[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-macos-265-lag-linked-to-background-ai-photo-scanning":10,"sections":35},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":24,"tags":25,"sources":30,"feedback":34,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":34,"total_tokens":34},258,"macos-265-lag-linked-to-background-ai-photo-scanning","Apple Intelligence Photo Scanning Is Slowing Down Macs","Background photo scanning for Apple Intelligence is causing beachballs and battery drain on macOS 26.5 for some users.","Apple's background AI photo scanning is making some Macs crawl on macOS 26.5.\n\nSome Mac users on macOS 26.5 have traced sluggish performance, spinning beachballs, and elevated battery drain to an Apple Intelligence process scanning photos in the background. The scanning runs without obvious notice to the user, consuming CPU cycles and battery while other tasks compete. Apple has not commented on whether this is expected behavior or a bug that will be patched.\n\nOn-device AI features are sold partly on a privacy promise — your data stays local, off Apple's servers. That's true, but \"on-device\" still means your hardware is doing the work, apparently on its own schedule. This is the implicit fine print in Apple's Apple Intelligence pitch: local processing has real resource costs, and right now some users are paying them without being asked.\n\nApple isn't alone in running into this. Microsoft's Recall feature drew sharp criticism when it emerged as a background scanning liability users hadn't opted into. Apple has more goodwill to spend, but the same underlying problem: a process that surprises you isn't a feature — it's a bug report with better branding.","[\"apple intelligence\",\"macos\",\"performance\",\"apple\"]","2026-06-03T11:30:33.000Z","2026-06-04T20:43:35.962Z","2026-06-18T03:54:00.528Z","published",null,[],"software",[26,27,28,29],"apple intelligence","macos","performance","apple",[31],{"name":32,"url":33},"9to5Mac","https:\u002F\u002F9to5mac.com\u002F2026\u002F06\u002F03\u002Fmac-beachballs-or-lagging-performance-ai-photo-scanning-may-be-the-reason\u002F",0,{"sections":36},[37,42,47,52,57,62,67,71,76,81,86,91,96,101],{"name":38,"slug":39,"count":40,"latest_published_at":41},"AI","ai",2602,"2026-07-18T18:30:00.000Z",{"name":43,"slug":44,"count":45,"latest_published_at":46},"Security","security",315,"2026-07-17T19:30:00.000Z",{"name":48,"slug":49,"count":50,"latest_published_at":51},"Deals","deals",179,"2026-06-29T20:02:07.000Z",{"name":53,"slug":54,"count":55,"latest_published_at":56},"Policy","policy",169,"2026-07-17T19:49:53.000Z",{"name":58,"slug":59,"count":60,"latest_published_at":61},"Hardware","hardware",126,"2026-07-16T20:09:48.000Z",{"name":63,"slug":64,"count":65,"latest_published_at":66},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",94,"2026-07-16T16:29:46.000Z",{"name":68,"slug":24,"count":69,"latest_published_at":70},"Software",72,"2026-07-17T09:42:05.000Z",{"name":72,"slug":73,"count":74,"latest_published_at":75},"Science","science",66,"2026-07-10T10:29:37.000Z",{"name":77,"slug":78,"count":79,"latest_published_at":80},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",60,"2026-07-16T16:59:13.000Z",{"name":82,"slug":83,"count":84,"latest_published_at":85},"Startups","startups",42,"2026-07-16T16:30:35.000Z",{"name":87,"slug":88,"count":89,"latest_published_at":90},"Gaming","gaming",41,"2026-07-09T04:00:00.000Z",{"name":92,"slug":93,"count":94,"latest_published_at":95},"General","general",29,"2026-07-10T22:28:58.000Z",{"name":97,"slug":98,"count":99,"latest_published_at":100},"Reviews","reviews",20,"2026-06-24T12:00:01.000Z",{"name":102,"slug":103,"count":104,"latest_published_at":105},"How-To","how-to",6,"2026-06-16T09:00:00.000Z"]