Apple Releases macOS Monterey 12.2.1 With Bluetooth Battery Drain Bug Fix

[macar00n]

How would a two year cycle solve anything? Software development has an iterative life cycle and this would just delay or stretch things out every two years instead. Do you think Apple would catch all these bugs themselves? A majority of these bugs are found when it's released and hits a wider audience. Apparently they aren't being found during internal testing or during the developer and public betas, which has a much smaller user base.

If this is what you're wanting, you could do this yourself. Stick with Big Sur (or Catalina), and then upgrade to Monterey (or Big Sur) when macOS 13 comes out.

I did exactly what you're suggesting for years, albeit not deliberately - I just didn't have time to upgrade my OS and mostly used it for work so it wasn't worth the risk of some software not working.

This time around I got the maxed 14" MBP and it, with as close to perfect hardware as possible, somehow shipped with this steaming pile of garbage OS.

All I'm saying is maybe they could slow down the development and extend their cycles to allow for adequate testing. Then they don't have to put out fires all year while they're also rushing to release the latest Mac OS Tik Tok Dopamine Max edition with enough features to make your eyes bleed and zero stability because who cares

 

[macar00n]

I've owned MacBook Pros for many years, and they've never behaved well with external monitors. I don't know why, but there are always glitches.

That's a shame, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe I got lucky but I've been using portable and desktop Macs since the Intel transition primarily with external monitors, and never had a complaint until my current (huge) one.

 

[ghostface147]

I personally never noticed this bug, but I have a different issue. Whenever my machine goes to sleep and then wakes up, kernel_task fires up to 700% and fans go crazy. It does go away after a few minutes. It only does this when an external monitor is plugged in. However maybe it’s because I changed from having an HDMI to USB-C with an adapter to an HDMI to USB-C straight up cable. Who knows. I don’t it seems.

 

[MacinMan]

Spot on, I knew I'd be an early adopter with the Apple silicon Mac, but here's my least favorite Monterey bug: when I plug my MacBook Pro into one external monitor via USB-C, charge it via MagSafe, and connect an Apple Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. That's not a complex or unusual setup, right? But the Mac kernel panics when waking from sleep at least 1/3 of the time. Wiping out everything I'm doing across my personal and work user account. Bug has been around since February 2021. Nothing from Apple about it. Apple support with my $3-400 AppleCare on my $3600 laptop is utterly useless to resolve it other than as a time sink. I've sent countless crash reports, all into the void - no response of any sort. To trick my computer into not kernel panicking on wake, I have to be careful to wake it by opening the lid and not (god forbid) pressing a button on the keyboard. What a joke. Monterey blows.

A user here said a complete OS wipe will fix it and I'll try as soon as I have some downtime at work which will probably be when I get my next computer 3-4 years from now. I'm using it with factory Monterey, upgraded to the latest hackjob point release they rush out to bandaid the last software release which they absolutely mutilated

I can understand how frustrating sleep / wake can be in general. I've made the personal choice to avoid laptops whenever possible because I prefer desktops, and I do certain tasks more suited for a desktop and not have to worry about laving a laptop plugged in all the time and therefore over time degrading the battery. With this said, my current desktop Mac is a late 2015, 27" iMac top tier standard config, upgraded to 32 GB RAM. I've set up power management to prevent sleep, but to allow the display to turn off when inactive. I run Plex Media server, and various other media sharing related stuff on the Mac, and sleep always caused issues, and I'd have to always manually wake the computer up to get things working again. Today's desktops are fairly low power consumption when idle, so I just leave the computer running 24/7 with the display turned off when idle. The display is the biggest source of power anyway, and what needs to be protected, so as long as it goes off when not in use. That's the important part.

When people were complaining about the Bluetooth bug, I never knew I had it personally because I don't use my computer in a way that would draw attention to it. I probably had it based on the log I posted from pmset, but again, I never knew it, and to me the Mac was working as it always does.

Having, an older mac though, gives me the benefit of going back all the way to El Capitan, if I wanted to, or even converting it to a windows computer with boot camp and windows 10. Haven't gone that far on either route yet, but I've considered windows, or Linux so I can build a computer I have full control over. Both hardware, and software.

