PSA: macOS Sequoia is reportedly causing frustrating USB problems for some users

Posted September 27 · September 27

If you’ve recently upgraded your Mac to the freshly released macOS 15, you might have run into issues while attempting to use USB devices.

If so, apparently you’re not alone – other Mac users are facing the same kinds of problems when connecting USB devices.

Apple Insider notes that a number of users are experiencing drive connectivity issues, and when plugging in USB sticks or chargers into the Mac’s ports, the system isn’t detecting these devices right away. Sometimes they’re taking a considerable time to connect, and sometimes macOS 15 isn’t finding them at all, worryingly.

As you may recall, macOS Sequoia was released earlier this month, on September 16, and of course it’s not a surprise that when a major release of an operating system comes along, there are teething problems. This appears to be one of them, at least going by multiple reports on the likes of Reddit and Apple’s support forum, and there are other issues besides as highlighted in our roundup of common problems with macOS 15.

Apple's Craig Federighi demonstrating the iPhone Mirroring feature in macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2024. — (Image credit: Apple)

Where things stand and what you can do next

Apple Insider further observes that the USB-related bug is occurring on different Mac models, including the MacBook Air and iMac, and on devices equipped with different processors, including M1, M2, and M3 Apple chips.

That said, the tech site also notes that it wasn’t able to reproduce the problem on any of its devices, and that the malfunctioning USB issue doesn’t look to be that widespread – though certainly some of those upgrading to macOS 15 are affected, going by the mentioned reports.

Thus far, Apple hasn’t made any comment on the matter, and we’re still waiting to see if the company will respond to these reports.

If you’ve been affected by misbehaving USB devices with macOS Sequoia, your best bet is to reach out to Apple support, describe what you’re experiencing, and, hopefully, Apple will acknowledge you, and maybe even prepare a fix in a future macOS 15 update.

The more reports (especially with evidence like screenshots) that Apple receives about a specific problem, the more likely it is to respond and deploy a fix.