Hey! We discovered an unexpected side-effect of enabling enforceRoutes in our iOS VPN application - video airplay from iOS to tvOS stopped working (Unable to Connect popup appears instead). Our flags combination is: includeAllNetworks = false enforceRoutes = true excludeLocalNetworks = true Interestingly, music content can be AirPlayed with the same conditions. Also, video AirPlay from iOS device to the macOS works flawlessly. Do you know if this is a known issue? Do you have any advice if we can fix this problem on our side, while keeping enforcRoutes flag enabled?

Hello, I am facing a validation error when uploading a macOS app with a Network Extension. The Error: Invalid system extension. The system extension at “[T] TEXT.app/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/company_name.network-extension.systemextension” resides in an unexpected location. The Problem: Validation fails only when the app's Product Name contains square brackets: [T] TEXT. If I remove the brackets from the Product Name, validation passes. What I've tried: Setting Product Name to TEXT (without brackets) and CFBundleDisplayName to [T] TEXT. Cleaning Derived Data and rebuilding the archive. Verified that the extension is physically located at Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/. It seems the Apple validation tool fails to parse the bundle path correctly when it contains characters like [ or ]. Question: How can I keep the app name with brackets for the user (in System Settings and Menu Bar) while ensuring the Network Extension passes validation? Is there a way to escape these characters or a specific Info.plist configuration to satisfy the validator?"

Hello, I am facing a validation error when uploading a macOS app with a Network Extension. The Error: Invalid system extension. The system extension at “[T] TEXT.app/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/company_name.network-extension.systemextension” resides in an unexpected location. The Problem: Validation fails only when the app's Product Name contains square brackets: [T] TEXT. If I remove the brackets from the Product Name, validation passes. What I've tried: Setting Product Name to TEXT (without brackets) and CFBundleDisplayName to [T] TEXT. Cleaning Derived Data and rebuilding the archive. Verified that the extension is physically located at Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/. It seems the Apple validation tool fails to parse the bundle path correctly when it contains characters like [ or ]. Question: How can I keep the app name with brackets for the user (in System Settings and Menu Bar) while ensuring the Network Extension passes validation? Is there a way to escape these characters or a specific Info.plist configuration to satisfy the validator?"

I'm using NEPacketTunnelProvider to intercept DNS queries, forward them upstream, and inject the responses back via writePacketObjects(). This works correctly for responses under ~500 bytes. For larger responses (~893 bytes, e.g. DNS CERT records), writePacketObjects() returns without error but mDNSResponder never receives the packet — it retries 3–4 times and then times out. What I have verified: IP and UDP checksums are correct UDP length and IP total length fields are correct Maximum packet size (MTU) set to 1500 in NEIPv4Settings/NEIPv6Settings Approaches tried: Injecting the full 921-byte packet — writePacketObjects() succeeds but the packet never reaches mDNSResponder IP-level fragmentation — fragments appear to be silently dropped Setting the TC (truncation) bit — mDNSResponder does not retry over TCP Truncating the response to ≤512 bytes — the packet arrives but the data is incomplete Questions: Is there a supported way to deliver a DNS response larger than 512 bytes through NEPacketTunnelFlow? Does NEPacketTunnelProvider impose an undocumented packet size limit below the configured MTU? Does mDNSResponder silently discard responses larger than 512 bytes when the original query had no EDNS0 OPT record? Is there a way to signal that larger responses are supported? Are IP-level fragments reliably delivered through writePacketObjects()? Tested on iOS 26.3, physical device.

