Apple Might Have Quietly Fixed the MacBook Pro Speaker Popping Problem

Apple may have fixed the speaker popping issue seen in some MacBook Pro models with its macOS Catalina 10.15.2 update.

The issue, if you aren’t familiar, is a “popping” or “clipping” sound when a user stops or skips audio playback in some apps. While it only appears to impact 16-inch MacBook Pro models, it does seem to be fairly widespread.

While a fix for the bug wasn’t disclosed in Apple’s 10.15.2 release notes, several Redditors have reported that the update has fixed, or at least mitigated, the issue.

Redditor DiGiNeX said that the popping issue no longer occurred after updating a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 10.15.2. The Redditor even attempted to replicate the issue in all of the apps that had problems before.

“I’ve tried to trigger the popping in all the applications that used to produce the sound before … but I’m delighted to say that my MacBook Pro really doesn’t ‘POP’ anymore,” the Redditor wrote.

That report was echoed by other 16-inch MacBook Pro users on the MacRumors forum. Several of them said that macOS Catalina 10.15.2 (and 10.15.1, interestingly enough) completely resolved the bug for them.

Still, it seems that everyone’s mileage may vary when it comes to the fix. According to other 16-inch MacBook Pro owners running 10.15.2, the latest software seems to improve the bug instead of outright eliminating it.

One forum poster reported hearing “less frequent” and “lower volume” popping after updating to 10.15.2, but noted that “occasional pops still happen for me in all scenarios.” Other users report similar improvements.

In any case, it does appear that Apple is still working on fixing the problem.

Last week, the company sent an internal memo to Apple Authorized Service Providers advising them that the popping sound is a “software-related issue” and does not warrant device repair or replacement. Apple added that it is investigating the issue and that a fix is planned in “future software updates.”

The important part appears to be the plural usage of “updates,” which could explain why 10.15.2 improved the bug but didn’t fix it for everyone. Apple may need another software update or two to completely squash it.

In the meantime, starting a New Audio Recording in QuickTime and leaving it open may fix the issue, users say.