Apple releases macOS update to prevent damage from third-party docks and dongles

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Apple is releasing an update again to prevent a charging issue from killing MacBooks – this time it’s to fix an issue where 2019 and later MacBook Pros and 2020 and later MacBook Airs were damaged when connected to USB-C third party hubs and docks (via MacRumors

It’s unclear how widespread the issues are, but a poll on Reddit had 74 out of 221 respondents who reported their M1 Air or Pro failed after using a hub. As with all polls, it’s best to take the results with a grain of salt, but there is some evidence that some people have experienced problems.

Most of the problems seemed to come from using a third party dock, and while some seem to be from quite obscure brands, there are a few recognizable ones that are reported to have killed laptops. Apple, for its part, calls them “incompatible USB-C hubs and docks” in the notes of the new update.

It’s a major update, but it’s probably best to install it as soon as possible.
Screenshot: The edge

It seems Apple has been having issues with the power supply lately. The latest update, 11.2.1, was released to fix an issue where some users were unable to recharge their computers when drained to 0 percent battery, it published a recall for other MacBook Pro batteries that don’t exceed one percent would charge, and another recall for “a very small number” of Apple Watches that would not charge after an update. Hopefully, this is the last power error for Apple to fix.

If you’re connecting your MacBook to a dock or hub, it’s probably best to download this update as soon as possible, especially if it’s one of the affected models. Oh, and when you see this post, make sure to plug it into an official Apple power brick while doing that.

This may need to be done with its own power adapter.
Screenshot: The edge

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