Wi-Fi

AirDrop, AWDL and latency spikes in games and calls

AWDL is the Apple Wireless Direct Link. AirDrop, Sidecar and Universal Control use it. It shares the Wi-Fi radio with your network, so test it when games or calls stutter.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. The AirDrop settings path is for macOS 13 Ventura and later.Checked: 29 October 2026

Symptoms

Pings to the router are low most of the time, with short high spikes.
Game streaming or remote desktops freeze for a moment, again and again.
Speed tests show good results, but calls still stutter.

Likely causes

The radio serves two networks. Research on AWDL shows that the radio switches between AWDL and the access point channel at set times.
Features that use AWDL. AirDrop, Sidecar, Universal Control and other Continuity features use the AWDL link.
Other causes look the same. Interference, a weak signal and a busy network also cause spikes. Apple does not document an effect of AWDL on latency, so test it.

How to check

Show the state of the AWDL interface.
```
ifconfig awdl0
```
Output A line such as status: active or status: inactive.
Find the address of your router.
```
route -n get default
```
Ping the router 100 times. Look for replies that are much slower than the others.
```
ping -c 100 192.168.1.1
```
Write down the slowest replies and the times between them.

How to fix it

Turn off features you do not need now, such as Sidecar or Universal Control.
To set who can send you items with AirDrop, choose System Settings > General > AirDrop & Continuity.
In earlier macOS versions, this pane is AirDrop & Handoff.
For a test, turn off the AWDL interface. This stops AirDrop, Sidecar and Universal Control.
```
sudo ifconfig awdl0 down
```
Needs an administrator password.
Ping the router again and compare the results.
Turn the interface on again when the test is complete.
```
sudo ifconfig awdl0 up
```
Needs an administrator password.
If the spikes stay with AWDL off, look for interference or a weak signal. See Bluetooth headphones and Wi-Fi interference on a Mac.

With Kilobat

Run a stutter test. It pings the router every 50 ms for 20 seconds and finds spikes that repeat.
```
kilobat stutter
```
Show the AWDL link, what uses it and the AirDrop visibility.
```
kilobat airdrop
```
Pause AWDL for 15 minutes, then run the stutter test again. macOS asks for an administrator password.
```
kilobat low-latency on --for 15m
```
Restore AWDL before the time ends, if necessary.
```
kilobat low-latency off
```
In the app, the Wi-Fi menu has Pause for calls and games. The pause in the app is part of Kilobat Pro. The CLI is free.
See the full steps in Test for call stutter.

Questions

Does setting AirDrop to receive from nobody stop AWDL?

No. The visibility setting controls who can send to you. Other features can still use the link.

Is it safe to turn off awdl0?

Yes, for a test. AirDrop, Sidecar and Universal Control stop until you turn it on again or restart the Mac.

Sources

Stute, Kreitschmann and Hollick: One Billion Apples' Secret Sauce, the AWDL protocol (MobiCom 2018)
Apple Support: Change AirDrop & Continuity settings on Mac
ifconfig(8), ping(8) and route(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with man <name> in Terminal.