Bridge silently drops messages for @capacitor/geolocation 8.1.0 on iOS 26 / Xcode 26.4.1 (other plugins work)

[tiwariamit1208]

Plugin

@capacitor/geolocation

Plugin version

8.1.0

Capacitor version

@capacitor/core 8.3.1, @capacitor/ios 8.3.1

Platform

iOS

iOS version

iOS 26

Xcode version

Xcode 26.4.1

Current behavior

Geolocation.checkPermissions(), Geolocation.getCurrentPosition(), and Geolocation.watchPosition() calls from JS never produce a corresponding ⚡️ To Native -> Geolocation log line in the native console. The bridge message is silently dropped between the JS webkit.messageHandlers.bridge.postMessage() call and the native WebViewDelegationHandler.userContentController handler.

The JS-side promise hangs indefinitely until a hard timeout fires.

Expected behavior

Bridge messages from @capacitor/geolocation should reach the native handler the same way they do for @capacitor/app and our custom AppleSignInPlugin (a CAPPlugin we wrote in-project), both of which run on the same Capacitor bridge in the same project and bridge correctly.

Reproduction

I haven't been able to produce a minimal reproducer outside our project. The issue is consistent in our project across multiple clean builds, fresh installs, and DerivedData wipes.

What I've ruled out (with evidence)

• JS-side registration: Capacitor.isPluginAvailable('Geolocation') returns true. 'Geolocation' is in Object.keys(Capacitor.Plugins).
• Native plugin loaded: GeolocationPlugin.load() runs successfully in 2 ms (verified via NSLog probe).
• Plugin in bundle: CapacitorGeolocation Pod installed and built. GeolocationPlugin Swift symbols present in compiled App.debug.dylib (verified via nm).
• Version skew: Single deduped @capacitor/core@8.3.1 instance. No multiple cores in node_modules.
• packageClassList: GeolocationPlugin is correctly listed in capacitor.config.json.
• Newer plugin version: @capacitor/geolocation 8.2.0's GeolocationPlugin.swift is byte-for-byte identical to 8.1.0.
• IONGLOCManagerWrapper init hang on iOS 26: Plugin's load() completes in 2 ms, ruling out a CoreLocation main-thread hang during plugin instantiation.
• @capacitor/synapse: Loads cleanly, only adds proxy under CapacitorUtils.Synapse, doesn't intercept normal calls.
• Module resolution / build state: Multiple clean rebuilds with full DerivedData wipes — same behavior.

What is asymmetric

@capacitor/app and a custom AppleSignInPlugin (a CAPPlugin subclass we wrote in this project) both bridge correctly through the same WKWebView and same Capacitor 8.3.1 bridge in the same app. We see ⚡️ To Native -> App getLaunchUrl and ⚡️ To Native -> AppleSignIn signIn in the device console for those plugins. Only @capacitor/geolocation is silent.

Workaround

We bypassed the Capacitor plugin entirely on iOS by routing geolocation calls through navigator.geolocation (WKWebView's built-in API), which doesn't use the Capacitor bridge. Android continues using the Capacitor plugin (its bridge isn't affected). This is shipping in production for us. Happy to share the routing code if helpful.

Why this is worth investigating

This appears to be a bridge-routing issue specific to one plugin in a specific platform/Xcode/iOS combination. The asymmetry (other plugins work, this plugin doesn't, on the same bridge) suggests something in CapacitorGeolocation's registration or the bridge's per-plugin handling, not a general Capacitor-on-iOS-26 issue.

Logs / further detail

Full diagnostic chain available — happy to share native console output, plugin probe results, or anything else useful for triage.