2018 MacBook Pros crashing with "Bridge OS" error

[dspdoc]

Personally I think it's fair game to criticize Apple, even if they are working on a fix, when they've left customers in the dark on this issue for over 7 months. I mean come on, Apple support pretends that they've never even heard of BridgeOS kernel panics. We should be past this.

Exactly! And this is precisely why I can no longer stand behind the company that I’ve arduously defended for decades.

I am building a PC (that I have complete control over its components). It’s actually kind of a liberating feeling to know that essentially this machines fate lies in my hands, not Apple’s.

I honestly wouldn’t care if Apple released the most amazing Mac ever tomorrow. At this point there’s principle driving my decision. Sometimes in life we have to take a stance and just say, it’s too late. I’ve moved on.

I would be lying and acting tough if I said this didn’t break my heart, because it does. I’ve had a long love affair with Apple. But sadly, as with many things in life, change happens. I am not an Apple hater. Never have been. I guess I’m just one of the people they have driven off by their new company model...

 

[zargap]

Personally I think it's fair game to criticize Apple, even if they are working on a fix, when they've left customers in the dark on this issue for over 7 months. I mean come on, Apple support pretends that they've never even heard of BridgeOS kernel panics. We should be past this.

I'm not saying don't criticize, but if you think swearing at Apple engineers through the error reporter helps them fix bugs, helps your bugs gets fixed, or makes you seem cool and important, and that not agreeing with that makes you an "Apple apologist" (apparently anyone not foaming at the mouth), then I'm an Apple apologist and anyone doing that is Miles Davis. Have you ever worked QA? How many error reports do you think one person looks at per day and what percent of those have useless yelling in the comments?
I'll fully own up to that I'm trying to tone police, because we're all in the same boat, nobody with this issue isn't frustrated with their purchase, we could talk about what this issue means in the grand Apple scheme, our personal ideal MBPs (mine has Pencil support ) until the cows come home, there are endless outlets for that talk, and I think we'd all be best served trying to keep this forum topic, about these specific crashes trying to identify patterns if possible to increase the chances of finding anything useful. I'm also very frustrated by the lack of transparency, we wouldn't be talking about any of this maybe if they told us what was going on. It seems like owning up to issues leaves them open to losing money or legal vulnerability or something, similar to the refusal to address the known keyboard issues.
I'm sorry for lying about not addressing this further, I'm going to stick to objective error reporting to the extent possible.

 

[doitdada]

46 pages of errors and over 1100 posts. Will this thread be bigger than Waiting for 2018?

I see some people saying the Mojave beta fixes the issues, but is this true? I tried to search through the thread, but I can't find any guys with 7+ days stability with the Mojave beta.

I don't think replacements are the key, as people are having issues with multiple computers, but is there some people on this forum that have resolved this issue with using the latest Mojave beta?

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

That's very interesting, I've not heard of this before. But the correlation I am seeing is that it might actually be video related, seeing as how many people have had the problem with external displays as well.

I would also like to hear what applications users have open when their KP occurs.

Incredibly, this has just happened to me! I was watching a YouTube video in full-screen, and the screen went all-black except for half a half-inch border at the top (which was actually displaying the bottom of the video). It flicked back and forth between this and the regular fullscreen until the machine just froze.

The kernel panic log is also the usual; error 210 and BridgeOS. Really think this could be video related now.

Edit: I tried taking screenshots once the screen switched to the 'border' glitch, and it took a shot of the screen as normal, but with the video not in fullscreen... weird.

 

[doitdada]

Incredibly, this has just happened to me! I was watching a YouTube video in full-screen, and the screen went all-black except for half a half-inch border at the top (which was actually displaying the bottom of the video). It flicked back and forth between this and the regular fullscreen until the machine just froze.

The kernel panic log is also the usual; error 210 and BridgeOS. Really think this could be video related now.

I've been through six 2016 models and now a 2018, and they all had video related issues. Black screens, kernel panics, random reboots, freezing and flickering. Even the speakers blew themselves during a Photoshop installation. Mixing ARM (T2 chip) and x86 (Intel Coffee Lake) could also be the cause, but then again, this is speculation. It's hard to find out the inner workings of such a secret company like Apple, and they never take responsibility until a class action lawsuit comes along with a worldwide media campaign...

