I’ve been having especially awful performance when interacting with any Apple services from an (sub)Optimum cable modem in NJ. It all works fine on cellular or if I fire up a VPN. Seems clear that they are just going dark on any upload traffic that is bigger than a text message.
What’s the best way to get Optimum to stop shaping the traffic? It is making things like icloud backup, imessage, mail all unusable.
Are you using an optimum router? That could be your issue.
FYI - I’m on Optimum in NJ. I just tried uploading a file to my iCloud drive and was getting a little over 10Mbps.
I’ve been in touch with Optimum’s Head of Customer Experience, they acknowledge its their issue… I’m in Suffolk county and this seems to be a widespread problem here. It’s message with some Google Cloud services too!
Same issue in East Hampton NY. Backing up to iCloud on home Wifi is dead slow and never completes. Sending iMessages with anything other than text (photo) fails. Then I run out to my car, use its cellular wifi, and both iCloud Backup work and can send text with images. But camping in my car just to be able to use a phone is not the best option. Optimum is “looking into” my complaint.
Hardware: Unifi Alien Wifi6 router, Ubiquiti Wifi Access Points.
Tested with Eero router and wap just to be sure it wasn’t my wifi at fault, same result.
Throughout June my neighbors and I on Optimum have had problems with iCloud backups not completing. People are just starting to notice when they get the message “this device hasn’t been backed up in two weeks”.
I’m on eastern Long Island.
This issue is still happening. I’m on the North Fork of Long Island. First saw it July 1st. I switched my account even to business, and I can’t get iCloud backups to complete. There was a time period around Aug 19-24, where backups were able to complete, but now it’s broken again. They did a repair on the node, but they’re claiming the issues were fixed. I can barely upload a picture in a text message. It’s awful. Starlink can’t arrive quickly enough.
Update: I just signed up for free trial of NordVPN, and uploads/backups that were blocked/stuck/frozen for weeks have now resumed at a good speed. That worked, but using 1.1.1.1 for DNS did not.
Same issues in Mount Sinai. This was very problematic when Covid first hit in March and April. It then seemed to resolve itself. It’s back in the last week just in time for everyone to resume working from home and at virtual school.
Optimum should sell their own VPN service. They’d make money on it 
No, I have my own. The only equipment I have of theirs in my house is the Arris modem itself.
Anything come from that? I tried chatting with support and they just “hung up” on me in the middle of it (I was being very nice).
Good call. I can confirm that the free level of 1.1.1.1 got my icloud backups to complete. Thanks!
I had also tried Proton VPN which works too, but great to have a free option.
Amazingly, I’m still having the issue in a bad way.
I used an optimum line up in CT that had no blockage to icloud. They were a biz customer, so they may be getting a different set of rules than home customers.