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’m encountering a persistent issue with my Network Extension (specifically NEFilterDataProvider) and would really appreciate any insights. The extension generally works as expected, but after some time — especially after sleep/wake cycles or network changes — a global network outage occurs. During this state, no network traffic works: pings fail, browsers can’t load pages, etc. As soon as I stop the extension (by disabling it in System Preferences), the network immediately recovers. If I re-enable it, the outage returns instantly. I’ve also noticed that once this happens, the extension stops receiving callbacks like handleNewFlow(), and reinstalling the app or restarting the extension doesn’t help. The only thing that resolves the issue is rebooting the system. After reboot, the extension works fine again — until the problem reoccurs later. I asked AI about this behavior, and it suggested the possibility that the kernel might have marked the extension as untrusted, causing the system to intentionally block all network traffic as a safety mechanism. Has anyone experienced similar behavior with NEFilterDataProvider? Could there be a way to detect or prevent this state without rebooting? Is there any logging or diagnostic data I should collect when it happens again? Any guidance or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Dear Apple Developer Technical Support, I am currently developing a macOS network filtering solution using NetworkExtension with NEFilterDataProvider. During implementation of the handleOutboundData logic, we are using the following verdict: NEFilterNewFlowVerdict.filterDataVerdict( withFilterInbound: true, peekInboundBytes: InboundPeekBytes, filterOutbound: true, peekOutboundBytes: OutboundPeekBytes ) However, we have encountered an issue when SMB traffic is involved. When SMB protocol communication occurs, the network connection occasionally becomes unresponsive or appears to stall when peekOutboundBytes is set to a large value. Through testing, we observed the following behavior: On some systems, reducing the peekOutboundBytes value allows SMB communication to proceed normally. On other systems, even relatively small values can still cause the SMB connection to stall. This behavior appears inconsistent across different macOS environments. Because of this, we would like to clarify the following: Is there a documented or recommended maximum value for peekOutboundBytes when using NEFilterNewFlowVerdict.filterDataVerdict? Are there any internal limits or constraints within NetworkExtension that could cause SMB traffic to stall when the peek buffer size is too large? Are there best practices for selecting appropriate peekInboundBytes / peekOutboundBytes values when filtering high-throughput protocols such as SMB? If necessary, we can provide additional information such as macOS version, test environment details, and logs. Thank you for your assistance. Best regards, sangho

I'm building a macOS network monitor using NEFilterDataProvider as a system extension, distributed with Developer ID signing. On macOS 26.3 (Tahoe), sysextd consistently rejects the activation request with "no policy, cannot allow apps outside /Applications" — despite the app being in /Applications and passing every verification check. I'm aware of the known Xcode NE signing bug (r. 108838909) and have followed the manual signing process from Exporting a Developer ID Network Extension. I've also tried both xcodebuild build and xcodebuild archive workflows — identical failure. Environment macOS 26.3 (25D125), SIP enabled Xcode 26.3 (17C529) Hardware Apple M2 Pro Certificate Developer ID Application (issued Jan 30, 2026 — 27 days old) MDM/Profiles None installed Signing & Verification (all pass) $ spctl -a -vv /Applications/Chakshu.app /Applications/Chakshu.app: accepted source=Notarized Developer ID origin=Developer ID Application: ROBIN SHARMA (R65679C4F3) $ codesign --verify --deep --strict -vv /Applications/Chakshu.app /Applications/Chakshu.app: valid on disk /Applications/Chakshu.app: satisfies its Designated Requirement $ xcrun stapler validate /Applications/Chakshu.app The validate action worked! App signing: Authority=Developer ID Application: ROBIN SHARMA (R65679C4F3) Authority=Developer ID Certification Authority Authority=Apple Root CA TeamIdentifier=R65679C4F3 Runtime Version=26.2.0 Notarization Ticket=stapled App entitlements: com.apple.application-identifier = R65679C4F3.dev.indrasvat.chakshu com.apple.developer.team-identifier = R65679C4F3 com.apple.developer.system-extension.install = true com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension = [content-filter-provider-systemextension] keychain-access-groups = [R65679C4F3.*] Extension signing: Same Developer ID authority, same team, same timestamp. Extension entitlements match (minus system-extension.install). Developer ID provisioning profiles are embedded in both app and extension. What sysextd logs Captured Feb 26, 2026 from log stream --predicate 'process == "sysextd"': sysextd [com.apple.sx:XPC] client activation request for dev.indrasvat.chakshu.filter sysextd attempting to realize extension with identifier dev.indrasvat.chakshu.filter sysextd (Security) SecKeyVerifySignature ← pass (×2) sysextd (Security) SecTrustEvaluateIfNecessary ← pass (×2) sysextd [com.apple.xpc:connection] activating connection: name=com.apple.CodeSigningHelper sysextd [com.apple.xpc:connection] invalidated after the last release sysextd no policy, cannot allow apps outside /Applications sysextd [com.apple.sx:XPC] client connection invalidated Signature and trust evaluation pass. CodeSigningHelper completes. Then the policy check fails. The app receives OSSystemExtensionError code 4 (extensionNotFound). What I've tried and ruled out Build process: Approach Result xcodebuild build -configuration Release + manual re-sign Same failure xcodebuild archive + export from archive + manual re-sign (per thread/737894) Same failure Minimal hand-crafted Xcode project (no xcodegen, trivial code) Same failure Both workflows follow Quinn's process exactly: build with Apple Development → copy app → embed Developer ID provisioning profiles → re-sign inside-out (extension first, then app) with -systemextension suffix entitlements → notarize → staple → install to /Applications. System-level checks: Rebooting — no change Killing sysextd — no change Removing com.apple.quarantine xattr — no change chown root:wheel on app bundle — no change lsregister -r (reset Launch Services) — no change Waiting 27 days for certificate propagation — no change Reinstalling via Finder drag-to-Applications — no change No MDM or configuration profiles installed /Library/SystemExtensions/db.plist shows extensionPolicies: [] (empty) Key observation Pre-existing network extensions activated before macOS 26 work fine on this machine. For example, Tailscale's NEPacketTunnelProvider shows state: activated_enabled in the system extensions database — it was activated on a prior macOS version and is still running. Only new system extension activations fail. I've seen similar Tahoe-specific reports from LuLu (same NEFilterDataProvider type, Developer ID distribution): LuLu #825 LuLu #831 Questions Is this a known regression in macOS 26's sysextd policy evaluation for new Developer ID system extension activations? sysextd's policy check fails after all signature and trust evaluation succeeds. Is there a separate trust/policy path that sysextd consults beyond what spctl, codesign, and CodeSigningHelper verify? Is there anything else I should be checking? I have a sysdiagnose captured immediately after the failure, a minimal reproducer project, and full raw sysextd logs available on request.