 

[dspdoc]

I'm not saying don't criticize, but if you think swearing at Apple engineers through the error reporter helps them fix bugs, helps your bugs gets fixed, or makes you seem cool and important, and that not agreeing with that makes you an "Apple apologist" (apparently anyone not foaming at the mouth), then I'm an Apple apologist and anyone doing that is Miles Davis. Have you ever worked QA? How many error reports do you think one person looks at per day and what percent of those have useless yelling in the comments?
I'll fully own up to that I'm trying to tone police, because we're all in the same boat, nobody with this issue isn't frustrated with their purchase, we could talk about what this issue means in the grand Apple scheme, our personal ideal MBPs (mine has Pencil support ) until the cows come home, there are endless outlets for that talk, and I think we'd all be best served trying to keep this forum topic, about these specific crashes trying to identify patterns if possible to increase the chances of finding anything useful. I'm also very frustrated by the lack of transparency, we wouldn't be talking about any of this maybe if they told us what was going on. It seems like owning up to issues leaves them open to losing money or legal vulnerability or something, similar to the refusal to address the known keyboard issues.
I'm sorry for lying about not addressing this further, I'm going to stick to objective error reporting to the extent possible.

I respect and agree with much of what you’re saying here. That said, you have to let people express themselves. You or I cannot say if one of these really pissed off and graphic report comments is going to hit the right engineer at the right/wrong time. Who knows? It might anger one of them just enough to ignite a fire making them say, “alright enough is enough, let’s fix these damn issues!!!”.

You’d be disappointed and upset too if you had spent north of $100k on Apple products like me in the last 24 years. And I don’t know, maybe you have...? Not only that, but I’ve watched them slowly turn from being an amazing computer company, into a consumer based cellular phone and tablet focused company.

It’s extremely upsetting how their overall attention has blatantly and obviously slid in a whole new direction. The new Apple focus has become about keeping shareholders happy and less about QC and engineering.

I certainly didn’t give Mr. Cook the nickname “bean counter”, but anyone who is being honest would have to admit that it exists for a very real reason. Steve Jobs, when you think about it was actually quite the opposite of Tim. He was more about the product and far less about stockholders. His passion is what made Apple. Sadly that vision is becoming but a mere shadow.

But back to the point; you have to let people verbalize their thoughts. Censorship doesn’t help. We don’t know what good might come from something ugly. People are so desperate and frustrated at this point that they’ll try anything to get Apple’s attention.

 

[SDColorado]

On the bright side of this, I am on day-2 / 18-hours with the replacement unit and no problems. Which is further than the 30 minutes in before crash with the original one

That said, even if it doesn't crash for 13 days, I am not sure I will ultimately keep it. These issues have me snake bit and I am not sure it won't exhibit the problem down the road or that there will be a fix in the near future, considering that we have already gone 8 months without one.

I guess I will see if my opinion/mood about the machine changes in the next dozen days, but so far I am very apprehensive.

 

[Hakiroto]

On the bright side of this, I am on day-2 / 18-hours with the replacement unit and no problems. Which is further than the 30 minutes in before crash with the original one

That said, even if it doesn't crash for 13 days, I am not sure I will ultimately keep it. These issues have me snake bit and I am not sure it won't exhibit the problem down the road or that there will be a fix in the near future, considering that we have already gone 8 months without one.

I guess I will see if my opinion/mood about the machine changes in the next dozen days, but so far I am very apprehensive.

I'm in a very similar situation. As you may have read a few pages back, I had a 13" that crashed once when sleeping (on day 16) and I had it until it was a month old before returning it as the replacement arrived. I used it the same every day from day 1 so I've no idea what caused it that day and it was almost 2 weeks either side of the crash without any issues. I've been on the replacement for about a day now and it's been fine but like you, I don't feel that good about it. Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll be returning it for a refund and falling back to using my 2015 work MacBook Pro for any personal stuff until I'm ready to buy again. That'll also give me time to see what happens in the coming months with the iMac line as a nice update there might pull me in that direction. We'll see, I guess. Luckily, I'm in no rush. Each time I think about keeping it I think of the poor 2016/7 MacBook Pro owners who are plagued with keyboard issues and I remind myself that I don't want to ever end up with a computer that's just literally faulty from the start. To be clear, I don't think it's hardware; I think it's software and that at some point it'll be resolved but that's just my opinion.

