Open Safari after Captive Network Assistant authentication

We're proving a free *****-access WiFi network.


• Users select the WiFi hotpsot in Settings > WiFi

• Captive Network Assistant tear sheet pops up

• Users log-in via the Captive Network Assistant and are authenticated

• Users can click "Done" button top-right of the CNA tear sheet to close it - or Users can click on the captive portal content to view web pages


What we'd like - and we have seen this before - is to open any web content in Safari rather than in the CNA micro-browser in the tear sheet.


It used to be the case that if one provided a full URL as a link, once the CNA was connected [eg. you see the "Done" button top-right] clicking in this link would open web content up in Safari.


Now this functionality seems deprectated.


This is a major issue as it means once users are logged-in we cannot offer them links to other areas of the capitve portal, such as news or service updates. They're just dropped back into Settings > WiFi and would then need to manually boot Safari and visit more pages. Not a great user experience.


Any ideas? Seems like there are quite a few threads on this but with no definitive answers from Apple.

Replies

To add - it appears that opening Safari from a full URL was possible in iOS 10.0.x but at some point Apple changed it.

As there's very little documentation it's somewhat frustrating that things like this change and there's no suggested workarounds or even reason for the change.


But clearly a Web experience in the CNA MicroBrowser is nowhere near as good as in Safari [or Chrome, or whatever].


We've run more tests and are able to open any App that supports the URL Scheme from within the CNA Tear Sheet. Just not Safari, which does not support Apple's own URL Scheme.


The mind boggles. Any input here, folks?

Hi @AlasdairScott,


You got any work-around here?

I have a router that opens the Apple CNA on a captive portal with a button to accept the terms & conditions.


When the users accept the terms, the router unlocks the connection and redirect the user to a welcome page with a link.


On iOS 10.2.1 when I click on the link (it is an absolute link "https://mydomain.it/mypage") the CNA is automatically close and Safari is opened with the link.


On iOS 10.3.1 the link is opened inside the CNA with all limitations of the case (limited js support, no localstorage, ecc...)


How do I fix it?

I filled a bug report now.

I filled a bug report now.

What was the bug number?

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!”
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware

let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@apple.com"

Hi, I am having the same issue in a captive portal with a landing page, and it is also critical for me. ¿Do you have any feedback from Apple?


It is still working for earlier versions, but stopped working from 10.3.


Thanks

This http://i.imgur.com/mN3qDlV.png


Thanks! 🙂

Thanks.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!”
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware

let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@apple.com"

ps For the sake of Future Quinn™, who likes to copy’n’paste bug numbers, that is 31785574, which got dup’d to 31534659.

hi,


how can I follow the status and fate of bug report 31534659?


cheers

how can I follow the status and fate of bug report 31534659?

If you file your own bug about this, it will get closed as a dup of 31534659 at which point you’ll be able to see basic status information about that bug (namely, it’s open/close state). Beyond that, there’s no official mechanism for getting more details about other people’s bugs.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!”
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware

let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@apple.com"

Hi,

nothing

We are facing the same problem and tried different solutions. Any progress on this?


Thanks

Roland

The issue status is still open.

Same issue in 10.3.2

the problem is critical

@eskimoYou can ask some iOS developers to fix this issue in the next version of iOS?

We're also having this problem. Really hoping Apple will respond with it's plans RE this bug.