Not Connected to Power - Automatic updates failing to install?

[Kelmon]

I've got the same question on Apple Communities for an "issue" that is really annoying me. My MacBook Air M2 keeps showing the Notification "Not Connected to Power" when I wake it from sleep, stating that "This update requires connection to a power source to install updates later". On the desktop is shown a volume called "Update". This is a Notification that I have not had throughout the time we've had this laptop - I think it started something like 6-months ago. Restarting the laptop makes the message and volume go away, but normally only until the next day. Connecting to power seems to do nothing, even if the laptop is left connected. Connecting to power and restarting makes the notification and volume go away, but it will come back. The laptop has tons of battery and is perfectly happy to install big macOS updates without asking to be connected to power. I was greeted by the notification earlier this week and tried a suggestion given, so installed macOS 14.6 update (not connected to power) and then restarted into Safe Mode, then restarted in normal mode. The next day the Notification and Update volume was back again. It has been said that this is the macOS installing important updates in the background, which is fine, if it will do it in the background. My feeling is that it is failing to do this successfully. So, I have the following questions:

1. Does anyone else get this message when they don't leave their laptop connected to power?
2. Is anyone running an M2 MacBook Air with macOS 14 who does NOT get this message and who does not leave their laptop connected to power all the time?

I do think this is abnormal (to be confirmed) and am wondering if I'm going to have to do something extreme like reinstalling the OS.

 

[Bigwaff]

Do you happen to have the application Mountain installed? Drag to Trash and empty. Reboot.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mysterious-update-volume-keeps-appearing-on-my-desktop-on-m1-mac-mini.2281214/

 

[Fishrrman]

My advice is to TURN OFF the "automatic" update feature.

Yes, you still want to be informed when there's an update available.

But (speaking for myself), I prefer to control just WHEN those updates are installed.
I've found that things just work better this way.

 

[Kelmon]

Do you happen to have the application Mountain installed? Drag to Trash and empty. Reboot.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mysterious-update-volume-keeps-appearing-on-my-desktop-on-m1-mac-mini.2281214/

Why, yes, I do indeed have Mountain installed. I'm giving your suggestion a try. The content of the Update volume does look to match that described in the other thread. There was nothing I could see to suggest the issue was being caused by a 3rd party app, so I'd never have guessed that it was Mountain that was the source. Thanks very much. I'll see if this resolves the problem and post the results.

 

[Kelmon]

Hi Folks,

Sorry to resurrect this topic but, even after having uninstalled Mountain, I am still getting the "Not Connected to Power" and "Other Users Are Logged In" notifications when waking my MacBook Air from sleep. The removal of Mountain does mean that the "Update" volume is no longer present on the desktop. When checking System Settings, no updates are available to be downloaded (I am currently running MacOS 14.6.1). What is it that the MacOS is trying to install? Does anyone else get these notifications? If these are updates that are supposed to be installed silently in the background, it's not doing a good job. I'm pretty sure that this is abnormal. Disk Utility is not highlighting any issues when a First Aid check is run on Macintosh HD volume. If anyone has suggestions of where to look in Console for logs that may highlight the cause of the issue, I'd be happy to have a check.

At this point I am wondering if the OS needs to be reinstalled. Given how long there is before MacOS 15 hits the streets, I might wait until that is released and installed, and see if the issue comes back again.

 

[Bigwaff]

I am still getting the "Not Connected to Power" and "Other Users Are Logged In" notifications when waking my MacBook Air from sleep.

Can you provide a screenshot of these notifications. I am unable to find an example using a Google search. Thanks.

 

[Kelmon]

Can you provide a screenshot of these notifications. I am unable to find an example using a Google search. Thanks.

You know, I thought I should have grabbed a screenshot, but laziness meant that I couldn't be bothered to look up the keyboard shortcut to take one on the MacOS. Sorry. I expect the message will be back again tomorrow, so I'll post one then.

 

[Ruggy]

I haven't had this exact problem but I've seen similar.
What typically happens is an install fails so you have a partial install somewhere and because there's a partial install, it will never install, and every time it tries to install- probably on a timer-it pops up the message explaining why it failed to install in the first place.
Somewhere on your HD is a partial install you need to delete. I don't know where they are I'm afraid, but you need to find and delete that. A clean install would probably do it- unless it's kept somewhere else and not inside the OS. I don't know about that.

 

[Kelmon]

Just to update that, having whinged about the issue still continuing, over the past few days I have not seen the notifications again. Nothing has changed, to my knowledge. The laptop has been on charge overnight (so, that should address one of the notification issues), but there are still 2 users signed in, so the 2nd notification should still be generated. While I'm not a fan of issues that magically fix themselves, if whatever has been causing the problem has managed to sort itself out, then I'm happy enough.

With the above said, what's the odds on the issue coming back again tomorrow after I send this update?

 

[Kelmon]

I honestly thought this issue was going to be back the next day (about 2-weeks ago), but to my surprise, it wasn't. Silly me thought it was all solved. But it isn't. I upgraded to MacOS 15.0 a couple of days ago, and this morning the notifications are back again. This time I have taken a screenshot. Assuming no one else is having this problem with a Mac laptop that is not either connected to power when not in use, or has multiple users logged in at the same time, are there any ideas about how I might go about troubleshooting this issue? As best as I can tell, being connected to power and having only 1 user logged in does not fix the problem, because it does (eventually) come back.