Apple says Xcode 27 deprecates the entire Multipeer Connectivity framework, and it is telling developers to move that code to Network framework. The guidance comes in Apple’s technote TN3213, “Moving from Multipeer Connectivity to Network framework,” which Apple featured in its October 2026 Hello Developer newsletter.
Apple’s documentation describes Multipeer Connectivity as a framework to “support peer-to-peer connectivity and the discovery of nearby devices.” It has been part of iOS since iOS 7, and it is one of the ways apps find and connect to other Apple devices close by.
What Apple deprecated, and where
The framework’s documentation page now opens with a plain notice: “Multipeer Connectivity is deprecated. Migrate any code using this framework to the Network framework.” Its core session class, MCSession, carries the message “Use Network Framework instead” and is marked deprecated in version 27.0 of every platform it supports:
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| Platform | MCSession introduced | Deprecated |
|---|---|---|
| iOS | 7.0 | 27.0 |
| iPadOS | 7.0 | 27.0 |
| Mac Catalyst | 13.1 | 27.0 |
| macOS | 10.10 | 27.0 |
| tvOS | 10.0 | 27.0 |
| visionOS | 1.0 | 27.0 |
Deprecated is not the same as removed. Apple’s technote tells developers with a Multipeer Connectivity app to “plan to migrate your code to Network framework,” and it lays out a step-by-step path to get there.
What it means if you just use the apps
If you are not a developer, the notice does not switch anything off on your iPhone or Mac. Apple has marked the framework deprecated, not removed it. What it signals is that apps built on Multipeer Connectivity to discover and connect to nearby devices are expected to be reworked on Network framework over time.
There is a possible upside for users. Apple uses the technote to push developers toward better security. Multipeer Connectivity offered three security settings: none, optional and required. Apple says “optional security has limited utility” and calls the move “an excellent opportunity to add security to your peer-to-peer app.” Its privacy section is blunter: “There can be no privacy without security.”
Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi does not go away
Apple addresses one worry head-on. “A common misconception is that Multipeer Connectivity is the only way to use Apple peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. That’s not the case,” the technote says. “Network framework has opt-in support for Apple peer-to-peer Wi-Fi.” It also supports industry standard peer-to-peer Wi-Fi through the Wi-Fi Aware framework.
There is a caution attached. Network framework does not turn peer-to-peer Wi-Fi on by default, and Apple warns that enabling it “can reduce network performance both for your app and for other apps on the device.” It tells developers to enable it only when it is a significant benefit, and to consider Wi-Fi Aware instead, noting that Wi-Fi Aware with QUIC is not supported before iOS 27 and aligned releases.
What the move involves for developers
TN3213 is built around the newer Network framework API introduced in iOS 26 and aligned releases, using NetworkConnection, NetworkListener and NetworkBrowser. Apple says everything in it can also be done with the older NWConnection family or the C API, though “the mechanics are quite different.” The main points:
- Security: the technote focuses on TLS-PKI because that matches Multipeer Connectivity’s required mode, which needs a SecIdentity. Apple notes its platforms have no API to create a new digital identity locally, and names the swift-certificates package as one option.
- Network design: Multipeer Connectivity connects every peer to every other peer. Apple says many apps work better with a client-server design, and Network framework supports both.
- Peer identity: MCPeerID is “effectively a wrapper around a large random number.” Apple suggests a locally generated UUID instead, and warns that a persistent identifier “can be tracked over time and between networks.”
- Discovery: peers advertise and browse with Bonjour. There is no direct equivalent to Multipeer Connectivity’s built-in browsing interface. Apple points to DeviceDiscoveryUI for Wi-Fi Aware pairing and for Apple TV apps connecting to iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch apps.
- Sending files: Network framework has no direct equivalent to sending a whole resource. Developers stream the file in chunks and need flow control, since a file may be larger than available memory.
- Protocols: the second half of the technote centers on QUIC, where a connection supports zero or more reliable streams and at most one best-effort datagram channel. Apple notes QUIC’s default idle timeout on its platforms is 30 seconds.
Apple also recommends enabling the Swift 6 language mode so the compiler catches data races, since Network framework is built on Swift concurrency rather than Dispatch queues. A symbol cross reference at the end maps each Multipeer Connectivity class and method to the relevant section.
Where the guidance came from
The revision history shows the advice is not brand new. It was first published on March 7, 2025, on the Apple Developer Forums, then republished as TN3213 on July 14, 2026, updated for the latest Network framework API and focused on QUIC.
The full guide is Apple’s TN3213 technote on moving to Network framework.
