Apple Removes Network Locations Feature in macOS Ventura

[adrianlondon]

There are many posts here complaining about the feature being removed. As I posted earlier, the feature is still there, it's only the GUI controls (within the Settings app) that have gone. Hopefully they'll come back.

For those not following the Ventura betas closely, even the DNS etc. options for the current network disappeared from the Settings app during the first couple of betas. The Network section is still being worked on. At least I hope it is, as it's still a bit of a mess.

 

[grad]

This is one of the best features of macOS and an advantage it has over other OSes. I can't believe that there are Mac users that do not know about it but I do sense the ever increasing number of Apple apologists in the forum.

 

[indiekiduk]

Pardon my ignorance on this matter, but how was this used? I mean you would connect to a different network depending on where you were, wouldn't you?

I have a "Work" network location for my work's http proxy. I've also created network locations for when I've needed a static IP address that I want to use again in the future.

 

[orbital~debris]

The origins are in Mac OS Classic's Location Manager.

View attachment 2042285

This was a control panel (what one would now call a preference pane) where you stored an entire set of configuration options, and applied them all in one swoop.

In Mac OS X, only the network aspect remained.

🤔 this functionality has sort of been resurrected in iOS/iPadOS' 'Focus' feature.

 

[joecomo]

Probably they will try to make you configure that via some kind of weird shortcut or focus mode instead of the "Way too technical" system settings.

Wouldn‘t mind to do this via shortcut based on GPS location

 

[OS X Dude]

A business I manage Macs for use this for their staff MacBooks as they have quite strict settings on-site. I'll be chatting to our Apple SE about this and filing feedback to reinstate it in the GUI.

The link states that Locations can still be setup via the usual networksetup command, and I set the locations up via script so if anyone would like some pointers on how to do that then please message me. I'm actually OK with its removal from the GUI so long as the CLI method remains.

 

[bbzzz]

With more home and not the main office working, vpn use and varying security requirements we use this all the time. Having to do it manually will be a pain and time consuming

 

[loll]

Pardon my ignorance on this matter, but how was this used? I mean you would connect to a different network depending on where you were, wouldn't you?

I use this feature depending on if I am just using my laptop for my own things or if I am doing things for work. My work uses a VPN while that isn't needed for home use.

So I have one location configured to my home use and one configured to my workplace needs and just switch location when I need to.

My physical location doesn't change, but my networking set up does

There may be other use cases for it but thats how I use it.

 

[dysamoria]

I understand why they want to streamline the settings and make it more in line with iOS/iPadOS. But so far the new settings panel on macOS Ventura has been a mess. Lots of settings are simply missing. No toggle for on-demand for VPN connections, on my Mac mini there is no option for me to set when my system is supposed to go to sleep, etc..

Still in BETA, but there are so many obvious things missing and we are already at BETA5. Unless macOS is getting delayed like iPadOS there isn't much time left before it has to go into Release Candidates which normally means no changes to features or GUI, only bug squishing.

And they don’t like to actually fix bugs these days…

 

[dysamoria]

This 'feature' caused no end of problems a few years back, and I got to the point where I'd simply reset the whole thing if someone had turned it on before trying to troubleshoot connectivity issues.

I’ve seen that mentioned as a place to look for trouble in support documents, as creating a new one or outright deleting all of them, is in Apple Support as a troubleshooting tactic.

 

[dysamoria]

I suppose they could tie script actions to the change in Focus. And those scripts could change network settings. But, ironically, if that were to happen, they would be removing a simple click-based method of doing that with one that requires scripting knowledge. Kinda backwards, if you ask me.

Added complexity for less reliability seems to be the Apple way, this generation…

 

[bluecoast]

Like many on this thread, I’ve never used this and often wondered what it was when I ventured into the network panel - I always assumed it was a hangover from nextstep. But then I’ve never used a Mac for work.

As Jason Snell has said, this feels like an opportunity for a developer.

 

[Canubis]

Apple, just keep the old & proven System Preferences. The replacement is simply not ready for production. Some intern had a fun summer learning project, but that’s it.

 

[montuori]

My knee jerk reaction is that this is more Apple stupidity, but I’d rather let people who actually use the feature now explain their use case.

I have two real-world uses:

• To change MacOS proxy settings after creating an SSH SOCKS proxy to access internal sites at work.
• To re-conf ethernet setting when I'm running on a non-dhcp closed network for lighting and sound devices in my theater.

It's the kind of thing I'd have written a script for but never got around to it. I guess that time has come. I don't really care this way or that but my heart goes out to large deployments with end users who rely on the functionality.

 

[oldmacs]

Can Apple please stop randomly removing useful features?

 

[gsurf123]

It's more of an enterprise/professional feature. But if you are one that relies on static IP on Ethernet, or adding a VLAN-tag on Ethernet for instance you could have one setting for let's say location "Corporate Main Office", and one for "Corporate Off-Site" instead of having to manually change your static IP or VLAN-tag each time you move between location. You would simply switch your location which contains the correct settings for whatever location you are currently in.

