Hi everyone, I’m currently experimenting with building a simple DNS filter using Apple’s Packet Tunnel framework. Here’s the flow I’m trying to implement: Create a TUN interface Set up a UDP socket Read packets via packetFlow.readPackets Parse the raw IP packet Forward the UDP payload through the socket Receive the response from the server Reconstruct the IP packet with the response Write it back to the TUN interface using packetFlow.writePackets Here’s an example of an intercepted IP packet (DNS request): 45 00 00 3c 15 c4 00 00 40 11 93 d1 c0 a8 00 64 08 08 08 08 ed 6e 00 35 00 28 e5 c9 7f da 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 74 69 6d 65 05 61 70 70 6c 65 03 63 6f 6d 00 00 01 00 01 And here’s the IP packet I tried writing back into the TUN interface (DNS response): 45 00 00 89 5e 37 40 00 40 11 0b 11 08 08 08 08 c0 a8 00 64 00 35 ed 6e 00 75 91 e8 7f da 81 80 00 01 00 04 00 00 00 00 04 74 69 6d 65 05 61 70 70 6c 65 03 63 6f 6d 00 00 01 00 01 c0 0c 00 05 00 01 00 00 0c fb 00 11 04 74 69 6d 65 01 67 07 61 61 70 6c 69 6d 67 c0 17 c0 2c 00 01 00 01 00 00 03 04 00 04 11 fd 74 fd c0 2c 00 01 00 01 00 00 03 04 00 04 11 fd 74 7d c0 2c 00 01 00 01 00 00 03 04 00 04 11 fd 54 fb Unfortunately, it seems the packet is not being written back correctly to the TUN interface. I’m not seeing any expected DNS response behavior on the device. Also, I noticed that after creating the TUN, the interface address shows up as 0.0.0.0:0 in Xcode. The system log includes this message when connecting the VPN: NWPath does not have valid interface: satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: utun20[endc_sub6], ipv4, dns, expensive, uses cellular Does anyone know how to properly initialize the TUN so that the system recognizes it with a valid IP configuration? Or why my written-back packet might be getting ignored? Any help would be appreciated!

Hi everyone, I'm currently experimenting with building a simple DNS filter using Apple's Packet Tunnel framework. Here's the flow I'm trying to implement: Create a TUN interface Set up a UDP socket Read packets via packetFlow.readPackets Parse the raw IP packet Forward the UDP payload through the socket Receive the response from the server Reconstruct the IP packet with the response Write it back to the TUN interface using packetFlow.writePackets Here’s an example of an intercepted IP packet (DNS request): 45 00 00 3c 15 c4 00 00 40 11 93 d1 c0 a8 00 64 08 08 08 08 ed 6e 00 35 00 28 e5 c9 7f da 01 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 74 69 6d 65 05 61 70 70 6c 65 03 63 6f 6d 00 00 01 00 01 And here’s the IP packet I tried writing back into the TUN interface (DNS response): 45 00 00 89 5e 37 40 00 40 11 0b 11 08 08 08 08 c0 a8 00 64 00 35 ed 6e 00 75 91 e8 7f da 81 80 00 01 00 04 00 00 00 00 04 74 69 6d 65 05 61 70 70 6c 65 03 63 6f 6d 00 00 01 00 01 c0 0c 00 05 00 01 00 00 0c fb 00 11 04 74 69 6d 65 01 67 07 61 61 70 6c 69 6d 67 c0 17 c0 2c 00 01 00 01 00 00 03 04 00 04 11 fd 74 fd c0 2c 00 01 00 01 00 00 03 04 00 04 11 fd 74 7d c0 2c 00 01 00 01 00 00 03 04 00 04 11 fd 54 fb Unfortunately, it seems the packet is not being written back correctly to the TUN interface. I'm not seeing any expected DNS response behavior on the device. Also, I noticed that after creating the TUN, the interface address shows up as 0.0.0.0:0 in Xcode. The system log includes this message when connecting the VPN: NWPath does not have valid interface: satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: utun20[endc_sub6], ipv4, dns, expensive, uses cellular Does anyone know how to properly initialize the TUN so that the system recognizes it with a valid IP configuration? Or why my written-back packet might be getting ignored? Any help would be appreciated!

