In recent days, several M1 chip Mac users have been reporting an annoying bug on the forums. Unexpectedly, a screen saver is activated and prevents taking control of the machine. There is a simple solution, however, pending Apple’s patch.
Users of the new Mac mini, MacBook Pro 13, or Air with M1 chip are unanimous: they are very happy with their purchase. But, like any early-life platform, there are a few flaws and bugs to fix. The most recent concerns the unexpected appearance of a screen saver which completely blocks the machine. You can’t get out of this lethargic state by pressing a key on the keyboard or brushing the touchpad with your hand.
Worse, it seems like it invites itself randomly, even though you’ve muted it in settings. In any case, this is what our colleagues from The Verge who are confronted with this problem report.
As shown in the video below, posted by one of the users of the MacRumors forum, the only way to regain control over the machine is a bit complicated: you have to close the screen, wait a few seconds for the platform. Forme goes into complete standby, reopens the screen, and, there, as soon as the machine wakes up, as if nothing had happened, everything starts again.
A software problem that only occurs on the latest Macs?
The first clusters of clues suggested that it could be a bug specific to the M1 platform, where the problem seems particularly recurrent. But, on a forum, a MacBook Pro 16 user – equipped with an Intel processor – claims to have the same problem. This could therefore be the concern specific to Big Sur, the latest version of macOS. It would have spread little among old MacBook users but would affect newer models more. It seems that the problem occurs on a regular basis when several accounts are registered on the same device.
On the official Apple forums, several users claimed that by turning off Fast User Switching, the problem seemed to be gone.
Apple did not wish to speak on the subject, despite numerous requests from various media.
Source: The Verge
