If you’ve already upgraded to the new macOS Sequoia, we have good news for you. You no longer have to choose between ease of use and security. At least, it depends on the service you use.
Nearly three weeks after launch, Apple has finally promised to fix a bug in its latest MacOS 15 update that was causing issues with multiple security products. These include enterprise solutions like CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and Microsoft Defender, as well as VPN and antivirus software tools that are perfect for everyday use.
According to the tech giant, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 has “improved compatibility with third-party security software,” Apple writes on its support page. However, one of TechRadar’s favorite Mac VPNs is still seeing some service issues.
Mac VPN results are mixed
The release of Mac’s new operating system, Sequoia, at the end of September likely angered many security providers, with CrowdStrike even suggesting customers not upgrade their devices, BleepingComputer reported at the time. . Particularly dissatisfied users took to Reddit to share their usability issues and ask for workarounds.
In the VPN software space, some people complain about connectivity issues such as iPhone mirroring, iMessage, and Facetime not working when connected to a VPN. In some cases, split tunneling functionality has also been reported to be down.
Interestingly, we noticed that not all VPN providers are facing the same issue, and some services are not affected at all. Following the news that Apple has supposedly fixed the bug (both Microsoft and Crwdstrike confirmed to TechCrunch that the issue has been resolved), I tried to get a better understanding of what’s going on. We decided to reach out to some of TechRadar’s top picks. Needless to say, the reaction was mixed.
PIA Desktop from r/PrivateInternetAccess Restore Apple app connectivity on macOS 15 while using VPN on macOS alpha
NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access (PIA), and Mullvad have all acknowledged that Sequoia has caused problems with their services. Still, Mullvad and NordVPN told me the issue was resolved in macOS 15.0.1, while ExpressVPN said the issue was resolved in a recent update. do not have Resolve issues with Apple services when using a VPN.
“The macOS 15 bugs that Apple acknowledged in the initial release continue to impact ExpressVPN for Mac users with the 15.0.1 update,” Samuel Bultez, head of product at ExpressVPN, told me. “This issue affects applications that rely on the Apple Push Notification service. As a result, apps such as iMessage, FaceTime, Reminders, and Notes may stop working or be affected when connected to a VPN.”
Bultez explained that the team has come up with a temporary solution that users can manually enable. This is a feature via network lock that allows macOS users to bypass the VPN, improving the functionality of iMessage and other apps.
macOS 15 bug continues to impact ExpressVPN for Mac users
Samuel Bultez, Product Director, ExpressVPN
Meanwhile, companies like Surfshark, Windscribe, IPVanish, and Hide.me told me that Sequoia had no impact on their services and that their VPN software was still working as expected after initial release. .
But Hide.me says Apple is still responsible for connection problems that break other security software.
“Apple clearly hasn’t done its homework when it releases an OS update that breaks third-party software,” said Apple CEO Sebastian Schaub. “Apple should think twice about its annual upgrade cycle and test new releases more thoroughly.”
More importantly, while the Windscribe VPN service was not affected, its sister DNS service (an open source DNS daemon) faced some issues after the OS upgrade.
“We’ve identified an issue related to firewalls misbehaving and blocking connections they shouldn’t,” Windscribe CEO Yegor Sak told me. “This issue appears to have been resolved, so that’s good news.”
What’s behind these differences?
At this point, you may be wondering why some security services were affected and others were not. And why is ExpressVPN still recording some issues even after the “fix”? Again, providers have different views on why this issue occurs.
We already mentioned that Apple is responsible for incidents caused by third-party security software, according to Hide.me. Well, IPVanish has completely opposite views on this issue.
The team said that whenever there is a new release, IPVanish engineers track the release to understand when it will be released and begin testing the software in beta to identify potential issues. . This allowed us to notice that Apple changed the location of the network extensions tab (which requires users to consent to enable VPN) with Sequoia. All they had to do was change the user instructions.
“These are all standard engineering best practices. I don’t think so.” [bigger providers] We were going to get into some trouble,” Subbu Sthanu, chief commercial officer of consumer security at Ziff Davis (IPVanish’s parent company), told me.
Similarly, Saulius Maslinskas, Surfshark’s chief product development officer, told me that Apple’s updates to the Settings app require the team to update tutorials on setting up VPNs and antivirus. “We have released a new version 4.15.3 of the Surfshark macOS app with the latest materials,” he added.
ExpressVPN, by contrast, believes the problem lies in differences with the VPN technology infrastructure, and the usability issues may be more of a positive after all.
ExpressVPN’s network lock/kill switch solution employs a custom firewall for added privacy and security, the provider explains. This approach routes all traffic through the VPN tunnel or blocks it if the tunnel is unavailable. An issue with the Apple Push Notification service effectively caused traffic to fail to be routed to the VPN tunnel, subsequently blocking access to Apple servers.
“While this temporarily affected access to some Apple services, our VPN ensures that our robust security measures do not put traffic, even from Apple services, at risk. ,” Express’s Bultez told me. “Meanwhile, we noted that some unaffected VPN providers take advantage of Apple’s Network Extension technology, which automatically handles network routing and whitelists Apple’s servers. This is a potential privacy concern.
If you continue to experience usability issues when using Mac VPN after the latest update, we recommend contacting your service provider to find a workaround.
And if you’re an ExpressVPN user, there’s no need to despair. A new update is expected that will also fix issues with selected services.
“We conducted early testing of the upcoming macOS 15.1 beta and found that it addresses issues with services such as iMessage,” Bultez said. I’m looking forward to its release.
