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Screen flashes red when changing tabs or loading content in general all over the OS

baryon

baryon

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Oct 3, 2009
3,906
2,979
MacBook Pro 16" 2019
Sonoma 14.1.2

I've had this problem ever since "upgrading" to Sonoma: when switching to a new tab in Safari or a new window or app, the content being loaded will often flash solid red for a moment. Strangely, it doesn't show up on screen recordings so I made a video with my phone instead.

It's super jarring and annoying, and the last update hasn't fixed it either.

I'm not seeing much talk about this issue, is anyone else seeing this?

 
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I just upgraded from Ventura to Sonoma (14.2) and have the same thing. There is often a brief flash of red/pink in the Safari window when first switching to a tab that was opened in the background.
 
I think all our Macs have AMD GPUs (in my case, an AMD Vega eGPU with a Mac Mini). It could be a dodgy updated graphics driver Apple has shipped in Sonoma.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone running with an Intel integrated GPU or Apple Silicon has seen this.
 
I have this bug too with the same 16" 2019 MBP.
It only happens with the AMD GPU i was unable to reproduce the bug with the integrated intel.

Also i submited the bug on the feedback assistant with all the details, all the things i tried, in what situations this happens, pictures etc.

This was more than a month ago and well nothing has changed. So guys, if you can report the same bug for them to see this is a common bug.
 
I have the same annoying red flash bug, which started after the upgrade from Ventura to Sonoma, with the iMac 2020, Intel, 27-inch.
 
Exact same issue! I was surprised more people weren't talking about this. Same machine (16" Intel MBP).

I'm guessing it's a problem specific to certain Intel machines, which is why more people aren't up in arms about it.

None of the latest updates have fixed it. It's super annoying.
 
EDIT: Spoke too soon. Still happening in Sonoma 14.3.1
 
Last edited:
I don't know why I haven't tried Googling this before.

Same issue, 2018 Mac Mini (Sonoma 14.4) with AMD RX 580 eGPU.
 
Hi All,

I'm experiencing the same issue on my 2019 MacBook Pro 16" with the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M. The problem occurs when switching tabs in Safari, causing random red flashing and the desktop widget turning red as soon as the AMD graphics is activated.

I've reported the issue to Apple and am trying to get their engineering team to take this seriously and address this bug. I'll keep everyone updated on any progress.

Can everyone confirm if this issue started only after upgrading to macOS Sonoma?

14.6 doesn't fix the issue.
 
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baryon said:
MacBook Pro 16" 2019
Sonoma 14.1.2

I've had this problem ever since "upgrading" to Sonoma: when switching to a new tab in Safari or a new window or app, the content being loaded will often flash solid red for a moment. Strangely, it doesn't show up on screen recordings so I made a video with my phone instead.

It's super jarring and annoying, and the last update hasn't fixed it either.

I'm not seeing much talk about this issue, is anyone else seeing this?

View attachment 2321593
Click to expand...
Hi, I never had this phenomenon on any of my 2 silicon machines running Ventura and later Sonoma 14.5,
BUT ...
on my older iMac I had the same problem in GREEN some years ago. So I brought it back.
A week later they said that they could NOT find any problem, and indeed the problem was gone.
Now, I suspect a flock of weak soldering or such; may be opening and closing already helps.
You might have a good repair shop look at it. You don't have the tools yourself.
Success!
;JOOP!
 
Hello,

It appears that this issue is specific to Intel machines with AMD graphics. If more users experiencing similar problems report it, Apple is more likely to prioritize and address the bug. Currently, it seems that no one has reported this particular issue to Apple, as there is no record of it in their system.

To expedite the resolution, please contact Apple Support and report your experience with this issue. You can reference my case number, 102356207741, when doing so.

For context, I’ve downgraded to macOS Ventura and no longer experience any graphics-related red glitching in Safari or any other part of the operating system. My issue with red glitching was isolated to Safari and desktop widgets.2
 

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Hello All,

Today, I spoke with Apple again, and they confirmed receiving numerous reports of an issue affecting multiple applications, including Final Cut Pro and Safari, on macOS Sonoma. Approximately 2,000 devices are currently impacted. Apple is actively investigating the root cause and is developing a patch. They expect to deploy a fix within 1-2 months as a realistic timeframe, though it could be sooner!

