M1 MacBook Air won’t power on

[Spudlicious]

I am using this clone brick: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08M3KDCWK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What I don't like about USB-C on the M1 Air is the insertion/withdrawal force, I think it's asking for trouble. Apple had the perfect solution with the Magsafe charging connector, and they dumped it.

 

[Ont]

Same problem. I just returned my 2nd MacBook Pro M1! Same situation. Connect my MacBook to monitor via hdmi dongle. Get work done put Mac to sleep, then disconnect the cables. My MacBook died since then.

I mean.... bad or poor quality dongle should NOT cause damage to 1000+ machine! I would understand it poor quality dongle won’t work with Mac. But to cause damage to Mac is scarcely unacceptable!

right now just waiting on my third MacBook Pro.

 

[Clausewitz]

Cloud is the way anyway. A server with backups and redundancies is less likely to fail than a consumer external drive.

But, it seems all the hardware fails have been after a sleep. I haven’t notice anyone have a failure on plug in.

That's really good to know. But I have lost confidence for now. I'll wait for Apple to patch this up if its a software or a firmware problem.

 

[Taisho]

When my M1 Air died, I had just connected my USB hub (with power) right after a sleep. Since this is in line with what you guys have been saying, it does look like an issue with M1 devices. I did try to reach out to Apple for a comment but I never got a response ?. If Apple does patch this up, I don't think they would announce it since the issue currently does not have that high of visibility. I ended up just returning the device for a refund.

 

[HatMine]

Maybe the question should be, how can a $7 dongle break a $1300 device

I mean, to be fair, you can break a car worth thousands of dollars with very cheap tools. Just because something is expensive does not mean that the tools needed to destroy it are more expensive; That is a pretty weird correlation to assume.

This phenomena does not seem to be that different from that caused by the USB-killers that have been floating around for some time. Those can render devices completely unusable, by frying vital components in the machine. And I believe they are rather cheap, probably cheaper than the dongles we are discussing, if that has any relevance.

 

[klaustopher]

I just had the same problem twice.

A few weeks ago, a MacBook Air M1 16GB died on me while plugging in the charger (while having my iPhone connected to the other port, so no third party USB device involved). Call with Apple Support did not yield anything, got an appointment at the Genius Bar one week later. They couldn't do anything and also did not have an MBA with 16GB and 1TB SSD in stock. So I just got my money back. Ordered a new MacBook Pro M1 16GB online, because it was available faster. Got this on Dec 14th.

Today the MBP died on me, while the original charger was plugged in to the one port, and a USB-C->USB,HDMI adapter in the other port. It died when I plugged in the Apple HDMI->USB,HDMI adapter with one powered USB device connected to it or the power supply. I did not look at the screen when exactly it turned off.

At least Apple Support was super helpful and already initiated an exchange via UPS (since the stores are closed here in Germany). I hope I get my 3rd device next week.

But all in all, I am not very confident in the new M1 MacBooks Which is really sad, since the device is really amazing.

---
edited: I got the event wrong, when the device turned off. Corrected

 

[klaustopher]

I did try to reach out to Apple for a comment but I never got a response ?. If Apple does patch this up, I don't think they would announce it since the issue currently does not have that high of visibility. I ended up just returning the device for a refund.

I asked the two support reps I was on the phone with, if they know if this is a wide-spread issue and they both said it's the first time they heard about this. But, of course, take that with a grain of salt.

 

[HatMine]

I just had the same problem twice.

A few weeks ago, a MacBook Air M1 16GB died on me while plugging in the charger (while having my iPhone connected to the other port, so no third party USB device involved). Call with Apple Support did not yield anything, got an appointment at the Genius Bar one week later. They couldn't do anything and also did not have an MBA with 16GB and 1TB SSD in stock. So I just got my money back. Ordered a new MacBook Pro M1 16GB online, because it was available faster. Got this on Dec 14th.

Today the MBP died on me, while the original charger was plugged in to the one port, and a USB-C->USB,HDMI adapter in the other port. It died when I plugged a (powered, so no high demand on the USB port) USB device into the adapter.

