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). 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 Share and Enjoy — Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

Hi everyone, I am building a React Native iOS app that discovers audio devices on the local Wi-Fi network using UDP broadcast + mDNS/Bonjour lookup (similar to the “4Stream” app). The app works 100% perfectly in Debug mode when installed directly from Xcode. But once I upload it to TestFlight, the local-network features stop working completely: UDP packets never arrive Device discovery does not work Bonjour/mDNS lookup returns nothing Same phone, same Wi-Fi, same code → only Debug works, TestFlight fails react-native-udp for UDP broadcast react-native-dns-lookup for resolving hostnames react-native-xml2js for parsing device responses

I am trying to migrate an app to use Network framework for p2p connection. I came across this great article for migrating to Network framework however this doesnt use the new structured concurrency. This being introduced with iOS 26, there doesnt seem to be any sample code available on how to use the new classes. I am particularly interested in code samples showing how to add TLS with PSK encryption support and handling of switching between Wifi and peer to peer interface with the new structured concurrency supported classes. Are there any good resources I can refer on this other than the WWDC video?

I develop a Network Extension with NEFilterDataProvider and want to understand how to stop or disable it on exit of the base app without deactivating NE from OS and leave ability to start it again without requiring a password from the user. It starts normally, but when I try to disable it: NEFilterManager.sharedManager.enabled = NO; [NEFilterManager.sharedManager saveToPreferencesWithCompletionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) { // never called }]; the completion handler has never called. But stopFilterWithReason inside the NE code called by the framework where I only replay with required completionHandler();. Then NE process keeps alive. I also tried to call remove, which should disable NE: [NEFilterManager.sharedManager removeFromPreferencesWithCompletionHandler:^(NSError * _Nullable error) { // never called }]; with same result - I freeze forever on waiting completion handler. So what is the correct way to disable NE without explicit deactivation it by [OSSystemExtensionRequest deactivationRequestForExtension:...]?

Hi, I'm experiencing intermittent delays with URLSession where requests take 3-4 seconds to be sent, even though the actual server processing is fast. This happens randomly, maybe 10-20% of requests. The pattern I've noticed is I create my request I send off my request using try await urlSession.data(for: request) My middleware ends up receiving this request 4-7s after its been fired from the client-side The round trip ends up taking 4-7s! This hasn't been reproducible consistently at all on my end. I've also tried ephemeral URLSessions (so recreating the session instead of using .shared so no dead connections, but this doesn't seem to help at all) Completely lost on what to do. Please help!

I have an Xcode app where currently txt files in the project display text data as a list. I can search through the lists and have buttons that will swap between different lists of information that you can look through. The next task is I have URL connections to docx files on a SharePoint site. I am trying to use an URLsession function to connect to the URL links to download the documents to the document directory then have the application read the doc information to then be displayed as the txt info would. The idea is that the docx files are a type of online update version of the data. So when the app is used and on wifi, the app can update the list data with the docx files. I have code set up that should access the URL files but I am struggling to figure out how to read the data and access from this Documents directory. I have been looking online and so far I am at a loss on where to go here. If anyone can help or provide some insight I would greatly appreciate it. I can try and provide code samples to help explain things if that is needed.

Satellite Communication framework, experiences a failure in receiving network path updates when a device transitions from Satellite to a fringe LTE area. The iOS Status Bar correctly updates to show "LTE," but our application does not receive the corresponding network path update (e.g., via NWPathMonitor). This leaves our app UI locked in "Satellite Mode," while the user sees "LTE" in the status bar, causing critical user confusion. Feedback: FB20976940

Following previous question here :https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/801397, I've decided to move my VPN implementation using NEPacketTunnelProvider on a dedicated networkExtension. My extension receives packets using readPacketsWithCompletionHandler and forwards them immediately to a daemon through a shared memory ring buffer with Mach port signaling. The daemon then encapsulates the packets with our VPN protocol and sends them over a UDP socket. I'm seeing significant throughput degradation, much higher than the tunnel overhead itself. On our side, the IPC path supports parallel handling, but I'm not not sure whether the provider has any internal limitation that prevents packets from being processed in parallel. The tunnel protocol requires packet ordering, but preparation can be done in parallel if the provider allows it. Is there any inherent constraint in NEPacketTunnelProvider that prevents concurrent packet handling, or any recommended approach to improve throughput in this model? For comparison, when I create a utun interface manually with ifconfig and route traffic through it, I observe performance that is about four times faster.

