MacBook Pro bricked after failed Big Sur update 😵 ⚰️

I guess I will have to start from scratch calling Apple support again, as my repair is in limbo at an authorized repair center due to all Apple stores in Texas are closed due to COVID. I had been working with an Apple senior rep by email but she has not replied or authorize the repair with the repair center.

Two weeks after I got my 2015 15" MacBook Pro repaired back from Apple, I started getting hardware problems randomly. Sometimes the macbook would beep every 5 seconds with black screen. Sometimes powering it off and starting it up would fix it temporary, but the black screen with the beeps would come back a few times a day. A short beep every 5 sec means memory problems (RAM is soldered on the logic board on this mac). In the previous repair the logic board was replaced.

So luckily I got 90 days warranty on the initial repair and I brought it back to the Apple store. I was able to replicate the problem in front of the rep. Now waiting for it to get repaired again.

When this happened to me with my last MacBook Pro I could boot into safe mode but what was actually wrong w the hardware was my logic board was fried suddenly and caused the battery to swell, therefore I truly believe the Big Sur update bricked my MacBook Pro. I just got a brand new one shipped to me and it won’t even boot up. Weird coincidence right?

I have same problem, i gave my MacBook to the proffesional specialist and he said that there is no option to make recovery, only to install previous software using PC to PC connection, i lost the whole data. Apple failed that update like no one ever before

My heart sank when I saw this thread.

Like many others, I upgraded to Big Sur after being urged to do so by rather regular and irritating popup prompts. I was waiting for feedback on a live project, so I went for it.

My MacBook Pro (mid 2014), is now toast.

The one I rely on to make a living. In the middle of a web build for one of my few remaining loyal clients.

I cannot replace it.

I feel sick.

Why would Apple allow me to do this, months after the issue was clear?

They have totally let me down, with the worst possible timing.

I'm livid.

Contact apple support and ask to speak to a senior advisor. If they haven’t heard of the problem by now (they should have), ask them to research the issue with computers of your model and Big Sur updates. I was able (after a lot of hassle) to get a replacement. Hopefully by now, they have better understanding of the issue, so you won’t have nearly the fight I did. Good luck!

Update:

I spent a couple of hours last night doing an internet recovery, disk utility first aid, and a reinstall of Big Sur.

Same issue persists. I can't login.

Spoke to Apple support this morning. Full erase and reinstall required. Possibly a downgrade to Catalina or Mojave needed.

Currently going through the motions.

A day lost and all my data, but I have a BKUP.

The lack of concern for older machines is Apples Achille's heel.

Why do they nudge people to upgrade to an macOS that's isn't compatible?

It's unsustainable to expect people to upgrade hardware every two to four years.

Not just economically, but environmentally.

The advice given was to partition my machine and totally separate any non apple software.

As a freelancer with clients on many different platforms and software. It looks like I'll need to maintain three separate platforms and machines.

Staying 'native' is the only way to guarantee a pain free workflow.

In 2021.

The absolute state of it.

Oh, and anything older than five years is considered 'obsolete' and 'vintage'.

Whisky. Tango. Foxtrot.

Update:

I have erased my Macintosh - HD disk and recovery mode reinstalled macOS Big Sur successfully.

The Macintosh - HD - Data survived, so I could transfer all my apps across.

Just a day lost in setting up from scratch.

The support person was great, and managed to talk me down from the ceiling.

I'm not going to chance Google File Stream at the moment. Reading the posts.

So, incredibly stressful, but not a complete disaster.

Thank god for backups.

To add, a day in and I'm noticing a significant improvement in responsiveness.

No issues with the Adobe suite.

It's working better than it did with Catalina and Mojave. So far.

That could be down to the erase, and removing a heap of apps, add-ons and Google File Stream.

It's made an 'obsolete' and 'vintage' machine feel brand new.

Every cloud. ☁️

Have there been cases of this being repaired/replaced without Apple care? When I’ve contacted support they were rude to me, told me my 2016 MBP is “old” and compared it to a pizza, said I shouldn’t expect it to work forever. It bricked after auto updating itself to Big Sur. I have already taken it in and techs discovered the logic board failed and the battery swelled.

I would point the Apple support to this thread and escalate the repair to the Apple senior technical team. They have fixed many MacBook Pro’s it’s a problem caused by the upgrade not your machine. It was working with out any problems beforehand!

Yes! My mid-2014 MacBook Pro was actually replaced, because they didn’t have the parts to repair it. I got a MacBook Pro M1 with similar specs. It was a lot of work to get there, but I did finally receive the replacement.

This problem is not limited to MacBooks - it just happened to my 2013 Mac Pro. I was able to successfully upgrade to Big Sur and was using it for several months with no major issues. Last week, I noticed some weird behavior after the 11.2.1 update and did a backup with time machine. The next day, I have a bricked Mac Pro that was working great prior to the 11.2.1 update. Everything is exactly as described here - black screen, and nothing fixes it.

Hi @sstoynov

My early 2015 MBP had the same problem.

I was told to replace logic board. $478 + tax.

I guess it's not just 2013 and 2014.

I saw your post saying yours was repaired for free.

I hope I can get mine fixed by Apple.

Good luck! Try to be firm and nice when you talk to Apple support, especially when you get to level II support. Your Mac Book should not be bricked when you upgrade to a later version of their OS, especially when they are pushing you to upgrade and you get those nagging reminders every day. Best of luck.