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Finally: Annoying Yosemite Wi-Fi bug is squashed

Published May 27th, 2015 4:40PM EDT

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Many Mac users have complained about Wi-Fi issues since installing OS X Yosemite last fall, and Apple issued fixes in maintenance updates supposed to patch the wireless connectivity problems. In spite of those fixes, the problem persisted even after it became increasingly clear what Yosemite component was causing connection drops, and Apple did not publicly address the matter. However, Apple seems to be aware of the problem, and has finally fixed it in its newest Yosemite beta.

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Released on Tuesday, OS X 10.10.4 beta has dropped the discoveryd program that handles wireless connectivity on a Mac, 9to5Mac reports, replacing it with the older system called mDNSResponder.

Mac developers and beta users can already see the change by opening Activity Monitor on their machines and looking up the “new” old piece of software that’s managing Wi-Fi on their computers. Other users will only see the fix in their Yosemite machines once Apple is ready to roll out the final version of OS X 10.10.4.

It’s not clear why Apple didn’t replace discoveryd in earlier Yosemite minor updates, especially considering that many people figured out the process was somehow responsible for significantly increased CPU load and poor Wi-Fi performance.

In case you’re still experiencing major Wi-Fi issues on your Mac, you should check out what developers Craig Hockenberry and Marco Arment wrote about it in early May (including details about unofficial fixes).

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.