 

[SDColorado]

It’s extremely upsetting how their overall attention has blatantly and obviously slid in a whole new direction. The new Apple focus has become about keeping shareholders happy and less about QC and engineering.

It is a delicate cycle isn't it? I was a Dell guy up until about a decade ago when their QC and CS declined into the realm of abysmal. I needed a new laptop and after going through a number of issues with failed Dell laptops and not finding any alternatives in the PC world at the time that met my needs, I decided to try a MacBook Pro with the idea of being able to dual boot with boot camp. I fell in love with the MacBook Pro and began converting my wife, family, friends, etc. to Mac.

Though I still to this day have a circa 2006 Dell workstation that hasn't yet failed. I testament to how they had been before. Though I use it strictly in the garage to run TuneECU.

But these days it seems Dell is once again making a solid computer and CS service appears to be on the rise. I have seen Maflynn state that is now 2nd only to Apple? I don't know enough to question that, but perhaps it is true. Good for them if it is.

I have also had a 2017 Surface Pro that has been flawless for the past year, which is more than I can say about the 2013 13" MBP I had (stain-gate) 2016 MBP I had (numerous exchanges to get a good one) and my iPhone X which is having some odd issues.

Is the pendulum beginning to swing the other way now?

 

[bigcat]

46 pages of errors and over 1100 posts. Will this thread be bigger than Waiting for 2018?

I see some people saying the Mojave beta fixes the issues, but is this true? I tried to search through the thread, but I can't find any guys with 7+ days stability with the Mojave beta.

I don't think replacements are the key, as people are having issues with multiple computers, but is there some people on this forum that have resolved this issue with using the latest Mojave beta?

No. Mojave beta as of three days ago has not fixed the issue.

 

[SDColorado]

I'm in a very similar situation. As you may have read a few pages back, I had a 13" that crashed once when sleeping (on day 16) and I had it until it was a month old before returning it as the replacement arrived. I used it the same every day from day 1 so I've no idea what caused it that day and it was almost 2 weeks either side of the crash without any issues. I've been on the replacement for about a day now and it's been fine but like you, I don't feel that good about it. Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll be returning it for a refund and falling back to using my 2015 work MacBook Pro for any personal stuff until I'm ready to buy again. That'll also give me time to see what happens in the coming months with the iMac line as a nice update there might pull me in that direction. We'll see, I guess. Luckily, I'm in no rush. Each time I think about keeping it I think of the poor 2016/7 MacBook Pro owners who are plagued with keyboard issues and I remind myself that I don't want to ever end up with a computer that's just literally faulty from the start. To be clear, I don't think it's hardware; I think it's software and that at some point it'll be resolved but that's just my opinion.

I wish I had the option to go back. But I gave the 2016 MBP that I had to my wife and sold her old one. So going back to that one is no longer an option. I still worry about the keyboard on that 2016, but since she uses it 90% of the time with a bluetooth keyboard, it will probably be okay... maybe... hopefully.

So I need a laptop that will be reliable and dependable for the long haul and I just don't know if I trust this one to be that.

I am also not as convinced as you that the issue is software, since they apparently don't all have the issue. Perhaps even the majority of them do not. I think if it was software the issue would be common among all of them. Maybe it is, but some folks just haven't experienced it yet? Could be. But I don't know if I wan't to wait it out for a software fix only to find it is actually a hardware issue.

Edit: Even it if does turn out to be a software issue, actually maybe more specifically if it IS a software issue, what would most folks consider to be a reasonable time frame for a fix? If it is software, it clearly isn't an easily addressed problem. Apple has been aware of it since the iMP release and 8 months later still doesn't have a fix. So if 8 months is an unreasonable expectation for a fix, what would most folks consider reasonable. 12 months? 18 months? 2 years? Dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[michael31986]

so was this issue on the 2017 model? i just don't get how if this is EVERYONE then why isn't it bigger news.

