Clicking Bluetooth keyboard audio up/down buttons affects videos

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Level 1

17 points

Clicking Bluetooth keyboard audio up/down buttons affects videos

I recently updated to macOS Big Sur 11.5 and discovered that clicking my keyboard's audio increase and decrease buttons causes all videos to stutter. Also, the visual indicator that the audio level is going up or down is extremely slow to respond. It does show up, but it's maybe 2 seconds after I click the keyboard. It used to respond immediately just like clicking the brightness up/down buttons, both of which work as expected.

Computer: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)

Processor: 2.9 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i9

Memory: 32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4

Graphics: Radeon Pro Vega 20 4 GB

Keyboard: Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Mouse: Magic Mouse 2

I have done the following:

Tested in multiple browsers using YouTube and other video sites
Cleared the cache in browsers and retested
Checked Activity Monitor to ensure nothing was out of control
Checked System Preferences > Keyboard and saw "No keyboard found" when I tried to check the Bluetooth connection, so I turned Bluetooth off and back on via the trackpad, and eventually both the keyboard and mouse showed up after approximately 10 seconds
Rebooted

Finally, the problem is even worse when playing local videos. The video stuttering is more dramatic, and the audio level change indicator on the screen is delayed longer than when playing browser-based videos.

After all of that, the problem persists. It never happened on this MacBook prior to this recent update. Any input on why this might be happening is a appreciated.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jul 29, 2021 7:26 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

PRP_53

Level 10

90,889 points

Jul 29, 2021 7:41 AM in response to badafam

Do the same symptoms present when booted in Safe Mode ? If yes, this would be an indication of a System Wide issue as Safe Mode will eliminate all third party software, extensions and fonts from loading.

If System Wide ( Safe Mode ) - Suggest downloading the Application Etrecheck directly from a Trusted Developer and well Respected ASC Contributor. The application is free or paid from added features. Run the application with Full Disc Access ( Security & Privacy - Full Disc Access ). It will take a Snap Shot - both the hardware and software. The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last )

We can have a look at the report for possible issues and may have possible suggestions to resolve the issues.

Any Third Party Applications that will interfere with the normal operation of the OS, alter, modify, remove or delete or attempt to do so is an invitation for disaster and may require a Reinstallation of the OS.

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Answer 2

badafam Author

Level 1

17 points

Jul 29, 2021 9:18 AM in response to PRP_53

Thank you for your input. Here's what I did next:

Step 1

Removed external displays, speaker cable, power cable, etc. so that my MacBook is on its own
Shut down the MacBook and restarted in Safe Mode, per your suggestion
The audio in the Control Strip on my Touch Bar was lit as expected
I opened a browser and played a video, but there was no sound
I went back to the Touch Bar, opened the audio up/down/mute options and turned the audio all the way up and then went back to the video
I immediately noticed that the audio button icons were no longer lit properly, but were instead grayed out, meaning there was no audio available at all in Safe Mode
I looked in System Preferences > Sound > Output and could not see any audio output options, which was unexpected (I searched online and found a few sites which mentioned audio is disabled in Safe Mode... who knew)

Step 2

Next I shut down the MacBook again, and this time I reset the NVRAM/PRAM (Option+Command+P+R on restart) just to see if it might cause any issue. It reset as expected, and the audio worked.

Step 3

Finally, I shut down one more time, and I restarted in normal mode. I hooked up my speakers, displays, and power. Then I opened a browser, played a video, and discovered the audio buttons on my keyboard are working flawlessly.

Conclusion

I'm confused as to why no audio output options appear in Safe Mode, but something obviously corrected my issue. If audio is not disabled during Safe Mode, then I definitely have some kind of problem. If anyone has an idea what happened, I'm happy to learn. If not, I'll report back if it happens in the future, and then I'll download and run Etrecheck.

Thanks again.

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Answer 3

Aug 9, 2021 7:53 AM in response to badafam

I can confirm this as well:

Computer: MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)

Processor: 2.9 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i9

Memory: 32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4

Graphics: Radeon Pro 560X 4GB

Keyboard: Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad

Mouse: Magic Mouse 2

After the update, sketchy volume controls or track controls causing stuttering across the system. Rebooted and reset PRAM and the controls behave as they should.

---

Eric

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Answer 4

badafam Author

Level 1

17 points

Aug 9, 2021 8:14 AM in response to PRP_53

I'm afraid it isn't a permanent fix. Rebooting and resetting NVRAM/PRAM fixes it, but it's only temporary. I have done this multiple times, and it works great for a while. However, the issue with the audio buttons slowing down the system does return every time.

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Answer 5

PRP_53

Level 10

90,889 points

Aug 9, 2021 7:59 AM in response to badafam

Sometimes during an upgrade / update the SMC and NVRAM get a bit mixed up and resetting both, as you discovered, seems to have fixed your issue.

Great Trouble Shooting on your part : -))

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Clicking Bluetooth keyboard audio up/down buttons affects videos

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