MacBook Pro Insomnia • Hacker News Board

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#171

Post by metabagel » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 4:02 AM UTC

bredren wrote: post #127

nucleardog wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm surprised that Apple's power management doesn't have an alert for this. I'm more surprised that any application can prevent sleep _when you close the lid_. I can understand the utility behind something like stopping sleep via timeout so a media player can tell the system "hey, they're watching a movie don't turn off even if they don't touch you for a bit". I really can't think of many valid use cases for applic…

Actually, I use this all the time now. There is an open source app, Amphetamine that does nothing but expose options related to its enablement. Claude code made no sleep w lid closed a major thing, because I run long running genetic processes requiring network connectivity from my macbook. Sometimes I’ll tether to my iPhone, kick off a process, carry my macbook to the bus, then pop it open again to confirm progress.…

> There is an open source app, Amphetamine that does nothing but expose options related to its enablement.

What does this mean?

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#172

Post by jwrallie » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 4:45 AM UTC

I had some trouble with Linux in the past but sticking to ThinkPads gives me no problem nowadays.

I always thought it was hard to support sleep properly due to the diversity of hardware, but isn’t Apple supposed to have a big advantage here where it controls the hardware revisions and can test the software properly by knowing exactly which hardware is going to run it?

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#173

Post by zarzavat » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 4:48 AM UTC

seb1204 wrote: post #151

nucleardog wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm surprised that Apple's power management doesn't have an alert for this. I'm more surprised that any application can prevent sleep _when you close the lid_. I can understand the utility behind something like stopping sleep via timeout so a media player can tell the system "hey, they're watching a movie don't turn off even if they don't touch you for a bit". I really can't think of many valid use cases for applic…

Computer connected to a dock with monitor is a common use case for a close lid for me.

Why not crack the lid a little? No way I'm letting the display of my very expensive laptop contact the chassis while it's in operation.

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#174

Post by quitit » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 5:04 AM UTC

Drew_ wrote: post #148

The amount of "looses" (loses) typos I see everywhere lately is actually crazy

I think it's a typo, but if not, the below can help:

   To lose by a nose.

   The noose is loose.

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#175

Post by chaboud » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 5:06 AM UTC

metabagel wrote: post #171

bredren wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I use this all the time now. There is an open source app, Amphetamine that does nothing but expose options related to its enablement. Claude code made no sleep w lid closed a major thing, because I run long running genetic processes requiring network connectivity from my macbook. Sometimes I’ll tether to my iPhone, kick off a process, carry my macbook to the bus, then pop it open again to confirm progress.…

> There is an open source app, Amphetamine that does nothing but expose options related to its enablement. What does this mean?

Amphetamine is an app that allows one to keep their device running, awake, unlocked, etc.

I use Amphetamine all the time, especially with agentic coding, and it’s been an essential app for me for years for other reasons (live data processing, presentations, etc.).

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#176

Post by bogeholm » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 5:24 AM UTC

al_borland wrote: post #102

ryandrake wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't realize any rando app could prevent the entire system from sleeping. Shouldn't this power be gated behind a user-controllable permission? I assume the developer needs to at least use an entitlement to call whatever API does this...?

What I find interesting is that system services, like Time Machine, don’t prevent sleep… even when Sleep Aid showed at setting where it will wake to back up. About half the time when I wake my MBP there is a notification waiting for me about Time Machine failing to finish because the system went to sleep. My TM drive is a SSD connected with USB-C. First initial backup took maybe 3-5 minutes. The idea that incremental…

I have a similar issue with Time Machine backups. I’ll plug in wall power and a USB drive, do `caffeinate -u -t 7200` or so - and still Time Machine often fails to complete.

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#177

Post by taejavu » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 6:03 AM UTC

zarzavat wrote: post #173

seb1204 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Computer connected to a dock with monitor is a common use case for a close lid for me.

Why not crack the lid a little? No way I'm letting the display of my very expensive laptop contact the chassis while it's in operation.

Because it's fine closed? You really think this isn't a supported way of using a Macbook Pro?

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#178

Post by Aaron2222 » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 6:17 AM UTC

bredren wrote: post #127

nucleardog wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm surprised that Apple's power management doesn't have an alert for this. I'm more surprised that any application can prevent sleep _when you close the lid_. I can understand the utility behind something like stopping sleep via timeout so a media player can tell the system "hey, they're watching a movie don't turn off even if they don't touch you for a bit". I really can't think of many valid use cases for applic…

Actually, I use this all the time now. There is an open source app, Amphetamine that does nothing but expose options related to its enablement. Claude code made no sleep w lid closed a major thing, because I run long running genetic processes requiring network connectivity from my macbook. Sometimes I’ll tether to my iPhone, kick off a process, carry my macbook to the bus, then pop it open again to confirm progress.…

> There is an open source app, Amphetamine

BTW, Amphetamine isn't open source, just freeware.

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#179

Post by mgoetzke » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 6:19 AM UTC

atombender wrote: post #39

Another trick is to open Activity Monitor, switch to the Energy tab, and sort by the "Preventing sleep" column. Some apps prevent macOS from sleeping. In my case, I've discovered that Devonthink (document/notes management app) is responsible. I've been meaning to file a bug report about it. I'm surprised that Apple's power management doesn't have an alert for this. Surely an app that causes my Mac to become glowing h…

Yes Chromecast at work. One would think answering it once would shut it up for a long time, but alas that is not to be.

Re: MacBook Pro Insomnia

#180

Post by rtpg » Fri, Aug 01, 2025, 6:25 AM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #68

bayindirh wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any website and app can do it. Zoom / Google Meet / YouTube / Bandcamp / Spotify already does this. I don't think it needs to be hidden behind walls. Maybe a user override can be added. In Linux, KDE's power manager PowerDevil shows if something is blocking device or display sleep for example. I don't think it's hard to add an indicator in macOS, too.

Visibility isn't the problem. As OP mentioned, you can go into Activity Monitor to easily see what application is doing this. The user just doesn't seem to have any control over it or any way to stop a particular application from doing it.

MacOS has a "apps using significant battery" thing that is quite useful. I think here there's a similar argument for an in your face thing.

That way when the battery goes from 60% to 30% you get told about it, instead of when you go from 30% to 5% and then have other problems as well.

Not so certain about the actual knowability here though