--- a/toolkit/mozapps/update/updater/launchchild_osx.mm
+++ b/toolkit/mozapps/update/updater/launchchild_osx.mm
@@ -98,39 +98,65 @@ LaunchMacPostProcess(const char* aAppBun
     if ([exeAsync isEqualToString:@"false"]) {
       [task waitUntilExit];
     }
   }
   // ignore the return value of the task, there's nothing we can do with it
   [task release];
 }
 
-void CleanupElevatedMacUpdate(bool aFailureOccurred)
+id ConnectToUpdateServer()
 {
   MacAutoreleasePool pool;
 
   id updateServer = nil;
   @try {
-    updateServer = (id)[NSConnection
-      rootProxyForConnectionWithRegisteredName:
-        @"org.mozilla.updater.server"
-      host:nil
-      usingNameServer:[NSSocketPortNameServer sharedInstance]];
-    if (aFailureOccurred &&
-        updateServer &&
-        [updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(abort)]) {
-      [updateServer performSelector:@selector(abort)];
-    }
-    else if (updateServer &&
-             [updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(shutdown)]) {
-      [updateServer performSelector:@selector(shutdown)];
+    BOOL isConnected = NO;
+    int currTry = 0;
+    const int numRetries = 10; // Number of IPC connection retries before
+                               // giving up.
+    while (!isConnected && currTry < numRetries) {
+      updateServer = (id)[NSConnection
+        rootProxyForConnectionWithRegisteredName:
+          @"org.mozilla.updater.server"
+        host:nil
+        usingNameServer:[NSSocketPortNameServer sharedInstance]];
+      if (!updateServer ||
+          ![updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(abort)] ||
+          ![updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(getArguments)] ||
+          ![updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(shutdown)]) {
+        NSLog(@"Server doesn't exist or doesn't provide correct selectors.");
+        sleep(1); // Wait 1 second.
+        currTry++;
+      } else {
+        isConnected = YES;
+      }
     }
   } @catch (NSException* e) {
     // Ignore exceptions.
+    return nil;
   }
+  return updateServer;
+}
+
+void CleanupElevatedMacUpdate(bool aFailureOccurred)
+{
+  MacAutoreleasePool pool;
+
+  id updateServer = ConnectToUpdateServer();
+  if (updateServer) {
+    @try {
+      if (aFailureOccurred) {
+        [updateServer performSelector:@selector(abort)];
+      } else {
+        [updateServer performSelector:@selector(shutdown)];
+      }
+    } @catch (NSException* e) { }
+  }
+
   NSFileManager* manager = [NSFileManager defaultManager];
   [manager removeItemAtPath:@"/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/org.mozilla.updater"
                       error:nil];
   [manager removeItemAtPath:@"/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.mozilla.updater.plist"
                       error:nil];
   const char* launchctlArgs[] = {"/bin/launchctl",
                                  "remove",
                                  "org.mozilla.updater"};
@@ -139,31 +165,24 @@ void CleanupElevatedMacUpdate(bool aFail
   LaunchChild(3, launchctlArgs);
 }
 
 // Note: Caller is responsible for freeing argv.
 bool ObtainUpdaterArguments(int* argc, char*** argv)
 {
   MacAutoreleasePool pool;
 
-  id updateServer = nil;
+  id updateServer = ConnectToUpdateServer();
+  if (!updateServer) {
+    // Let's try our best and clean up.
+    CleanupElevatedMacUpdate(true);
+    return false; // Won't actually get here due to CleanupElevatedMacUpdate.
+  }
+
   @try {
-    updateServer = (id)[NSConnection
-      rootProxyForConnectionWithRegisteredName:
-        @"org.mozilla.updater.server"
-      host:nil
-      usingNameServer:[NSSocketPortNameServer sharedInstance]];
-    if (!updateServer ||
-        ![updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(getArguments)] ||
-        ![updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(shutdown)]) {
-      NSLog(@"Server doesn't exist or doesn't provide correct selectors.");
-      // Let's try our best and clean up.
-      CleanupElevatedMacUpdate(true);
-      return false; // Won't actually get here due to CleanupElevatedMacUpdate.
-    }
     NSArray* updaterArguments =
       [updateServer performSelector:@selector(getArguments)];
     *argc = [updaterArguments count];
     char** tempArgv = (char**)malloc(sizeof(char*) * (*argc));
     for (int i = 0; i < *argc; i++) {
       int argLen = [[updaterArguments objectAtIndex:i] length] + 1;
       tempArgv[i] = (char*)malloc(argLen);
       strncpy(tempArgv[i], [[updaterArguments objectAtIndex:i] UTF8String],

--- a/toolkit/xre/MacLaunchHelper.mm
+++ b/toolkit/xre/MacLaunchHelper.mm
@@ -142,32 +142,41 @@ BOOL InstallPrivilegedHelper()
   }
 
   return result;
 }
 
 void AbortElevatedUpdate()
 {
   mozilla::MacAutoreleasePool pool;
+
   id updateServer = nil;
   @try {
-    updateServer = (id)[NSConnection
-      rootProxyForConnectionWithRegisteredName:
-        @"org.mozilla.updater.server"
-      host:nil
-      usingNameServer:[NSSocketPortNameServer sharedInstance]];
-    if (updateServer &&
-        [updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(abort)]) {
-      [updateServer performSelector:@selector(abort)];
-    } else {
-      NSLog(@"Unable to clean up updater.");
+    int currTry = 0;
+    const int numRetries = 10; // Number of IPC connection retries before
+                               // giving up.
+    while (currTry < numRetries) {
+      updateServer = (id)[NSConnection
+        rootProxyForConnectionWithRegisteredName:
+          @"org.mozilla.updater.server"
+        host:nil
+        usingNameServer:[NSSocketPortNameServer sharedInstance]];
+      if (updateServer &&
+          [updateServer respondsToSelector:@selector(abort)]) {
+        [updateServer performSelector:@selector(abort)];
+        return;
+      }
+      NSLog(@"Server doesn't exist or doesn't provide correct selectors.");
+      sleep(1); // Wait 1 second.
+      currTry++;
     }
   } @catch (NSException* e) {
     // Ignore exceptions.
   }
+  NSLog(@"Unable to clean up updater.");
 }
 
 bool LaunchElevatedUpdate(int argc, char** argv, uint32_t aRestartType,
                           pid_t* pid)
 {
   LaunchChildMac(argc, argv, aRestartType, pid);
   bool didSucceed = InstallPrivilegedHelper();
   if (!didSucceed) {