Dead MacBook M1 after Using USB-C Multiport Hub Adapters/Docks

I bought an Anker 6 in1 USB-C hub with USB-C power delivery: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08CKXNJZS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven't used it for power delivery yet as this issue made me a bit paranoid.

I have reached out to Anker and they have assured me that their hubs are compliant. I also reached out to Apple support to double check, and they also said that they were not aware of any issues with Anker hubs with power delivery.

Going to try it out and see. Hopefully it does not brick my M1 Air!

The 11.2.2 (?) & .3 updates made the problem better apparently, but this last week with my new M1 I've seen a lot of weird things happening. If there's a power pass-through like on the OWC USB-C Travel Dock, I've watched the computer do a hard (reboot) crash a few times. I've tried also the j5Create USB & Ethernet hub; the hub routinely failed in r/w operations to flash drives. Using an external monitor often won't work, and it involves hooking the dock & computer up in just the right order when it does.

So, yay that these devices aren't not damaging the computer? But there's still a long way to go.

It happened to me after using a usb-c hub adapter on my MacBook Air M1. The Mac was not actually dead but the screen was stuck to minimum brightness. Hopefully it happened few days after I bought it so I was able to return it to Amazon.

As an electronic engineer I have to disagree with you. We put input protections on our hardware to protect against all reasonable inputs/outputs to a circuit. The PD hubs are only damaging Macs and not PCs so it is reasonable to assume apple did something wrong. Telling people it is 3rd party hubs is just like telling people they are holding the iPhone wrong.

One Korean Youtuber posted the video that his M1 macbook air’s logic board had been damaged with Caldigit SOHO even after OS update. This two thunderbolt ports design seems to have serious flaw

Same issue here. I have never had problems with using a Multiport USB-C Dongle on my Intel MacBooks. Now i have a M1 MacBook Pro since 3 weeks and it died after plugging in the dongle with PD (original power adapter)....

Is this only a problem with the PD hubs? I just purchased this one:

Anker USB C Hub Adapter, 5-in-1 USB C Adapter with 4K USB C to HDMI, Ethernet Port, 3 USB 3.0 Ports, for MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, XPS, Pixelbook, and More

Will this be a problem? Thanks.

woodmeister50 probably the issue is associated with a factory or batch. Only Apple knows... My guess is that there are thousands of machines out there waiting for the issue to happen. But not everybody uses PD thru a USB-C hub. And not everybody takes the time to come to a forum to post. I think that most people just go to the Apple Store, get the issue resolved (machine replaced or repaired) and get back to work...

Too risky to spend $2000+ on the MBA I ordered and have it die or be constantly paranoid about plugging whatever into whatever, so I canceled my order. I also am dismayed that you can't have two, high efficency/low power external SSDs connected at once due toMBA power weakness, even though there are separate Thunderbolt buses. Maybe it's related. I'll hang back with my old-timey late 2012 MacBook Pro and hope to buy an M1 sometime in the future.

Does anyone know why HUB can damage the MACs, shouldn't the Mac have protections? I have read mixed reports of this happening on non powered hubs can anyone confirm?

I have a MB Air on order and I'm wondering what I should do.

My daughter's 2017 MBP 13" ended up at Apple after both her USB-C ports failed after installing Big Sur. They sent it to be fixed saying it is the logic board. AppleCare ran out so this is now an out of pocket expense ($500). Now after reading some of these threads, maybe it isn't the logic board and the new OS? Would love to know if others with slightly older laptops have had this issue

Well apple packages firmware with os upgrades so I assume this was a low level firmware change for the board. But I really wish they would tell us the fix to give the users more confidence. When my MBA arrives i plan to test one of these bad hubs if it fails I will return the computer as it will always be a question of what and when will it fail.

Anytime a User purchases Third-Party accessories to work with Apples Eco-System and the Third-Party does not comply with the Rules Apple has laid-out - - the risk of such things are bound to happen. Apple makes the devices, makes the software, makes the CPUs ( Apple Silicon ) - so the EcoSystem is Owned by Apple.

Do you think that there are any technical specifications for the new M1 products that Apple has made public and the old peripherals fail to meet? That would, indeed, be grounds for blaming the third-party accessory manufacturers for failing to comply with the technical specifications.

I think it should not be over complicated. The MacBook comes with USB-C port. You should be able to plug any USB-C device in there just as you do with any other device and don’t expect it to brick your laptop. Come on. If the USB-C port in MacBook M1 is going to be super delicate then Apple should not label it as a USB-C port or display a warning when a “non-compliant” device is plugged in. They released a fix. It was theirs.