I spent the entire day debugging a network issue on my Apple Watch app, only to realize the problem isn't my code—it's Apple's inflexible design. The Context: I am building a generic MCP (Model Context Protocol) client for watchOS. The nature of this app is to allow users to input their own server URLs (e.g., a self-hosted endpoint, or public services like GitHub's MCP server) to interact with LLMs and tools. The Problem: When using standard URLSession to connect to widely trusted, public HTTPS endpoints (specifically GitHub's official MCP server at https://mcp.github.com), the connection is forcefully terminated by the OS with NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1200 (TLS handshake failed). The Analysis: This is caused by App Transport Security (ATS). ATS is enforcing a draconian set of security standards (specific ciphers, forward secrecy requirements, etc.) that many perfectly valid, secure, and globally accepted servers do not strictly meet 100%. The Absurdity: We cannot whitelist domains: Since this is a generic client, I cannot add NSExceptionDomains to Info.plist because I don't know what URL the user will input. We cannot disable ATS: Adding NSAllowsArbitraryLoads is a guaranteed rejection during App Store review for a general-purpose app without a "compelling reason" acceptable to Apple. The result: My app is effectively bricked. It cannot connect to GitHub. It cannot connect to 90% of the user's self-hosted servers. The Question: Is the Apple Watch just a toy? How does Apple expect us to build flexible, professional tools when the OS acts like a nanny that blocks connections to GitHub? We need a way to bypass strict ATS checks for user-initiated connections in generic network tools, similar to how curl -k or other developer tools work. The current "all-or-nothing" policy is suffocating.

Hi everyone, I’ve run into a consistent issue on multiple Apple Vision Pro devices where downloads using URLSessionConfiguration.background are between 4× and 10x slower than when using URLSessionConfiguration.default. This issue is systematic and can easily be reproduced. This only happens on device, in the simulator, both configurations download files at the expected speed with respect to the network speed. Details: Tested on visionOS 26.0.1 and 26.1 (public releases) Reproduced across 2 Vision Pro (currently testing on a third one) Reproduced on 2 different Wi-fi networks (50mb/s and 880mb/s) From my tests this speed issue seems to affects multiple apps on my device: Stobo Vision (our app), Immersive India, Amplium Not server-related (reproduces with Apple CDN, S3, and DigitalOcean) I’ve built a small sample project that makes this easy to reproduce, it downloads a large file (1.1 GB video) using two managers: One with URLSessionConfiguration.default One with URLSessionConfiguration.background You can also try it with your own file url (from an s3 for example) Expected behavior: Background sessions should behave similarly to default sessions in terms of throughput, just as they do in the simulator. To be clear I am comparing both config when running in the foreground, not in the background. Actual behavior: Background sessions on Vision Pro are significantly slower, making them less usable for large file downloads. On this screenshot it's even reaching 27x slower than the expected speed. Default config takes ~97s to download and Background config takes ~2640s. I do now have the fastest internet connection but 44min to download 90.5MB is extremely slow. Has anyone else seen this behavior or found a workaround? Or is this an expected behavior from URLSessionConfiguration.background? If I'm doing something wrong please let me know Repo link: https://github.com/stobo-app/DownloadConfigTesting

Hello, I’m developing a macOS application signed with a Developer ID (outside the App Store) that includes a Network Extension. The app has been successfully notarized, and the network filter is registered, but the Network Extension itself remains inactive — it does not install or run properly. It seems that the issue might be related to the entitlements configuration between the container app and the Network Extension target. Could you please provide a detailed checklist for: 1.The required entitlements and configurations for the container app, and 2.The required entitlements and configurations for the Network Extension target? Additionally, are there any specific Xcode settings that are mandatory for the Network Extension to be properly installed and activated on macOS when distributed via Developer ID? Thank you in advance for your help.