I’m encountering an unexpected issue while using NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply(...) to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Specifically, I’m receiving a userDenied error, even though the user did not interact with any system prompt. Here’s a version of the code I’m using: let config = NEHotspotConfiguration(ssid: ssid, passphrase: passphrase, isWEP: false) // config.joinOnce = true NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply(config) { error in if let err = error { let nsErr = err as NSError mlog("err.code:\(nsErr.code)") if nsErr.code == NEHotspotConfigurationError.alreadyAssociated.rawValue { self.findWiFiListAndConnect(ssid, passphrase, overtimeSec, timeStart) } else { self.cmdDelegateQueue.async { self.delegate?.wifiClose(nsErr.code) } } } } The error returned is: wifiClose status: 7 Which corresponds to NEHotspotConfigurationError.userDenied. According to the official Apple documentation, this error should only occur when the user explicitly cancels the system dialog. However, in my case: • No system dialog appears. • The user does nothing, yet the error is still returned. • This issue does not happen every time, but it has been observed across multiple devices. Additional info: • iOS version: 18.5 • Device model: iPhone • joinOnce is not set (defaults to false) • Existing configuration is removed using removeConfiguration(...) before applying Is it possible that under certain system states (e.g. backgrounded, network restrictions, or app permissions), iOS silently fails without showing the prompt? Has anyone else encountered this issue, or does anyone know what could cause this behavior? Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Q] How many instances of the same NEFilterDataProvider subclass can there be in a single running Network Extension at any given time? I would expect that there can be only 1 instance but I'm looking at a memgraph where 2 instances are listed. As it's the Network Extension framework that is responsible for creating, starting and stopping these instances, this is rather strange.

Do we have clear document around multiple content filter applications running on single device.? While the documentation says 8 content filters and Only one filter available for system-wide use, there is no clear mention about below scenarios - Which content filter will get precedence? System-wide or App managed? Can there be mulitple Content filters configured for same managed application? Will all control provider running on the device get notified about network traffic ? I searched the forums to get a clear answer but seems older threads where nothing was conclusive. Thanks in advance for the help !!

Hello, I am planning to build content filter application for iOS platform and based on the documentation I have read, it's not clear if I can just inspect/monitor network traffic and not filter or block URLs in the NEFilterDataProvider. Is this a valid use case ? With this approach, will the App get rejected during the App review.?

