dotnet/maui

Ability to detect whether we are connected via a VPN on iOS

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#21,873 opened on Apr 17, 2024

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Description

Description

I work on an Android/iOS app that we recently ported from Xamarin to MAUI. Our application requires the ability to detect whether the user is connected via a VPN. This is possible on Android via ConnectivityManager.GetNetworkCapabilities(connectivityManager.ActiveNetwork).HasTransport(TransportType.Vpn)

On Xamarin, we implemented the iOS VPN detection like so:

var settings = (CFProxySettings) CFNetwork.GetSystemProxySettings();
var keys = settings.Dictionary.ValueForKey(new NSString("__SCOPED__")) as NSDictionary;
string[] vpnProtocols = { "tap", "tun", "utun2", "ppp", "ipsec", "ipsec0" };
return keys.Any(k => vpnProtocols.Any(v => k.Key.ToString().Contains(v)));

as per https://stackoverflow.com/questions/54932217/getting-vpn-connection-status-on-xamarin-ios

However, on MAUI, the CFNetwork.GetSystemProxySettings() method is missing. Is there an alternative way to detect this, or could I request the restoration of this API?

Public API Changes

CFNetwork.GetSystemProxySettings() // as per CoreFoundation in Xamarin.iOS.dll

Intended Use-Case

Detecting VPN connection to improve connectivity management.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
csharp
Domain
mobile
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C#.NET MAUIiOS networkingCoreFoundation
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
Investigate the missing CFNetwork.GetSystemProxySettings() method in .NET MAUI's CoreFoundation bindings. Review the Xamarin.iOS implementation linked in the issue for reference (see StackOverflow). Check the MAUI repository for any existing iOS network capability detection code. Look into Apple's documentation for proxy settings on iOS. A potential fix involves restoring the API or finding an alternative via CFNetwork.