Post-production took significantly longer than usual, requiring the editors and motion graphics producers to recreate a computer's entire interface.

While waiting for her flight at O'Hare Airport, Claire (Julie Bowen) attempts to contact Haley (Sarah Hyland) after a fight the previous night.

Haley clarifies that she is neither married nor pregnant, explaining that the suit was for a friend's wedding; she left her phone in Andy's car; her Facebook status was a joke about a "Cronut"; and the pregnancy book was for her boss's new fashion line.

"Connection Lost" is presented through Claire's laptop screen as she uses FaceTime, iMessage, and other social networking services to keep in touch with her family.

[1] According to Modern Family co-creator Steven Levitan, for the sixth season, the writers' first priority was to avoid disappointing the audience and to revitalize the series whenever possible; they were not afraid of experimenting with different forms.

She later sent him the short film Noah (2013),[4][5] which takes place on the computer screen of a teenage boy who experiences a breakup through message apps.

[13] Editor Tony Orcena and motion graphics producer John Brown were involved earlier than usual during pre-production due to the different format.

"[14] Levitan contacted Noah creators Patrick Cederberg and Walter Woodman for assistance, but they were unavailable due to their involvement on another project.

[16] "Connection Lost" was filmed in late 2014,[1] with Levitan directing; he described it as "easily the most labor-intensive" episode to produce for Modern Family.

[4] The producers intended to shoot the episode as a screen recording on the Mac, but the quality was insufficient when it was displayed on a high-definition TV.

[13] Instead, it was filmed with iPhone 6s, iPads, and MacBook Pros, because the creators believed it looked more realistic than recording and later modifying higher-quality footage.

[3] Claire's computer displays three separate calls occasionally; to give the impression that the characters were all communicating on FaceTime, those scenes were filmed all at once, with up to three sets operating simultaneously.

Thus, the crew decided to use Media Composer to encode the video into the Apple ProRes compression format, which they would then import into After Effects.

[5] To simulate a computer screen with up to nine open windows, editors and motion graphics producers had to combine the footage with visual effects;[3] they also needed to recreate the interface of the operating system OS X Yosemite.

[4] Brown and Orcena knew of the visual techniques required from working on Google campaigns, but employing them in a 22-minute television episode could become "very cumbersome and time-consuming", as well as chaotic.

[16] Vox's Brandon Ambrosino and Quartz's Jason Lynch opined that the "Connection Lost" represented the creative risks Modern Family was taking during its sixth season.

Writing for Slate, Jay Deshpande commended the use of multitasking as a unique narrative device,[24] while Anick Jesdanun of the Associated Press said that the episode's storytelling benefited from jokes and plot twists with the digital format, setting it apart from Modern Family's typical mockumentary-style humor.

[13] The writing received significant praise, with Ambrosino describing the script as "a knockout" and asserting that it managed to sustain action and maintain audience engagement on a single screen.

[6] Kurland noted that the episode pushed forward key character arcs while offering catharsis for Claire, whose actions were juxtaposed with her rebellious youth.

[23] Kurland commented that the use of technology occasionally felt heavy-handed, such as a scene where Claire nostalgically views baby pictures on iTunes.

[16] Jesdanun remarked that any initial skepticism about the Apple-centric concept "quickly dissipated" due to the episode's strong execution.

[16] It has topped rankings by Screen Rant and Rolling Stone Brasil,[25][26] as well as appearing on top-episode lists by Entertainment Weekly (2nd),[27] The Mary Sue (9th),[28] the Chicago Sun-Times (10th),[29] and The Indian Express (10th).

[30] At the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, "Connection Lost" won Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation,[31] marking Modern Family's third win—after "En Garde" and "Dude Ranch"—and sixth nomination in the category.