PingKit 3.3 and 3.2: What Changed in Device Discovery, the Mac Agent and Guardian
Short version. PingKit 3.3 is about your device list: more devices get a name from what they announce, and when only your router answers, PingKit says the Wi-Fi may be keeping devices apart. On macOS 27, PingKit Agent 3.3.0 and later reads hardware addresses again. The 3.2 releases made Guardian easier to start and manage, added a Guardian weekly report on iPhone every Monday at 9:00 your time, and taught Uptime Watch to say when a site refuses automated checks.
Five updates, by area: PingKit 3.2.0, 3.2.1 and 3.3.0 for iPhone, and PingKit Agent 3.2.0 and 3.3.0 for Mac.
Devices: More Names, Steadier Labels
Most of 3.3 is about names. Both apps now ask each device that has no name yet for the name it announces on your network, so smart plugs, bulbs and TVs that never showed a name can now get one. They ask in more ways, too. A device that answers NetBIOS, such as a Windows PC, can be named after its computer name. A printer, NAS or router can report its name over SNMP, which PingKit reads without changing anything on the device. And on iPhone, a TV or speaker that announces a name over UPnP, such as "Office TV", can now be listed under that name.
PingKit now puts the brand a device reports about itself first. A device's details show it as "Vendor", and the maker of its network chip separately, as "Network chip". On iPhone, a device keeps the name and label you gave it on that network when its IP address changes, as long as it announces a name or identifier.
If only your router answers a full scan of your network, PingKit now tells you the Wi-Fi may be keeping devices apart, which is common on guest and hotel networks. When a device stops answering, PingKit shows how long it has been out of sight ("Not seen for" and a time) instead of just calling it offline.
3.2 filled gaps in the list on iPhone and Mac: it now includes devices that answer but keep every port closed, such as many phones and laptops with a firewall, and devices whose Wi-Fi is dozing get a second, slower chance to answer. In 3.3, scans send less traffic, and Thread and Matter devices that announce themselves can now appear. All of this is part of the free device scan; how PingKit finds and names the devices on your network has the detail.
PingKit Agent 3.3: Hardware Addresses on macOS 27
On macOS 27, PingKit Agent 3.3.0 and later reads hardware addresses again, along with the maker of each device's network chip where the address is not a private one. macOS 27 withholds them from an app that lacks a restricted entitlement, and Agent 3.3.0 carries it. On macOS 15 and 26, PingKit Agent reads hardware addresses as before. Devices an older Agent first met on macOS 27 pick up their hardware address the next time Agent 3.3.0 sees them on the network.
PingKit Agent can show a Mac that is asleep behind an Apple TV or HomePod as asleep, not offline, and when it can tell that Local Network access is off, a scan no longer marks your devices offline or sends Device Offline alerts for them. While your Mac is awake, PingKit Agent also keeps listening for Bonjour devices between scans and follows them as they appear and disappear; a device is still marked offline only when it stops answering scans, not because one of its services signed off.
The key that pairs your iPhone with your Mac moved to a keychain that stays on each device and never syncs to iCloud, and nothing has to be paired again. All of this is free on the Mac; seeing your Mac's devices on your iPhone is part of Guardian. See what PingKit Agent watches on your Mac while it is awake.
Guardian and Monitoring: Easier to Start, Clearer to Manage
The rest of 3.2 was about Guardian itself. When Guardian starts on your iPhone, a "Set up Guardian" checklist on the Monitor tab walks you through watching a website, turning on alerts, your first Security Scan or Session Watch, and pairing your Mac. If notifications are on, the device you started a free trial on reminds you two days before it ends, with the renewal date, the price and what Guardian did during the trial.
On iPhone, open Info to see when a subscription bought on your iPhone renews or, if you turned renewal off, when it ends; PingKit Agent's Settings shows the same for one bought on your Mac. Monthly subscribers can switch to yearly from their second paid month, on the device where they subscribed, starting at the next renewal. If a payment fails, a banner helps you fix it on the device where you subscribed: on every tab of the iPhone app, or in the Mac's window, menu bar and Settings.
The Weekly Report on iPhone (3.2.1)
Every Monday at 9:00 your time, Guardian on iPhone gives you a short notification of what PingKit recorded the week before, as long as notifications for PingKit are on; Guardian Plus has it too. It counts the certificates that need attention, the websites you watch and your Session Watch sessions, and, with a Mac running PingKit Agent, the alerts from your Mac and the devices it saw. It is built on your iPhone from what PingKit has already recorded, so it is freshest when you open PingKit during the week. Tap it to open Reports, or turn it off with the Weekly report switch in Info.
Uptime Watch and Sites That Refuse Checks (3.2.1)
Website monitoring with Uptime Watch runs from PingKit's servers: one website free, checked every hour, with alerts on your iPhone, or up to 10 websites or servers every 5 minutes with Guardian. Some websites refuse automated checks, and Uptime Watch now says so instead of calling the site down, and does not count it as downtime. On iPhone the site is marked "Checks refused", PingKit explains why, and you can copy the name PingKit checks with, PingKit-UptimeWatch/2.0 (+https://pingkit.app/uptime-watch/), for the site owner to allow. PingKit Agent 3.3.0 shows the same "Checks refused" status on the Mac. If Uptime Watch alerts stopped reaching your iPhone, opening PingKit now repairs the connection to the alert service by itself.
What each PingKit plan includes has the full split between free, Guardian and Guardian Plus.
Smaller Things
- Local Network access. Before a scan, PingKit on iPhone checks whether Local Network access is on; if it is off, the Devices tab says so and links to Settings instead of showing an empty list. If you have never allowed that access, a shortcut that reaches your network (Scan for Devices, Run Security Scan, Scan Ports, Ping Device, Wake Device) asks you to open PingKit first, so iOS can ask you.
- Wake-on-LAN. When PingKit knows your subnet, it sends each wake both to your subnet's broadcast address and to 255.255.255.255, because routers differ in which one they pass on. How to wake a computer from your iPhone covers the setup.
- Your language. More of PingKit now appears in your language, including Smart Diagnostics' steps and advice, and the yearly plan's saving is shown in your own currency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need PingKit Agent 3.3.0 for hardware addresses on macOS 27?
Yes. On macOS 27, only PingKit Agent 3.3.0 or later can read them; on macOS 15 and 26, PingKit Agent reads them as before. After you update, devices pick up their hardware address the next time Agent 3.3.0 sees them on the network.
Why does PingKit say only my router answered?
A scan of your whole network got an answer from your router and from nothing else. That can mean the Wi-Fi keeps devices apart, which is common on guest and hotel networks. It is a hint drawn from the silence, not a test, and your router's own device list is the final word.
Is the Guardian weekly report an email?
No. It is a notification on your iPhone every Monday at 9:00 your time, and it needs notifications for PingKit to be turned on. Guardian Plus has a separate email: once you confirm your address, it can email your Uptime Watch and Cert Monitor alerts, plus a summary every Monday (sent at 07:00 UTC) with each site's uptime for the week and each certificate's days left.
Does PingKit Agent keep my Mac awake now?
No. PingKit Agent watches your network while your Mac is awake; it never stops your Mac from sleeping, and checks resume when it wakes. The Bonjour listening it keeps open between scans closes when your Mac sleeps, too.
Update PingKit, or try it on your own network.
You can use the device scan and 19 network tools on iPhone free, and device discovery in PingKit Agent on a Mac is free too. Every Guardian and Guardian Plus plan starts with a 1-week free trial for new subscribers.
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