Hey everyone, big problem on my M1 MacBook Pro. When streaming a movie (happens every time on Disney Plus, not always but often on Netflix) Safari automatically refreshes the page due to it using "significant memory". Makes watching movies very annoying.
Does anyone know how to fix this or how to stop the automatic refresh?
P.S. didn't happen on my 2014 MacBook Pro
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
There is a longer Discussion, on this subject, at “Safari 14 on Big Sur: How to prevent a webpage from automatically reloading because it was using significant memory?“
It will all depend upon the way the “streaming” site has been programmed.
Perhaps contributing to this problem are the following:
Have you, and others, provided Apple Feedback through their provided Feedback mechanisms? See Product Feedback - Apple.
If people don’t provide such Feedback, there is little chance that Apple will change anything.
I would provide my Feedback in the form of a Bug Report, on matters such as this.
In the meantime, there are a couple of things that have been found helpful:
ekchew wrote:
This looks like a classic memory leak. …
Chrome does not seem to leak memory in this same situation. That's not to say it is necessarily Apple's fault. It may be that Disney's code is badly behaved and breaks some rules but Chrome is working around it somehow?
Web servers can use different (JavaScript) code for different browsers (there’s a browser “ID” sent to the server, that includes Browser and Operating System [OS] information). So, it may simply be that the code Disney+ is using on Safari (on macOS) exhibits the problem, while using better code on Chrome.
(Maybe Disney+ hasn’t received enough complaints from Safari users.)
Didn’t we see someone try Disney+ in Safari on an iPhone without issue? This would suggest that Disney+ is using better code on Safari, when on an iPhone.
Glad I'm not the only one having this issue. For me it doesn't happen much on netflix, but sometimes it's impossible to watch something on Disney+ and even YouTube. I don't have anything other than Safari opened, and I run into this problem. Hopefully, Apple will fix this ASAP, it's really disturbing.
MacBook Air, 2020 (16GB, i3, 256GB)
I have had this same issue on my M1 MacBook Pro since I received it in January 2021. It has happened with Disney+, Prime Video, Zoom (recordings), and Themis videos while using Safari, so far. I do not use other video streaming services on my laptop, so I cannot say if it would affect those too. I also do not use other browsers with these sites.
I have only noticed it with sites that use video, and the page will only reload while a video is playing. I wish the page did not automatically reload because on most of these sites do not save where I was in the video. It is also extremely inconsistent: I can return to the same video and never have the warning pop-up. It also happens consistently when I have only one tab open. I have no idea what conditions lead to the laptop registering significant energy use, and thus cannot avoid it.
I will say that I have had more issues with Disney+ that have nothing to do with apple products, so it seems their UX/UI is poorly designed in general. I often have to re-start videos, and sometimes the entire app, while using my PS4 because the video will freeze while the audio continues to play. Most of the time I have to re-start something at least twice before I can watch it all the way through. This also happens on my iPad Pro, though the issue resembles the one on my PS4, so I think it is a Disney+ issue. It is getting to the point that I am reconsidering my subscription; it is pricey for a product that is barely usable.
For Disney+, I would agree that website coding likely makes the issue worse. However, given the broad spectrum of video services affected, it seems to be more than just website coding creating this issue.
Some have suggested using different browsers to avoid the issue, so perhaps it has to do with Safari translating the website coding incorrectly. Safari is different for M1 devices, right? Maybe there is a difference in Intel and M1 safari code that leads to a different translation? My point is it seems like there is some fault on Apple’s side, here, if basically any website that uses video has this issue (with different degrees of severity).
Welcome, doniel, to Apple Support Communities!
Have you read my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252519170?answerId=254747554022#254747554022?
Welcome, PedroLopes317, to Apple Support Communities!
Have you read my comment at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252519170?answerId=254747554022#254747554022?
Hello there!
I have exactly the same problem with Safari, in my iMac *late 2013, with Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7. Intel Core i7 and 32gb of ram.
I really don't understand why I have this issue.
so is apple going to fix this.. or Disney
hello
We’ll see, when we see …
I was having the same problem and noticed that it only happened on safari and not chrome! I’ve utilized this both on an intel 16” MacBook Pro and an m1 MacBook Air. Hope this helps!
Seems so far to only be with Disney+ I am having reload issue.
Use many other sites and only seems to be disney+ causing the reload issue.
Ok was just reporting what is happening to my laptop.
rob185 wrote:
Ok was just reporting what is happening to my laptop.
That’s just fine.
Unfortunately, we needed to know more about your results.
What else did you need to know? Netflix works, shudder works, prime good, DAZN good etc. Only one that has given me issue is Disney+
Safari reloading pages "using significant memory"
