NSMutableURLRequest timeout interval not taken into consideration for POST requests

Question

I have the following problem. On a NSMutableURLRequest using the HTTP method POST the timeout interval set for the connection is ignored. If the internet connection has a problem (wrong proxy, bad dns) the url request fails after about 2-4 minutes but not with NSLocalizedDescription = "timed out";

NSUnderlyingError = Error Domain=kCFErrorDomainCFNetwork Code=-1001 UserInfo=0x139580 "The request timed out.

If the http method used is GET it works fine. The connection is async over https.

    NSURL *url = [NSURL URLWithString:urlString];
    NSMutableURLRequest *request = [NSMutableURLRequest requestWithURL:url];    

    [request setTimeoutInterval:10];

    //Set the request method to post
    [request setHTTPMethod:@"POST"];

    if (body != nil) {
        [request setHTTPBody:body];
    }

    // Add general parameters to the request
    if (authorization){
        [request addValue: authorization forHTTPHeaderField:@"Authorization"];
    }
    [request addValue: WS_HOST forHTTPHeaderField:@"Host"];
    [request addValue:@"text/xml" forHTTPHeaderField:@"Content-Type"];

    [[NSURLCache sharedURLCache] setDiskCapacity:0];

    [self addToQueueRequest:request withDelegate:delegate];

'

Solution 1

iOS 6 has fixed this issue.

NSMutableURLRequest *request = [NSMutableURLRequest 
                                requestWithURL:[NSURL URLWithString:url] 
cachePolicy:NSURLRequestReloadIgnoringLocalCacheData timeoutInterval:20];

[request setHTTPMethod:method];
[request setHTTPBody:requestBody];
NSLog(@"%f", [request timeoutInterval]); 
//20.0 in iOS 6
//240.0 in iOS 4.3, 5.0, 5.1

Solution 2

Fixed with Clay Chambers's suggestion: with a custom timer Added a timer in a subclass of NSURLConnection

if (needsSeparateTimeout){

    SEL sel = @selector(customCancel);

    NSMethodSignature* sig = [self methodSignatureForSelector:sel];

    NSInvocation* invocation = [NSInvocation invocationWithMethodSignature:sig];

    [invocation setTarget:self];

    [invocation setSelector:sel];

    NSTimer *timer = [NSTimer timerWithTimeInterval:WS_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_INTERVAL invocation:invocation repeats:NO];

    [[NSRunLoop mainRunLoop] addTimer:timer forMode:NSDefaultRunLoopMode];

}

In the custom cancel method the connection is cancelled

[super cancel];     

Solution 3

It looks like problem described here is still facing iOS 7.1 (or reappeared). Fortunately it looks like setting timeoutIntervalForResource property on the configuration on the NSURLSession can fix this.

EDIT

According to @XiOS observations this works for timeouts shorter than (around) 2 minutes.