USB-C ports broken after 11.2 update

I have just had my two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports on my brand new M1 Mac mini fail when they were working fine earlier today. I have Big Sur 11.1 OS. It seemed to fail after I plugged in a USB-C multiport adapter.

Has anyone had success with multiport adapters?

Nice! So it’s not a 11.2 issue, confirmed pre-existing. Details on the USB-C adapter please? Try restoring from backup? If that doesn’t fix, do schedule warranty repair/replace, don’t wait. Good luck!

LOL! Dude, people have been helped with my only suggestion: seek warranty repair/replace. One has gotten a refund, the other has a new board on the way. Yet another has suggested 11.2 doesn’t have anything to do with this issue, revealing to say the least. Good luck anyways 😀

“I have just had my two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports on my brand new M1 Mac mini fail when they were working fine earlier today. I have Big Sur 11.1 OS. It seemed to fail after I plugged in a USB-C multiport adapter.” - earlier today.

But worth a shot, although my understanding is the firmware, which was packaged with 11.2, isn’t (user) downgrade-able.

This is the beauty of M1 Macs, you can downgrade firmware with AC2 and DFU mode!

In this situation with no USB-C ports that will be impossible. I will test now to see if using the installer downgrades the firmware or not.

Not yet a problem to fix in OS/firmware. We know it was pre-existing on 11.1 and there’s a hint that connecting it to unsupported hubs may have triggered it although the poster has yet to post details. Add to it the reluctance to seek warranty repair (which could be denied if the machine shows signs of fiddling with it), and the fact that MacBooks with the same chip and logically same firmware are unaffected, this whole 11.2 story is sounding more like...well, a story.

The problem is, a dead port doesn’t tell stories of when it died, at not until until Apple have their hands on it, which the 11.2 theorists don’t wanna do (for reasons known only to them). Others meanwhile, have new logic boards on the way or full refunds in their pockets. Smart! The very few rest should do likewise.

No, they'll most likely push a firmware update in 11.3.

Do you understand how binary values work in terms of providing power from circuits on a board through bus channels? Do you understand how these binaries change with firmware updates?

If not, please stop giving users information. In fact, please just stop posting all together, you're annoying.

hcsitas wrote:

Hahaha! Well, since you know all about binary, your choices are either fix with repair or wait endlessly for a problem that existed prior to 11.2. Good luck!

I agree with you, sort of,. but the two choices should be Apple Store

for repair/replacement or request an RMA to ship the return for repair

or replacement. If it were mine, I would not be hesitating at all.

Looks like DFU might be the only way.

Interesting enough, the Mac Mini DTK lost both USB-A ports on the 11.3 Beta update!

I performed a "Erase Mac" (Different from diskutil erase hd) from recovery and reinstalled 11.2 with USB. This process did not downgrade the firmware. After that, the ports started working again ?? I'm not saying this will work on the normal M1 Mini but it's a very interesting note. I'll try to reproduce this again just to make sure it was not a fluke.

Make sure you have a 11.1 USB installer handy.

If your M1 mac is encrypted you will be prompted to login to recovery. Erase Mac is in the menu bar in the upper left. If not then start up terminal in recovery then run this command

resetpassword

this will bring up a new menu, where you can find "Erase Mac" in the upper left menu bar.

This will erase all data on your HD along with nvram settings. You will be prompted to activate your Mac after.

I am almost ready to test this again myself.

A very similar thing happened to me yesterday.

New M1 mac mini arrived yesterday.

I set it up with my Apple Thunderbolt display and attached my Apple USB keyboard

I did a completely fresh install (not from a backup).

Then I was prompted to update to 11.2.3

Following the update my Wired Apple Keyboard failed to register - and I'd not yet paired a bluetooth backup!!

The keyboard still worked absolutely fine on my 2012 MBP - it also worked fine on the USB port of my Thunderbolt display (connected to the new mac mini).

Other USB devices (including a non-apple USB keyboard) also worked fine.

Touching the device showed masses of static - it was really really tingly!!

I'm going to do a fresh install again today and update the OS without installing any other apps and see if I can replicate the issue.

Apple phone support were very helpful.

Luckily this is still within warranty, so I'll take it back if it continues to fail.

I have exactly the same symptoms..after update 11.2

I would go directly for warranty repair/replacement IIWY. Hopefully you are fully backed up. Good luck.