 

[Populus]

Agreed. Awful how everything is moving towards short attention span immediate gratification with no substance behind it. I feel like I'm being very "old man yells at clouds" right now but I'm not even that old, this software is just a joke. Who could be proud of this trash? And who's left for me to overspend with on actual quality technology if Apple will be serving up junk in the future?

You know what’s the problem? Many users that complain every time the new iOS doesn’t have a UI overhaul, and it’s just focused on stability or fixes and maybe some minor features, like iOS 12.

Many people are always demanding aesthetic changes, because they want that dopamine rush of using something new. For this people, smartphones are just toys, not tools.

 

[macar00n]

I can understand how frustrating sleep / wake can be in general. I've made the personal choice to avoid laptops whenever possible because I prefer desktops, and I do certain tasks more suited for a desktop and not have to worry about laving a laptop plugged in all the time and therefore over time degrading the battery. With this said, my current desktop Mac is a late 2015, 27" iMac top tier standard config, upgraded to 32 GB RAM. I've set up power management to prevent sleep, but to allow the display to turn off when inactive. I run Plex Media server, and various other media sharing related stuff on the Mac, and sleep always caused issues, and I'd have to always manually wake the computer up to get things working again. Today's desktops are fairly low power consumption when idle, so I just leave the computer running 24/7 with the display turned off when idle. The display is the biggest source of power anyway, and what needs to be protected, so as long as it goes off when not in use. That's the important part.

When people were complaining about the Bluetooth bug, I never knew I had it personally because I don't use my computer in a way that would draw attention to it. I probably had it based on the log I posted from pmset, but again, I never knew it, and to me the Mac was working as it always does.

Having, an older mac though, gives me the benefit of going back all the way to El Capitan, if I wanted to, or even converting it to a windows computer with boot camp and windows 10. Haven't gone that far on either route yet, but I've considered windows, or Linux so I can build a computer I have full control over. Both hardware, and software.

That's a great setup! I have a similar year 27" iMac in the office with manual RAM upgrade, and it has faithfully run two external displays in addition to its internal display for years. It is Intel though, like yours. It just didn’t even cross my mind when buying this MacBook Pro, which with AppleCare cleared $4k, that I may not be able to use it with an external monitor. Just don't understand what is going on at Apple with regard to desktop OS software.

 

[macar00n]

You know what’s the problem? Many users that complain every time the new iOS doesn’t have a UI overhaul, and it’s just focused on stability or fixes and maybe some minor features, like iOS 12.

Many people are always demanding aesthetic changes, because they want that dopamine rush of using something new. For this people, smartphones are just toys, not tools.

We are living out the plot of the movie Idiocracy. The constant need for dopamine is so pervasive

 

[MacinMan]

That's a great setup! I have a similar year 27" iMac in the office with manual RAM upgrade, and it has faithfully run two external displays in addition to its internal display for years. It is Intel though, like yours. It just didn’t even cross my mind when buying this MacBook Pro, which with AppleCare cleared $4k, that I may not be able to use it with an external monitor. Just don't understand what is going on at Apple with regard to desktop OS software.

Thanks, it's been solid for me as well. The problem with Apple today, or at least one of the biggest is, they are targeting the average consumer more today than they were before, at least they WAY they are selling computers. Before, I would give you a pretty safe bet that most Apple veterans had at least some kind of technical, or professional background and knew how to use a computer correctly, and how to fix problems. I'm not saying the average person didn't use Macs then, but it was less in quantity. Today, Apple sells to more people who have no concept of the workings of a computer, or how to fix things when they break. Not only that, they are not JUST a computer company anymore, and I think in some ways that's hurt them for us old time computer users. I like their new products. I just think they've focused on the wrong things for too long, and not done the one thing they're good at. Then again how people use and expect from computers has really changed since I grew up through the 80's, and 90's as well.

I will also come out and say that using Mac OS X when it first came out, also helped teach me to understand and use Linux, and other Unix operating system better because I had Unix in the familiar Mac environment after leaving classic so the concepts were already there so sitting down to the other OS was much simpler. Today, I don't think the average mac user would care, or think about such things.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I glad for all the people that hopped that Apple would issue a another update for this bluetooth draining batteries issue.

