# Apple’s Connectivity Assist feature in iOS 27 disrupts NordVPN’s phishing protection and other filtering tools, reports find

> TechRadar reports that iOS 27’s Connectivity Assist feature can bypass NordVPN’s real-time phishing protection; Borncity reports similar effects on Pi-hole and other tools.

FireAI Security & Research Team (HisnLabs) · Published 2026-09-28
Canonical: https://hisnlabs.com/en/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-vpn-protection

TechRadar reported on 24 September 2026 that Apple’s Connectivity Assist feature in iOS 27 can bypass NordVPN’s real-time scam and phishing protection [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)]. Borncity, in coverage dated 22 September 2026, reported similar effects on other network-filtering tools, including Pi-hole [[2](https://borncity.com/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-hebelt-sicherheits-tools-aus/)]. Neither report describes the same effect on macOS 27.

## Background

Connectivity Assist is a feature introduced in iOS 27 that automatically routes network requests over cellular data when Wi-Fi quality degrades, succeeding an earlier feature called Wi-Fi Assist [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)][[2](https://borncity.com/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-hebelt-sicherheits-tools-aus/)]. Borncity reported that Connectivity Assist activates automatically after updating to iOS 27 if Wi-Fi Assist was previously enabled, so a user may not be aware it is active [[2](https://borncity.com/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-hebelt-sicherheits-tools-aus/)]. NordVPN’s real-time protection blocks known scam and phishing sites, typically through DNS-level filtering, before a page loads [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)].

## Findings

TechRadar reported that when NordVPN’s protection blocks a lookup, iOS 27 interprets the deliberate block as a failed connection and retries the request over cellular data, outside NordVPN’s filtering, so the blocked site can load anyway [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)]. The outlet quoted Laura Tyrylyte, NordVPN’s public relations manager, saying the situation forces a choice between two features meant to work together, and that NordVPN has no solution it can apply on its own [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)].

Borncity reported that the same mechanism defeats Pi-hole, a DNS-based advertising and tracker blocker, because it also depends on the device routing requests through its filtering point [[2](https://borncity.com/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-hebelt-sicherheits-tools-aus/)]. TechRadar’s reporting also named Firewalla and Cloudflare WARP as tools affected in the same way [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)]. Neither report describes an equivalent effect on macOS 27, and neither reports a public statement from Apple [[1](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)][[2](https://borncity.com/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-hebelt-sicherheits-tools-aus/)].

## Implications for Mac users

The effect reported applies to iOS 27 on iPhone; neither TechRadar nor Borncity reports the same behaviour on macOS 27, and no source consulted for this article describes it there. The underlying mechanism is not specific to NordVPN: any application that filters or blocks network traffic through an interface an operating system provides depends on that interface behaving consistently. Tools that perform this role on the Mac, including FireAI, use the equivalent macOS interface rather than the iOS one described here.

> FireAI, the on-device firewall for macOS developed by HisnLabs, lets a user set per-app connection rules and see where each connection on their Mac goes. A 17-day trial is available. [Download FireAI for Mac](https://hisnlabs.com/en/download)

## Recommendations

1. Users of NordVPN or a DNS-filtering tool such as Pi-hole on an iPhone updated to iOS 27 should verify the tool is still blocking a known test page, where their provider offers one.
2. Check Settings › Wi-Fi › (network name) › Connectivity Assist, and disable it where reliance on a filtering or VPN app’s protection is a priority, accepting slower loading on weak Wi-Fi as a trade-off.
3. Watch for an update from the maker of any affected VPN or filtering app; NordVPN has already acknowledged the issue publicly, which typically precedes a fix.
4. After any major iOS or macOS update, re-check that security and content-filtering apps are still behaving as expected, independent of a specific report like this one.

## Relevance to FireAI

FireAI is a firewall for macOS built on Apple’s Network Extension framework, the category of Apple-provided interface that VPN and filtering tools, including those named in this report, use to inspect and control network traffic. A change in how Apple’s networking APIs behave can in principle affect any tool built on them, including FireAI; this is stated plainly, since no security tool that depends on the operating system’s cooperation is exempt from that risk. No report consulted for this article describes macOS 27 affecting FireAI’s filtering, and the reports concern iOS specifically. FireAI provides per-app connection rules, a kill switch that stops all network traffic at once, and a record of each connection’s destination; none of these is reported to be affected by the issue described here. FireAI is developed by HisnLabs and available to [download](https://hisnlabs.com/en/download).

> FireAI’s kill switch stops all network traffic on a Mac at once, for anyone who wants to confirm nothing is connecting unexpectedly. A 17-day trial is available. [Download FireAI for Mac](https://hisnlabs.com/en/download)

## Limitations

Neither TechRadar nor Borncity reports testing on macOS 27, so no conclusion can be drawn about whether an equivalent issue exists there. TechRadar’s report does not state whether Apple has commented on or changed Connectivity Assist’s behaviour since publication, and no source consulted reports a fix from NordVPN, Pi-hole, Firewalla or Cloudflare WARP at the time of writing.

## Sources

- [TechRadar (Adrien Bar Hiyé), 24 September 2026: iOS 27 disrupts NordVPN’s anti-phishing protection — and other privacy tools are affected](https://global.techradar.com/fr-fr/vpn/vpn-services/ios-27-perturbe-la-protection-anti-phishing-de-nordvpn-et-dautres-outils-de-confidentialite-sont-concernes)
- [Borncity, 22 September 2026: iOS 27: Connectivity Assist undermines security tools](https://borncity.com/news/ios-27-connectivity-assist-hebelt-sicherheits-tools-aus/)