Cisco fixes iOS 9 compatibility issue that blocked some VPNs
23.10.2015
When iOS 9 debuted in September, Cisco's AnyConnect VPN client for iOS stopped working correctly with some VPN server configurations, preventing resources from loading. During iOS 9's beta period, Cisco filed a bug report with Apple about iOS 9 breaking DNS resolution in IPv4-based split tunnneling, but iOS 9 shipped without a fix. So did iOS 9.01, 9.02, and this week's iOS 9.1.
But on Thursday, Cisco released an AnyConnect client update in the App Store, version 4.0.03016, that resolves the issue. Split-tunnel VPNs again work correctly, InfoWorld's tests reveal.
The update reenables split-tunneling VPN access for all versions of iOS 9. Split tunneling in iOS 8 and earlier was not affected by the bug, and it remains unclear whether the bug was in iOS 9, whether iOS 9 triggered a dormant bug in the Cisco AnyConnect iOS software, or a combination of the two.
There were scattered reports of other VPNs breaking when iOS 9 was released, such as in the Freedome VPN, ExpressVPN, and Open VPN clients, but they seem to be unrelated to the split-tunneling issue that affected AnyConnect.
Galen Gruman