AIRPLAY vs. the ghost of VPN?

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AIRPLAY vs. the ghost of VPN?

A couple of days ago something broke the AirPlay on my Mac Studio. It could see devices on the network but couldn't send them audio. My other Macs (Mini and Air) had no such problems. What was different on the Studio? As I began drafting this would-be plea for help, a possible answer came to mind. On Saturday night I had used a VPN for [REDACTED]. The VPN got turned off by a reboot, but I hadn't explicitly disconnected from the service. So I turned it on and turned it off again, this time using the big red DISCONNECT button. AirPlay functionality was almost immediately restored.

Is this a known phenomenon? Can failing to formally disconnect a VPN session make it appear that the session is still active? (I'm using Nord.)

Mac Studio, macOS 26.0

Posted on Nov 4, 2025 2:55 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 5, 2025 6:53 AM in response to Mr Tea

Mr Tea wrote:

Is this a known phenomenon? Can failing to formally disconnect a VPN session make it appear that the session is still active? (I'm using Nord.)

Simply turning off a VPN is often insufficient. You need to remove it.

Unless you are using the VPN to access a secure server at work or school, it is most likely not providing you the privacy improvements you think it is. This article explains why.

Don't use VPN services (GitHub)

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Answer 2

Nov 5, 2025 7:45 AM in response to Mr Tea

Mr Tea wrote:

Is this a known phenomenon? Can failing to formally disconnect a VPN session make it appear that the session is still active? (I'm using Nord.)

It is well known that VPN can break many things, and it is also well known among security experts that VPN makes you less secure, not more secure. Sometimes it is necessary to completely remove VPN and reinstall it if your system isn’t working correctly→VPN: What you need to know - Apple Community

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