MacBook Pro Insomnia

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Wake for Maintenance / Power Nap Semantics

  • Several readers were confused that enabling “Wake for maintenance” seems to reduce spurious wakeups.
  • Consensus (based on the app’s behavior and the article text) is that when enabled, macOS batches maintenance work into periodic wake sessions instead of waking constantly, especially due to Wi‑Fi.
  • Labeling is considered misleading; people suggest wording like “Consolidate background tasks into periodic wakeups.”
  • On Apple Silicon, related options (Power Nap) are partially hidden but still configurable via pmset; “Wake for network access” appears instead in UI.

Sleep/Wake Bugs and Triggers

  • Many report MacBooks and iPads draining heavily or overheating while “asleep” or even fully shut down.
  • Suspected culprits include: Bluetooth (including peripherals and YubiKeys), Wi‑Fi, Find My, external SSDs, corporate security/endpoint tools, Chrome, Time Machine, and WindowServer.
  • Some see perfect behavior across many Macs; others have persistent failures, including devices brand‑new, suggesting hardware bugs or rare config edge cases.
  • iPad users note poor standby if Find My, Apple Pencil Bluetooth, or background sync are active.

Diagnostics and Workarounds

  • Common tools: Activity Monitor’s Energy tab (especially “Preventing sleep” column), pmset -g assertions, and the Sleep Aid app.
  • Workarounds shared:
    • Forcing true hibernation with pmset hibernatemode 25 to avoid any overnight drain.
    • Disabling Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth on sleep and re‑enabling on wake (Sleep Aid, sleepwatcher scripts, Keyboard Maestro).
    • Logging out of iCloud, disabling Find My, turning off background refresh/notifications, or using Airplane mode to isolate causes.
    • Using caffeinate or third‑party tools (Amphetamine) when the user intentionally wants the Mac awake with lid closed.

DHCP, Network Activity, and “Sleeping but Connected”

  • One case traced insomnia to very short DHCP leases; macOS kept waking to renew.
  • Some call that a macOS bug (“it doesn’t need an IP asleep”), others argue users expect instant connectivity and stable IPs on wake.
  • Broader debate about modern “sleep++” states: systems staying semi‑online for backups, SSH, or Find My versus users who expect a laptop in a bag to be completely inert.

Permissions, UX, and Design Philosophy

  • Surprise that ordinary apps and even web pages can block sleep, sometimes even after lid close.
  • Suggestions:
    • Surface “apps preventing sleep” prominently in the battery menu, with per‑app overrides.
    • Possibly separate permissions for “block idle sleep” vs “override lid‑close behavior,” though some fear naggy dialogs.
  • At the same time, users complain about repeated, low‑value security prompts (e.g., Chrome device discovery) that can’t be permanently dismissed.