Intermittent severe Magic Keyboard lag

Like you I have the same issue with MBP 16" and Apple keyboard. When connecting the charging cable to the MBP all works - thank you for that tip! When connecting using the cable my MX Anywhere 2 mouse also stops skipping, never happens when I isn't using the bluetooth Magic Keyboard.

Looking in System Information > Bluetooth I see that the Magic Keyboard 2 reports:

Role: Master

 Connection Mode: Sniff Mode

 Interval: 15 ms

I understand the sniff mode to conserve battery but who came up with this idea in the first place? Seems like a recipe for a laggy input. I don't know if this also cause the "stuck" key syndrome I see 2-3 times a day when bluetooth completely stops working.

Anyhow, an old Apple USB keyboard is on its way from an eBay seller so I can change both my home and work setup to use a keyboard that actually works. :-/

I'm having the same issue on the new MBP 16" while using a Magic Keyboard and Logitech Triathlon M720. Sadly, I think the issue is the MBP, since I've used this same set up on my 2017 iMac for a couple years with no problem whatsoever. Maybe it has something to do with the Logitech mouse not playing well with the MPB 16", but either way this was not a problem before when using an older iMac

This is so annoying, Apple please fix this in a new software update!

I have started having this same issue over the past few weeks with both my 15" Macbook Pro with the bluetooth magic keyboard and on my iMac (both are independent systems). The magic mouse and trackpad connected to my iMac also have the same issues. The bluetooth device is not disconnecting, there is just a delay in processing the inputs for all of the bluetooth devices. Similar to the above, the accent popup menu keeps coming up. It is extremely annoying and affecting my workflow and nothing seems to have fixed the problem. I have switched keyboards with another computer in my house - same problem. I have reset all of my Bluetooth devices rebooted computer, etc. to no avail.

Just turning the magic keyboard off and on again worked for me! Annoying but this is the first time it's happened to me after having the keyboard in play for a couple months with no issues. Battery just below 50%

I had a pretty annoying delay using the Magic Keyboard with my MBP 16" 2019. I had to keep it plugged in to avoid the delay, which was annoying. I fixed the delay by unpairing in Bluetooth preferences, turning the keyboard off and on again, and then re-pairing it. No more delay. Let's hope this doesn't become a routine part of my day.

I was having this issue where there seemed to be some lag between typing and the text appearing in any app I was typing in (Safari search bar, Outlook, MS Word, etc). I just tried turning off the Magic Keyboard 2 (late 2015 model) and back on again. Bingo. Fixed. Seems to be fine now wireless or wired.

MacBook Pro 16" (2019) w/ Keyboard model A1644.

I am having this problem as well with a brand new MacBook Pro 16". Severe keyboard lag, bounce, double typing etc with my Apple magic keyboard. Add this to the severe overheating problems when running an external monitor, and I'm really unimpressed with the product quality that Apple are turning out these days. Totally unacceptable to have these sort of issues when using a combination of Apple hardware and software on a £2500 machine. What happened to Quality Control?

Have you tried switching the keyboard on/off as mentioned? (relevant to post)...that's a bummer you're having issues with your 16", mine is FANTASTIC so I would definitely get in touch with Apple support. ;)

Yes sometimes switching the magic keyboard off and on solves the problem.....until the next time. The temperature these laptops are running at is by far the biggest concern though. Wondering if the two are related (ie the heat is impacting the Bluetooth radio module or something). Hoping Apple can come up with a firmware or driver fix ASAP.

Have you looked in Activity Monitor to see what's driving your temperature/fans/processors so high? I'm not having the same experience on my 16" MBP with external monitor. Once I figured out this keyboard issue, it seems everything is pretty stable. I haven't had the keyboard lag return.

I did disable Power Nap, which was causing intermittent crashes/kernel panics when in deep sleep. Once I turned that off, everything was golden.

Check your Activity Monitor to see what's spinning your system up. Sort by CPU under the CPU tab, and then sort by Energy Impact on the Energy tab. Can you post a screen grab?

I have the same issue with my mid 2017 15" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. It tends to be intermittent and the only solution I've found is not really a solution, but a workaround. Simply plugging in the keyboard eliminates the lag. I began this sentence with the keyboard plugged in and unplugged it before the second sentence. There is no noticeable lag now. But it's only temporary. While I love many of the features of macOS Catalina, it's definitely been the absolute worst version in terms of reliability. It can be especially frustrating when I'm teaching a technophobe or former Windows user how to use their new Mac.