac address changes, but also the my ether address, even though I have it on Fixed in the settings. Is it expected that the ether, and the slaac, not be rotated after a OS update?

I am trying to intercept localhost connections within NETransparentProxyProvider system extension. As per NENetworkRule documentation If the address is a wildcard address (0.0.0.0 or ::) then the rule will match all destinations except for loopback (127.0.0.1 or ::1). To match loopback traffic set the address to the loopback address. I tried to add NWHostEndpoint *localhostv4 = [NWHostEndpoint endpointWithHostname:@"127.0.0.1" port:@""]; NENetworkRule *localhostv4Rule = [[NENetworkRule alloc] initWithDestinationNetwork:localhostv4 prefix:32 protocol:NENetworkRuleProtocolAny]; in the include network rules. I tried several variations of this rule like port 0, prefix 0 and some others. But the provider disregards the rule and the never receives any traffic going to localhost on any port. Is there any other configuration required to receive localhost traffic in NETransparentProxyProvider?

Hello, I have encountered an issue with an iPhone 15PM with iOS 18.5. The NSHTTPCookieStorage failed to clear cookies, after clearing them, I was still able to retrieve them. However, on the same system NSHTTPCookie *cookie; NSHTTPCookieStorage *storage = [NSHTTPCookieStorage sharedHTTPCookieStorage]; for (cookie in [storage cookies]) { [storage deleteCookie:cookie]; } NSArray *cookies = [[NSHTTPCookieStorage sharedHTTPCookieStorage] cookiesForURL:[[self url] absoluteURL]]; // still able to get cookies,why???

I'm trying to use NEHotspotNetwork to configure an IoT. I've read all the issues that have plagued other developers when using this framework, and I was under the impression that bugs were filed and fixed. Here are my issues in hopes that someone can catch my bug, or has finally figured this out and it's not a bug in the framework with no immediate fix on the horizon. If I use the following code: let config = NEHotspotConfiguration(ssid: ssid) config.joinOnce = true KiniStatusBanner.shared.show(text: "Connecting to Kini", in: presentingVC.view) NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply(config) { error in DispatchQueue.main.async { if let nsError = error as NSError?, nsError.domain == NEHotspotConfigurationErrorDomain, nsError.code == NEHotspotConfigurationError.alreadyAssociated.rawValue { print("Already connected to \(self.ssid)") KiniStatusBanner.shared.dismiss() self.presentCaptivePortal(from: presentingVC, activationCode: activationCode) } else if let error = error { // This doesn't happen print("❌ Failed to connect: \(error.localizedDescription)") KiniStatusBanner.shared.update(text: "Failed to Connect to Kini. Try again later.") KiniStatusBanner.shared.dismiss(after: 2.5) } else { // !!!! Most often, this is the path the code takes NEHotspotNetwork.fetchCurrent { current in if let ssid = current?.ssid, ssid == self.ssid { log("✅✅ 1st attempt: connected to \(self.ssid)") KiniStatusBanner.shared.dismiss() self.presentCaptivePortal(from: presentingVC, activationCode: activationCode) } else { // Dev forums talked about giving things a bit of time to settle and then try again DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2) { NEHotspotNetwork.fetchCurrent { current in if let ssid = current?.ssid, ssid == self.ssid { log("✅✅✅ 2nd attempt: connected to \(self.ssid)") KiniStatusBanner.shared.dismiss() self.presentCaptivePortal(from: presentingVC, activationCode: activationCode) } else { log("❌❌❌ 2nd attempt: Failed to connect: \(self.ssid)") KiniStatusBanner.shared.update(text: "Could not join Kini network. Try again.") KiniStatusBanner.shared.dismiss(after: 2.5) self.cleanupHotspot() DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 2) { print("cleanup again") self.cleanupHotspot() } } } } log("❌❌ 1st attempt: Failed to connect: \(self.ssid)") KiniStatusBanner.shared.update(text: "Could not join Kini network. Try again.") KiniStatusBanner.shared.dismiss(after: 2.5) self.cleanupHotspot() } As you can see, one can't just use NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply and has to double-check to make sure that it actually succeeds, by checking to see if the SSID desired, matches the one that the device is using. Ok, but about 50% of the time, the call to NEHotspotNetwork.fetchCurrent gives me this error: NEHotspotNetwork nehelper sent invalid result code [1] for Wi-Fi information request Well, there is a workaround for that randomness too. At some point before calling this code, one can: let locationManager = CLLocationManager() locationManager.requestWhenInUseAuthorization() That eliminates the NEHotspotNetwork nehelper sent invalid result code [1] for Wi-Fi information request BUT... three issues. The user is presented with an authorization alert: Allow "Kini" to use your location? This app needs access to you Wi-Fi name to connect to your Kini device. Along with a map with a location pin on it. This gives my users a completely wrong impression, especially for a device/app where we promise users not to track their location. They actually see a map with their location pinned on it, implying something that would freak out anyone who was expecting no tracking. I understand why an authorization is normally required, but since all we are getting is our own IoT's SSID, there should be no need for an authorization for this, and no map associated with the request. Again, they are accessing my IoT's network, NOT their home/location Wi-Fi SSID. My app already knows and specifies that network, and all I am trying to do is to work around a bug that makes it look like I have a successful return from NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply() when in fact the network I was looking for wasn't even on. Not only do I get instances where the network doesn't connect, and result codes show no errors, but I also get instances where I get an alert that says that the network is unreachable, yet my IoT shows that the app is connected to its Wi-Fi. On the iOS device, I go to the Wi-Fi settings, and see that I am on the IoT's network. So basically, sometimes I connect, but the frameworks says that there is no connection, and sometimes it reports a connection when there is none. As you can see in the code, I call cleanupHotspot() to make the iOS device get off of my temp Wi-Fi SSID. This is the code: func cleanupHotspot() { NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.removeConfiguration(forSSID: ssid) } That code gets called by the above code when things aren't as I expect and need to cleanup. And I also call it when the user dismisses the viewcontroller that is attempting to make the connection. It doesn't always work. I get stuck on the tempo SSID, unless I go through this whole thing again: try to make the connection again, this time it succeeds quickly, and then I can disconnect. Any ideas? I'm on iOS18.5, and have tried this on multiple iPhones including 11, 13 and 16.

