About iOS 14 Local Network Privacy

[0x5e]

Any discussion about this? There's API for URLSession and NWConnection to block the request until user click the allow button, but socket can't handle this. And there's no API to get permission status before the request.

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10110/
https://developer.apple.com/forums/tags/wwdc20-10110

[scinfu]

I Have same problem.
There is solution?

[calrsom]

We use this library as part of a Cordova native sockets library for an iOT iPad application. We explored several options for supporting iOS 14 before landing on implementing a bogus Bonjour service query to trigger the local network permission dialog. Once the local network permission is given, the entire app can access networking features as usual, including this library. This is our short-term workaround that let us get a fix for our app into the app store.

Longer term, I hope Apple adds an API for managing and requesting this permission. That would allow older libraries like this to still work. Until then, the only other option is to add/move to a newer networking API that supports the permission on iOS 14+.

[bitcrumb]

This thread on the Apple forum contains extremely helpful information regarding the new Local Network Privacy in iOS 14. It should answer most, if not all of your questions 👍
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/663858

[0x5e]

There's a lot of complains in Apple forum about why there's no api to get permission status of localnetwork, but apple developer insists that they will not provide it. I think your long-term plan won't work :( @calrsom

I would like to share my workaround:

1. When mobile is connected to wifi.
2. Get local ip of your mobile using getifaddrs api. (Maybe there's a little risk)
3. Send a http request to your local ip using NSURLSession, any url path is okay. (e.g. http://{your_local_ip}/trigger-local-network-authorization)
4. the permission alert will be shown.
5. Of course the request failed, but we can differ from the error.code. NSURLErrorNotConnectedToInternet means permission not open (local network request has been blocked), else means opened.

[github-actions]

This issue has been marked as stale, it will be closed automatically if there is no further activity.

[bitcrumb]

AFAIK, at this moment in time the only thing you are required to provide is the NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription description in your Info.plist.

Since CocoaAsynSocket using BSD sockets, there is no need (and enforcement of) the com.apple.developer.networking.multicast entitlement yet.

However, it is highly encourages to do so, since the expectation is that this will become required with one of the iOS 14.x maintenance updates, see discussion at: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/655920.