Hello, I’m developing a macOS application signed with a Developer ID (outside the App Store) that includes a Network Extension. The app has been successfully notarized, and the network filter is registered, but the Network Extension itself remains inactive — it does not install or run properly. It seems that the issue might be related to the entitlements configuration between the container app and the Network Extension target. Could you please provide a detailed checklist for: The required entitlements and configurations for the container app, and The required entitlements and configurations for the Network Extension target? Additionally, are there any specific Xcode settings that are mandatory for the Network Extension to be properly installed and activated on macOS when distributed via Developer ID? Thank you in advance for your help.

We’re implementing VPN application using the WireGuard protocol and aiming to support both split-tunnel and per-app VPN configurations. Each mode works correctly on its own: per-app VPN functions well when configured with a full tunnel and split-tunnel works as expected when per-app is disabled. However, combining both configurations leads to issues. Specifically, the routing table is not set up properly, resulting in traffic that should not be routed through the tunnel is routed through the tunnel. Detailed description: Through our backend, we are pushing these two plist files to the iPad one after the other: VPN config with allowed IPs 1.1.1.1/32 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Inc//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>3fd861df-c917-4716-97e5-f5e96452436a</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadOrganization</key> <string>someorganization</string> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>config.11ff5059-369f-4a71-afea-d5fdbfa99c91</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>Configuration</string> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string> test</string> <key>PayloadDescription</key> <string>(Version 13) </string> <key>PayloadRemovalDisallowed</key> <true /> <key>PayloadContent</key> <array> <dict> <key>VPN</key> <dict> <key>AuthenticationMethod</key> <string>Password</string> <key>ProviderType</key> <string>packet-tunnel</string> <key>OnDemandUserOverrideDisabled</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>RemoteAddress</key> <string>172.17.28.1:51820</string> <key>OnDemandEnabled</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>OnDemandRules</key> <array> <dict> <key>Action</key> <string>Connect</string> </dict> </array> <key>ProviderBundleIdentifier</key> <string>some.bundle.id.network-extension</string> </dict> <key>VPNSubType</key> <string>some.bundle.id</string> <key>VPNType</key> <string>VPN</string> <key>VPNUUID</key> <string>d2773557-b535-414f-968a-5447d9c02d52</string> <key>OnDemandMatchAppEnabled</key> <true /> <key>VendorConfig</key> <dict> <key>VPNConfig</key> <string> Some custom configuration here </string> </dict> <key>UserDefinedName</key> <string>TestVPNServerrra</string> <key>PayloadType</key> <string>com.apple.vpn.managed.applayer</string> <key>PayloadVersion</key> <integer>1</integer> <key>PayloadIdentifier</key> <string>vpn.5e6b56be-a4bb-41a5-949e-4e8195a83f0f</string> <key>PayloadUUID</key> <string>9bebe6e2-dbef-4849-a1fb-3cca37221116</string> <key>PayloadDisplayName</key> <string>Vpn</string> <key>PayloadDescription</key> <string>Configures VPN settings</string> <key>PayloadOrganization</key> <string>someorganization</string> </dict> </array> </dict> </plist> Command to set up per-app with Chrome browser <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Inc//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd> <plist version="1.0"> <dict> <key>Command</key> <dict> <key>Settings</key> <array> <dict> <key>Identifier</key> <string>com.google.chrome.ios</string> <key>Attributes</key> <dict> <key>VPNUUID</key> <string>d2773557-b535-414f-968a-5447d9c02d52</string> <key>TapToPayScreenLock</key> <false /> <key>Removable</key> <true /> </dict> <key>Item</key> <string>ApplicationAttributes</string> </dict> </array> <key>RequestType</key> <string>Settings</string> </dict> <key>CommandUUID</key> <string>17ce3e19-35ef-4dbc-83d9-4ca2735ac430</string> </dict> </plist> From the log we see that our VPN application set up allowed IP 1.1.1.1 via NEIPv4Settings.includedRoutes but system routing all of the Chrome browser traffic through our application. Is this expected Apple iOS behavior, or are we misconfiguring the profiles?

