P: Map appears all grey with high-latency network connections to Google's servers

[johnrellis]

When you're running LR on a network that has a high network latency to Google's map servers, the Map module can display a map that's all grey. Such latencies could arise with slow satellite links and/or with ISPs that have slow paths to Google's servers. This behavior likely accounts for the recent spate of German, French, and Chilean users seeing an all-grey Map.

This misbehavior can be reproduced consistently on LR 14.2 / Mac OS 15.3.2 using Apple's Network Link Conditioner, which adds latencies to your computer's current network connection. Recipe:

1. Install Apple's Network Link Conditioner:

a. If Xcode is not already installed, install it from the App Store.

b. Download "Additional Tools For Xcode 16.3":

https://developer.apple.com/download/all/

c. Double-click the downloaded .dmg to open it.

d. In the Hardware folder, double click "Network Link Conditioner.prefPane" to install it as a pane in System Settings.

2. In System Settings > Network Link Conditioner, create a profile to add network latency of 200 ms in each direction:

a. Click Manage Profiles.

b. Click the Wi-Fi profile.

c. Click circle ... > Duplicate Profile in the lower-left corner, and name the duplicate "200 ms".

d. Enter these settings and click OK:

e. Click the Network Link Conditioner toggle to On.

f. Reboot the computer (sometimes necessary).

g. Verify that pings now take about 400 ms (200 ms each way) by doing this command in Terminal:

$ ping googleapis.com
PING googleapis.com (142.250.72.164): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 142.250.72.164: icmp_seq=0 ttl=116 time=413.052 ms
64 bytes from 142.250.72.164: icmp_seq=1 ttl=116 time=412.465 ms

3. In LR, create a new empty catalog "Empty".

4. Exit LR.

5. Delete LR's caches and preference files using these Terminal commands (you might want to save away a copy of the preferences):

rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Adobe/Lightroom/ ~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.adobe.LightroomClassicCC7/ \
    ~/Library/Caches/com.adobe.LightroomClassicCC7/
rm -rf ~/"Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Preferences/Lightroom Classic CC 7 Startup Preferences.agprefs" \
    ~/Library/Preferences/com.adobe.LightroomClassicCC7.plist

6. In Finder, navigate to the Empty catalog folder and double-click Empty.lrcat to launch LR on that catalog.

7. Click Map to go to the Map module. Observe that the map is all grey and remains so even after several minutes (incorrect):

If instead the map appears correctly, repeat these steps a few times.  (For me, the misbehavior occurs perhaps 9 out of 10 times.)

8. Exit LR.

9. In System Settings > Network Link Conditioner, toggle it Off.

10. Verify that there is no longer the extra network latency:

$ ping googleapis.com
PING googleapis.com (142.250.72.164): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 142.250.72.164: icmp_seq=0 ttl=116 time=10.958 ms
64 bytes from 142.250.72.164: icmp_seq=1 ttl=116 time=11.191 ms

11. Delete LR's caches and preferences as in step 5.

12. Start LR, click Map, and observe that the map now appears (correct).

[nillanes]

Since I switch to the lightroom 1 tb plan, the map module stoped working, saying that is unable to connect to adobe servers. Everything else seems to be connected (creative cloud app, lightroom sync feature, etc.), but not the map module.

I've tried everything that I could find in forums. Switching to the Library module, closing and opening again Lightroom doesn`t work. I uninstalled Lightroom and installed it again, even using the creative cloud cleaning tool, didn't work. Login off and login in again, didn't work. Switching cataloges, didn't work.  Firewall off, still doesn't work. 

I'm out of ideas here, and need help.

[moved from bugs to discussions according to the community rules - Mod]

[johnrellis]

There's a longstanding bug where exiting LR from the Map module will cause it to fail the next time you start LR:

1. Start LR.
2. Go to Library.
3. Exit LR.
4. Start LR.
5. Go to Map.

Does the Map module now work?

[nillanes]

I've done that too many times, and it still doesn't work

[johnrellis]

In the last couple of months, there have been many reports of these symptoms for German users and a couple from French users. And the exit-LR-while-in-Library workaround isn't effective for most of them.

Your screenshot shows LR running in English, though the screenshot file name is in Spanish. Diagnostic steps to help Adobe narrow down the issue:

1. In what language do you normally run LR? 

2. In what language is your computer running?

3. In which country are you running your computer?

4. Temporarily connect to another network, preferably one serviced by a different ISP. E.g. a Wifi connection of a neighbor, a coffee shop, work, or your phone's hotspot. Sometimes the routers in these networks block LR's requests, especially in authoritarian countries like China.

[nillanes]

Thanks for the response.

1.- I normally run Lightroom in english.

2.- My computer language is spanish.

3.- I'm in Chile.

4.- I connected to my phone's hotspot and it didn`t work. I switched to lightroom's default language, restarted lightroom, and it didn't work either. Did all that several times, and even restarted the computer, and nothing.

[johnrellis]

I reread the recent thread about German users (and one French user):

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-german-map-module-not-showing-a-map/m... 

While there are commonalities among the many reports, there are exceptions to each one (e.g. most are running in German, one in French).  

My best guess: The Map module has long had a race condition in its initialization, i.e. it is dependent on the timing of various asynchronous events. The race condition most often occurs when starting LR in the Map module, rather than Library.  But the race condition also seems to occur more often when running in another language.  And it may occur when the user's computer has higher network latency to Google's servers, e.g. when in Chile or parts of Europe. 

The exit-from-Map problem, along with many other Map bugs, has been present for many years, and Adobe hasn't prioritized fixes.

[johnrellis]

Another workaround that has helped some: Roll back to LR 14.1.1.

[johnrellis]

Moderators, @Rikk Flohr: Photography, please merge with this thread about Map users in other countries:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-german-map-module-not-showing-a-map/m...

[johnrellis]

Moderators, @Rikk Flohr: Photography, the thread starting here:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-ecosystem-cloud-based-ideas/p-add-a-left-handed-option-for-...

was accidentally merged into the current thread, "P: Add a left handed option for Android & iPhone users". It should instead be merged with this thread about Map users in other countries:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-discussions/p-german-map-module-not-showing-a-map/m...

 

[johnrellis]

[This post contains formatting and embedded images that don't appear in email. View the post in your Web browser.]

@nillanes, I was able to demonstrate that grey maps occur when  there is high network latency between your computer and Google's servers (e.g. with a satellite link).  A workaround that works for me:

After the grey map appears, wait for a minute. Then click the center of the zoom slider at the bottom of the map module (don't try to use the + button):-

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Thanks for the insight, @johnrellis  We can reproduce and are investigating to see if the issue lies in LrC. 

[nillanes]

Thanks @johnrellis

The zoom slider trick didn't work, however, rolling back to version 14.1.1 did.

Thanks again for the help and hope adobe fix this issue in the next version.