{"bug_type":"210","timestamp":"2025-07-04 14:19:35.00 +0800","os_version":"macOS 15.5 (24F74)","roots_installed":0,"incident_id":"5457889A-1002-4389-BAE6-A447733EFD78"} { "build" : "macOS 15.5 (24F74)", "product" : "MacBookPro18,4", "socId" : "6001", "socRevision" : "11", "incident" : "5457889A-1002-4389-BAE6-A447733EFD78", "crashReporterKey" : "4ABE0CA2-C60B-8B0E-557A-C0BDEB1E9144", "kernel" : "Darwin Kernel Version 24.5.0: Tue Apr 22 19:54:49 PDT 2025; root:xnu-11417.121.62/RELEASE_ARM64_T6000", "date" : "2025-07-04 14:19:35.95 +0800", "panicString" : "panic(cpu 1 caller 0xfffffe00215f28e8): Kernel data abort. at pc 0xfffffe0021310d9c, lr 0x37a67e002116f050 (saved state: 0xfffffe60706d3240)\n\t x0: 0xfffffe2eaac676f8 x1: 0x0000000000000000 x2: 0xfffffe002116f050 x3: 0x0000000000000002\n\t x4: 0x0000000000002021 x5: 0xffffffffffffffff x6: 0x0000000000000000 x7: 0x0000006ddf79e068\n\t x8: 0xf9555cb919b50093 x9: 0x0000000000000000 x10: 0x0000000000000054 x11: 0x0000000000000000\n\t x12: 0xfffffe002477dfc8 x13: 0x0000000000000001 x14: 0x0000000000000052 x15: 0x0000000000000000\n\t x16: 0x0000020061052ad4 x17: 0x0000000000000001 x18: 0x0000000000000000 x19: 0xfffffe2eaa38d000\n\t x20: 0x0000000000000000 x21: 0xfffffe2eaac676f8 x22: 0x0000000000000020 x23: 0xfffffe2eab90f000\n\t x24: 0x000000001e22b50a x25: 0x0000000000000000 x26: 0x0000000000000000 x27: 0xfffffe2eab90efb4\n\t x28: 0x0000000000003500 fp: 0xfffffe60706d35b0 lr: 0x37a67e002116f050 sp: 0xfffffe60706d3590\n\t pc: 0xfffffe0021310d9c cpsr: 0x60401208 esr: 0xfffffe6096000006 far: 0x0000000000000068\n\nDebugger message: panic\nMemory ID: 0x6\nOS release type: User\nOS version: 24F74\nKernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 24.5.0: Tue Apr 22 19:54:49 PDT 2025; root:xnu-11417.121.62/RELEASE_ARM64_T6000\nFileset Kernelcache UUID: AF6531DB60D1EB2338126CF77682B8DE\nKernel UUID: CBC2F718-53E4-3C8D-BEC7-FB6DDC3318E1\nBoot session UUID: 5457889A-1002-4389-BAE6-A447733EFD78\niBoot version: iBoot-11881.121.1\niBoot Stage 2 version: iBoot-11881.121.1\nsecure boot?: YES\nroots installed: 0\nPaniclog version: 14\nKernelCache slide: 0x0000000018540000\nKernelCache base: 0xfffffe001f544000\nKernel slide: 0x0000000018548000\nKernel text base: 0xfffffe001f54c000\nKernel text exec slide: 0x0000000019ce0000\nKernel text exec base: 0xfffffe0020ce4000\nmach_absolute_time: 0x6ddf85c206\nEpoch Time: sec usec\n Boot : 0x686680ed 0x000c5ab2\n Sleep : 0x68676ff9 0x0005fdc0\n Wake : 0x68677007 0x000d2cfa\n Calendar: 0x68677252 0x00021537\n\nZone info:\n Zone map: 0xfffffe1016000000 - 0xfffffe3616000000\n . VM : 0xfffffe1016000000 - 0xfffffe15e2000000\n . RO : 0xfffffe15e2000000 - 0xfffffe187c000000\n . GEN0 : 0xfffffe187c000000 - 0xfffffe1e48000000\n . GEN1 : 0xfffffe1e48000000 - 0xfffffe2414000000\n . GEN2 : 0xfffffe2414000000 - 0xfffffe29e0000000\n . GEN3 : 0xfffffe29e0000000 - 0xfffffe2fac000000\n . DATA : 0xfffffe2fac000000 - 0xfffffe3616000000\n Metadata: 0xfffffe5e3a010000 - 0xfffffe5e43810000\n Bitmaps : 0xfffffe5e43810000 - 0xfffffe5e4f500000\n Extra : 0 - 0\n\nTPIDRx_ELy = {1: 0xfffffe28ded6aff0 0: 0x0000000000000001 0ro: 0x000000016fd330e0 }\nCORE 0 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 1 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 2 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 3 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 4 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 5 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 6 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 7 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 8 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 9 PVH locks held: None\nCORE 0: PC=0xfffffe0020f2d330, LR=0xfffffe0020f2d368, FP=0xfffffe60717cb460\nCORE 1 is the one that panicked. Check the full backtrace for details.\nCORE 2: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe607167bed0\nCORE 3: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe60725d3ed0\nCORE 4: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe6072bafed0\nCORE 5: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe6072197ed0\nCORE 6: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe60727abed0\nCORE 7: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe6071897ed0\nCORE 8: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe607149bed0\nCORE 9: PC=0xfffffe0020d81094, LR=0xfffffe0020d81094, FP=0xfffffe607214bed0\nCompressor Info: 0% of compressed pages limit (OK) and 0% of segments limit (OK) with 0 swapfiles and OK swap space\nPanicked task 0xfffffe1d4729c7a0: 1925 pages, 14 threads: pid 36674: com.TE.TEDataCloak.ne\nPanicked thread: 0xfffffe28ded6aff0, backtrace: 0xfffffe60706d28f0, tid: 743602\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020d432b4 fp: 0xfffffe60706d2980\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020ea52f8 fp: 0xfffffe60706d29f0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020ea3554 fp: 0xfffffe60706d2ab0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020cebb98 fp: 0xfffffe60706d2ac0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020d42b98 fp: 0xfffffe60706d2e90\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe00215e7388 fp: 0xfffffe60706d2eb0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe00215f28e8 fp: 0xfffffe60706d30c0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020ea5154 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3160\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020ea36c8 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3220\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020cebb98 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3230\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe002116f050 fp: 0xfffffe60706d35b0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe002116f050 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3730\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe002116de88 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3780\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0021180174 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3810\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe002117ea94 fp: 0xfffffe60706d38d0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe002117d69c fp: 0xfffffe60706d3a30\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0021281400 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3a80\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe00213146dc fp: 0xfffffe60706d3c10\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0021324ff8 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3d00\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0021325580 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3de0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe00213edc24 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3e50\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020ea35dc fp: 0xfffffe60706d3f10\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020cebb98 fp: 0xfffffe60706d3f20\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffe0020cebb60 fp: 0x0000000000000000\n\nlast started kext at 3810289154: com.apple.filesystems.smbfs\t6.0 (addr 0xfffffe00200f68e0, size 111737)\nloaded kexts:\ncom.paragon-

