Why hasn't Apple fixed the usbd bug?

swheeler wrote:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251128179

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/382002/iphone-mac-connection-issue-and-what-does-the-usbd-process-do

These are good references. It sounds like the problem is the cable. People seem inclined to reject that idea because other cables exhibit the same problem, because the cable works with other devices, or because they can't accept that Apple-branded cables won't work. It sounds like there is some kind of fault being reported between the three devices (Mac, Phone, cable) and that is causing usbd to shut down the extra power. That doesn't mean there is any problem in the usbd process.

Remember, in order for a bug to definitively be in a certain software tool, there has to be a way for the software tool to be fixed. In this case, perhaps the usbd tool could be changed to stay in low-power mode. But is that the right answer? Cleary, it shouldn't supply the extra power if there is a fault. But should it also just refuse to charge a full power too? Probably an ideal solution would be to detect the anomalous condition and report it to the user with some suggestions to resolve the problem. But then you have to decide if this is a common-enough problem, with current devices, to warrant a change. I'm sure any software change that touches power is going to need lots of extra checks for regulatory compliance and safety.

[Link Edited by Moderator]

Hi swheeler,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.

First, try to reset the SMC, How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support, and the NVRAM on your Mac, Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support.

Also, Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support and let us know the Reference code when completed.

Does this issue occur with multiple Lightning cables and iPhones, or just one?

-Jack

swheeler wrote:

There are countless threads on support forums about this.

Do you have any links you can provide?

I'm unaware of any such problem. It would likely be specific to some combination of hardware and/or software, perhaps on both the device and the Mac. It could be caused by any of a number of popular 3rd party system modifications.

Then again, it could be caused by something as innocuous as lint in the lightning port.

None of the posts by etresoft in this thread are marked Helpful.

One post by Jack-19. and one by you are marked Helpful.

You, as the originator of the thread, are the only person who

can mark responses as Helpful or Solved.

Then again, one should not let facts get in the way of a rant.

Thanks for sharing that your were able to resolve the problem.

The Helpful (1) button next to reply is to remind you as original

poster that you have used 1 of your 2 chances to mark a reply

as Helpful.

This page says it better than I do

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209031

Solved, Helpful, and Apple recommended posts

Your apology should go to etresoft as he was the one you

thought was trying to game the system.

swheeler wrote:

But failing cables are predictable

They are?

it seems like this comes up fairly often, and for some of the most sophisticated consumer electronics in the world to be handling it in such an unintuitive and unhelpful way over a period of many years (and upgrades to both hardware and software) is both surprising and disappointing.

It is?

I think the problem here is that you are mistaking market power for sophistication. That is a mistake that Apple rarely makes. Apple has over a billion devices on the market. Very, very few people have encountered this problem. Therefore, it makes economic sense for Apple to just ignore it.

swheeler wrote:

I'm not sure what you're basing this on.

The size of Apple's iPhone market. Apple has over 1 billion users. That is 1,000,000,000 devices. How many separate threads can you find on Google? 100? 1,000? That's literally one in a million.

The fact that I've had the same experience (intermittently) across several years, at least three different Macs, and at least three different iPhones, with who knows how many cables, also tends to suggest it's not that rare. But who knows I guess.

Also, this is a Mac-specific problem too. This is because usbd is doing funky things to send more power over USB. There are only about 100,000,000 Macs. But you're still close to one in a million. And how many people even connect their phones to their Macs anymore? I know I haven't plugged my phone into my Mac for anything other than Xcode in years. The only time I encountered a similar problem was due to lint in the lightning port. But even then, I wasn't using the Mac to charge.

It might be a more common problem among the subset of iPhone users who also use a Mac, and who also regularly connect their phone to their Mac with a cable. To be honest, these people probably aren't Apple's preferred customers. Apple wants people to use online services instead. So, to get back to your original question, "Why hasn't Apple fixed the usbd bug?", I think the answer is pretty straightforward. It isn't a priority for many reasons.

I'm sure you wish it were a priority, but then we get back to those 1,000,000,000 other customers. If a significant enough number of them complained, then it would get fixed. You are welcome to get the ball rolling with your drop in the bucket: https://www.apple.com/feedback/ If a single drop isn't enough for you, go for a full teaspoon: https://feedbackassistant.apple.com