Internet Canary
Help with connection status, background behavior, speed tests, exports, and app settings.
Internet Canary pairs its color-coded indicators with status text. Use the displayed status, latency, packet-loss estimate, and recent events together when reviewing a connection. Your configured thresholds determine how measured latency is categorized.
Internet Canary checks local gateway or router availability separately from internet availability. A reachable router with a failed internet check points to an upstream connection issue; an unavailable local gateway points toward the local network or router.
On supported Macs, Internet Canary can show Wi-Fi RSSI. RSSI is measured as a negative value: a value closer to zero is stronger. Use the range label displayed with the reading when comparing signal quality.
Connection Finder helps review the connection information Internet Canary can detect, including connection type and local network details.
Speed tests run only when you start them. They use Cloudflare endpoints and generated test data, so results can vary with the network path, VPNs, relay services, Wi-Fi conditions, and other traffic.
Apple controls background execution and widget refresh timing. iOS and iPadOS may delay checks or widget updates, especially after a restart, while Low Power Mode is active, or when the app has not been opened recently. Open Internet Canary to refresh current information and confirm notifications and background permissions are enabled.
Internet Canary can remain available from the Mac menu bar while its main window is closed. Quitting Internet Canary stops its monitoring until the app is opened again.
Start at Login is optional on macOS. Turn it on in Internet Canary settings if you want the app to start with your Mac; turn it off there if you prefer to open Internet Canary manually.
Internet Canary uses local notifications. If they do not appear, confirm notifications are allowed for Internet Canary in Apple system settings and review the notification settings inside the app.
A VPN or iCloud Private Relay can change the route used by connectivity checks and speed tests. Results reflect the connection route available to Internet Canary at the time of the check.
Internet Canary keeps active monitoring history locally for up to 30 days. Review recent events and outage entries to compare internet failures with local router availability.
Exports are created only when you request them. CSV files are Excel-compatible, and PDF reports are saved through Apple’s file interface. Exported files are separate copies and must be deleted separately.
Remove Internet Canary using the normal Apple app-removal process for your device. Files you previously exported are stored separately and are not removed with the app.