Recently, Apple seeded the macOS 13.4 beta 4 to developers and beta testers. According to complaints on social media, users are experiencing network issues with third-party apps like Radio Silence and Little Snitch on the latest macOS beta update.
Only a week after releasing the third beta of macOS 13.4, the tech company rolled out the fourth developer beta of macOS 13.4 and soon after released its Public beta.
[Update; May 9, 2023: Apple has recently released macOS 13.4 RC which patches the content filter bug. Affected users who had installed macOS 13.4 beta 4 must upgrade their systems to the latest RC to resolve the issue and continue using network filtering apps like Little Snitch and Radio Silence.]
Uninstall network filtering apps to fix network connectivity issues on macOS 13.4 beta 4
Affected users reported the issue on Twitter and MacRumors forums that they experienced network connectivity issues after updating their computers to macOS 13.4 beta 4, especially with network filtering apps like Little Snitch and Radio Silence. It appears that this is caused by interference with firewall apps.
@Aaronp613 said that his Mac kept on disconnecting after being updated to the latest beta version. However, turning off Radio Silence fixed the issue.
Another affectee and MacRumors reader said that after updating to macOS 13.4 beta 4, his network cycling turned on and off repeatedly. And uninstalling Little Snitch fixed the problem.
Network filtering apps are tools that control or restrict access to web content through browsers or incoming content through email which is considered abusive, inappropriate, or threatening to the system as part of an internet firewall. These apps determine which content to permit or block.
Content filtering apps are considered important for businesses’ online security to protect them from malware attacks triggered via emails and web pop-ups.
If you are experiencing similar network connectivity issues and are using a network filtering app, it is best to uninstall it. Users who want to continue using their network filtering apps should not upgrade their machines to macOS 13.4 beta 4 until Apple patches the issue.