Sleep Aid - New app to troubleshoot mac waking up from sleep

[IngoX]

Now there is an app that can help troubleshooting macs with insomnia.

You don't have to read through those long console-logs to figure out if it is an app or external unit waking up the mac. Also a setting to disable Bluetooth during sleep to solve the problem of a headset or something else that doesn't show consideration during sleeping-time.

Sleep Aid - View a Mac's sleeping habits, solve issues, improve battery life, stop sniffers

Sleep Aid is designed to reveal details on how a Mac sleeps. This is useful to see what's going on, and to help troubleshoot why a Mac won't go to sleep (even with lid closed), or why it keeps waking in the middle of the night. Sleep Aid includes many Apple sleep settings, as well as some...

ohanaware.com

14 day free trial. Right now only 10 USD with introductory price and extra coupon code from the excellent blog eclecticlight.co

 

[Idgit]

Now there is an app that can help troubleshooting macs with insomnia.

You don't have to read through those long console-logs to figure out if it is an app or external unit waking up the mac. Also a setting to disable Bluetooth during sleep to solve the problem of a headset or something else that doesn't show consideration during sleeping-time.

Sleep Aid - View a Mac's sleeping habits, solve issues, improve battery life, stop sniffers

Sleep Aid is designed to reveal details on how a Mac sleeps. This is useful to see what's going on, and to help troubleshoot why a Mac won't go to sleep (even with lid closed), or why it keeps waking in the middle of the night. Sleep Aid includes many Apple sleep settings, as well as some...

ohanaware.com

14 day free trial. Right now only 10 USD with introductory price and extra coupon code from the excellent blog eclecticlight.co

I've been running this app for a few days now. It's great for telling me that my M1 Mini isn't sleeping. And it lists a bunch of processes that are keeping my Mini awake. But it doesn't help me to fix the problem. Regardless of what settings I change, my M1 Mini refuses to stay asleep.

By far the most common cause of not sleeping on my mini is "Audio playback: context11xx.preventuseridledisplaysleep" and "Audio playback: context11xx.preventuseridlesleep."

Unfortunately, Sleep Aid doesn't tell me anything about this process or how to fix it. I don't have any audio apps running so I have no idea what's causing this. I hope a future update will have an explanation for this "Audio playback" process that's preventing sleep on my system.

 

[rowlands]

Hi Idgit,
My name is Sam Rowlands and I'm the developer of Sleep Aid. I am sorry that Sleep Aid isn't yet able to help identify the cause of the non-sleeping.

In my experience "Audio Playback" is typically accompanied with the name of the app that's generating some noise, like "Music", "iOSSimulatorAudioDevice", "FireFox" or "VLC", but I am seeing some non helpful entries like yours, with data that other customers have shared with me.

Would you mind sharing your sleep history with me, so I can take a look and hopefully start to see some patterns that I can teach Sleep Aid? If so, please select "Contact Ohanaware" from the "Help" menu, this will should create an e-mail for you already address to Ohanaware. Then select "Export" from the "File" menu to export your data and attach the file to the newly created e-mail.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

 

[Idgit]

Hi Idgit,
My name is Sam Rowlands and I'm the developer of Sleep Aid. I am sorry that Sleep Aid isn't yet able to help identify the cause of the non-sleeping.

In my experience "Audio Playback" is typically accompanied with the name of the app that's generating some noise, like "Music", "iOSSimulatorAudioDevice", "FireFox" or "VLC", but I am seeing some non helpful entries like yours, with data that other customers have shared with me.

Would you mind sharing your sleep history with me, so I can take a look and hopefully start to see some patterns that I can teach Sleep Aid? If so, please select "Contact Ohanaware" from the "Help" menu, this will should create an e-mail for you already address to Ohanaware. Then select "Export" from the "File" menu to export your data and attach the file to the newly created e-mail.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

Hey Sam,

Thanks for the info. I've sent in a report.

It's honestly strange how difficult it is to get this M1 Mac to sleep. I built a hackintosh with off-the-shelf PC parts. It's running macOS Mojave and it sleeps perfectly. I've never had any problems with it. Maybe the issue has more to do with macOS Monterey more than with the CPU architecture.

 

[danbalsh]

Really useful App! great design as well

I'm getting the Photos 'backgroundjobservice.mediumpriority' activity, pretty much 100% of the time the MacBook is alseep, I've tried Googling this but can't see anything related to it - any ideas?

