Discontinued and soon to disappear: Apple's network protocol AFP
SMB has long since replaced AFP in macOS, but users were still able to use the AFP client for network connections. This will soon come to an end.
Goodbye, Apple Filing Protocol: Apple is removing the AFP client from the operating system with an upcoming macOS version. The manufacturer first announced this step in advance versions of macOS 15.5 Sequoia. The AFP client is already considered discontinued in this version and "will be removed from a future version of macOS", according to the updated documentation for mounting AFP drives(mount_afp).
AFP users should change workflows
Apple is advising users of the client to look for alternatives and adapt their workflows in good time – before upgrading to the next major macOS version. This is presumably macOS 16, which is expected to be released in the fall as usual. However, Apple has not yet specifically named the version in which the AFP client will no longer be supported. Of course, there is also the option of continuing to use an older macOS version with the remaining APF support – at least as long as the manufacturer provides security patches for the system.
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MacOS 15.5 – is currently in the beta or release candidate stage – still contains the AFP client along with the new notice of the imminent end. The point update is expected to be released to the general public next week, in parallel with iOS / iPadOS 18.5.
Apple Filing Protocol, a time-honored gem
The Apple Filing Protocol is a veteran of the Mac operating system, originally based on AppleTalk, later TCP/IP. It was not only intended for classic MacOS, but was also integrated by Apple into the modern Mac OS X – today again macOS –. A good ten years ago, however, it was practically obsolete. AFP is designed for earlier file systems such as HFS+, it can access drives formatted with Apple's newer APFS, but this quickly leads to problems – or does not work. Over 10 years ago, SMB finally took over the role of AFP in OS X and macOS respectively. Since then, the Apple Filing Protocol has not been further developed.
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