Hi, On macOS 26.4 Beta (25E5218f) （macOS Tahoe 26 Developer Beta ）, the network filter causes network failures or slowdowns. This manifests as Chrome failing to access websites, while Safari can access the same websites without issue. The affected websites can be pinged locally. My situation is similar to this situation.The same question link is: https://github.com/objective-see/LuLu/issues/836 Have you been paying attention to this issue? Hopefully, it can be fixed in the official release. Thank you.

Dear Apple Developer Support Team, I am writing to inquire about the process for obtaining approval for the following entitlement in my iOS/macOS app: <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>content-filter-provider</string> </array> Specifically, I would like guidance on: The steps required to submit a request for this entitlement. Any necessary documentation or justification that needs to be provided to Apple. Typical review timelines and approval criteria. Any restrictions or compliance requirements associated with this entitlement. Our app intends to implement a content filtering functionality to enhance network security and user safety. We want to ensure full compliance with Apple’s policies and guidelines. Could you please provide detailed instructions or point us to the relevant resources to initiate this approval process? Thank you for your assistance.

Hello, I need to develop a Network Extension (Transparent Proxy) that sends data to the host application for analysis. Network Extension - XPC client Host application - XPC service I am trying to implement it with XPC. However, when attempting to connect, I see the following error in the system logs on client side. [0x1015a2050] failed to do a bootstrap look-up: xpc_error=[3: No such process] I assume the problem occurs because the Network Extension cannot find the registered XPC service. On the service side, I see the following message in the logs: 2026-02-24 13:15:36.419345+0300 localhost fgstnehost[58884]: (libxpc.dylib) [com.apple.xpc:connection] [0x100bdee70] activating connection: mach=true listener=true peer=false name=TEAM_ID.group.app_id.netfilter.xpc Entitlements Network Extension: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>app-proxy-provider-systemextension</string> </array> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key> <array> <string>TEAM_ID.group.app_id.netfilter</string> </array> <key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.security.xpc.mach-lookup.global-name</key> <array> <string>TEAM_ID.group.app_id.netfilter.xpc</string> </array> </dict> </plist> Entitlements host application: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd"> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>app-proxy-provider-systemextension</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.system-extension.install</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key> <array> <string>TEAM_ID.group.app_id.netfilter</string> </array> <key>com.apple.security.app-sandbox</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.security.xpc.mach-service.name</key> <array> <string>TEAM_ID.group.app_id.netfilter.xpc</string> </array> </dict> </plist> Server.m @interface XPCServer () @property (nonatomic, strong) NSXPCListener *listener; @end @implementation XPCServer - (instancetype) init { self = [super init]; if (self != nil) { _listener = [[NSXPCListener alloc] initWithMachServiceName: XPC_SERVICE_ID]; _listener.delegate = self; } return self; } - (void) start { [self.listener resume]; } - (BOOL) listener:(NSXPCListener *) listener shouldAcceptNewConnection:(NSXPCConnection *) newConnection { return YES; } @end Client.m @interface XPCClient () @property (nonatomic, strong) NSXPCConnection *connection; @end @implementation XPCClient - (void) connect { self.connection = [[NSXPCConnection alloc] initWithMachServiceName: XPC_SERVICE_ID options: NSXPCConnectionPrivileged]; self.connection.invalidationHandler = ^{ [[OSLogger sharedInstance] error: "XPCClient: connection can not be formed or the connection has terminated and may not be re-established"]; }; self.connection.interruptionHandler = ^{ [[OSLogger sharedInstance] error: "XPCClient: the remote process exits or crashes"]; }; [self.connection resume]; } @end What could be the root cause of this issue? Are there any recommendations for implementing IPC between a Network Extension and aß Host Application? Thank you in advance.

