Is it normal to get a warning from macOS when installing TeamViewer Host?

Steve_Bartmal_Klein

I'm trying to set up Teamviewer Host on a Mac for a new hire.

I've done this a thousand times.

I downloaded the Host installer from get.teamviewer.com/mycompanyname

But when I try to run the installer, I see this message (which I've never seen before):

This is on a brand-new Mac running macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

Is it possible that the software on your server has been compromised?

MoreCoffee

@Steve_Bartmal_Klein Thanks for reporting this. This message appears when macOS cannot verify the integrity of a downloaded app, in particular the app's "notarization" status.

All our macOS apps are signed and notarized, so you should never see this message when opening a TeamViewer disk image (DMG).

However, it seems that custom TeamViewer Host downloads are currently missing the Apple notarization "ticket" that is necessary in order for a Mac to be able to verify the notarization status of an app also when offline.

If Apple's notarization servers are unavailable, or the Mac simply has no internet connection (or has a firewall blocking connections to Apple's servers), macOS will not be able to check the notarization status and you will see this message.

We will fix this on our end and ensure all DMG downloads come with the notarization tickets necessary to verify their integrity offline.

However, assuming this Mac has an internet connection and is not behind a firewall blocking connections to Apple's servers, it is very likely that you will not see the dialog if you try again at a later time.

Thanks again for letting us know. Please also let me know if this issue is still occurring for you at this time on a Mac that has an internet connection.

MoreCoffee

@Steve_Bartmal_Klein Thanks for reporting this. This message appears when macOS cannot verify the integrity of a downloaded app, in particular the app's "notarization" status.

All our macOS apps are signed and notarized, so you should never see this message when opening a TeamViewer disk image (DMG).

However, it seems that custom TeamViewer Host downloads are currently missing the Apple notarization "ticket" that is necessary in order for a Mac to be able to verify the notarization status of an app also when offline.

If Apple's notarization servers are unavailable, or the Mac simply has no internet connection (or has a firewall blocking connections to Apple's servers), macOS will not be able to check the notarization status and you will see this message.

We will fix this on our end and ensure all DMG downloads come with the notarization tickets necessary to verify their integrity offline.

However, assuming this Mac has an internet connection and is not behind a firewall blocking connections to Apple's servers, it is very likely that you will not see the dialog if you try again at a later time.

Thanks again for letting us know. Please also let me know if this issue is still occurring for you at this time on a Mac that has an internet connection.

Steve_Bartmal_Klein

Thanks, @MoreCoffee!

You wrote, "If Apple's notarization servers are unavailable… , [or] a firewall [is] blocking connections to Apple's servers… it is very likely that you will not see the dialog if you try again at a later time."

We don't block access to Apple's notarization servers, but it's possible those servers were down.

Because I tried again later, and it worked. (Using the same download that didn't work before—I didn't download the installer dmg file again).

I've discovered that Apple has a Developer Systems Status page. It can be reached at developer.apple.com/system-status

One of the servers listed there is the Developer ID Notary Service, but I don't know if that server verifies notarization certs, or simply issues them for new apps.