Hello, I am seeking guidance regarding the com.apple.managed.vpn.shared keychain access group entitlement for our iOS app, which is required to support managed VPN configurations distributed via MDM profiles. Background: Our app uses the Network Extension framework and requires access to VPN credentials stored in configuration profiles, which—according to Apple documentation and forum posts—necessitates the com.apple.managed.vpn.shared entitlement We have already enabled the standard Network Extension entitlements via the Apple Developer portal What I Have Tried: I referenced the advice from a past Apple DTS engineer in this forum post: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/67613 I have submitted multiple requests to Apple Developer Technical Support (DTS) over the past two months, clearly explaining our use case and referencing the official documentation as well as the above forum thread Unfortunately, I have either received no response or responses that do not address my request for the special entitlement Questions: Has anyone successfully received the com.apple.managed.vpn.shared entitlement recently? If so, what was the process and how long did it take? Is there a specific format or information I should include in my DTS request to expedite the process or avoid misunderstandings? Are there any alternative contacts or escalation paths within Apple Developer Support for cases where standard DTS requests are ignored or misunderstood? Thank you in advance for your help

Hi, I'm developing a security-focused iOS application and would like to detect potentially suspicious rogue access points. Specifically, I need to access the BSSID of the currently connected Wi-Fi network to analyze and identify inconsistencies (e.g. multiple APs using the same SSID). I understand that access to certain network information is restricted on iOS. Is it possible to use the Network Extension framework (or any approved API) to retrieve the BSSID? If so, are there any specific entitlements or usage descriptions required to ensure App Store approval? My goal is to implement this functionality in full compliance with App Store Review Guidelines and user privacy policies.

This issue has cropped up many times here on DevForums. Someone recently opened a DTS tech support incident about it, and I used that as an opportunity to post a definitive response here. If you have questions or comments about this, start a new thread and tag it with Network so that I see it. Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com" iOS Network Signal Strength The iOS SDK has no general-purpose API that returns Wi-Fi or cellular signal strength in real time. Given that this has been the case for more than 10 years, it’s safe to assume that it’s not an accidental omission but a deliberate design choice. For information about the Wi-Fi APIs that are available on iOS, see TN3111 iOS Wi-Fi API overview. Network performance Most folks who ask about this are trying to use the signal strength to estimate network performance. This is a technique that I specifically recommend against. That’s because it produces both false positives and false negatives: The network signal might be weak and yet your app has excellent connectivity. For example, an iOS device on stage at WWDC might have terrible WWAN and Wi-Fi signal but that doesn’t matter because it’s connected to the Ethernet. The network signal might be strong and yet your app has very poor connectivity. For example, if you’re on a train, Wi-Fi signal might be strong in each carriage but the overall connection to the Internet is poor because it’s provided by a single over-stretched WWAN. The only good way to determine whether connectivity is good is to run a network request and see how it performs. If you’re issuing a lot of requests, use the performance of those requests to build a running estimate of how well the network is doing. Indeed, Apple practices what we preach here: This is exactly how HTTP Live Streaming works. Remember that network performance can change from moment to moment. The user’s train might enter or leave a tunnel, the user might step into a lift, and so on. If you build code to estimate the network performance, make sure it reacts to such changes. Keeping all of the above in mind, iOS 26 beta has two new APIs related to this issue: Network framework now offers a linkQuality property. See this post for my take on how to use this effectively. The WirelessInsights framework can notify you of anticipated WWAN condition changes. But what about this code I found on the ’net? Over the years various folks have used various unsupported techniques to get around this limitation. If you find code on the ’net that, say, uses KVC to read undocumented properties, or grovels through system logs, or walks the view hierarchy of the status bar, don’t use it. Such techniques are unsupported and, assuming they haven’t broken yet, are likely to break in the future. But what about Hotspot Helper? Hotspot Helper does have an API to read Wi-Fi signal strength, namely, the signalStrength property. However, this is not a general-purpose API. Like the rest of Hotspot Helper, this is tied to the specific use case for which it was designed. This value only updates in real time for networks that your hotspot helper is managing, as indicated by the isChosenHelper property. But what about MetricKit? MetricKit is so cool. Amongst other things, it supports the MXCellularConditionMetric payload, which holds a summary of the cellular conditions while your app was running. However, this is not a real-time signal strength value. But what if I’m working for a carrier? This post is about APIs in the iOS SDK. If you’re working for a carrier, discuss your requirements with your carrier’s contact at Apple. Revision History 2025-07-02 Updated to cover new features in the iOS 16 beta. Made other minor editorial changes. 2022-12-01 First posted.

