OS X Yosemite users plagued by Wi-Fi breakdowns — no fix in sight

By Adrian Diaconescu Published November 17, 2014

Update 11/17/14 5:10 p.m. ET by Konrad Krawczyk: Apple has issued an update that addresses the Wi-Fi connectivity bugs which some users have experienced in OS X Mavericks, which is the latest version of Apple’s desktop operating system.

Original story

As excitement regarding the new looks and improved “continuity” of OS X Yosemite dies down, concerns surrounding unexpected glitches arise – and what seemed like isolated instances of network failures are now an impossible to ignore general phenomenon. More unsettling, Apple is yet to roll out a universal fix or even acknowledge the issues.

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Left stranded, some early Yosemite adopters are finding various solutions for their specific pickles. Others refuse to go through the trouble, and instead have chosen to downgrade back to Mavericks.

But what exactly is the problem? Again, it’s not just a problem. Virtually every victim of this mysterious bug is reporting their Wi-Fi acting out in its own unique way.

For most injured parties, network connectivity seems to shut off spontaneously, then reconnect, then go under again. There are those who complain of not being able to use their Wi-Fi for hours in a row. Some saw it crash and burn in front of their eyes after updating to Yosemite, and never recovering.

Granted, a number of less severe episodes are also documented on various forums, blogs, and social-media channels. Wi-Fi is described as unstable, but it merely stutters rather than fully crashing — not that that’s okay. It shouldn’t happen at all, by Apple’s generally stiff software stability standards.

Bluetooth is, according to consumer news and advocacy website Consumer Affairs, affected in rare occurrences. The Apple Support Communities discussion page is filled to the brim with Wi-Fi issues and apparent bugs ott, and a downgrade to Mavericks is the path chosen by the vast majority to regain connectivity use.

In case you’re one of the afflicted and have time to try a few different things, Reddit has a list of possible fixes (notice the word “possible”). OS X Daily has one or two tricks that worked for a lucky few, and of course, the Apple Support website includes a slew of possible repairs.

Or, you can just downgrade. These simple instructions will guide you through the switch-back process.

Adrian Diaconescu

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Adrian is a mobile aficionado since the days of the Nokia 3310, and a PC enthusiast since Windows 98. Later, he discovered…

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