 

[kryptticAZ]

Incredibly, this has just happened to me! I was watching a YouTube video in full-screen, and the screen went all-black except for half a half-inch border at the top (which was actually displaying the bottom of the video). It flicked back and forth between this and the regular fullscreen until the machine just froze.

The kernel panic log is also the usual; error 210 and BridgeOS. Really think this could be video related now.

Edit: I tried taking screenshots once the screen switched to the 'border' glitch, and it took a shot of the screen as normal, but with the video not in fullscreen... weird.

Mine only crashes when the machine is asleep for an extended period. No applications are open and I have tried with only the power adapter attached and nothing else. So it's not video related for me.
[doublepost=1535052559][/doublepost]

I respect and agree with much of what you’re saying here. That said, you have to let people express themselves. You or I cannot say if one of these really pissed off and graphic report comments is going to hit the right engineer at the right/wrong time. Who knows? It might anger one of them just enough to ignite a fire making them say, “alright enough is enough, let’s fix these damn issues!!!”.

You’d be disappointed and upset too if you had spent north of $100k on Apple products like me in the last 24 years. And I don’t know, maybe you have...? Not only that, but I’ve watched them slowly turn from being an amazing computer company, into a consumer based cellular phone and tablet focused company.

It’s extremely upsetting how their overall attention has blatantly and obviously slid in a whole new direction. The new Apple focus has become about keeping shareholders happy and less about QC and engineering.

I certainly didn’t give Mr. Cook the nickname “bean counter”, but anyone who is being honest would have to admit that it exists for a very real reason. Steve Jobs, when you think about it was actually quite the opposite of Tim. He was more about the product and far less about stockholders. His passion is what made Apple. Sadly that vision is becoming but a mere shadow.

But back to the point; you have to let people verbalize their thoughts. Censorship doesn’t help. We don’t know what good might come from something ugly. People are so desperate and frustrated at this point that they’ll try anything to get Apple’s attention.

100% agree with this (and I have also spent nearly that amount of money on Apple gear since my younger days...)

 

[SDColorado]

so was this issue on the 2017 model? i just don't get how if this is EVERYONE then why isn't it bigger news.

The issue began with the iMac Pro that was released December 2017 and was the first release to have the T2 chip. BridgeOS issues began being reported with that model and Apple has been aware of them. But the iMac Pro is an expensive niche computer that never had the mass appeal / sales of the MBP.

So despite known issues with the T2 chip, the 2018 MBP was released with the same chip and has likewise been experiencing BridgeOS related crashes. But has been garnering more attention due to a broader customer base and broader sales.

But it isn’t EVERYONE and doesn’t appear to effect every machine. Which is why I am not as convinced as some that it is software, rather than a flaw in some T2 chips. Time will tell

 

[zargap]

Mine only crashes when the machine is asleep for an extended period. No applications are open and I have tried with only the power adapter attached and nothing else. So it's not video related for me.
[doublepost=1535052559][/doublepost]

100% agree with this (and I have also spent nearly that amount of money on Apple gear since my younger days...)

Yeah, I'd like to see the report on a waking crash to compare to a sleeping one. I'm not sure having the computer closed necessarily means it isn't a video issue of some type but I haven't seen anything that says it is either.

 

[Wags]

so was this issue on the 2017 model? i just don't get how if this is EVERYONE then why isn't it bigger news.

I think somewhat should be bigger than keyboards. Machine shut downs. Apple don’t want that news.

 

[IG88]

WTF!!!!!! Look what just happened on my $7000 iMac Pro! NOT COOL!!! FIX THIS GARBAGE NOW APPLE!!! I am certain that I speak for all Apple customers that spend their hard earned money on your products when I say this is completely unacceptable. And your silence on the matter only makes it worse!

This happened while my iMP was sleeping. Came to wake it up and had the KP error message.