Hi everyone, I’m working on an iOS project where an iPhone needs to connect to external scanners (dedicated hardware devices) over Wi-Fi. The goal is to: Discover available Wi-Fi networks from the scanner devices (broadcasting their own networks). Allow the user to seamlessly connect to the chosen scanner network. Network Discovery: Is there a way to programmatically list available Wi-Fi networks (SSIDs) on iOS without private APIs? If not, are there workarounds (e.g., Bonjour/mDNS)? Seamless Connection: As I see, we can use NEHotspotConfigurationManager to connect to and disconnect from specified networks and there will always be a system alert asking about do we really want to join this network Hardware/Firmware/Software Alternatives: If iOS restrictions prevent this, what alternatives exist? For example: Hardware: Scanners supporting Bluetooth LE for initial pairing, then Wi-Fi provisioning. Firmware: Scanners acting as clients on the same network as the iPhone (e.g., via user’s home/office Wi-Fi). Software: A companion app for the scanner that shares network credentials via QR code/NFC, or a local web server on the scanner for setup. Context: Target: iOS 16+ No jailbreaking; App Store compliance is a must. Scanners can be configured to act as APs or clients.

This is a continuation of my own old post that became inactive to regain traction. I am trying to resolve issues that arise when distributing a macOS app with a SysExt Network Extension (Packet Tunnel) outside the App Store using a Developer ID Certificate. To directly distribute the app, I start with exporting the .app via Archive in Xcode. After that, I create a new Developer ID provisioning profile for both the app and sysext and replace the embedded ones in the .app package. After I have replaced the provisioning profiles and the have the entitlements files ready, I start signing the frameworks, sysext and parent app. codesign --force --options runtime --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>"<app>.app/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/<sysext>.systemextension/Contents/Frameworks/<fw>.framework/Versions/A/<fw> codesign --force --options runtime --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.app/Contents/Frameworks/<fw>.framework/ codesign --force --options runtime --entitlements dist-vpn.entitlements --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.app/Contents/Library/SystemExtensions/<sysext>.systemextension/Contents/MacOS/<sysext> codesign --force --options runtime --entitlements dist.entitlements --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.app After validation is successful with codesign --verify --deep --strict --verbose=4 <app>.app I zip the package, notarize and staple it ditto -c -k --keepParent "<app>.app" "<app>..zip" xcrun notarytool submit <app>.zip --keychain-profile “”<credents> --wait xcrun stapler staple <app>.app After that I finish creating signed and notarized .dmg/.pkg. hdiutil create -volname “<app>” -srcfolder “<app>.app/" -ov -format UDZO ./<app>.dmg codesign --force --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.dmg xcrun notarytool submit <app>.dmg --keychain-profile "<credentials>" --wait xcrun stapler staple <app>.dmg Then when I move the .dmg to a clean system, open the .dmg, move the .app to the Applications folder, the attempt to run it fails with “The application “” can’t be opened.”. When I look into the console, the gatekeeper disallows the launch job with the message:
 86127 debug ProvisioningProfiles taskgated-helper ConfigurationProfiles entitlements: { "com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension" = ( "packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension" ); "com.apple.developer.system-extension.install" = 1; "com.apple.developer.team-identifier" = <teamid>; "keychain-access-groups" = ( “<teamid>.<app>.AppGroup" ); } com.apple.ManagedClient
<app>: Unsatisfied entitlements: com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension, keychain-access-groups, com.apple.developer.system-extension.install, com.apple.developer.team-identifier LAUNCH: Runningboard launch of <app> <private> returned RBSRequestErrorFailed, error Error Domain=RBSRequestErrorDomain Code=5 "Launch failed." UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Launch failed., NSUnderlyingError=0x600001a25830 {Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=153 "Unknown error: 153" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Launchd job spawn failed}}}, so returning -10810

 I went through all possible formats (macOS-Style and iOS-Style App Group IDs) and combinations of appgroups according to the post “App Groups: macOS vs iOS: Working Towards Harmony”. But none of those work for me. The weird part is that when I try the same steps on different developer account, I am able to get the app running. What can be wrong?

Hi Team, With Mac OS26, the "Login Items and Extension" is presented under two tabs " apps " and "Extensions" , when trying to enable the item from apps tab the toggle button is not toggling( looks like this is just a status only button (read only not edit). Any one else seeing this issue for their Network system extension app.

