Apple plans macOS software fix for M1 Mac Bluetooth connectivity issues

AppleInsider · January 11, 2021 12:04PM

Apple is working on a fix for a bug in macOS Big Sur running on M1-equipped Macs that affects Bluetooth, one that causes peripherals including keyboards and mice to randomly disconnect.

Since the release of the M1 Mac mini, M1 13-inch MacBook Pro, and M1 MacBook Air, users have encountered issues connecting their Bluetooth devices to the Apple Silicon hardware. The problem, which included disconnections and even preventing some hardware from working at all, affected both third-party peripherals and Apple's accessories, such as the Magic Keyboard.

While it is possible to reset the Bluetooth in macOS Big Sur, there's no guarantee that it will solve the connectivity issue at hand.

In a tweet from The Atlantic writer Ian Bogost spotted by The 8-Bit, Apple is aware that there are connectivity issues, and that it is working on a solution. Bogost claims "Apple tells me a macOS fix is in progress and forthcoming just about anytime," which suggests an update is on the way, but not advising when it will be available.

Solved my M1 Mac Bluetooth issues by plugging in my keyboard and buying a Logitech mouse with its own Bluetooth dongle.

(Apple tells me a MacOS fix is in progress and forthcoming just about anytime. But jeez.)
-- Ian Bogost (@ibogost)
January 10, 2021

Apple is currently beta-testing macOS Big Sur 11.2, which would be a probable avenue for the update to be distributed, but it's also possible for a separate update to be issued as part of a smaller update.

For the moment, users have to come up with temporary work-arounds, including using extra Bluetooth dongles to get around the built-in chip, though again these are apparently having mixed results.

DoomFreak · January 11, 2021 12:22PM

Apple needs to have a better testing process. This is a giant oversight. I would fully expect to be fired. Recommend automated testing procedures.

perfectionist · January 11, 2021 12:25PM

Apple's Bluetooth always was problematic. I have random disconnections of apple keyboard and touchpad even on my 2015 MBP. Never fixed despite being reported.

Their bluetooth audio support is a joke. Even with airPods they are unable to make proper stereo sound AND mic work at the same time (mic goes to 8Ghz mode) because their implementation has only two channels for this. It works fine with any bluetooth dongle. Even the cheapest Chinese bluetooth dongle is able to do it better than Apple.

After all these years they are still not able to make proper stable bluetooth support. Disappointing...

xyzzy01 · January 11, 2021 1:01PM

I had massive problems with this on my 27" 2020 imac as well - while the 2013 imac it replaced never had an issue.

I researched and tried a lot of workarounds for the disconnects - what worked for me, and fixed the issue completely was turning off the handoff functionality. I've never had this issue since I did that.

xyzzy01 · January 11, 2021 1:01PM

I had massive problems with this on my 27" 2020 imac as well - while the 2013 imac it replaced never had an issue.

I researched and tried a lot of workarounds for the disconnects - what worked for me, and fixed the issue completely was turning off the handoff functionality. I've never had this issue since I did that.

CarmB · January 11, 2021 2:34PM

My M1 Mac Mini is working reasonably well with a magic keyboard and magic trackpad. I am finding that often there is a delay from when I input on the keyboard or trackpad to try to awaken the computer. It sometimes takes about five seconds or so for the computer to respond. Once it does awaken, though, the connection is solid, certainly no different from how bluetooth worked on the 2011 mini this new machine has replaced. My guess is that location could matter.

elijahg · January 11, 2021 2:56PM

perfectionist said:

Apple's Bluetooth always was problematic. I have random disconnections of apple keyboard and touchpad even on my 2015 MBP. Never fixed despite being reported.

Their bluetooth audio support is a joke. Even with airPods they are unable to make proper stereo sound AND mic work at the same time (mic goes to 8Ghz mode) because their implementation has only two channels for this. It works fine with any bluetooth dongle. Even the cheapest Chinese bluetooth dongle is able to do it better than Apple.

After all these years they are still not able to make proper stable bluetooth support. Disappointing...

I used to get issues on my 2012 iMac with wifi and bluetooth co-existing even with a quiet (signal) environment. High bandwidth on wifi would cause the mouse to stutter, which means either the wifi and BT were trying to use the same channel and frequency hopping was broken, or the analog front ends on the radios was crap at filtering adjacent channels. It's fine on my 2019 iMac though, and fine on my 2015 MBP too.

If you think Apple's BT is bad, you should try Windows. It doesn't support A2DP properly so AirPods have constant breaks in the audio stream, and the microphone only runs in some crappy 8kHz (I assume thats what you meant when you said 8GHz

) mode. Often Windows boots on my Mac without the mouse or keyboard working, even though it shows in the device manager. The keyboard often fails to connect during early boot though so I can't get into the boot menu in the EFI, which is annoying.