Hello, I have a peer to peer networking setup in my app that uses Network Framework with Bonjour and QUIC via NWBrowser, NWListener, NWConnection, and NWEndpoint and all works as expected. I watched the videos about the new iOS 26 Networking stuff (NetworkBrowser, NetworkListener, NetworkConnection) and wanted to try and migrate all my code to use the the new APIs (still use Bonjour and NOT use Wi-Fi Aware) but hit some issues. I was following how the Wi-Fi Aware example app was receiving messages for try await messageData in connection.messages { but when I got things setup with QUIC in a similar fashion I got the following compile error Requirement from conditional conformance of '(content: QUIC.ContentType, metadata: QUIC.Metadata)' to 'Copyable' Requirement from conditional conformance of '(content: QUIC.ContentType, metadata: QUIC.Metadata)' to 'Escapable' Requirement from conditional conformance of '(content: QUIC.ContentType, metadata: QUIC.Metadata)' to 'Copyable' Requirement from conditional conformance of '(content: QUIC.ContentType, metadata: QUIC.Metadata)' to 'Escapable' When I asked Cursor about what I was facing its response was as follows: "The connection.messages stream changed in the new Network APIs: it now yields typed (content, metadata) tuples. Iterating with for try await incoming in connection.messages asks the compiler to conform that tuple to Copyable/Escapable; for QUIC the tuple isn’t copyable, so you hit the conditional-conformance error." I am curious if you've been able to use the new iOS 26 network APIs with QUIC? Thank you, Captadoh

