After updating to 11.1 external 4K Monitor is no longer working over 1080p

[Cristim74]

My 4k Dell monitor won't came back from standby.
It's connected via a CalDigit TS3+ dock to a 2017 15" MBP.
Upgraded to 11.2.2 but the issue is still not fixed.

WTF Apple?

 

[syngress]

In addition, I noticed that after I put my mbp16 to sleep and wake it up, not all monitors wake up.
Like one source lost, several open windows on both screens before going to sleep are gathered together on one screen.

mbp16 is connected to monitors with original Apple adapters, latest BigSur.

 

[omicronx9]

This doesn't sound solved to me. Multiple resolutions still failing, monitors bugging out.

 

[DaveXX]

it is not solved with 11.2.2 it is solved with 11.3

 

[omicronx9]

I hear it's not resolved still.

 

[syngress]

nope, still not working.

 

[DaveXX]

nope, still not working.

not working with what? After some restarts it was working with 11.3 Beta... Officially its not solved with a stable version thats right...

 

[syngress]

DaveXX, it does not work for a customer who buys their equipment for a lot of money :-/

Still, lose resolution, lose source when wakeup my MBP16

 

[DaveXX]

DaveXX, it does not work for a customer who buys their equipment for a lot of money :-/

It was not defend to apple but it was confusing if i post it is working with 11.3 and someone post "still not working" nobody can know you mean current 11.2.3

 

[syngress]

Sure, but let's focus on the versions available for download.
We all know from experience that unreleased versions may have some additional changes before they are released, changes that break other functionality.

Apple is not a champion in testing its products, unfortunately ..

 

[KevinwhoswitchedfromPC]

I tried the update to 11.2.3.
I was having the issues many of you were having in that 4k wasn't available as a setting.
Now my monitor doesn't even pick up a signal.
BenQ 2700U with a USB C to HDMI. It was working perfectly for the longest time. Then randomly stopped allowing 4k resolution on 11.0.1. Then I updated to 11.2.3. Now it gets no signal period.
Bummer

 

[hvfsl]

Sure, but let's focus on the versions available for download.
We all know from experience that unreleased versions may have some additional changes before they are released, changes that break other functionality.

Apple is not a champion in testing its products, unfortunately ..

Well on the one hand you have Apple with silly bugs like this which should have been sorted a long time ago. Then on the other hand you have Microsoft which is trying to use AI to test patches, not very well I might add. Where we seem to get a few updates a year that will wipe/brick a machine (I work in IT so come across it a lot).

 

[Nexx]

I tried the update to 11.2.3.
I was having the issues many of you were having in that 4k wasn't available as a setting.
Now my monitor doesn't even pick up a signal.
BenQ 2700U with a USB C to HDMI. It was working perfectly for the longest time. Then randomly stopped allowing 4k resolution on 11.0.1. Then I updated to 11.2.3. Now it gets no signal period.
Bummer

Just wanted to add that my Macbook Air M1 is doing the same thing with my Dark Matter 49" 5440x1440 monitor with the 11.2.3 update. The monitor doesn't even pick up a signal now. The only way to get the monitor to temporarily work is to plug the USB-C to DisplayPort cable into one of my other two laptops (XP13 and RazerBlade15) FIRST then immediate back to the macbook air. Of course, the exterior monitor is immediately gone upon restart or wakeup. It's so frustrating.

 

[panr]

I asked for a refund because of this issue (and few others, like potential huge swap on SSD, bluetooth etc.) but Apple rejected it saying that everything works as it should in their test environment. 😞

 

[DaveXX]

I would suggest asking to speak with a superior and you don't acceppt this answer. Fighting with apple support can be extremely exhausting. I did that once because of wifi problems until i got a replacement. But this takes a lot of effort and energy...
Their trick is always to deny everything. "It's the first time i heard about this problem...", "you are the only one with this problem...", "forums are not trusthworthy...", "we cannot reprdouce the problem", "format everything", "reset everything", "delete everything", "create a testuser".....
This is their trick to avoid any responsibility.

What you could try is to use the beta version. You could do it even with a external ssd so you don't have to update your production system. If 11.3 fix all of your problems its maybe not worth the time and energy to fight with apple support except you have a good legal protection insurance.