At least Apple Support was super helpful and already initiated an exchange via UPS (since the stores are closed here in Germany). I hope I get my 3rd device next week.

But all in all, I am not very confident in the new M1 MacBooks Which is really sad, since the device is really amazing.

If this is true, then that is very bad indeed. No one has reported any issues with the included charger previously here. Rather, an adapter of some sort was always involved, but in this case you said that you only had your iPhone connected. That is very worrying. That suggests to me that this issue could be hardware-related, and if it is, there is no way I am keeping my MBA.

For the record, I have had my iPhone 12 Pro connected to my MBA while it was charging without any issues. I have also connected Apple's official AV-adapter to my MBA and then connected external drives to the adapter without issues. So the issue is not 100% reproducible, I guess.

 

[Ont]

Cloud is the way anyway. A server with backups and redundancies is less likely to fail than a consumer external drive.

But, it seems all the hardware fails have been after a sleep. I haven’t notice anyone have a failure on plug in.

Yes! My 2 M1 Macbook Pros died after a sleep. Using external monitor.... Click Apple Logo>Sleep. Unplug cables. Then I couldn't turn them on again.... I genuinely believe it is related to firmware not the hardware. Ordering my 3rd one now.

 

[AAPLGeek]

I just had the same problem twice.

A few weeks ago, a MacBook Air M1 16GB died on me while plugging in the charger (while having my iPhone connected to the other port, so no third party USB device involved). Call with Apple Support did not yield anything, got an appointment at the Genius Bar one week later. They couldn't do anything and also did not have an MBA with 16GB and 1TB SSD in stock. So I just got my money back. Ordered a new MacBook Pro M1 16GB online, because it was available faster. Got this on Dec 14th.

Today the MBP died on me, while the original charger was plugged in to the one port, and a USB-C->USB,HDMI adapter in the other port. It died when I plugged in the Apple HDMI->USB,HDMI adapter with one powered USB device connected to it.

At least Apple Support was super helpful and already initiated an exchange via UPS (since the stores are closed here in Germany). I hope I get my 3rd device next week.

But all in all, I am not very confident in the new M1 MacBooks Which is really sad, since the device is really amazing.

---
edited: I got the event wrong, when the device turned off. Corrected

Were you using an Apple adapter or a third party one?

 

[klaustopher]

If this is true, then that is very bad indeed. No one has reported any issues with the included charger previously here. Rather, an adapter of some sort was always involved, but in this case you said that you only had your iPhone connected. That is very worrying. That suggests to me that this issue could be hardware-related, and if it is, there is no way I am keeping my MBA.

For the record, I have had my iPhone 12 Pro connected to my MBA while it was charging without any issues. I have also connected Apple's official AV-adapter to my MBA and then connected external drives to the adapter without issues. So the issue is not 100% reproducible, I guess.

Let me reconstruct the timelines.

I got the MacBook Air M1 on November 17th, and I have been using it for weeks with a bunch of different adapters. With an Anker USB-C Power Supply, the original Apple powre supply, original apple HDMI/USB Adapters, 3rd party USB adapters.

The Device died on December 3rd. I had the original Apple Power Adapter plugged into one port and wanted to test an XCode build on my phone. So I plugged my phone into the other USB-C port and I noticed that XCode did not recognize the phone. So I removed the two USB cables, plugged in the iPhone into the port that I had the power cable in before and it worked. When I plugged in the power cable into the USB port, that did not recognize the iPhone before, the device immediately turned off and was bricked.

Returned the device to the Apple Store after an appointment with the Genius Bar on December 11th.

I got my new MacBook Pro (because an Air was not in Stock) on December 14th. I have been using it daily since. I have paid close attention to not use any third party USB-C accessories with this device. Everything worked fine. The only things I plugged into this was the Apple power supply, the apple USB-C->HDMI,USB-Adapter.