This is very niche and I don't know many that utilise it.

i don’t know your scenario but for others in that situation it’s probably best to configure that with your DHCP and not locally, so that it just happens without any futzing.

 

[CarlJ]

I can't believe that there are Mac users that do not know about it but ...

Really? I bet there are a whole lot of Mac users who put in nearly all of their time using their Mac in one or perhaps two locations, on WiFi, on DHCP-provisioned networks, and never look at the networking panel in the first place, much less touch the Network Locations pulldown.

Repeat along with the rest of the class: my use case is not necessarily the same as everyone else's use case.

If it goes away permanently, I'll be annoyed too. But I can clearly see that it's a fairly niche feature. Still, they should retain the functionality. That's not apologist, that's being real.

 

[DailySlow]

You probably know this already, but you can change the order of the network interfaces. The interface at the top is used as the default gateway (and default DNS). At least, this is in Monterey and previous versions - don't know about Ventura. If you set your ethernet connection at the top, it will be used when it is plugged in, even if WiFi is also connected. When ethernet is disconnected, it will switch to using WiFi as the gateway/DNS automatically.

Network preferences > bottom left hand corner (...) > Set service order.

Thanks just did it

 

[CarlJ]

i don’t know your scenario but for others in that situation it’s probably best to configure that with your DHCP and not locally, so that it just happens without any futzing.

Not every network uses DHCP (and not every network that uses DHCP sends out the proper settings for every machine).

 

[GumaRodak]

If the standard and basic features are built in, they have no income from the features if 3rd party is providing them, sure they will get their piece of cake …

 

[grad]

Niche feature ? Sorry but that is exactly what an apologist would say. Since when controlling advanced features using UI is a niche ? What next, disable static IP addresses, disallow changing DNS address or turning off Ethernet and call it a feature ? If you are happy with macOS turning into iPadOS, many of us are not.

 

[DennyBoll]

In addition to redesigning the System Settings app on macOS Ventura, Apple has removed the app's longstanding Network Locations feature, as noted by Jason Snell at Six Colors. The feature allowed users to quickly switch between different sets of Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and other network settings depending on their location, such as home or work.

Given that macOS Ventura is still in beta, there is always a chance that Network Locations could return at some point, but this seems unlikely given that Apple marked Tyler Loch's bug report about the feature's absence as "works as currently designed."

In a support document, Apple says the Network Locations feature could be useful in circumstances such as those listed below:Snell says Apple's command-line tool "networksetup" is still present in the latest macOS Ventura beta, so a third-party developer could step in and release an app to replace the Network Locations functionality removed in the System Settings app.

Article Link: Apple Removes Network Locations Feature in macOS Ventura

In addition to redesigning the System Settings app on macOS Ventura, Apple has removed the app's longstanding Network Locations feature, as noted by Jason Snell at Six Colors. The feature allowed users to quickly switch between different sets of Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and other network settings depending on their location, such as home or work.

Given that macOS Ventura is still in beta, there is always a chance that Network Locations could return at some point, but this seems unlikely given that Apple marked Tyler Loch's bug report about the feature's absence as "works as currently designed."

In a support document, Apple says the Network Locations feature could be useful in circumstances such as those listed below:Snell says Apple's command-line tool "networksetup" is still present in the latest macOS Ventura beta, so a third-party developer could step in and release an app to replace the Network Locations functionality removed in the System Settings app.

Article Link: Apple Removes Network Locations Feature in macOS Ventura

As a WISP, I use this feature 20 times a day. To configure new radios, I need to switch to the 192.168.1.x subnet. After I’m done back to Automatic. Up at radio sites I switch to the relevant 10.x.x.x subnet. I will NOT upgrade without this feature!

 

[ikramerica]

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I have not used that setting in over 20 years.

I used it over 20 years ago. So there!

 

[nottorp]

Asses. I have two internet connections at home and use the locations feature all the time to switch the default route between them.

 

[ikramerica]

"Apple's legendary ease-of-use that the Mac is known for"

Nothing screams legendary ease-of-use like essentially writing your own system software or automations.

What always set Apple apart from all the other nerd-targeting computer companies were the simple but powerful nice touches throughout Apple's products. Even if a feature was narrowly targeted, some nerd inside Apple thought of making it easy to operate. Apple's products were designed and engineered enthusiasts who had excellent taste for interaction and design. The nerds and enthusiasts at Apple designed products for non-enthusiasts and enthusiasts alike because even an enthusiast can appreciate a powerful feature being easier to operate. They used to have a special gift of creating features that satisfied the majority of both camps.

They seem to struggle with this more and more these days. Sometimes they either go too nerdy and powerful (Focus is a good example), or not powerful enough and too simplistic in capabilities.

I agree. In this case though, it seems that it is a security feature best controlled by the company you work for via a profile, security app, etc than by a clunky OS toggle. The underlying code is there. It can be accessed via scripting.

One commenter said his business with 25,000 macs uses it, but they may be better off using a custom solution anyway.

It’s the small business - do they still call it SOHO? - that would have to figure something out if they happened to use it. But with so few devices, they should maintain a whitelist with fixed IPs assigned anyway.