Maybe Apple listened to us? Becase few days ago people were not happy that they have to wait for a major macOS update to get the battery issue fixed.

 

[seanbperiod]

Updating the 14" MacBook Pro from 12.0.1 as of writing.

to 12.2 or 12.2.1? i'm on 14" and don't see 12.2.1 update ?‍♂️

 

[mdw1]

One thing I found this update does, before the update when I would make a new note on my m1 Air it wouldn't show up on my iPhone but since the update it now shows up on my iPhone.

So happy for this update

 

[827538]

You’re forgetting Catalina, which was known at first for its numerous issues.

But yeah, you were lucky to start your journey on Sierra. I started mine on Snow Leopard, known for being one of the most stable releases. And I kinda agree that both Mavericks (10.9) and Sierra (10.12) are the most stable releases I’ve used after Snow Leopard. Smooth as silk. They were both minor releases focused on bug fixes and performance.

Apart from the memory leak issue I've actually found Monterey to be rock solid. Yet to have an issue with it on my 14" MacBook Pro.

Oh, now that you say it: Do you know if the memory leak have been resolved? I guess it’s still early to know.

I haven't seen any leaks since the first patch that was meant to fix it so I'm presuming the issue has been resolved. Monterey is rock solid for me just now. This M1 Pro chip is remarkable.

 

[macar00n]

Thanks, it's been solid for me as well. The problem with Apple today, or at least one of the biggest is, they are targeting the average consumer more today than they were before, at least they WAY they are selling computers. Before, I would give you a pretty safe bet that most Apple veterans had at least some kind of technical, or professional background and knew how to use a computer correctly, and how to fix problems. I'm not saying the average person didn't use Macs then, but it was less in quantity. Today, Apple sells to more people who have no concept of the workings of a computer, or how to fix things when they break. Not only that, they are not JUST a computer company anymore, and I think in some ways that's hurt them for us old time computer users. I like their new products. I just think they've focused on the wrong things for too long, and not done the one thing they're good at. Then again how people use and expect from computers has really changed since I grew up through the 80's, and 90's as well.

I will also come out and say that using Mac OS X when it first came out, also helped teach me to understand and use Linux, and other Unix operating system better because I had Unix in the familiar Mac environment after leaving classic so the concepts were already there so sitting down to the other OS was much simpler. Today, I don't think the average mac user would care, or think about such things.

I appreciate you relating - it's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling this way and reminiscing about better days from Apple. Maybe this is just the way it's going to be now, but I hope something changes. So sad to see Apple pandering to the mainstream and starting to sacrifice the values that made them great.

 

[MacinMan]

I appreciate you relating - it's nice to know I'm not alone in feeling this way and reminiscing about better days from Apple. Maybe this is just the way it's going to be now, but I hope something changes. So sad to see Apple pandering to the mainstream and starting to sacrifice the values that made them great.

Well, if history repeats itself, we could very well lose apple in time, or at least the Apple we know. I'm referring to when they got rid of Jobs the first time and almost went bankrupt. Jobs is gone, and this time he isn't coming back. I hope history doesn't repeat itself. I would really hate to lose Apple, but I don't want to see them settle for less either.

 

[jasoncarle]

Well, if history repeats itself, we could very well lose apple in time, or at least the Apple we know. I'm referring to when they got rid of Jobs the first time and almost went bankrupt. Jobs is gone, and this time he isn't coming back. I hope history doesn't repeat itself. I would really hate to lose Apple, but I don't want to see them settle for less either.

At the moment, all Apple does for me is provide a pretty interface in an energy efficient package (M1 Mac Mini) that I use to browse, read emails, watch youtube and movies, etc... ALL my actual work is done on Linux and I really don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Mr. Dee]

It feels like they outsourced the production of this "software," because surely nobody at Apple cared much about it

Thats kinda what I've been sensing too. But its become historical. The first sign of neglect was iOS and iPhone, but also Craig throwing macOS under the bus in that court case. Maybe now with the pandemic, they do see it as a strategic platform due to the pandemic and more people needing a "real computer and a real operating system" to multi-task and get work done. But I personally won't say this is a change that happened under Tim Cook. Apple probably started neglecting macOS as far back as Leopard (10.5). Apple previewed it at a WWDC 2006 and it didn't launch until October of 2007 and had glaring bugs out the gate like moving files between partitions deleting data.