Hello, I have searched here on the forums for "WiFi Aware" and have read through just about every post. In a lot of them the person says they were able to get the example app https://developer.apple.com/documentation/wifiaware/building-peer-to-peer-apps working with their iOS devices. I, for some reason, am not able to get the example app to fully work. I am able to build the app and load the app onto two physical iPhone 12 minis (both are running iOS 26.0.1). I follow the steps shown at the link share above but I get stuck because I can't get past the "enter this pin code to connect" step. I make one device be a host of a simulation and the other device the viewer of a simulation. On each device I tap the "+" button. On the viewer device I tap the discovered device. On the host device I then see the pin. I then enter the pin on the viewer device. After this step nothing happens. My only choice on the viewer device is to tap "cancel" and exit the "enter the pin step". If I go into the actual device settings (Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Paired Devices) I see that the devices are "paired" but the app doesn't seem to think so. Are there some special settings I need to turn on for the app to work properly? In an attempt to figure out what was going wrong I took the example app and paired it down to just send back simple messages based on user button taps. These are my logs from when I start up the app and start one device as the hoster and one as the viewer. Selected Mode: Hoster Start NetworkListener [L1 ready, local endpoint: <NULL>, parameters: udp, traffic class: 700, interface: nan0, local: ::.0, definite, attribution: developer, server, port: 62182, path satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: nan0[802.11], ipv4, uses wifi, LQM: unknown, service: com.example.apple-samplecode.Wi-FiAwareSample8B4DX93M9J._sat-simulation._udp scope:0 route:0 custom:107]: waiting(POSIXErrorCode(rawValue: 50): Network is down) [L1 ready, local endpoint: <NULL>, parameters: udp, traffic class: 700, interface: nan0, local: ::.0, definite, attribution: developer, server, port: 62182, path satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: nan0[802.11], ipv4, uses wifi, LQM: unknown, service: com.example.apple-samplecode.Wi-FiAwareSample8B4DX93M9J._sat-simulation._udp scope:0 route:0 custom:107]: ready [L1 failed, local endpoint: <NULL>, parameters: udp, traffic class: 700, interface: nan0, local: ::.0, definite, attribution: developer, server, port: 62182, path satisfied (Path is satisfied), interface: nan0[802.11], ipv4, uses wifi, LQM: unknown, service: com.example.apple-samplecode.Wi-FiAwareSample8B4DX93M9J._sat-simulation._udp scope:0 route:0 custom:107]: failed(-11992: Wi-Fi Aware) nw_listener_cancel_block_invoke [L1] Listener is already cancelled, ignoring cancel nw_listener_cancel_block_invoke [L1] Listener is already cancelled, ignoring cancel nw_listener_cancel_block_invoke [L1] Listener is already cancelled, ignoring cancel Networking failed: -11992: Wi-Fi Aware Error acquiring assertion: <Error Domain=RBSAssertionErrorDomain Code=2 "Could not find attribute name in domain plist" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Could not find attribute name in domain plist}> <0x105e35400> Gesture: System gesture gate timed out. Selected Mode: Viewer Start NetworkBrowser [B1 <nw_browse_descriptor application_service _sat-simulation._udp bundle_id=com.example.apple-samplecode.Wi-FiAwareSample8B4DX93M9J device_types=7f device_scope=ff custom:109>, generic, interface: nan0, attribution: developer]: ready nw_browser_update_path_browser_locked Received browser Wi-Fi Aware nw_browser_cancel [B1] The browser has already been cancelled, ignoring nw_browser_cancel(). [B1 <nw_browse_descriptor application_service _sat-simulation._udp bundle_id=com.example.apple-samplecode.Wi-FiAwareSample8B4DX93M9J device_types=7f device_scope=ff custom:109>, generic, interface: nan0, attribution: developer]: failed(-11992: Wi-Fi Aware) nw_browser_cancel [B1] The browser has already been cancelled, ignoring nw_browser_cancel(). Networking failed: -11992: Wi-Fi Aware Error acquiring assertion: <Error Domain=RBSAssertionErrorDomain Code=2 "Could not find attribute name in domain plist" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Could not find attribute name in domain plist}> This guy stands out to me Networking failed: -11992: Wi-Fi Aware but I can't find any info on what it means. Thank you

Hi there, When running the app, I found on my Firebase Crashlytics, sometimes got error like this when using Wi-Fi: Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=-1009 "(null)" UserInfo={_kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=1, _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=50, _NSURLErrorNWResolutionReportKey=Resolved 0 endpoints in 1ms using unknown from cache, _NSURLErrorNWPathKey=unsatisfied (Denied over Wi-Fi interface), interface: utun6, ipv4, dns, uses wifi, LQM: unknown} I've run through the threads, found this link, but I think this issue is different on the interface. It would be great there is and idea how to troubleshoot this issue. Thank you.

we use the api as NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply(hotspotConfig) to join a wifi, but we find that in in iphone 17+, some user report the time to join wifi is very slow the full code as let hotspotConfig = NEHotspotConfiguration(ssid: sSSID, passphrase: sPassword, isWEP: false) hotspotConfig.joinOnce = bJoinOnce if #available(iOS 13.0, *) { hotspotConfig.hidden = true } NEHotspotConfigurationManager.shared.apply(hotspotConfig) { [weak self] (error) in guard let self else { return } if let error = error { log.i("connectSSID Error while configuring WiFi: \(error.localizedDescription)") if error.localizedDescription.contains("already associated") { log.i("connectSSID Already connected to this WiFi.") result(["status": 0]) } else { result(["status": 0]) } } else { log.i("connectSSID Successfully connected to WiFi network \(sSSID)") result(["status": 1]) } } Normally it might only take 5-10 seconds, but on the iPhone 17+ it might take 20-30 seconds.

