Initial Reports Suggest macOS Catalina 10.15.2 May Fix 16-Inch MacBook Pro Popping Sound Bug for Some Users

[Val-kyrie]

I see this same problem in PC laptops that cost 1/10 as much as this machine. If Apple doesn’t know how to build a low cost laptop, then how did this basic (likely driver issue) make it through QA?

Early reports from 16-inch MacBook Pro owners who have installed the macOS Catalina 10.15.2 update suggest that the new software fixes some of the speaker popping issues that were plaguing these machines.

According to a reddit user, after installing the update, the popping issue is no longer occurring, even after attempts to trigger it in VLC, Safari, Chrome, Netflix, YouTube, Premiere Pro, and Amazon Prime Video, all apps 16-inch MacBook Pro owners previously complained were affected.

There are similar reports from 16-inch MacBook Pro owners on the MacRumors forums. MacRumors readers Dextera, donawalt, and Lobwedgephil say their popping problems are entirely solved.Reports from other 16-inch MacBook Pro owners are more mixed, though. Some users say that the update improves the popping problem, but does not eliminate it entirely.

Some users are hearing lighter and more muted popping sounds in apps like Chrome and Safari, and some report that the popping has stopped for some apps like Spotify, but not for others. From MacRumors reader Ries:From MacRumors reader covedrop:16-inch MacBook Pro owners have been complaining of popping sounds since the machine was first released in October. Apple in a memo to Apple Authorized Service Providers confirmed the popping issue and said that a fix would be implemented in the near future.Apple in its note to service providers said that the fix would require updates plural, not a single update, which may explain the mixed reports that we're hearing from 16-inch MacBook Pro owners. The macOS Catalina 10.15.2 software appears to partially address the problem, but further software updates may be required to stamp it out entirely.

Article Link: Initial Reports Suggest macOS Catalina 10.15.2 May Fix 16-Inch MacBook Pro Popping Sound Bug for Some Users

 

[V_Man]

And what about a real professional who's not in the audio/video business? Sucks to be him right?

Some folks here will amaze you. Because you know it’s Apple it’s a minor issue.

 

[chucker23n1]

And what about a real professional who's not in the audio/video business? Sucks to be him right?

That real professional can still use headphones or just wait a few weeks until it's fixed.

Bugs happen.

 

[V_Man]

What I can't get my head wrapped around is why Apple's QC has taken such a nosedive and why they let issues linger year after year...? It isn't as though they are lacking the budget to do things the right way the first time.

People still buy the stuff. Record sales. Why should Apple care about quality of hardware/software still sells.

 

[chucker23n1]

how did this basic (likely driver issue) make it through QA?

We don't know that it did. It's possible that they knew there was an issue, but weren't willing to delay shipping the hardware because of something that can be fixed in software.

This happens all the time. If you were to wait to ship until all issues are resolved, you'd never ship.

 

[Val-kyrie]

We don't know that it did. It's possible that they knew there was an issue, but weren't willing to delay shipping the hardware because of something that can be fixed in software.

This happens all the time. If you were to wait to ship until all issues are resolved, you'd never ship.

That’s nonsense. It’s just an excuse for good enough.

Sound is a basic function. If you can’t make a computer that can produce sound without issues, don’t ship it.

 

[MacGizmo]

Must be the hate from the MR community

As it turns out, my original comment stands. The 16MBP that I had to restore from TM backups... yeah, it died again the very next time I restarted. And this time, it wouldn't even boot up after a complete erase and new install. The Genius Bar guys at the Apple Store were stumped.

Long story short, I ended up getting a full refund on that MBP, and bought another similarly configured one that they happen to have in the store (it has only 32GB of RAM, but has a faster processor and twice the storage as the one I originally had). They also told me if I really want the original config I ordered, they would do a priority rush on the build, but then I would have to return the one I just bought and am using now in 3 weeks for another refund, then buy the re-ordered original again.

I'm thinking for the sake of my sanity, I'm just going to keep the one I have with the larger storage drive... I don't want to go through another two days of setup on a 3rd Mac in a one month timeframe.

 

[joe_04_04]

This issue is driving me crazy. Does anyone have hope that this will actually be fixed?

 

[dspdoc]

What happened to all the recent posts that were here? There was nothing inflammatory. It actually all seemed to be useful information that this issue is still lingering. Are we censoring things now? Genuinely curious.