I've been able to run this sample project with the PIRServer. But the urls are still not blocked. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/networkextension/filtering-traffic-by-url https://github.com/apple/pir-service-example I got this on the log Received filter status change: <FilterStatus: 'running'>

My team is developing an enterprise VPN application that needs to respond to Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile installations and removals in real-time. Our app uses the NetworkExtension framework and needs to update the UI immediately when VPN configurations are added or removed via MDM. We are currently observing NEVPNConfigurationChangeNotification to detect VPN configuration changes: While NEVPNConfigurationChangeNotification fires reliably when users manually remove VPN profiles through Settings > General > VPN & Device Management, it appears to have inconsistent behavior when MDM profiles containing VPN configurations are installed programmatically via MDM systems. STEPS TO REPRODUCE From MDM Admin Console: Deploy a new VPN profile to the test device On Device: Wait for MDM profile installation (usually silent, no user interaction required) Check Device Settings: Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management to confirm profile is installed Return to App: Check if the UI shows the new VPN profile

Dear Apple Support Team, Thank you for your continued support. I would like to inquire about the behavior of CallKit. Our company provides an office PBX extension phone application (iPhone app). When the iPhone is placed into sleep mode (screen off) and our app receives an incoming call, the following sequence sometimes results in an audio playback panel appearing at the bottom of the lock screen for a few seconds after the call ends(See attachment file for detail). Sequence to reproduce the issue: Put the iPhone into sleep mode (screen off). Receive an incoming call to our extension phone app. CallKit incoming call screen appears. Answer the call. Conduct the call. End the call from the peer. iOS versions with confirmed behavior: iOS 26.0: Not observed. iOS 26.2: Observed. iOS 26.3: Not observed. This behavior does not affect the call functionality itself; however, some users report that the temporary appearance of the audio playback panel feels unusual. If there is any known reason for this behavior or any recommended workaround, we would greatly appreciate your guidance. Additionally, if this is a known issue that was addressed in iOS 26.3, we would appreciate any information you can provide regarding that as well. Thank you very much for your assistance.

I'm building a content filtering app using NEURLFilterManager and NEURLFilterControlProvider (introduced in iOS 26). The app uses a PIR server for privacy-preserving URL filtering. Everything works with development-signed builds, but App Store export validation rejects: Entitlement value "url-filter-provider" for com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension — "not supported on iOS" I have "Network Extensions" enabled on my App IDs in the developer portal, but the provisioning profiles don't seem to include url-filter-provider, and I don't see a URL filter option in the Capability Requests tab. What I've tried: Entitlement values: url-filter-provider, url-filter — both rejected at export Extension points: com.apple.networkextension.url-filter, com.apple.networkextension.url-filter-control — both rejected Regenerating provisioning profiles after enabling Network Extensions capability My setup: iOS 26, Xcode 26 Main app bundle: com.pledgelock.app URL filter extension bundle: com.pledgelock.app.url-filter PIR server deployed and functional Is there a specific request or approval process needed for the url-filter-provider entitlement? The WWDC25 session "Filter and tunnel network traffic with NetworkExtension" mentions this entitlement but I can't find documentation on how to get it approved for distribution. Any guidance appreciated. Thanks!

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

Hello, We are implementing a Transparent Proxy using NETransparentProxyProvider and configuring NETransparentProxyNetworkSettings with NENetworkRule. Currently, NENetworkRule requires: NENetworkRule( destinationHost: NWHostEndpoint(hostname: String, port: String), protocol: .TCP / .UDP / .any ) NWHostEndpoint.port accepts only a single port value (as a String) or an empty string for all ports. At present, we are creating a separate NENetworkRule for each port in the range (ex for range 49152–65535 approximately 16,384 rules). After deploying this configuration, we observe the following behavior: nesessionmanager starts consuming very high CPU (near 100%) The system becomes unresponsive The device eventually hangs and restarts automatically The behavior resembles a kernel panic scenario This strongly suggests that creating thousands of NENetworkRule entries may not be a supported or scalable approach. Questions: Is there any officially supported way to specify a port range in NENetworkRule? Is creating thousands of rules (one per port) considered acceptable or supported? Is the recommended design to intercept broadly (e.g., port = "") and filter port ranges inside handleNewTCPFlow / handleNewUDPFlow instead? Are there documented system limits for the number of NENetworkRule entries allowed in NETransparentProxyNetworkSettings?