I’m building a Personal VPN app (non-MDM) that uses a NEPacketTunnelProvider extension for content filtering and blocking. When configuring the VPN locally using NETunnelProviderManager.saveToPreferences, the call fails with: Error Domain=NEConfigurationErrorDomain Code=10 "permission denied" Error Domain=NEVPNErrorDomain Code=5 "permission denied" The system does prompt for VPN permission (“Would Like to Add VPN Configurations”), but the error still occurs after the user allows it. Setup: • Main App ID – com.promisecouple.app • Extension ID – com.promisecouple.app.PromiseVPN • Capabilities – App Group + Personal VPN + Network Extensions • Main app entitlements:   com.apple.developer.networking.vpn.api = allow-vpn   com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension = packet-tunnel-provider • Extension entitlements: same + shared App Group Problem: • If I remove the networkextension entitlement, the app runs locally without the Code 5 error. • But App Store Connect then rejects the build with: Missing Entitlement: The bundle 'Promise.app' is missing entitlement 'com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension'. Question: What is the correct entitlement configuration for a Personal VPN app using NEPacketTunnelProvider (non-MDM)? Is com.apple.developer.networking.networkextension required on the main app or only on the extension? Why does including it cause saveToPreferences → Code 5/10 “permission denied” on device? Environment: Xcode 26.1 (17B55), iOS 17.3+ on physical device (non-MDM) Both provisioning profiles and certificates are valid.

We are developing an app that includes functionality to install an eSIM. While the eSIM installation process works fine, we're unable to get the ICCID from the installed eSIM card. When querying the associatedIccid from the CTCellularPlanProperties, it returns nil. Can you advise how we can get the ICCID from an eSIM that was installed via our app?

We have an iOS companion app that talks to our IoT device over the device’s own Wi‑Fi network (often with no internet). The app performs bi-directional, safety-critical duties over that link. We use an NEAppPushProvider extension so the handset can keep exchanging data while the UI is backgrounded. During testing we noticed that if the user backgrounds the app (still connected to the device’s Wi‑Fi) and opens Safari, the extension’s stop is invoked with NEProviderStopReason.unrecoverableNetworkChange / noNetworkAvailable, and iOS tears the extension down. Until the system restarts the extension (e.g. the user foregrounds our app again), the app cannot send/receive its safety-critical data. Questions: Is there a supported way to stop a safety-critical NEAppPushProvider from being terminated in this “background app → open Safari” scenario when the device remains on the same Wi‑Fi network (possibly without internet)? If not, is NEAppPushProvider the correct extension type for an always-on local-network use case like this, or is there another API we should be using? For safety-critical applications, can Apple grant entitlements/exemptions so the system does not terminate the extension when the user switches apps but stays on the local Wi‑Fi? Any guidance on the expected lifecycle or alternative patterns for safety-critical local connectivity would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Apple Developer Team / Community, I’m developing an iOS app that needs to read a VPN configuration profile that’s pushed via Intune MDM using the NEVPNManager / NETunnelProviderManager APIs — specifically the loadAllFromPreferences() method. I understand that certain entitlements and capabilities are required when working with the Network Extension / VPN frameworks. I came across the entitlement key com.apple.developer.vpn.managed (also referred to as the “Managed VPN” entitlement) and would like some clarification: Is this entitlement mandatory for my use case — that is, reading a VPN profile that has been pushed via MDM? Or are there alternative entitlements or capabilities that would suffice? If it is required, what is the exact process to request and enable this entitlement for my app? Could you please outline the necessary steps (e.g., updates in the Apple Developer portal → App ID → Capabilities → Provisioning Profiles, etc.)? Context: The app targets iOS and iPadOS. Currently, the app creates and saves the VPN profile itself using NETunnelProviderManager and saveToPreferences(), which works perfectly. However, we now want to deliver the same VPN configuration via MDM, so that users don’t have to manually install the profile or enter their device passcode during installation. The goal is for the app to be able to read (not necessarily modify) the MDM-pushed VPN profile through NETunnelProviderManager.loadAllFromPreferences(). Thank you in advance for any guidance — especially a clear “yes, you need it” or “no, you can do without it” answer, along with any step-by-step instructions to request the entitlement (if it’s required).