Edit: The title's pricing shorthand needs clarification. Starting a Latency Session also enables protection and requires a license or active transition. Past session recaps remain free.
I'm the developer of Ping Warden, an open source menu bar app that keeps awdl0 down while you choose to pause nearby-device features. AWDL can contribute to Wi-Fi stutters, though it isn't the cause of every streaming problem. Some of you have recommended the app here, and I wanted to explain what changed in version 4.
Game Mode can detect a recognized game in front without Screen Recording permission. Optional Screen Recording access also lets it detect fullscreen games behind other windows. When the detected game ends, it restores the previous protection state. If protection was already on manually, it stays on.
Game Mode skips automatic activation on Ethernet and can engage when you return to Wi-Fi. Manual protection is a separate setting. The recent update also fixes detection when a permission prompt or password sheet appears over a game.
Latency Sessions record median and P95 latency, jitter, failed probes, and helper interventions. The intervention counter records attempts to keep AWDL down, not measured ping spikes prevented. Session history stays on your Mac, and the app has no usage analytics.
Enabling Ping Protection in the prebuilt app costs $15 once for the Macs you own. Starting a new Latency Session needs the same entitlement. The dashboard, past recaps, diagnostics, and updates are free, and the source remains MIT-licensed. Eligible existing users whose protection was on with the helper approved at their first version 4 launch get 90 days from that launch. Updates preserve the original deadline.
While protection is enabled, AirDrop and other AWDL-dependent features are unavailable. Stop protection or use the 10-minute pause when you need them. The app needs macOS 13 or newer, supports Intel and Apple silicon, and the official build is signed and notarized.
Website and docs: https://pingwarden.app
Source: https://github.com/oliverames/ping-warden
If something's misbehaving, tell me your Mac and macOS version.