Doing a wipe and clean install of your HD does NOT fix this btw, as I have done it multiple times. So whoever is posting that misleading info, please stop. When you post things like, “there is a fix for this” you are not holding Apple accountable or making them address this mess.

It's weird how you apologize for Apple....until you personally have a problem with your own hardware. Then all of a sudden you want to take them to task. Everyone else that complains is an "Apple hater" as long as your hardware works correctly.

 

[michael31986]

I wish I had the option to go back. But I gave the 2016 MBP that I had to my wife and sold her old one. So going back to that one is no longer an option. I still worry about the keyboard on that 2016, but since she uses it 90% of the time with a bluetooth keyboard, it will probably be okay... maybe... hopefully.

So I need a laptop that will be reliable and dependable for the long haul and I just don't know if I trust this one to be that.

I am also not as convinced as you that the issue is software, since they apparently don't all have the issue. Perhaps even the majority of them do not. I think if it was software the issue would be common among all of them. Maybe it is, but some folks just haven't experienced it yet? Could be. But I don't know if I wan't to wait it out for a software fix only to find it is actually a hardware issue.

Edit: Even it if does turn out to be a software issue, actually maybe more specifically if it IS a software issue, what would most folks consider to be a reasonable time frame for a fix? If it is software, it clearly isn't an easily addressed problem. Apple has been aware of it since the iMP release and 8 months later still doesn't have a fix. So if 8 months is an unreasonable expectation for a fix, what would most folks consider reasonable. 12 months? 18 months? 2 years? Dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Software bugs don't affect everyone. How many times is there an iphone update and it says bug fixes and i never had those bugs.

 

[IG88]

I am just sitting here in total disgust wondering what exactly Apple engineers are doing. Working on the next iPhone, iPad, Car!?!?!?! Cause they sure aren't taking this very seriously. It is really unfortunate to think that in order to even get a response out of Apple that something has to go totally viral. It shouldn't take an act of God to move Apple, yet it does. This iMac Pro costs 3 times as much as my very first car!

I thought we weren't supposed to question the engineers according to you?

And it’s reassuring that you are so much wiser than all these engineers and are here to police them and enlighten us with your almighty wisdom. Whew, thank God for that!

 

[Premal212]

It seems you are running iStat Menu, as I am. How many of us experiencing this problem are running iStat Menu?

Yes, my keys are a lot hotter, I thought this was down to the CPU, I didn't realise that the T2 Chip was here, I thought it was under the touch bar towards the right. Mines at around 50c, using about 5%. Replacement should arrive next week, let's see how that performs.

2018 MBP 15 i7 32gb 512

 

[TomH TX]

I hate to see how this thread has degenerated into personal attacks. Having been in this thread since it began weeks ago, I am still sitting here waiting anxiously to walk across the street to pick up the 2018 15" MBP that I want so badly. But I will not drop $4k on the unit that I want until I can believe that Apple has indeed identified and resolved whatever the underlying problem is. I feel badly for those who clearly do continue to have serious problems with their computers, even replacement units, but I am relieved that others have no issues whatsoever. I do believe that Apple is working on it, and acquiring information, but the lack of discernible pattern, and lack of known communication from Apple seems to be adding to the frustration level of those affected. I hope that this thread will get back to providing hard data on KP's and configurations, and not insulting each other.

 

[SDColorado]

Software bugs don't affect everyone. How many times is there an iphone update and it says bug fixes and i never had those bugs.

Not sure many iPhones have issues right out of the box, with nothing else installed that is a software issue, but maybe?

But in any case, the conversation I had with Apple when they told me to send my first one back, where all about thinking it was maybe a certain range of chips or particular configurations, build dates, factory of manufacture, etc. Everything they said, taking about hardware. They never mentioned software, and I am still not convinced that it is.

I guess I will have to believe it was a software issue all along when they finally release a patch that fixes it, rather than replacing affected hardware.

Keeping my fingers crossed on the replacement unit.

 

[Drunken Master 911]

Well, I for one can't believe I stumbled across this thread.

I plunked down $4k for the i9. I'm a professional user. I spent the first day stunned by the repercussions of switching over to USB-C. Totally crippling but I had no choice: I had to upgrade.