Today (January 8th), I was working with the device, everything went fine. I took the MacBook of the charger for lunch. When I came back with the device, I plugged in the original Apple power adapter or the usb-c dongle it died. I did not really look when exactly the screen turned off.

---

I think I just got unlucky with the devices I received ... Support was helpful and quickly offered exchanges, and all my data is in the cloud anyway. So it's a little annoyance for me, but I wouldn't go as far to say the devices are crap. Your mileage may very, of course.

They have shipped a few thousand of those devices, and here a handful of people is reporting issues. So I guess most people's devices just work fine.

Were you using an Apple adapter or a third party one?

First one: Both, at different times. When the device got bricked, I was only using the original Apple Power Supply
Second one: I only ever used the Apple Adapter for attaching USB devices or HDMI screens. But I always plugged in the Power Supply directly into the device, never through the adapter.

 

[osplo]

I was going to buy my MBA M1 on Monday. This thread really scared me a bit.

Maybe I should wait a few months...

 

[Leon1das]

I was going to buy my MBA M1 on Monday. This thread really scared me a bit.

Maybe I should wait a few months...

I have both M1 MBA and M1 MBP (as of today) - and am double stressed...

I really, really, really hope this is sw thing and Apple will fix it soon - otherwise if hardware revision is required - I cant risk my work lost/interrupted... and will have to send them back both...

 

[Leon1das]

Yes! My 2 M1 Macbook Pros died after a sleep. Using external monitor.... Click Apple Logo>Sleep. Unplug cables. Then I couldn't turn them on again.... I genuinely believe it is related to firmware not the hardware. Ordering my 3rd one now.

This makes me wonder - is bricking exclusive to device sleep? No issues after power off?

 

[Ont]

This makes me wonder - is bricking exclusive to device sleep? No issues after power off?

Interesting... it happened to me when I sleep the MacBook. But keep in mind that these MacBooks are designed to sleep not shut down for daily usage. Really hope it’s a firmware problem.

 

[Taisho]

Seeing that there are a few people in this thread that have had replacement M1 Macs brick too, I think this is an issue for all M1 Macs where some particular use case related to sleep/power triggers the issue. I want to buy another M1 Mac, but man the risk of losing your setup and data is just not worth it.

 

[Leon1das]

Interesting... it happened to me when I sleep the MacBook. But keep in mind that these MacBooks are designed to sleep not shut down for daily usage. Really hope it’s a firmware problem.

I mostly do:
- finish my work and power it off, or
- leave it with lid closed but not on charger

I did use it with USB-C hub with ethernet (1st slot) and factory charger in 2nd slot. But my use never ends with leaving everything plugged in (we have kid running around), so I disconnect, pack it in sleeve and leave far away from my boy...

Also, yesterday I migrated my M1 MBA to M1 MBP, where MBA was directly powered (charger) and MBP was charged from MBA via USB-C to USB-C cable.. All went fine, but again I did not use sleep - instead, wait for the process to finish, unplug cables and then close the lids...

 

[Marty_Macfly]

I have both M1 MBA and M1 MBP (as of today) - and am double stressed...

I really, really, really hope this is sw thing and Apple will fix it soon - otherwise if hardware revision is required - I cant risk my work lost/interrupted... and will have to send them back both...

Hi L,

Sorry to hear the concern!

Suggest turn the SLEEP option off completely for the M1 Macs. As per below settings etc.
The power saving is awesome, so no need to do these power saving techniques like with conventional laptops.



Regards
Martin

 

[JuanMiguelDiaz]

The suspected "M1-killer" is Vayox VA0011. It didn't seem like cheap one, but now that I'm trying to Google it, it doesn't appear to be anywhere near a reputable brand.

Yes, it died while using original charger and cable, but through this cursed USB-C dongle-adapter.

For me the M1-killer was a MOKiN USB C Hub...

I will not buy a new M1 until Apple admits & fixes those problems.

 

[highvoltage1215]

I think the over/under here is that it shouldn’t be on the consumer to figure this out. Specifications like USB are created by the industry for a reason. Manufacturers are suppose to adhere to the standards to avoid situations like this.

