Software updates download is very slow

I went to the Google site, followed all the instructions for changing the DNS, did the final traceroute in which 8.8.8.8 appears at the end, and I am clearly using the Google DNS.

There was no change for me in the DL speed at all from the Apple server.

If you are having this problem on Windows 10, check your network settings see if you have enabled "Randon hardware addresses". Set this to "Change daily" or "off". This instantly brought my download time from 20 hours to 13 minutes! Hope this helps

I'll speculate that there's nothing seriously wrong with your computer, you simply chose a very busy time to do Apple updates.

In my experience, Apple operating system and software downloads are typically slower (and sometimes 'time-out') for the first day or two after new releases and updates because of high demand.

In this case, OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 for Mac was released yesterday (on September 18th, 2014) and iOS 8 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod, was released on September 17, 2014, so just one day apart. There are hundreds of millions of iDevices, and tens of millions of OS X Mavericks-capable Macs in use. The iOS downloads are huge, and that generates a huge amount of network traffic, potentially slowing things for everyone who accesses an Apple website.

For that reason, EXCEPT FOR CRITICAL SECURITY UPDATES, I typically wait at least few days, minimum, before downloading and installing the latest release. I hate to be a 'pioneer' who discovers a remaining 'bug' that could keep me from using my devices until it is remedied.

Could be due to the Apple servers being under strain - people all over the world are updating to the latest iOS, which could slow things down for a few days.

There is definitely an issue somewhere. My iOS updates were understandably giving estimated download times of up to 22 hours (I'm sure everyone and their relatives are downloading iOS 8), but even my iMac software updates on a 75Mbps high speed line are slower than my 1998 dial-up speeds. I've been trying since yesterday at all different times: morning, midday, late night. The results are the same: slow. Just out of curiosity, are you on the East Coast? Just curious if it's a regional thing or widespread. I have family out west and their download speeds are MUCH better. My daughter downloaded iOS 8 in 15 minutes.

Same here, so it's definitely not your computer. I just cancelled a 244mb App Store update after three hours of turtle slow downloading. Three hours and it only downloaded 191mb to my rMBP.

Found the answer. I am using Verizon FiOS. After the third day (7am this morning) of absurdly slow connections to Apple's servers, I switched my DNS from Verizon's to Google's (hope I can say that here). Now my connection to Apple is lightning fast again. Immediately prior to the switch, my download speeds were in the Kbps speed. After switching to Google's free public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) I have my 75/75 Mbps speed back. Those DNS numbers are safe and you can research them first before trying them to ensure they are legit. I know they are a competitor of Apple but it works and I had to share the solution for this extremely frustrating issue. If you use the new public DNS IP's, here's how to apply them: If you're on a Mac, click the wifi icon at the to > open network preferences > Advanced > DNS (tab) . Under the DNS servers box, make a note of your current DNS number(s) (in case you ever wish to restore it) and then click the minus button until the field is empty. Once the field is empty, click the plus button and add the two numbers above (or any other public DNS numbers you want to use) and it should resolve the issue immediately. The problem is Verizon, not Apple.

i just tried this. i have fios. trying to download the safari 7.1 update and its excruciatingly slow. i put in the changes, but i'm not seeing any difference.

Yeah, it worked for my rMBP but not my iMac. I even tried connecting directly to a gigabit port with a cat 6 cable on the router and it didn't help. There is definitely something funky gong on with routing between Verizon and Apple. There aren't many complaints about this issue online but of the few I could find, the common denominator seems to be FIOS and being on the East Coast.

I don't think this has anything to do with Verizon or the East Coast.

I am on AT&T Uverse in Chicago, 15.7 mbps DL speed, no problems streaming Netflix 3D movies via my Sony Blu Ray Player 5200, and I am getting extremely slow DLs from Apple, whether it's the Yosemite Public Beta or the AppleTV 7.0 software update, or just about anything. Not only that, but on AppleTV I get constant stuttering, freezes and buffering when I try to watch ESPN on AppleTV using the AT&T Internet. And I'm talking about 7-8 hours for the AppleTV software update and about 15 hours for the Yosemite Public Beta update.