In the meantime, hang tight—the fix should be coming soon, either with a Sonoma update or the Sequoia release!
 
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Lk52461 said:
Hello All,

Today, I spoke with Apple again, and they confirmed receiving numerous reports of an issue affecting multiple applications, including Final Cut Pro and Safari, on macOS Sonoma. Approximately 2,000 devices are currently impacted. Apple is actively investigating the root cause and is developing a patch. They expect to deploy a fix within 1-2 months as a realistic timeframe, though it could be sooner!

In the meantime, hang tight—the fix should be coming soon, either with a Sonoma update or the Sequoia release!
Click to expand...
Great, thanks for your action.
;JOOP!
 
Great info. I'm actually glad that it's apparently affecting Final Cut, because they're probably one of the more demanding parts of the Mac userbase, who will insist it actually gets fixed.
 
I hope this issue gets resolved, but knowing that it only affects Intel Macs with AMD Graphics, I am not holding my breath. It seems that the focus is now on Apple Silicon, but let's see how it goes.

I have been running Ventura for about a week since downgrading and have not encountered the issue. I have also updated to Safari 17.6 and Ventura 13.6.8 without any problems.
 
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I have this issue and another GPU/GPU driver issue and saw the post yesterday where you said the next MacOS doesn't fix it.

I don't know if I am crazy because I am considering downgrading to Mojave and using it until the machine dies in next 2-5 years and never buy Apple again? The OS and software reliability (Music app UI performance/navigation issues, notes app syncing/losing notes, safari cloud tab syncing etc.) of the product weren't significantly better than the Windows machines that cost less. Plus, in Windows at least we have the right to skip bad GPU driver versions or downgrade them independently from the OS. That combined with Apple's response times to issues being insane, I don't know how long we have to wait to have a machine that works with all of its features...

I remember I've reported the video-brightness issue in April on a call to Apple. As reproducing the issue is impossible while the screen is being recorded or shared, and gets fixes under a friction of a second, they didn't even see it. I've been told the issue might be related with web page instead the OS. :)
 
ufukty said:
I have this issue and another GPU/GPU driver issue and saw the post yesterday where you said the next MacOS doesn't fix it.

I don't know if I am crazy because I am considering downgrading to Mojave and using it until the machine dies in next 2-5 years and never buy Apple again? The OS and software reliability (Music app UI performance/navigation issues, notes app syncing/losing notes, safari cloud tab syncing etc.) of the product weren't significantly better than the Windows machines that cost less. Plus, in Windows at least we have the right to skip bad GPU driver versions or downgrade them independently from the OS. That combined with Apple's response times to issues being insane, I don't know how long we have to wait to have a machine that works with all of its features...

I remember I've reported the video-brightness issue in April on a call to Apple. As reproducing the issue is impossible while the screen is being recorded or shared, and gets fixes under a friction of a second, they didn't even see it. I've been told the issue might be related with web page instead the OS. :)
Click to expand...
You may be desperate, but reality is far worse: ALL OS producers focus on competitive new features in order
to gain more revenue and/or customers.
Why?
Simply because you need many many more manpower to find the cause of issues than you need to
build new features.

So, switching to another OS is no solution, unless the issues there hurt less for you personally.
Over the last 40 years I went from RSX to VMS to XENIX to MSDOS to LINUX to MSWindows to OSX to MacOS and,
call me lazy or resigning to my fate, I'm not going to change again or downgrade or whatever may cause more trouble.
So, I'll update forever and complain forever. Keeps me active.
;JOOP!
 
Yes, the primary focus was on security with Advanced Data Protection, but Apple is a shocker when it comes to release notes for these updates. They rarely provide specific details on which bugs have been addressed.

I'm also running macOS 15 Sequoia Beta on a separate partition to check if they've patched the bug there as well!
 
Lk52461 said:
Yes, the primary focus was on security with Advanced Data Protection, but Apple is a shocker when it comes to release notes for these updates. They rarely provide specific details on which bugs have been addressed.

I'm also running macOS 15 Sequoia Beta on a separate partition to check if they've patched the bug there as well!
Click to expand...
OS developers are at war! APPLE developers are not allowed to share details about security fixes.
When I worked for a mayor European bank, I was not allowed to say anything to anyone.
"Do not make the hackers any wiser"
;JOOP!
 
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