All of our uses of CFSockets have started causing crashes in iOS 16. They seem to be deprecated so we are trying to transition over to using the Network framework and NWConnection to try to fix the crashes. One of our uses of them is to ping a device on the local network to make sure it is there and online and provide a heartbeat status in logs as well as put the application into a disabled state if it is not available as it is critical to the functionality of the app. I know it is discouraged to disable any functionality based on the reachability of a resource but this is in an enterprise environment where the reachability of this device is mission critical. I've seen other people ask about the ability to ping with the Network framework and the answers I've found have said that this is not possible and pointed people to the SimplePing sample code but it turns out our existing ping code is already using this technique and it is crashing just like our other CFSocket usages, inside CFSocketInvalidate with the error BUG IN CLIENT OF LIBPLATFORM: Trying to recursively lock an os_unfair_lock. Is there any updated way to perform a ping without using the CFSocket APIs that now seem to be broken/unsupported on iOS 16?

Hello, I'm running into an issue while developing an iOS app that requires local network access. I’m using the latest MacBook Air M4 with macOS sequoia 15.5 and Xcode 16.1. In the iOS Simulator, my app fails to discover devices connected to the same local network. I’ve already added the necessary key to the Info.plist: NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription This app needs access to local network devices. When I run the app on a real device and M2 Chip Macbook's simulators, it works fine for local network permission as expected. However, in the M4 Chip Macbook's Simulator: The app can’t find any devices on the local network Bonjour/mDNS seems not to be working as well I’ve tried the following without success: Restarting Simulator and Mac Resetting network settings in Simulator Confirming app permissions under System Settings > Privacy & Security Has anyone else encountered this issue with the new Xcode/macOS combo? Is local network access just broken in the Simulator for now, or is there a workaround? Thanks in advance!

