What is apsd and why is it connecting to Apple servers?

If you use a network monitoring tool, you have probably noticed apsd keeping a steady connection to Apple servers. Here is what it does.

What is apsd?

apsd stands for Apple Push Service daemon. It handles push notifications on your Mac. When you get a notification from Messages, Mail, Calendar, or any app that uses Apple push notifications, apsd is the process that receives it.

Why is it always connected?

Push notifications work by holding open a steady connection to Apple servers (courier.push.apple.com). This lets your Mac receive notifications straight away rather than having to keep checking for new data. The connection uses very little bandwidth. It sits idle until a notification arrives.

What uses it?

Many built-in macOS features rely on apsd:

• iMessage and FaceTime
• Mail push notifications
• Calendar and Reminder alerts synced through iCloud
• Find My Mac
• Third-party apps using Apple Push Notification service

Can you block or turn it off?

You can block apsd in your firewall, but you will lose all push notifications. iMessage will not work, Mail will not get push updates, and Find My Mac will stop working.

If you sign out of iCloud altogether, apsd will have much less to do, but it may still run in the background.

Should you worry?

No. It is a normal Apple system process. The connection to Apple push servers is encrypted and is how your Mac gets live notifications. If you see high CPU use from apsd, try signing out of iCloud and back in. This resets the push notification connection.

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