I rarely have a problem with my AirPods though. Occasionally the volume on one side is not the same as the other but that seems to have been resolved lately.

It might be that the aerials have become disconnected from the BT/WiFi module somehow, or maybe weren't attached properly in the first place. It seems however, that Apple essentially abandons non-critical bug fixes for hardware peripherals after a couple of years. They don't update graphics drivers after a couple of years whereas Nvidia always used to for 6 or 7 years after release. But of course due to Apple's childish spat with Nvidia they won't sign the drivers on Mojave+. Idiots. But I digress...

anonymous_loser · January 11, 2021 6:09PM

CarmB said:

My M1 Mac Mini is working reasonably well with a magic keyboard and magic trackpad. I am finding that often there is a delay from when I input on the keyboard or trackpad to try to awaken the computer. It sometimes takes about five seconds or so for the computer to respond. Once it does awaken, though, the connection is solid, certainly no different from how bluetooth worked on the 2011 mini this new machine has replaced. My guess is that location could matter.

Mine is right in front of my Magic Mouse 2. Still drops the connection intermittently throughout the day. I'm excited about this update. My first M1 was replaced due to this and multiple daily kernel panics, my second one has the same BT issue.

bloodshotrollin'red · January 11, 2021 8:34PM

We have 3 late 2012 MacMini's in the household and not one of them can maintain a Bluetooth connection beyond 2 meters (one is limited to one meter). It's impossible to use Airpods with any of them as the signal makes and breaks constantly (even on head rotation) if one moves beyond six feet of the CPU and measured signal to noise is dreadful. Two were replaced by Apple within 30 days of purchase though the replacements suffered the exact same problem. We only kept the MacMini's because there was no alternative and iPads allowed better AIrpod connection over greater distance. Apple has a terrible track record for some of their misengineered mishap's. Take them to an Apple Genius and watch the Genius metamorphose into a dumber version of Homer Simpson.

FrancescoB · January 11, 2021 9:24PM

Bluetooth disconnects on me daily. This is on a MacBook Pro 16 2019. Hence problem is not limited to M1 powered devices.

I will try the suggestion above - disable handoff.

nicholfd · January 12, 2021 1:59AM

For those of you having Apple BT connectivity issues, you should look for USB 3 connected devices causing interference.

It is well documented in the entire computer industry that active USB 3 connections produces radio frequency noise that interference in the 2.4GHz frequencies (both BT & WiFi), since it's release: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=usb+3+interference&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

My personal anecdotal evidence is that I've never had an Apple BT issue that wasn't found to be caused by some USB 3 connected device. Unplug the USB 3 device from the Mac, and no more interference.

This is with 2012 - M1 Mac minis, 16" MacBook Pro, M1 MacBook Air and 2012 Mac Pro (with upgraded internal BT/WiFi & USB 3 card).

With the Mac Pro, I couldn't even get a Logitech USB Unifying receiver/dongle (2.4GHz, but not-BT) to work reliable when it was plugged into the back, near the USB 3 card w/USB 3 drive active.

MplsP · January 12, 2021 3:13AM

perfectionist said:

Apple's Bluetooth always was problematic. I have random disconnections of apple keyboard and touchpad even on my 2015 MBP. Never fixed despite being reported.

Their bluetooth audio support is a joke. Even with airPods they are unable to make proper stereo sound AND mic work at the same time (mic goes to 8Ghz mode) because their implementation has only two channels for this. It works fine with any bluetooth dongle. Even the cheapest Chinese bluetooth dongle is able to do it better than Apple.

After all these years they are still not able to make proper stable bluetooth support. Disappointing...

This.
We have several Macs at work with magic mice that were constantly disconnecting. We finally ended up ditching them for Logitech mice with the non-bluetooth USB dongle and have no issues.

This is part of the reason I prefer wired keyboards. They're cheaper and more reliable; if it's plugged in it's connected.

CheeseFreeze · January 12, 2021 10:28AM

It can’t come soon enough! It has been extremely annoying so far.

Fidonet127 · January 12, 2021 10:49AM

If the fix is coming, why isn’t it out in beta yet?

scottjd · January 14, 2021 3:40PM

Now when do they plan on a fix for the iPhone and air pods. Specifically the iPhone 12 Pro and AirPods Pro. I’ve also been having more and more problems with HomeKit using Apple TV 4K as the hub and Bluetooth HomeKit devices.

Apple used to always have a lot of issues with Bluetooth years ago, I suspect this is from changes made for airdrop and AirPlay and other continuity features. They really need to test this better before releasing OS updates and breaking things.

Apple plans macOS software fix for M1 Mac Bluetooth connectivity issues

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