 

[MacNchedder]

I have a similar problem in Catalina - I have been afraid to upgrade so far. But I did install Big Sur on an external SSD, and after runing it, when I relaunched Catalina, the max resolution on my external monitor (Acer B286HK) I could get was 1080p and further noticed that the arrangement of my 16" MBP 2019 screen and external monitor changed. My MBP connects through an Elgato hub using Thunderbolt. Sometimes in Catalina the Acer B286HK works normally, sometimes it allows me to scale to different resolutions and sometimes it will only allow 1080. Very very strange. And the screen arrangement is also sometime the way I set it up but other times changed.

 

[tommiy]

@MacNchedder Installing BigSur on an external drive would have updated your macs firmware including things like SMC. I can only guess this is the reason that returning to Catalina that things now behave differently. This issue was noted in most of the Catalina updates as well with many complaining that after trying out the next version their current installation no longer functions. Apple no longer provide the option of changing the firmware outside of the OS release. So by the look of it your now on the update bandwagon waiting for Apple to fix the problem. I had similar issues in Catalina and it took a year to get back to where I was with my monitors with my Elgato dock. I provided Apple all the data they could ever want and I believe the ticket is still open. Best of luck you may be able to find a work around. For my own instance it was to disconnect and reconnect the dock each time. The fact that you have upgraded your firmware to BigSur you may as well just move to it now.

 

[rosetter]

After reading the advice here I managed to get my 4k LG and Benq monitors working, mostly.

FWIW, I can confirm that 11.3 fixes a bunch of issues. After installing the latest beta my LG monitor is recognized correctly as a 4k display. It still defaults to 30 Hz over usb-c, but the excellent (and free!) EasyRes app quickly fixes that.

Another issue had me confused for a while: the animation to change desktops. At first I used this to quickly check if the display rate was actually 60 Hz. However this appears to be a separate problem from the actual display signal. Even when the monitor is 60 Hz this animation can appear jumpy. It rarely happens now on my LG (usb-c) but always happens on my Benq (displayport). Interestingly, switching desktops with expose enabled is always smooth. Clearly a bug, very annoying, and so, *so* apple.

 

[omicronx9]

11.2.3 has not resolved the issue for me. I receive 60hz at 2k but at 4k I can only receive 30hz.

 

[rosetter]

11.2.3 has not resolved the issue for me. I receive 60hz at 2k but at 4k I can only receive 30hz.

As mentioned above, this issue seems to be [mostly] fixed in 11.3, not 11.2.3. Developers can try the beta. I saw rumors that it will be released officially at the end of this month.

 

[Nexx]

As mentioned above, this issue seems to be [mostly] fixed in 11.3, not 11.2.3. Developers can try the beta. I saw rumors that it will be released officially at the end of this month.

End of the month??? I hope so! 🤞🤞

 

[DrewyMcDrewface]

I submitted a Feedback Assistant report thing in December when I noticed the problem, and just received this email on March 24th. It seems like they've fixed it in Big Sur 11.3 Beta 5 but I'm not going to download it to check, I'll just wait until the official release.

 

[DaveXX]

I submitted a Feedback Assistant report thing in December when I noticed the problem, and just received this email on March 24th. It seems like they've fixed it in Big Sur 11.3 Beta 5 but I'm not going to download it to check, I'll just wait until the official release.


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I can confirm that the issue is fixed (at least for me) but it makes me angry as well.
It's always the same. Apple denies the problem and claim that they never heard about any issue...

After a while there is a fix for an issue apple never heard about (sure...) and they confirm its fixed in a specific version.

It has to be pure magic to fix issues you never heard about and confirm a fix for an issue never existed....

 

[Pixege]

The latest macOS 11.3 beta 6 fixes the issue with displaying resolution and refreshing the external screen, but "introduces" another bug. Occasionally, the monitor does not wake up after sleep. The built-in screen on the MacBook works, but the external 4K (LG 32UD99-W) connected to USB-C does not work.
Restarting the computer doesn't help. My external monitor was not working for several hours. The MacBook also did not respond to connecting the monitor because it does not start to charge. Now I connected and it works normally. It is so random. Apple, wake up!

 

[KevinwhoswitchedfromPC]

The latest macOS 11.3 beta 6 fixes the issue with displaying resolution and refreshing the external screen, but "introduces" another bug. Occasionally, the monitor does not wake up after sleep. The built-in screen on the MacBook works, but the external 4K (LG 32UD99-W) connected to USB-C does not work.
Restarting the computer doesn't help. My external monitor was not working for several hours. The MacBook also did not respond to connecting the monitor because it does not start to charge. Now I connected and it works normally. It is so random. Apple, wake up!

Unfortunately that's the bug I've been running into prior to the update you installed. Except my external monitor just never wakes up period.