We can see from App Store Connect under TestFlight tab on the overview that our build got X number of crashes. Problem is that these crashes are not found in Crash feedback tab or not from Xcode Organizer. This problem has been ongoing for us in multiple different app builds now. Is there any suggestions what might cause this problem and how to start solving this? I'm pretty confident that these crashes happen in our network extension (NEPacketTunnelProvider). Note - We have a lot of TestFlight users and to start asking them all separately manual logs from phone might not help us here. (Settings > Privacy > Analytics & Improvements > Analytics Data). Also these crashes have not been reported to us by the users. I suspect that the reason is that the extension kicks automatically back up since we are running VPN there with on demand rules. Meaning that the users might not be able to notice the service crash or shut down because of the automatic restart. Thanks

If the includeAllNetworks flag to true, we cannot update our app via Xcode, TestFlight or the AppStore. In the AppStore and TestFlight cases, it seems that the packet tunnel process is stopped before the new app is downloaded - once the packet tunnel process is stopped, it can’t be started again via Settings/VPN profiles, nor can it be started via the app.

We need your assistance as we are currently facing an issue without a workaround for users on macOS 15.4 and 15.5. FeedbackID: FB17547675 The problem has been observed on macOS versions 15.4 and 15.5. Apple has acknowledged this issue and confirmed that it is fixed in the macOS 15.6 beta. Although we tried to reproduce the issue in our environment, it did not occur, even on macOS 15.5. Therefore, we cannot verify if the fix in macOS 15.6 beta resolves the problem. We are actively working to identify an appropriate workaround for users on macOS 15.5. Some users have reported a failure to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi, possibly due to a DHCP failure. As a temporary solution, we added logic to restart Wi-Fi programmatically when either an APIPA address (169.254.x.x) or no IPv4 address is detected on the active interface. However, restarting Wi-Fi does not always resolve the issue, and the device may still fail to obtain an IP address over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Could you advise if there is a reliable method to detect DHCP failure and recover the device from this state? Also, any idea, how we can reproduce this scenario in our machine? Below is the failure. default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055003 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:07:57.055269 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.336215 -0700 airportd WiFiUsageBssSession:: ChannelAfterRoam=0; ChannelAtJoin=36; FaultReasonApsdTimedOut=0; FaultReasonArpFailureCount=0; FaultReasonBrokenBackhaulLinkFailed=0; FaultReasonDhcpFailure=0; default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367852 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.367909 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988565 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'media inactive' default 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988703 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INACTIVE info 2025-06-27 10:08:23.988852 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656415 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'network changed' default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656817 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656821 -0700 configd DHCP en0: supplying device type 'Mac' info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.656934 -0700 configd DHCP en0: busy default 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657351 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 0 for 1.358613 info 2025-06-27 10:08:35.657404 -0700 configd DHCPv6 en0: Inactive default 2025-06-27 10:08:37.019229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 1.36206 for 2.113913 default 2025-06-27 10:08:39.136955 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 3.47937 for 4.462224 default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.602229 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:43.603143 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 7.94533 for 8.128784 default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735532 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:08:51.735846 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 16.0786 for 8.749985 default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488315 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:00.488550 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 24.8313 for 8.496864 default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988284 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988310 -0700 configd DHCP en0: reported address acquisition failure symptom default 2025-06-27 10:09:08.988579 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 33.3312 for 8.300735 default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294478 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:17.294485 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:17.295454 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 41.6373 for 8.798768 default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096673 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:26.096688 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:26.097553 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 50.4394 for 8.807943 default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909050 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909054 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:34.909375 -0700 configd DHCP en0: INIT waiting at 59.2517 for 8.877971 default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792458 -0700 configd DHCP en0: ARP router: No leases to query for info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.792464 -0700 configd DHCP en0: symptom failure already reported default 2025-06-27 10:09:43.793641 -0700 configd DHCP en0: status = 'no server' info 2025-06-27 10:09:43.794145 -0700 configd DHCP en0: not busy DNS failure resolver #1 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) resolver #2 domain : local options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300000 resolver #3 domain : 254.169.in-addr.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300200 resolver #4 domain : 8.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300400 resolver #5 domain : 9.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300600 resolver #6 domain : a.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 300800 resolver #7 domain : b.e.f.ip6.arpa options : mdns timeout : 5 flags : reach : 0x00000000 (Not Reachable) order : 301000 Route table Destination Gateway Flags Netif Expire 127 127.0.0.1 UCS lo0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 UH lo0 169.254 link#14 UCS en0 ! 169.254.160.160/32 link#14 UCS en0 ! 224.0.0/4 link#14 UmCS en0 ! 224.0.0.251 1:0:5e:0:0:fb UHmLWI en0 239.255.255.250 1:0:5e:7f:ff:fa UHmLWI en0 255.255.255.255/32 link#14 UCS en0 !