I called ESPN and they said this was Apple's problem. I've called Applecare, which I still have on my AppleTV, and they have no idea. They said to try downloading the AppleTV software update via iTunes, with the TV connected via USB to my MacBook Pro. So I did that, and the estimate was 12 hours for the update, and I quit before it did anything. I've tried changing the DNS from the AT&T default to Google 8.8.8.8 both on my computer and on the TV, and of course that DNS works in general, but it doesn't speed up the Apple streaming any.

Bottom line, everyone has an answer and points the finger to someone else's system, but in reality no one has an answer, unless it's just Apple's servers due to all the updates going on right now.

It may not be exclusive to Verizon but considering that Apple updates are severely affected on my system, yet my next door neighbor with Comcast has no problems whatsoever, I am 100% confident that Verizon is playing a role in my woes. In fact, I updated my wife's iPad to iOS 8 OTA on a relative's Xfinity wifi just to get it completed. Took me about an hour to complete. I came back home, less than a quarter mile away to my lovely FiOS and boom, 15-20 hour download estimate on my rMBP to update my iPad Mini (which I'm saving for last or at least until this issue is resolved). Changing my DNS seemed to work briefly on my rMBP but less than a day later my speeds were back to being slow as molasses. At least I had the opportunity to update both my rMBP and iPad Air before the speed took a nosedive again. Just wish I had updated the Mini too. I figured the problem was resolved and I'd get a chance to update it later.

Judging by several posts I found online (links to two examples posted below), I see I'm not alone in thinking something funny is going on between Apple and Verizon. I won't refute your claim that it is also affecting other providers, because your experience sounds pretty close to mine, but everyone I've encountered with problems in this area has FiOS. Folks around me who subscribe to other ISP's seem fine. The link below to the discussion on dslreports (2nd link) is particularly telling because I read it after trying various troubleshooting steps and was surprised by the number of people who posted in that thread that had identical issues and troubleshooting experiences as me. Several people also mentioned that the problem disappeared after they connected to Apple update through a VPN.

I assumed it was primarily on the East Coast because I have relatives in the West and Midwest with FiOS who have not had any issues.

I called Verizon but that was about as useful as your experience. They didn't even bother pointing fingers. They simply said "if everything else works then I'm getting what I pay for". I promptly replied that as an almost exclusively Apple household, I am most certainly not getting what I pay for if I can't upgrade my software, apply security patches or use my Apple streaming devices. Unfortunately, no one seems interested in fixing the issue, so we're left to find our own solutions.

And that's exactly what I did roughly an hour ago. Comcast will be out to swap my equipment and service in 14 days. Problem solved... At least I hope.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6552992

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r29544596-FIOS-horrible-Apple-download-speeds.

Charlotte, NC on AT&T U-verse. Switching to Google DNS servers also fixed the slow download issue from this location (i've been trying for 2 days as well).

Dao Shen--

Can you tell me exactly how you switched to Google DNS servers? When I switch, or think I am switching, it doesn't change the very slow DL speeds from the Apple servers.

I assume you have the Uverse modem which uses the ATT DNS servers by default. I have replaced the ATT DNS addresses with 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in the Apple Preferences Network settings for my wifi network and OKed and applied everything and exited. It still shows att.net as the domain, and while I can replace that with something else, I can't leave it blank or it reverts back to att.net. I can't change the settings on the modem, per se, and would have to go through a lot of hoops on my Airport Extreme to try to change the DNS setting there.

So--how did you do it? Thanks.

By the way, I have put in a report to Applecare and they escalated it to a senior technical person who then read this thread and said he thought it was an Apple server problem rather than an ISP issue, notwithstanding the DNS part of it, and he said he is going to investigate it until he gets an answer.

I followed the instructions on Google's site:

https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/

Direct link to the instructions for various platforms (including mobile if your phone/pad are also slow updating):

https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using