I'm building a HomeKit app that discovers Thread devices and visualizes the mesh topology. I can detect device roles (Router vs End Device via characteristic 0x0703) and identify Border Routers (via _meshcop._udp), but I cannot determine which Router is the parent of a given End Device. Any Thread device can act as a Router (a Nanoleaf bulb, an Eve plug, not just HomePods), and End Devices attach to these Routers as children. That parent-child relationship is what I'm trying to map, but there's no RLOC16, neighbor table, or parent identifier exposed through any available API. I've tested every path I can find. Here's what I've tried on a network with 44 Thread devices and 6 Border Routers: What works (partially) HAP Thread Management Service (0x0701) gives me the device role from characteristic 0x0703, the OpenThread version from 0x0706, and node capabilities from 0x0702. That's the complete set of characteristics on that service. None of them contain RLOC16, parent Router, or neighbor data. This service also only exists on HAP-native Thread devices. My 20 Matter-over-Thread devices (Aqara, Eve Door, SmartWings, Onvis S4) don't have it at all. MeshCoP Bonjour (_meshcop._udp) identifies Border Routers and the network name/Extended PAN ID. No topology data about other mesh nodes. What doesn't work ThreadNetwork framework (THClient) - retrieveAllCredentials() returns error Code 3 because the app can't access credentials stored by Apple Home. Even if it worked, THCredentials only contains network config (name, PAN ID, channel), not topology. Direct CoAP queries - Border Routers don't route traffic from WiFi to Thread management ports. Mesh-local addresses aren't reachable. No Thread NWInterface in Network.framework. Network.framework - No visibility into the Thread mesh from the WiFi side. The only remaining path I can see (but it's not practical) Matter cluster 0x0035 (Thread Network Diagnostics) appears to have exactly what I need: RLOC16, NeighborTable with isChild boolean, RouteTable. I haven't implemented this because it requires commissioning each device individually onto my app's own Matter fabric via Multi-Admin. That's 21 separate user-initiated pairing actions on my network. I can't ask end users to do that. The core issue Every Thread Router (whether it's a HomePod acting as a Border Router or a Nanoleaf bulb acting as a mesh Router) knows its own children and neighbors. The Border Routers also maintain route tables covering the mesh backbone. This data exists on the user's own devices but none of it is exposed to third-party apps. Even something minimal would help. HMAccessory already exposes matterNodeID as a cross-protocol identifier. Exposing RLOC16 the same way would be enough, since parent-child relationships are encoded in the address itself (ParentRLOC = ChildRLOC & 0xFC00). Has anyone found another approach I'm missing? Thanks in advance for any pointers.

General: Forums subtopic: App & System Services > Networking TN3151 Choosing the right networking API Networking Overview document — Despite the fact that this is in the archive, this is still really useful. TLS for App Developers forums post Choosing a Network Debugging Tool documentation WWDC 2019 Session 712 Advances in Networking, Part 1 — This explains the concept of constrained networking, which is Apple’s preferred solution to questions like How do I check whether I’m on Wi-Fi? TN3135 Low-level networking on watchOS TN3179 Understanding local network privacy Adapt to changing network conditions tech talk Understanding Also-Ran Connections forums post Extra-ordinary Networking forums post Foundation networking: Forums tags: Foundation, CFNetwork URL Loading System documentation — NSURLSession, or URLSession in Swift, is the recommended API for HTTP[S] on Apple platforms. Moving to Fewer, Larger Transfers forums post Testing Background Session Code forums post Network framework: Forums tag: Network Network framework documentation — Network framework is the recommended API for TCP, UDP, and QUIC on Apple platforms. Building a custom peer-to-peer protocol sample code (aka TicTacToe) Implementing netcat with Network Framework sample code (aka nwcat) Configuring a Wi-Fi accessory to join a network sample code Moving from Multipeer Connectivity to Network Framework forums post NWEndpoint History and Advice forums post Network Extension (including Wi-Fi on iOS): See Network Extension Resources Wi-Fi Fundamentals TN3111 iOS Wi-Fi API overview Wi-Fi Aware framework documentation Wi-Fi on macOS: Forums tag: Core WLAN Core WLAN framework documentation Wi-Fi Fundamentals Secure networking: Forums tags: Security Apple Platform Security support document Preventing Insecure Network Connections documentation — This is all about App Transport Security (ATS). WWDC 2017 Session 701 Your Apps and Evolving Network Security Standards [1] — This is generally interesting, but the section starting at 17:40 is, AFAIK, the best information from Apple about how certificate revocation works on modern systems. Available trusted root certificates for Apple operating systems support article Requirements for trusted certificates in iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 support article About upcoming limits on trusted certificates support article Apple’s Certificate Transparency policy support article What’s new for enterprise in iOS 18 support article — This discusses new key usage requirements. Technote 2232 HTTPS Server Trust Evaluation Technote 2326 Creating Certificates for TLS Testing QA1948 HTTPS and Test Servers Miscellaneous: More network-related forums tags: 5G, QUIC, Bonjour On FTP forums post Using the Multicast Networking Additional Capability forums post Investigating Network Latency Problems forums post WirelessInsights framework documentation iOS Network Signal Strength forums post Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" [1] This video is no longer available from Apple, but the URL should help you locate other sources of this info.