Hi, I’m implementing a NetworkExtension content filter provider on iOS and I can’t get it to activate on device. I have an iOS app (App Store distribution) with a content filter provider extension (NEFilterDataProvider). The app builds, installs, and runs fine, and the extension is embedded correctly. Entitlements appear to be set for both the app and the extension, and the extension’s Info.plist is configured as expected. However, when I try to enable the filter via NEFilterManager (loadFromPreferences → set configuration → isEnabled = true → saveToPreferences), saveToPreferences fails with NEFilterErrorDomain code 1 and the message “Configuration invalid or read/write failed.” The extension never starts and startFilter() is never called. Main app bundle ID: uk.co.getnovi.student Extension bundle ID: uk.co.getnovi.student.NoviContentFilter Extension type: NEFilterDataProvider We are testing on an iPhone 15 running iOS 18.6.2 (22G100), the app is designed to run on iPhone. This app is intended for education use on student-owned personal iPhones installed from the App Store. The devices we are testing on are not supervised and not enrolled in MDM. We already use the Family Controls framework (ManagedSettings) for app restrictions and have the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement enabled for App Store distribution. I’ve read TN3134 and noticed content filter providers on iOS are described as “supervised devices only” in general, with additional notes around iOS 15.0 for “apps using Screen Time APIs” and iOS 16.0 for “per-app on managed devices,” plus a note that in the Screen Time case content filters are only supported on child devices. My question is whether this error is what you’d expect when attempting to enable a content filter provider on a non-supervised, non-managed device, or whether this should still work if the entitlement and configuration are correct. If non-supervised devices are not supported, is there any supported path for enabling NEFilter on iOS without supervision/MDM (for example via the Screen Time / Family Controls child authorization pathway), or will the system always refuse to enable the filter on standard devices? In summary: is NEFilterDataProvider supported on non-supervised devices for consumer App Store apps, or is this a platform restriction that cannot be worked around? Thanks, Matt

Hi, I’m implementing a NetworkExtension content filter provider on iOS and I can’t get it to activate on device. I have an iOS app (App Store distribution) with a content filter provider extension (NEFilterDataProvider). The app builds, installs, and runs fine, and the extension is embedded correctly. Entitlements appear to be set for both the app and the extension, and the extension’s Info.plist is configured as expected. However, when I try to enable the filter via NEFilterManager (loadFromPreferences → set configuration → isEnabled = true → saveToPreferences), saveToPreferences fails with NEFilterErrorDomain code 1 and the message “Configuration invalid or read/write failed.” The extension never starts and startFilter() is never called. Main app bundle ID: uk.co.getnovi.student Extension bundle ID: uk.co.getnovi.student.NoviContentFilter Extension type: NEFilterDataProvider We are testing on an iPhone 15 running iOS 18.6.2 (22G100). This app is intended for education use on student-owned personal iPhones installed from the App Store. The devices we are testing on are not supervised and not enrolled in MDM. We already use the Family Controls framework (ManagedSettings) for app restrictions and have the com.apple.developer.family-controls entitlement enabled for App Store distribution. I’ve read TN3134 and noticed content filter providers on iOS are described as “supervised devices only” in general, with additional notes around iOS 15.0 for “apps using Screen Time APIs” and iOS 16.0 for “per-app on managed devices,” plus a note that in the Screen Time case content filters are only supported on child devices. My question is whether this error is what you’d expect when attempting to enable a content filter provider on a non-supervised, non-managed device, or whether this should still work if the entitlement and configuration are correct. If non-supervised devices are not supported, is there any supported path for enabling NEFilter on iOS without supervision/MDM (for example via the Screen Time / Family Controls child authorization pathway), or will the system always refuse to enable the filter on standard devices? TLDR: is NEFilterDataProvider supported on non-supervised devices for consumer App Store apps, or is this a platform restriction that cannot be worked around? Thanks, Matt

I have an iOS app with a network extension that's using OSLog to log various bits of information that are useful for debugging. I'm currently trying to add a simple button that bundles up those logs with some other information and presents the user with a Share sheet so they can send it to support teams. I looked at OSLogStore but it only collects logs for the current process so the user clicking a button in my app wouldn't collect logs from my network extension. I would really like to avoid having to guide users through the process of creating and sharing a sysdiagnose but it seems like this might be the only option. How do other folks do this kind of thing? Is there a recommended way to do it?