Gmail connection dropping after update to Sequoia 15.1

nosnetrom wrote:

Macbook Air with M1… Just updated to Sequoia 15.1 from OS 14.x, and now my connection to various sites (most notably mail.google.com and mail.ionos.com) will drop spontaneously using Brave (my go-to Web browser). At first I thought the problem was Norton 360 antivirus, which I uninstalled, but the problem persists. One article on the Web suggested renewing the TCP/IP lease on my network, but that doesn’t work either. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

The most common cause for this is some sort of internet monitoring or "protection" software, such as VPN, your Norton 360, even Little Snitch has been implicated. Do you have anything like that?

As for Norton 360, are you absolutely certain that it has been 100% uninstalled? This is something to look into. We have heard from users posting in the Apple Discussions who found that the original installer for some software like this places files in locations that in subsequent MacOS updates have changed, or permissions for access have changed, and hence the uninstaller does not remove all the pieces of the code. If you installed Norton 360 several versions ago for MacOS, this MIGHT be an issue.

It might be helpful for you to download the free diagnostic utility Etrecheck and run it, then post its report here using the Additional text button below. People will read that report, which provides no information about you but does provide anonymous information about what is installed on your Mac, and it may help in figuring out the cause and fix for your problem.

nosnetrom wrote:

• I appreciate your honesty. I just found the connectivity test results from my Slack client, and they show something interesting:

Having trouble? The automated tests running below will help us figure out what might be wrong.

Browser: All clear

Files: All clear

Websockets: 3 failures

Websocket (Primary)Timeout

• Websocket (Backup)Timeout

• Websocket (Mobile)Timeout

Bandwidth: All clear

All tests are complete. You have 3 warnings:•

Websocket (Primary): Timeout

• Websocket (Backup): Timeout

• Websocket (Mobile): Timeout

Can you glean anything from that?

That is the same symptom of something that has been installed that is interfering with your external connections. Which you knew was happening from your GMAIL problems. Reinstalling all your software and settings just brings back the problem. If you don't have the time to do a true clean install with no third party apps and then install things one at a time to figure out the culprit, you will just need to live with the GMAIL issues, it's your choice. There are billions of people using GMAIl without those issues!

Once this type of software is installed and embedded into the computer >> Norton AV Software <<

You can spend hours or days hunting down all the bits and pieces of this software and never really get it all off the computer 

Start Over from Scratch 

For Apple Silicon computer >> Use Disk Utility to erase a Mac with Apple silicon.

For Apple Intel computers >>   Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac followed by How to reinstall macOS

Always make a Time Machine Backup  before  proceeding 

If going this route - I suggest Not using Startup Assist to migrate everything back.

This will probably Re-Introduce ( Norton AV Software  ) back into the Operating System 

1 - Antivirus software: Apple and ClamXAV

1A - 2024-11-21 Norton Safe Web Plus (1.3.7)

A - Not needed at all 

A - There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS, because of the underling UNIX  Foundation and Permission Limitation. 

The Operating System resides in a Sealed and Read Only Volume that cannot be opened by the User nor by Third Party Applications.

Security. Built right in

Mac app security enhancements

 The Built in Security  is all that is required to protect the computer.

Protecting against malware in macOS

A - There is Adware & Malware which will affect the computer and is generally downloaded from “ Shady “ Websites or Developers who Inject this software into the download.

From a well written User Tip from @Kurt Lang

What is malware? - Apple Community

2 - System Extensions:

[Not Loaded] DuckDuckGo VPN Network Extension - version 1.115.0 (Duck Duck Go, Inc. - installed 2024-11-25)

A - Commercial VPNs 

They may not be what one believes they are doing for the computer and what they actually are doing behind the scenes 

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29

3 - Launch Daemons:

  [Loaded] com.github.IngmarStein.Monolingual.Helper.plist (Ingmar Stein - installed 2024-11-21)

 Monolingual is a program for removing unnecessary language resources from macOS, in order to reclaim several hundred megabytes of disk space. It requires a 64-bit capable Intel-based Mac and at least macOS 10.13 (High Sierra).

A - Mucking with Languages files is not suggested at all and may even cause unexpected issues

nosnetrom wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion, but… the problem still exists. I followed your suggestion and wiped my Macbook Air, then reinstalled all apps. (Oh, and Norton 360 got ditched long ago.) Still, more and more Web sites are becoming unreachable after an hour or so of inactivity; my Slack client also loses connectivity. Strangely enough, Safari (and its child, the DuckDuckGo browser) are unaffected by the issue.

I am open to any and all suggestions!

To avoid a session of Q&A, Q&A  and Q&A  

Download the Application Etrecheck ( External Link ) directly from the Developer.

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer.

It makes a coherent and readable inventory of both the Hardware and Software used on the computer 

The application is free or paid for added features. 

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 

Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon  <<<<

Reviewing the report, presently

Will get back to you

This is not a clean install, the real test would be a clean install BEFORE you installed all those other things. I am certain GMAIL would be fine then, before installing everything.

You have installed several items that by design can interrupt internet communications, including GMAIL and browsers:

VPN

DuckDuckGo Go Privacy

Microsoft Defender

ClamXAV

These need to be completely removed, completely 100%. You can always reinstall later if things work ok. New Macs on Sequoia don't have these problems like you are seeing, something you have installed is causing this.

Not sure to whom your reply is intended ?

Doing a quick review of the new report on iPhone

I see very little to no change since the initial report

I think @steve626 has an excellent handle on the situation

Will check back in on this tomorrow for any updates

Pure guess work I must admit

If you had wiped the drive and starting with a Fresh and Clean version of macOS Sequoia

None of those application would have been appearing in the Second Etrecheck report

The only way I see these Appliactions reappearing is if you had use Setup Assist or Migration Assist

Then, have Migrated from a TM Backup.

A backup from the time all there applications had been installed

To be blunt.

Had this been done, this would have Un-Done all the previous work of wiping and Re-Installing

This is a common mis-thinking

As for Apple issuing a Fix

Apple does offer Bug Fixes for macOS as well as Security Fixes

Again to be blunt

Apple does not offer fixes for what the User decides to install , in the way of Third Party Applications etc. installed and used on the computer