AWDL Interference

What is AWDL?

AWDL (Apple Wireless Direct Link) is a proprietary protocol that allows Apple devices to communicate directly with each other over WiFi. It powers several Apple features:

• AirDrop — Sharing files between Apple devices
• Apple Watch unlock — Unlocking your Mac when your Watch is nearby
• Handoff — Continuing tasks between iPhone, iPad, and Mac
• Universal Control — Using one keyboard/mouse across multiple Macs
• Sidecar — Using your iPad as a second display

AWDL works by periodically switching your Mac's WiFi radio to a special channel to listen for nearby Apple devices—even when you're not actively using these features.

Why it causes problems

Here's the issue: your WiFi radio can only be on one channel at a time. When AWDL activates, it temporarily pulls your WiFi radio away from your normal network to scan for Apple devices.

This happens roughly every 10-12 seconds and lasts 1-2 seconds each time. During these brief moments, any data you're sending or receiving has to wait, causing latency spikes of 50-200ms.

You'll notice this as:

• Brief freezes during video calls
• Stuttering in online games
• Momentary lag in remote desktop sessions
• Choppy audio in voice chat

The frustrating part is that your internet speed tests might look fine because they average out these spikes. But for real-time applications, these periodic interruptions are very noticeable.

When it's most noticeable

AWDL interference is worst when:

• You're on a 5GHz WiFi network — AWDL primarily operates on 5GHz channels
• Other Apple devices are nearby — iPhones, iPads, other Macs, Apple Watches
• Apple devices are awake and active — Devices in sleep mode cause less interference
• You're using latency-sensitive applications — Gaming, video calls, remote desktop

If you're on a 2.4GHz WiFi network, AWDL interference is typically much less severe because AWDL prefers 5GHz frequencies.

How to fix it

The quick fix: Disable AWDL

Open Terminal (found in Applications → Utilities) and run:

sudo ifconfig awdl0 down

You'll need to enter your Mac's password. This immediately stops AWDL and eliminates the interference.

⚠️ This fix is temporary: macOS will automatically re-enable AWDL after about 10-15 minutes. The system considers AWDL essential for its device ecosystem features and will periodically bring it back up. You'll need to run the command again when this happens.

For persistent relief during long gaming sessions or video calls, you may need to either:

• Run the command again when you notice lag returning
• Keep a Terminal window open to quickly re-run it
• Use one of the alternative approaches below (Ethernet or 2.4GHz)

To re-enable AWDL immediately:

sudo ifconfig awdl0 up

Important trade-offs:

Disabling AWDL means you lose access to:

• AirDrop file sharing
• Automatic Apple Watch unlock
• Handoff between devices
• Universal Control
• Sidecar

For many users, these features are worth the occasional lag. But if you're in a competitive gaming session or an important video call, temporarily disabling AWDL can make a significant difference.

Alternative approaches

If you don't want to fully disable AWDL:

Move to 2.4GHz temporarily Switch your Mac to a 2.4GHz WiFi network for latency-sensitive tasks. AWDL interference is much less severe on 2.4GHz.

Use Ethernet A wired connection bypasses WiFi entirely. AWDL only affects the WiFi radio, not Ethernet.

Distance Apple devices Keep iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches further from your Mac. AWDL is more active when devices are in close proximity.

Disable specific features In System Settings, you can turn off Handoff and AirDrop individually, though this won't fully stop AWDL scanning.

Technical details

AWDL operates on channel 6 (2.4GHz) and channel 149 (5GHz). When active, it uses a "social channel" hopping pattern to discover nearby devices.

The interface appears as awdl0 in your Mac's network configuration. You can check if it's active by running:

ifconfig awdl0

If you see status: active, AWDL is running. Network Weather automatically detects this and monitors for the characteristic latency spike pattern.

What Network Weather shows you

Network Weather detects AWDL interference by monitoring for periodic latency spikes to your WiFi router.