The latest macOS Sonoma update is reportedly breaking some USB hubs
Are you affected?
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Updating tomacOS Sonoma 14.4is breaking the functionality of some USB hubs, according to reports across the web – though it’s unclear how widespread the problem is, or which particular peripherals are affected.
The heads-up first came viaAppleInsiderreaders, but there’s also some discussion onReddit,Apple support forums, andMacRumors. So far, it appears to be just USB hubs built into monitors affected by the bug, including models fromDell,Samsung, and Gigabyte.
Judging by the number of replies to the article and threads linked above, several people are seeing this issue. That said, it doesn’t appear to affect everyone with a macOS Sonoma 14.4 machine and a monitor USB hub.
Applehasn’t said anything about the issue and is unlikely to unless it becomes widespread. The 14.4 software update started rolling out last week, bringing with itnew emojis and bug fixes– though it may have introduced some more bugs of its own.
Can you fix it?
The users afflicted by the USB hub problem are trying various troubleshooting measures. There doesn’t seem to be a single solution that works for everyone, across different types of monitors and USB connections.
For some, completely powering down everything and then powering it back up again seems to work. Other people have reported that heading to the Privacy & Security page in macOS System Settings and changing theAllow accessories to connectoption toAsk every time, then rebooting, fixes it.
Reading between the lines, there may be something awry with the way macOS ‘sees’ the USB hub and the devices connected to it as peripherals, but there are a lot of links along that chain – some users have found that simply switching to a different USB cable helps.
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We’ll have to wait and see if Apple issues a fix for those affected. Of course, if workaround solutions are already being discovered, it’s more likely that any necessary bug fixes for the problem will get quietly rolled into the macOS Sonoma 14.5 update.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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