Some Users Experiencing 'Three Finger Drag' Issues on New MacBook Pro

[MacRumors]

A small but growing number of users have reported issues using the "three finger drag" gesture on the new MacBook Pro's trackpad.

Affected users say the gesture either works only intermittently or does not work whatsoever on both 13-inch and 15-inch late 2016 models.

MacRumors reader Luke said the three finger drag gesture does not work in the upper left side of his MacBook Pro's trackpad.

I have the news 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, and it seems there is an issue with the trackpad. Although it is enabled, the three-finger drag feature doesn't work in the upper left side of the track pad. It's most bizarre.

Some users have speculated the trackpad's palm rejection feature could be to blame, particularly since the gesture appears to be buggiest along the edges.

A handful of topics have been posted about the issue on the MacRumors discussion forums (1, 2, 3, 4) and Apple Support Communities over the past few weeks.

MacRumors reader David:

With the 13-inch MacBook Pro, I switched to three finger drag, and the palm rejection kind of gets in the way. If you go from typing to try and drag a window, you have to hit the center of the trackpad with your finger tips, or it doesn't register.

MacRumors reader Mustafa:

I always enable 3 finger drag. Ever since OS X 10.11, Apple tucked that feature away under Accessibility. I turned it on as usual and I am finding that it does not always move the windows as intended.

Apple Support Communities user Darren:

Try to enable three finger drag and do a 3 finger drag gesture on the bottom left of the trackpad. There is a 40% chance that it's wrongly detected as a secondary click. Sometimes it failed to detect 3 finger drag at the middle of the trackpad as well.

MacRumors forum member C.clavin:

Just bought a 2016 15" MacBook Pro and I am having an issue with the 3 finger drag. Since enabling the gesture, it works about 50-60% of the time. It's strange because it works at times on one window, and not others, and sometimes not at all.

"Three finger drag" is a Multi-Touch gesture supported on both traditional and Force Touch trackpads on many MacBook Pro models. It lets you use three fingers to move the active window on your screen without clicking.

On OS X Yosemite and later, the gesture can be toggled on by clicking on System Preferences > Accessibility > Mouse & Trackpad > Trackpad Options > Enable Dragging. Select "three finger drag" from the dropdown menu and check off the box.

Apple does not appear to have publicly acknowledged the issue, while it remains unclear if the issue is software or hardware related. If related to software, the issue will likely be addressed in a future macOS Sierra update.

Article Link: Some Users Experiencing 'Three Finger Drag' Issues on New MacBook Pro

 

[yesjam]

Has there been a single Apple product in recent memory with this many software-hardware integration problems?

 

[dannys1]

QUICK Rabid forum members, we've dug up another minor bug that a handful of users are experiencing....GO MAD, GO GO GO!

Next a topic on that if you press the emoji laugh icon on the touch bar twice on a Tuesday it only registers once on a small batch of 13" MacBook Pro's running 10.12.1 (16B2657) after 8pm.

 

[dugbug]

I hope apple fixes this.

 

[jfrancis04]

Definitely having the problem here. I use 3-finger drag extensively and it's really slowing down my workflow not being able to rely on it.

Oddly enough, for me the 3-finger drag seems to be the most consistent when I start from the top-right of my trackpad.

 

[itsmilo]

Poor Apple, 2016 is their year of Britney Spears ca 2006

 

[Goatllama]

Next up:
"Many Users State That if Put Your Ear Right Next to the MBP Hinge You Can Hear a Very Faint Squeaking"

I mean, this is a problem, but man. This is sad. Maybe this feature would've gotten more testing if it wasn't tucked away in Accessibility. Who knows at this point.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Poor Apple, 2016 is their year of Britney Spears ca 2006

Huh

 

[dannys1]

Next up:
"Many Users State That if Put Your Ear Right Next to the MBP Hinge You Can Hear a Very Faint Squeaking"

I mean, this is a problem, but man. This is sad. Maybe this feature would've gotten more testing if it wasn't tucked away in Accessibility. Who knows at this point.

That'll definitely be next. Remember the iPhone 7 buzzing...

It turns out a batch of 15" MacBook Pros have fans that make white noise that resonates in A# where as Apple have said it should be F.

 

[itsmilo]

Huh

Bad news after bad news and bad pr. Was trying to make a pop cultural joke

 

[mistasopz]

You're touching it wrong!




I can't think about how Apple has could have screwed this release up more.

 

[DrumApple]

Cancelled my order yesterday and feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I'll be skipping this generation. Too many issues all around. Sad times.

 

[paslax]

It seems to work only about 50% of the time on my 2016 13" MBP Touch Bar. Hopefully it can be fixed with a software update.

 

[Juicy Box]

Cancelled my order yesterday and feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I'll be skipping this generation. Too many issues all around. Sad times.

I just hope this is not going to be typical of future mac releases.

This issue seems very minor, but when it is combined with everything else over the past month, it makes me wonder what is coming next.

 

[theBostonian]

Cancelled my order yesterday and feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, I'll be skipping this generation. Too many issues all around. Sad times.

Me too, I am sitting this one out. I had a mid-2012 cMBP which has been a stalwart companion these past 4 years but I've held off upgrading until GPU performance increases, not too bothered about the rest of it.

Apple have really hit the doldrums it seems.

 

[Juicy Box]

Three finger drag?

That's what i do to my girl and she loves it.

We think very similarly.

 

[cpnotebook80]

drag-gate!

 

[blacktape242]

"touch pad disease"

 

[zorinlynx]

I really feel like buying a refurb 2015 model now. At least then I'll have a trouble free Macbook Pro for 4-5 years until we get past this crappy generation.

Of course there's no certainty that Apple will start doing things better eventually, but.. it puts off the pain.

 

[Raineer]

I had this as well, couldn't really figure out why it was flaky. I appreciate someone pointing out that the upper-left is the weak spot. I can confirm similar - mine is mostly the left side that isn't working well.

Just knowing the pattern has helped me start using it again - so thank you!

 

[Pootmatoot]

Has there been a single Apple product in recent memory with this many software-hardware integration problems?

I don't know... the iteration of the Shuffle with no buttons - which most people use their own stay-put earbuds with - still seems like a high water mark of idiocy to me...

 

[flyinmac]

Next a topic on that if you press the emoji laugh icon on the touch bar twice on a Tuesday it only registers once on a small batch of 13" MacBook Pro's running 10.12.1 (16B2657) after 8pm.

Umm... No...

When I pressed the laugh emoji, a large, evil looking emoji with horns came on the screen surrounded by flames. He let out an evil laugh, and said welcome to H£||. As he was laughing his evil laugh, he said there is no escape.

Suddenly the machine burst into flames and disappeared without even leaving a mark on the table.

I'm never pressing that emoji icon again. He may look innocent, but he's scary

 

[2457248]

can't wait for all the comments from those who don't own said laptops.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I hope apple fixes this.

No chance , they never do anything!

 

[Ries]

can't wait for all the comments from those who don't own said laptops.

Some people don't have to eat poop to know it sucks. But I guess some people are different.