 

[MacGizmo]

Hey Sam,

Thanks for the info. I've sent in a report.

It's honestly strange how difficult it is to get this M1 Mac to sleep. I built a hackintosh with off-the-shelf PC parts. It's running macOS Mojave and it sleeps perfectly. I've never had any problems with it. Maybe the issue has more to do with macOS Monterey more than with the CPU architecture.

The problem pre-dates Apple Silicone Macs and Monterey, so while they aren't the "cause" of the issue, they certainly aren't the solution either.

 

[rowlands]

I'm getting the Photos 'backgroundjobservice.mediumpriority' activity, pretty much 100% of the time the MacBook is alseep, I've tried Googling this but can't see anything related to it - any ideas?

I don't have a solution for this, but I think it's related to one or two of the following settings.

1. In "Photos" Preferences, try disabling "Memories: Show Holiday Events".
2. In "System Preferences" -> "iCloud", try disabling Photo sharing.

Please let me know if either of these help.

 

[danbalsh]

I don't have a solution for this, but I think it's related to one or two of the following settings.

1. In "Photos" Preferences, try disabling "Memories: Show Holiday Events".
2. In "System Preferences" -> "iCloud", try disabling Photo sharing.

Please let me know if either of these help.

Thanks, I'll try that now

 

[MajorFubar]

I'm of an age where I saw 'Sleep Aid' and immediately thought it was some kind of sponsored charity event that involved not getting out of bed. I thought, well I'm in.
Then I read the rest of the title

 

[danbalsh]

I'm afraid that didn't work

Do you think a full reinstall of macOS might help?

 

[2mw2]

I'm getting this as well on my brand new Mac studio that I just migrated to. It even said my computer got too hot during insomia. Photos background job service and mds_stores.power seems to be the major culprits as well com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync seems to run for a long time in some cases.

 

[danbalsh]

I'm getting this as well on my brand new Mac studio that I just migrated to. It even said my computer got too hot during insomia. Photos background job service and mds_stores.power seems to be the major culprits as well com.apple.AddressBook.ScheduledSync seems to run for a long time in some cases.

Kinda glad it’s not just me! Trying to report this stuff to Apple is next to impossible!

 

[giorgino]

...

 

[rowlands]

A couple of things have changed since I last saw this thread (I'll try better to keep on op of it).

1. Sleep Aid 1.1 is out. It now features a menu bar icon (check the prefs to turn it on), when clicked will show the Sleep Check in a popover. This can be used to identify apps that might be preventing sleep, before you send it to sleep.

2. Disabling "Wake for Maintenance" on a Mx based Mac can lead it to it waking up every few seconds. "Disable Wi-Fi during sleep" solves this for some Macs, but not all.
Resetting the SMC controller has temporarily provided releif to some customers, but the problem may come back.

One thing that may be working (it's too early to know for sure) is to ensure the "Keep Network connections alive" is enabled. This will cause the Mac to wake (should be ~ every 2 hours, but can be a lot less), without the Mac performing these long tasks, such as photos, spotlight and so on.

I'd love to know if this helps anyone, as I'd really like to be able to provide a solution to people.

 

[aiToro]

I upgraded my macOS from Monterey to Ventura.
As a result, the "backgroundjobservice.mediumpriority" that used to occur on the M1 Mac mini no longer occurs.

Is this a problem with macOS?

 

[rowlands]

I upgraded my macOS from Monterey to Ventura.
As a result, the "backgroundjobservice.mediumpriority" that used to occur on the M1 Mac mini no longer occurs.

Is this a problem with macOS?

I don't think this is a problem, there could be a number of reasons as to why it is no longer occurring. It does mean that your Mac is now resting more during sleep rather than be so active.

 

[Tagbert]

The problem pre-dates Apple Silicone Macs and Monterey, so while they aren't the "cause" of the issue, they certainly aren't the solution either.

I agree. My 2014 MPP always had a tendency to wake up a few minutes after I set it to sleep. I never could identify what caused the insomnia.

 

[rowlands]

I agree. My 2014 MPP always had a tendency to wake up a few minutes after I set it to sleep. I never could identify what caused the insomnia.

If you experience it again, please give Sleep Aid a try as I've worked hard to try to identify potential causes of wakes.

 

[Tagbert]

If you experience it again, please give Sleep Aid a try as I've worked hard to try to identify potential causes of wakes.

Thanks. I’ll have to check with my neice to see if it still does it. I gave the MBP to her when I got my M1 Air.