But, I think the pandemic might be a wake up call. But at the rate they are going with promised features creeping into when they should be prepping to launching a new version, its gonna be a while.

 

[radus]

I, too, have none of these problems. No lost printer, either.

My 16" M1 Max 64GB 2TB is connected to two external Monitors ( Pro Display XDR and 144 Hz Spectrum 4k ) - may be that's the reason of the Problems. But it should wake up in clamshell mode without problems and not reboot when it finds it's time.

 

[Pskordilis]

Sadly the wifi version of this bug remains unfixed Seems like BT was affecting more people though, so it's good to see it fixed.

Can you elaborate please?

Monterey really does have to be the trashest trash that Apple has prematurely vomited out as a desktop OS, I can't believe this thing shipped. I've never been so disappointed in 20 years of using Apple products and being a huge fan of the company.

From curiosity what is your problems with monterey?

 

[Johnny55555]

I know this is crAaAaAaAaaaaazy, but what if we didn't release a new OS with new features every single year and then spend the whole year fixing embarrassing bugs? What if we released a new OS every two years, but it was actually good? Would that be the worst thing in the world? Would all the users go away?

I agree. I'm sure it's exhausting to all the software companies to try and have to constantly updating their apps to keep up. I have more than one Mac and several Ipads and Iphones and I can spend hours updating them all.

 

[Stratus Fear]

Can you elaborate please?

If I leave Wi-Fi enabled and sleep the machine, it stays connected to the AP and gets woken up about once a minute by incoming traffic from an Apple IP address (which I confirmed by dumping traffic bound for my MBP on the AP itself). It loses roughly 3% an hour from this; in about a day and a half it’ll be completely flat. My workaround has been to use an app that shuts off the Wi-Fi when I sleep the machine, and turns it back on upon user wake.

I imagine if you take the machine with you and leave the range of known APs, that would also solve the issue, but I work from home, so this has actually been a major issue for me.

 

[TiggrToo]

Windows 10 is close to Linux stable

Sure it is... That's why we still get updates that send 10 into boot loops, updates totally buggering up the print spooler, or updates like KB5001330 that range from refusing to install or blue screening afterwards.

Funny how you totally ignore these serious issues on Windows, but attack every last issue on MacOS.

Your bias is horribly obvious.

 

[usagora]

As usual, not showing up yet.

Was available on my MBA and iMac, but not my Mini. Strange.

 

[Ethosik]

I updated my M1 Mac mini to 12.2.1 just a bit earlier and ever since then I am getting 0.3 MB/s read and write after a few seconds of transfer. I need to reboot my Mac and try again and it will only be 100 MB/s for 3 seconds then drop to 0.3. I confirmed its not my network because my Windows 11 system using the same ethernet cables and routers and everything maintains the full 100-112 MB/s speeds.

Has anyone else experienced this issue since the update? Prior to the update it was fine.

 

[jchap]

I know this is crAaAaAaAaaaaazy, but what if we didn't release a new OS with new features every single year and then spend the whole year fixing embarrassing bugs? What if we released a new OS every two years, but it was actually good? Would that be the worst thing in the world? Would all the users go away?

Good idea. Call Tim, and he'll get right on that.

;-)

(All jesting aside, I heartily agree.)

 

[Wackery]

I restarted again after the first kernel panic, and then I got another kernel panic ?
Looking at the crash report it's referencing CORE 0 as the one that panicked, and to check the full backtrace for details, which shows the Kernel Extensions in backtrace, 'com.apple.driver.AppleInterruptController', 'com.apple.driver.AppleARMPlatform', and 'com.apple.driver.AppleARMWatchdogTimer' as being the culprits. I've seen these referenced a lot over the course of using Monterey in many crash reports.

I'm also still seeing some stuttering in movement with my Apple Magic Trackpad.

It’s the apple magic causing the stutter