I implemented a Network Extension in the macOS, use NETransparentProxyProvider. After installing and enabling it, I implemented a UDP client to test its. I found that the UDP client failed to send the data successfully (via sendto, and it returned a success), and when using Wireshark to capture the network data packet, I still couldn't see this UDP data packet. The code for Network Extension is like this: @interface MyTransparentProxyProvider : NETransparentProxyProvider @end @implementation MyTransparentProxyProvider - (void)startProxyWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)options completionHandler:(void (^)(NSError *))completionHandler { NETransparentProxyNetworkSettings *objSettings = [[NETransparentProxyNetworkSettings alloc] initWithTunnelRemoteAddress:@"127.0.0.1"]; // included rules NENetworkRule *objIncludedNetworkRule = [[NENetworkRule alloc] initWithRemoteNetwork:nil remotePrefix:0 localNetwork:nil localPrefix:0 protocol:NENetworkRuleProtocolAny direction:NETrafficDirectionOutbound]; NSMutableArray<NENetworkRule *> *arrIncludedNetworkRules = [NSMutableArray array]; [arrIncludedNetworkRules addObject:objIncludedNetworkRule]; objSettings.includedNetworkRules = arrIncludedNetworkRules; // apply [self setTunnelNetworkSettings:objSettings completionHandler: ^(NSError * _Nullable error) { // TODO } ]; if (completionHandler != nil) completionHandler(nil); } - (BOOL)handleNewFlow:(NEAppProxyFlow *)flow { if (flow == nil) return NO; char szProcPath[PROC_PIDPATHINFO_MAXSIZE] = {0}; audit_token_t *lpAuditToken = (audit_token_t*)flow.metaData.sourceAppAuditToken.bytes; if (lpAuditToken != NULL) { proc_pidpath_audittoken(lpAuditToken, szProcPath, sizeof(szProcPath)); } if ([flow isKindOfClass:[NEAppProxyTCPFlow class]]) { NWHostEndpoint *objRemoteEndpoint = (NWHostEndpoint *)((NEAppProxyTCPFlow *)flow).remoteEndpoint; LOG("-MyTransparentProxyProvider handleNewFlow:] TCP flow! Process: (%d)%s, %s Remote: %s:%s, %s", lpAuditToken != NULL ? audit_token_to_pid(*lpAuditToken) : -1, flow.metaData.sourceAppSigningIdentifier != nil ? [flow.metaData.sourceAppSigningIdentifier UTF8String] : "", szProcPath, objRemoteEndpoint != nil ? (objRemoteEndpoint.hostname != nil ? [objRemoteEndpoint.hostname UTF8String] : "") : "", objRemoteEndpoint != nil ? (objRemoteEndpoint.port != nil ? [objRemoteEndpoint.port UTF8String] : "") : "", ((NEAppProxyTCPFlow *)flow).remoteHostname != nil ? [((NEAppProxyTCPFlow *)flow).remoteHostname UTF8String] : "" ); } else if ([flow isKindOfClass:[NEAppProxyUDPFlow class]]) { NSString *strLocalEndpoint = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@", ((NEAppProxyUDPFlow *)flow).localEndpoint]; LOG("-[MyTransparentProxyProvider handleNewFlow:] UDP flow! Process: (%d)%s, %s LocalEndpoint: %s", lpAuditToken != NULL ? audit_token_to_pid(*lpAuditToken) : -1, flow.metaData.sourceAppSigningIdentifier != nil ? [flow.metaData.sourceAppSigningIdentifier UTF8String] : "", szProcPath, strLocalEndpoint != nil ? [strLocalEndpoint UTF8String] : "" ); } else { LOG("-[MyTransparentProxyProvider handleNewFlow:] Unknown flow! Process: (%d)%s, %s", lpAuditToken != NULL ? audit_token_to_pid(*lpAuditToken) : -1, flow.metaData.sourceAppSigningIdentifier != nil ? [flow.metaData.sourceAppSigningIdentifier UTF8String] : "", szProcPath ); } return NO; } @end The following methods can all enable UDP data packets to be successfully sent to the UDP server: 1.In -[MyTransparentProxyProvider startProxyWithOptions:completionHandler:], add the exclusion rule "The IP and port of the UDP server, the protocol is UDP"; 2.In -[MyTransparentProxyProvider startProxyWithOptions:completionHandler:], add the exclusion rule "All IPs and ports, protocol is UDP"; 3.In -[MyTransparentProxyProvider handleNewFlow:] or -[MyTransparentProxyProvider handleNewUDPFlow:initialRemoteEndpoint:], process the UDP Flow and return YES. Did I do anything wrong?

