What is aonsensed?

aonsensed manages sensors that keep working even when your Mac is asleep.

What does it stand for?

Always On Sense daemon. It looks after sensors like the ambient light sensor and proximity detector on newer Apple Silicon MacBooks.

What features does it support?

• Wake on approach: your Mac wakes when you sit down in front of it
• Sleep on departure: your Mac locks and sleeps when you walk away
• Light detection: reading the room light while asleep so the screen is ready when you wake it
• True Tone: keeping track of the room light for screen colour adjustments

How does wake on approach work?

On supported MacBooks, sensors can spot changes in the space in front of the screen while the Mac sleeps. When aonsensed notices someone sitting down, it tells the Mac to wake. By the time you reach for the keyboard, the login screen is already there.

Does it drain battery?

No. The always-on sensors use special low-power hardware that draws very little energy.

Should you worry?

No. It is a convenience feature on supported Macs. If you would rather your Mac did not wake on its own, you can turn off related settings in System Settings, then Battery.

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