MacOS Sequoia blocking VPN, won't allow use of Messages and iCloud

OpenVPN is also having a problem for me, but only with Messages. Even updating to 3.5.0 did not help.

Cthulhu wrote:

@g_wolfman I don't see anyone saying any of the things you posted.

There is a link to the original post being responded to in each reply. See here:

Unfortunately, the current version of the forum software has this funky default sort order by "rank" that can be very confusing. See:

I've changed mine to "Newest" in my preferences.

It's a real problem on some of these new Sequoia threads. People keep replying with the same problem, apparently not seeing the fix. At least I would expect to see the typical freak out about not running the firewall. Perhaps they just don't bother searching, but I think the sort order does contribute.

Can you elaborate what inflammatory statement you refer to and what untrue statement you are referencing? I must have missed where anyone even implied Apple is MITM'ing VPNs.

It's just typical internet misinformation. People often think that Apple is just a typical flaky tech company and all those social media influencers are trying to protect us from Apple's poor security. But if Apple really had such poor security, why would its biggest competitor set up an entire division just to hack Apple devices? Denigrating Apple has always been a popular pastime in certain circles, but now it's a full-fledged industry. But it's all fake.

yes express vpn , so now i have to cancell the subsicroption and purchase another VPN

After the update, same as before so apple hasn't fixed anything yet. works sometimes and not works most of the time. works on intel MBP but not my studio

Just tested, I added the VPN app to the firewall allowed list on Mac and worked.

I've made no changes other than updating to 15.1 yesterday and guess what? Everything is now working over PIA again. Upgrading the OS corrected the problem. No changes to PIA. Cheers.

Are you positive that it did not just sync while you were switching VPNs? Because I tried PIA, TorGuard, and a corporate Cisco and while the VPN is on with any app (from the vendor, or just OpenVPN) Messages does not sync.

I don't think you can get all that from macOS as easily as through Express VPN. You have to do a little more work to get similar functionality. macOS has the Private Relay (requires iCloud+) which can do much of what Express VPN can do to hide your IP address so websites can't detect it and hide the websites you are visiting from you internet provider (only in Safari, though). In Safari you can also prevent cross-site tracking through a setting in the Privacy section. I also have AdBlock Pro installed (the non paid version) to eliminate ads. All this is a bit piecemeal and doesn't offer the big switch that sits on the main pipe of your internet connectivity and thus works on everything on your computer like what Express VPN offers (unfortunately).

While many things do work, most iCloud-dependent services do not work with ExpressVPN for me (Sequoia). Just chatted with support and it's a known issue with the VPN. No resolution known. No timing for a new release. "Just use Messages on your phone and not on your desktop." Sucks.

In a tech support call with ExpressVPN, I was told ExpressVPN is aware of the issue and it has been escalated to get fixed. For the time being, in your ExpressVPN settings, in the "general" tab, uncheck the box "Network Lock: Stop all internet traffic if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly." This seemed to work to allow messages to be sent and received, as well as allows FaceTime calls through Mac OS's newest upgrade.

This works for me. Awesome.

Elian Gonzalez wrote:

OpenVPN is also having a problem for me, but only with Messages. Even updating to 3.5.0 did not help.

As of now, PIA is the only app I know with a workaround (though that fix is punching a hole in the VPN that even they don't advise). If you were able to export your config to OpenVPN, perhaps you could export a WireGuard config as well? If so, you can use the WireGuard app from the App Store with that config and get Messages back. You won't have a kill-switch, but it works well as a temporary solution.

Thanks. That did the trick for me as well. Hopefully, they get this fixed so we can go back to automatic. Surely, IKEv2 will have some unintended consequences somewhere else. But for now...... it works.

I concur, as do the VPN vendors I have had tickets with. It also seems that unless you let an app accept incoming connections, it will not get responses from DNS queries in all cases. At least one helpful user said the 15.1 upcoming release seems to address both issues, but as of today I don't see anything related to networking in the release notes. I am not in a position to try the latest dev release, but anyone who is might want to give it a try.