Is it possible to directly distribute a macOS app with a Developer ID Certificate that belongs to a different team? I am trying to resolve issues that arise when distributing a macOS app with a Network Extension (Packet Tunnel) outside the App Store using a Developer ID Certificate from a different team than the app’s provisioning profiles and entitlements. I started by attempting Direct Distribution in Xcode with automatic signing. However, it fails with the following message: Provisioning profile "Mac Team Direct Provisioning Profile: ” failed qualification checks: Profile doesn't match the entitlements file's value for the com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension entitlement. I suspect the issue is that the provisioning profile allows "packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension", whereas the entitlements generated by Xcode contain "packet-tunnel-provider". When I manually modify the .entitlements file to include the -systemextension suffix, the project fails to build because Xcode does not recognize the modified entitlement. If there is a workaround for this issue, please let me know. Due to these issues, I resorted to manually creating a signed and notarized app. My process is as follows: Export the .app from the Xcode archive. Since the exported .app does not contain the necessary entitlements or provisioning profile for direct distribution, I replace Contents/embedded.provisioningprofile in both the .app and the .appex network extension. Sign the app and its components in the following order: codesign --force --options runtime --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.app/Contents/Frameworks/<fw>.framework/ codesign --force --options runtime --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>"<app>.app/Contents/PlugIns/<netext>.appex/Contents/Frameworks/<fw>.framework/Versions/A/<fw> codesign --force --options runtime --entitlements dist-vpn.entitlements --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.app/Contents/PlugIns/<netext>.appex/ codesign --force --options runtime --entitlements dist.entitlements --timestamp --sign "Developer ID Application: <name>" <app>.app Verify the code signature: codesign --verify --deep --strict --verbose=4 <app>.app - <app>.app: valid on disk - <app>.app: satisfies its Designated Requirement Create a ZIP archive using: ditto -c -k --sequesterRsrc --keepParent <app>.app <app>.zip Notarize the app with notarytool and staple it. The notarization completes successfully with errors: nil. Package the notarized app into a DMG, notarize, and staple the DMG. The app runs successfully on the development machine. However, when moved to another machine and placed in /Applications, it fails to open. Inspecting Console.app reveals Gatekeeper is blocking the launch:
 taskgated-helper <bundleid>: Unsatisfied entitlements: com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension, com.apple.developer.team-identifier taskgated-helper entitlements: { "com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension" = ("packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension"); "com.apple.developer.team-identifier" = <teamid>; } As mentioned earlier, the Developer ID Certificate used for signing belongs to a different team. We are a third-party developer and do not have access to the Developer ID Certificate of the team assigned as the team-identifier. When I changed the bundle identifier (app ID), team, entitlements, and provisioning profiles to match the team associated with the Developer ID Certificate, the app worked. My question is:
 Is this failure caused by using a Developer ID Certificate from a different team, or should it still work if the provisioning profiles and entitlements are correctly set? Could there be an issue elsewhere in the provisioning profiles or entitlements for the original app ID?

1.Provisioning profile "xxx" doesn't include signing certificate "Developer ID Application: xxxxx". 2.Provisioning profile "xxx" doesn't match the entitlements file's value for the com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension entitlement. I decoded the profile, <dict> <key>com.apple.developer.system-extension.install</key> <true/> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension</key> <array> <string>packet-tunnel-provider-systemextension</string> <string>app-proxy-provider-systemextension</string> <string>content-filter-provider-systemextension</string> <string>dns-proxy-systemextension</string> <string>dns-settings</string> <string>relay</string> <string>url-filter-provider</string> <string>hotspot-provider</string> </array> <key>com.apple.security.application-groups</key> <array> <string>xxxxx</string> <string>xxxxx</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.networking.vpn.api</key> <array> <string>allow-vpn</string> </array> <key>com.apple.application-identifier</key> <string>xxxxx</string> <key>keychain-access-groups</key> <array> <string>xxxxx</string> </array> <key>com.apple.developer.team-identifier</key> <string>xxxxx</string> </dict> Kindly help me to resolve this.

Hi all, I have a requirement to intercept and modify inbound connections on macOS. For example, if I’m running a server on TCP port 8080 on macOS, I want to intercept all traffic to and from this port. I’m open to working at the level of TCP flows or even raw Ethernet packets, depending on what’s feasible. I’m already successfully using NETransparentProxy to intercept outbound traffic, but I haven’t found a way to handle inbound connections using any of the Network Extension APIs. Is there any supported or alternative approach for intercepting inbound traffic (via NE, NKEs, PF, or something else)? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!