Now most of the USB dongles listed here have been in use for years by consumers without issue. That points to the M! MacBooks not meeting the spec. As a consumer, I should be able to use any USB C device that meets the specs with any other device that claims to meet the specs, especially a device created by the largest electronics manufacturer in the world.

 

[klaustopher]

I think the over/under here is that it shouldn’t be on the consumer to figure this out. Specifications like USB are created by the industry for a reason. Manufacturers are suppose to adhere to the standards to avoid situations like this.

I completely agree.

I am waiting for UPS to pick up my M1 pro today or tomorrow an then the replacement is planned to be shipped out once they have made the pickup scan. Apple Store App shows an estimated delivery date of Feb 15th. I hope this is done quicker.

---

I will give the M1 one last chance. I will make sure, to only ever use Power directly to the USB port via the original power adapter, and whenever possible only use the Apple USB hub. If this happens again, I will not be getting a replacement anymore. Let's see what happens.

 

[highvoltage1215]

I will give the M1 one last chance. I will make sure, to only ever use Power directly to the USB port via the original power adapter, and whenever possible only use the Apple USB hub. If this happens again, I will not be getting a replacement anymore. Let's see what happens.

Same here. My replacement isn’t going to be here for another week and a half. I ordered my MBP the day they became available, and had to send it back 2 weeks later, so this shipping delay is just adding to my frustration.

I plan to use my M1 just like my Intel (because I should be able to), and if it breaks again, I’m just going to keep going through this return process until Apple formally acknowledges the issue. I have a backup Intel MBP, so I’ll keep doing this for the greater community

 

[John Culter]

Same issue for me with M1 Macbook Pro 13. But different scenario.
1) Unplugged the Macbook from original Apple charger
2) Plugged in the HyperDrive GEN2 6-Port USB-C Hub (100 USD) with connected Hyper 66W USB-C GaN charger (60 USD)
3) Macbook died instantly, bricked device
4) Drove to the Authorised Apple service point, technician told me he disconnected the battery and did some sort of reset of the power management
5) Machine works again

I believe there is some power delivery issue in the USB-C ports of M1 macs in general. I can't replicate the same situation again, which is weird. I used the hub and non-Apple power adapter for 1 month already without any problem.

 

[anonymous888]

Same issue for me with M1 Macbook Pro 13. But different scenario.
1) Unplugged the Macbook from original Apple charger
2) Plugged in the HyperDrive GEN2 6-Port USB-C Hub (100 USD) with connected Hyper 66W USB-C GaN charger (60 USD)
3) Macbook died instantly, bricked device
4) Drove to the Authorised Apple service point, technician told me he disconnected the battery and did some sort of reset of the power management
5) Machine works again

I believe there is some power delivery issue in the USB-C ports of M1 macs in general. I can't replicate the same situation again, which is weird. I used the hub and non-Apple power adapter for 1 month already without any problem.

Yes, there is. I am using a 65w watt GAN charger from AliExpress. The MBA occasionally won't charge after waking from a long sleep. Sometimes 1 port would work and the other won't. Other times it would display plugged in but not charging.


Turning the optimized charging on and off again in settings and sometimes restarting, MBA starts charging again.

I make sure to never leave the charger plugged in while sleeping and never use it with a USB Hub. After almost 2 months, the MBA seems to be working fine still.

I can use the original Apple charger but it's a hassle. It charges the MBA slowly. With this GAN charger, I can charge all my iPad, MacBook, iPhone together if I want.

 

[rsucre]

Same problem. Mine was connected to a usb-c mini hub that I use to connect the MacBook Air M1 to an external display via HDMI and also was receiving power (from the original power supply) via that mini hub. I left for a cup of tea and when I returned, the MacBook Air M1 was powered off and never came back to life. I even tried opening it, disconnecting the battery (assuming that was the right connector) and reconnecting it.

I have 3 MacBook Air M1s, so I'm pretty scared... Also have a Mac mini M1.