Day 2 and 3: Kernel panics while I'm away from the computer. Brand new computer with no data migration whatsoever. Logs point to BridgeOS. I run the i9 closed, with a non-4k monitor and a Thunderbolt 2 Raid connected to a Caldigit TS3+ hub. PowerNap switched off, FileVault disabled.

On top of this, I'm having nagging Bluetooth issues that are difficult to identify. Super laggy tablet, and a keyboard that periodically disconnects and connects, over and over again.

To it's credit, Apple is currently providing me with unparalleled customer support. Daily phone calls (with the same case rep) primarily involving data collection. No acknowledgment on his part that this is something affecting more than just me, even when asked directly (you'll have to speak to a technician for more information on that). The amount of attention I'm getting is both encouraging and worrying at the same time.

 

[SDColorado]

I hate to see how this thread has degenerated into personal attacks. Having been in this thread since it began weeks ago, I am still sitting here waiting anxiously to walk across the street to pick up the 2018 15" MBP that I want so badly. But I will not drop $4k on the unit that I want until I can believe that Apple has indeed identified and resolved whatever the underlying problem is. I feel badly for those who clearly do continue to have serious problems with their computers, even replacement units, but I am relieved that others have no issues whatsoever. I do believe that Apple is working on it, and acquiring information, but the lack of discernible pattern, and lack of known communication from Apple seems to be adding to the frustration level of those affected. I hope that this thread will get back to providing hard data on KP's and configurations, and not insulting each other.

Well stated. We should be able to have an open discussion about the issue without personal attacks on each other. Many are concerned about the issue, because they are having problems with the computers they own, worried they are going to continue having issues with the replacement machines or are concerned about a possible future purchases. Some are on 2nd, 3rd, 4th machines and are clearly frustrated.

Some of us are trying to stay positive and are hoping that replacement hardware or a future patch fixes the issue and some have given in. No right or wrong approach there. Everyone needs to make their own choices.

Oh and as far as the frustrated comments included by Sanctum in the crash report. Does anyone really think the person reading it gives a rip? If you work in that kind of field you know people are frustrated and passionate about their products and you don’t take those kinds of comments personally. I have worked long enough in an IT support type roll that I wouldn’t be phased at all by that type of comment. You deal with the pertinent issue and ignore the comments that aren’t.

 

[zargap]

Yes, my keys are a lot hotter, I thought this was down to the CPU, I didn't realise that the T2 Chip was here, I thought it was under the touch bar towards the right. Mines at around 50c, using about 5%. Replacement should arrive next week, let's see how that performs.

2018 MBP 15 i7 32gb 512

Are you saying you think the T2 chip itself is overheating?

Well, I for one can't believe I stumbled across this thread.

I plunked down $4k for the i9. I'm a professional user. I spent the first day stunned by the repercussions of switching over to USB-C. Totally crippling but I had no choice: I had to upgrade.

Day 2 and 3: Kernel panics while I'm away from the computer. Brand new computer with no data migration whatsoever. Logs point to BridgeOS. I run the i9 closed, with a non-4k monitor and a Thunderbolt 2 Raid connected to a Caldigit TS3+ hub. PowerNap switched off, FileVault disabled.

On top of this, I'm having nagging Bluetooth issues that are difficult to identify. Super laggy tablet, and a keyboard that periodically disconnects and connects, over and over again.

To it's credit, Apple is currently providing me with unparalleled customer support. Daily phone calls (with the same case rep) primarily involving data collection. No acknowledgment on his part that this is something affecting more than just me, even when asked directly (you'll have to speak to a technician for more information on that). The amount of attention I'm getting is both encouraging and worrying at the same time.

I just have to imagine that it's some sort of customer service strategy to deny that more people are having the same issue. Something that maybe works well in smaller scales or to people who are not cool enough for this site Bluetooth lag is something I get with mice that's a real bummer but yeah, incredibly hard to pinpoint why it happens, I hope that's not tied to this somehow.

I'm mostly hoping its software since thats more convenient to fix on our end