Having trouble getting your Wi-Fi to behave after updating to OS X 10.10.3? You’re not alone. This particular update has been causing headaches for many Mac users, with Wi-Fi dropping out at seemingly random moments. Let’s dig into what’s happening and how to fix it.
The Photos App Connection
Here’s something interesting – the culprit behind these Wi-Fi issues often turns out to be Apple’s new Photos app, which came bundled with the 10.10.3 update. Think of it as iPhoto’s younger, more ambitious sibling that wants to keep everything synchronized with iCloud. While that sounds great in theory, it’s creating some unexpected problems.
Why Is This Happening?
Imagine your Wi-Fi connection as a highway, and the Photos app is like a convoy of trucks trying to sync all your photos to iCloud. Sometimes, this convoy gets too large and effectively blocks all other traffic, causing your Wi-Fi connection to drop out. The issue seems to be most prominent when Photos is doing its initial sync or handling large batches of new photos.
Signs You’re Affected
You might be experiencing this issue if:
– Your Wi-Fi worked fine before updating to 10.10.3
– Disconnections started happening right after the update
– The problems seem worse when you’re working with Photos
– Your Wi-Fi drops more frequently when Photos is open
What You Can Do About It
Here are some practical steps to help manage the situation:
1. Temporarily pause iCloud Photo Library syncing in Photos preferences
2. Restart your Mac and your Wi-Fi router
3. Consider using ethernet when doing large photo uploads
4. Monitor your Activity Monitor to see when Photos is actively syncing
A Temporary Workaround
If you need a quick fix while Apple works on a permanent solution, try this: Open Photos, go to Preferences, and uncheck “iCloud Photo Library.” Yes, this means you’ll temporarily lose the syncing feature, but it could restore stability to your Wi-Fi connection. You can always re-enable it later when you specifically need to sync photos.
Looking Forward
Apple is aware of these issues, and we can expect future updates to address them. In the meantime, being strategic about when you let Photos sync with iCloud can help maintain a stable internet connection. Think of it like scheduling those big photo uploads for times when you don’t need reliable Wi-Fi for other tasks – maybe overnight or during lunch breaks.
Remember, while these issues are frustrating, they’re usually temporary growing pains that come with major software updates. The key is finding a workable solution that keeps you connected while we wait for official fixes.
