Multicast SSDP / mDNS discovery is not working anymore since "Local network access" replaced "Advanced networking"

[bubbleguuum]

Steps to reproduce

I'm the developer of an app called BubbleUPnP, available on the Amazon appstore, whose purpose is to play to networked streamers (Chromecast, UPnP/DLNA, ...) media that can be stored on UPnP/DLNA media servers running on various machines (NAS, PC, mac, ...) on the local network.

When the "Advanced networking" option existed and was enabled, the app could detect these networked devices fine using the SSDP and mDNS protocols, both using multicast UDP under the hood.

Since "Advanced networking" has been replaced by the "Local network access" setting in the "Experimental section", this discovery does not work anymore (with or without "Local network access" enabled"), making my app almost useless while it worked before. This is a severe regression.

To reproduce it:

• make sure to have at least one networked player (DLNA TV or network music player, Chromecast, Kodi with DLNA renderer enabled in its settings and running on a different machine that the one running WSA, ...)
• enable "Local network access" setting in the "Experimental section"
• install BubbleUPnP from the Amazon appstore
• start BubbleUPnP
• in the "Now Playing tab", tap the floating cast icon. It should list all UPnP/DLNA/Chromecast devices (such as the ones mentioned in step 1) but will not detect them

If you did the same with an older version of WSA (before v2306) and with "Advanced networking" enabled, these devices would be detected

✔️ Expected Behavior

With "Local network access" setting enabled, SSDP and mDNS multicast discovery should work to detect on the local network devices using these protocols.

❌ Actual Behavior

With "Local network access" setting enabled, SSDP and mDNS multicast discovery does not work while it did with the older "Advanced networking" enabled.

Other Software

No response

Please specify the version of Windows Subsystem for Android

2307.40000.2.0

[johnbasol]

I have this same issue with an OTS android app (Avare) that relies on multicast to receive sensor data. This was working in the last version with Advanced Networking, but not in newer versions with Local Network Access. I would submit that this doesn't seem like it should be a feature request as it was a previously working function that has since been rendered inoperative in version 2307.

[bubbleguuum]

Agreed, it is more a regression than a feature request.
I hope it will be fixed in the next WSA update as it makes useless a category of apps that worked fine previously.

[dmutsaers]

I can confirm all my mDNS enabled Android apps fail since "Advanced networking" has been replaced by the "Local network access" setting in the "Experimental section". And yes, they all worked fine before, Windows Subsystem for Android is useless to me now.
@nieubank It's beyond me why a feature that worked before is classified as feature request when it's clearly a bug.

[bubbleguuum]

Yup and it is still broken on the 2308 update that landed yesterday...

[stevapple]

Same for me. I’m using mDNS domain in VLC for remote access to my NAS.

[clubtech]

Same here. Any app that requires mDNS no longer works as expected version 2306 when the new local network settings were introduced. I also noticed that WSA is causing my home wifi settings in windows to become "public" in windows settings after every reboot since version 2306. I have to manually change it to "private" after each reboot. The two issues may be connected.

[bpsib]

I am on version 2308.40000.4.0 and have found turning local network access "on" actually turns it off. Apps can no longer access local devices. Turning it "off" re-enables local access.

[D-u-K-k]

Still not working in 2309.40000.10.0 :|

[bubbleguuum]

I suppose you meant 2310.40000.0.0.

Yes it still not working, which is sad.
It makes a bunch of apps useless.

It worked just fine months ago before "Advanced networking" was replaced by what we have now.

[arnaudaprahamian]

Hello,
Any news regarding this ?
Is it possible to grab a previous, working, version of WSA ? I actually realy need this feature to work.

[clubtech]

Did anyone test if it's been fixed in WSA 2311.40000.1.0 ?

[dmutsaers]

I gave up on Windows subsystem for Android. It's a fiasco.

[bubbleguuum]

@clubtech

Sadly, it doesn't.

WSA hates multicast, UDP and SSDP. You have to wonder if it worked previously by pure luck.

Again and again, it makes a whole category of apps entirely unusable.

[RebelliousX]

Any news about this? I would love to use the advanced Vulkan driver for newer versions. But I need local network to be working too. For now, I am downgrading to v2305.. Sad.

I am using CIFS Document Provider, in v2305, it detects the NAS server IP address and other local network devices IP addresses fine. But anything above v2306+ fails as mentioned in the original post above.

[parmezan70]

With "Developer mode" enabled in WSA settings there is a possibility to run in Windows Terminal
adb connect 127.0.0.1:58526
Then we can execute commands inside Android via adb shell "command"

With "Local network access" disabled command adb shell "ip address" returns random address from 172.20.176.0/20 subnet and adb shell "ip route show table 0" returns routes list with default via 172.20.176.1 (which is vEthernet WSLCore virtual network adapter from the Windows host system as we can see in the output of ipconfig /all in Windows).
So technically in this case Android device connects to devices in home LAN (192.168.1.0/24 in my case) via 172.20.176.1 hop using address from 172.20.176.0/20 subnet (from different subnet) therefore all the local network features don't work.

With "Local network access" enabled command adb shell "ip address" returns address 192.168.1.2/24 and adb shell "ip route show table 0" returns routes list with default via 192.168.1.1 (which is my home router). My Windows host has the same IP address 192.168.1.2. So in this case Android has direct access to my home LAN without its own address given by my home DHCP (like 192.168.168.1.3) but with the same address as the main Windows host. I suggest something wrong with it (we try to ping local network host (for example, 192.168.1.5) from the IP 192.168.1.2, but it is the address for both Windows and Android hosts therefore respond packet from 192.168.1.5 to 192.168.1.2 is lost somethere).

It is just a guess.

[johnbasol]

RebelliousX

How were you able to downgrade to 2305? At this point I'm willing to remove myself from windows updates entirely if I can find a way to downgrade WSA to 2305.

[RebelliousX]

@johnbasol Download the package manually from WSABuilds repo here

Specifically, page 5 of releases from June 22 more than likely you need the x64 build unless you have Arm64 CPU.

[mrelive]

Having a similar issue , but found that with 2306 . if i start the app with the wifi off on and then turn it on after the app starts it seems to work . Still testing but seems to be connecting for now .

[jesvijonathan]

as you can see.. i am connected to a local network with visible devices but WSA does not detect any... how do i get it to work ? I have local network options enabled though...

[jesvijonathan]

@RebelliousX, you are right !

any one if interested and facing this error do uninstall current wsa and install this one : https://github.com/MustardChef/WSABuilds/releases/tag/Windows_11_2305.40000.6.0

it has advance network settings options and works as expected...

[hjfisch]

@RebelliousX, you are right !

any one if interested and facing this error do uninstall current wsa and install this one : https://github.com/MustardChef/WSABuilds/releases/tag/Windows_11_2305.40000.6.0

it has advance network settings options and works as expected...

Thank's a lot . With this Build I'm able to control my Primare Audioplayer from my Laptop .