"Background Items Added" in Ventura 13.1

jkr98116 wrote:

I am getting this for EPSON Event Manager (long ago deleted, I have no Epson hardware), Spotify (not on my machine - I don't use). Also a bunch from Adobe, but I find it hard to figure out how to control Adobe and which of the many pieces I can discard.

Unfortunately, many apps install software in various hidden folders across your system. You can't even easily search for them because they are considered "system folders" and are excluded by default.

The best thing to do is start your own question for your specific problem. Any screenshots you can provide will be helpful. Then someone can tell you exactly which files you can delete to fix this problem. Otherwise, there is a lot of bad advice in circulation.

I have the same problem! I had the notification once, then thought I'd solve it by turning off background items for those apps, but this only seems to make it worse. The following apps are causing problems for me:

Steam

Google Updater

Riot Games (League of Legends)

Feels like the problem is caused by the new update. I also have problems with my trackpad after the update (no haptic feedback).

I hear what you're saying, but I just can't believe that this is how it's going to be. Maybe I'm just naive, but Apple has to address these issues right? They can't just ignore problems like this and not do anything about them? I bought a 2500 dollar laptop so I don't have to deal with this stuff ;)

Jeroenhe wrote:

I hear what you're saying, but I just can't believe that this is how it's going to be.

It will be better once apps either get updated or go away.

Maybe I'm just naive, but Apple has to address these issues right?

Apple created these issues - on purpose.

They can't just ignore problems like this and not do anything about them?

In 5 months from now Apple will release a beta version of macOS 14 with even more changes.

I bought a 2500 dollar laptop so I don't have to deal with this stuff ;)

In other news, governments around the world are putting increasing pressure on Apple to open up its App Store business so that the 3rd party software experience on the iPhone and iPad is more like the Mac.

What this means is that Apple has develop a framework for installing and using 3rd party software in a way that maintains its focus on the user’s needs and user privacy, while complying with new laws designed to eliminate user privacy. It is logical that Apple will use the Mac as a testbed to develop these strategies for its primary platforms. No one knows what this is going to look like. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Good to know, thanks for sharing! Hopefully it's not going to be so bad, I can keep using 3rd party apps on my Mac without too much trouble. I mean, I still use Steam and League of Legends for the little shred of gaming that's possible on Mac. Hope those keep working while they're renewing the OS.

After an Office update yesterday, I disabled Edge, and later shutdown for the evening (not sleep, shut down).

Startup this morning and the notification sure seems to imply that you cannot "manage this in Login Items Settings"

Sorry ... what evidence is there for this? Somehow this has a 'best answer' tag ... but seems not to be my experience. It is not always about 'updating' ... often it is about sog=fytware tat is not installed or has no update ... and is clearly marked in Ventura's setting as do not use. How long is 'eventually'? Multiple messages a day ... day after day ... for software that should no t even be there does not feel like something that will 'disappear over time'!

ClickWheelNotCharging wrote:

After an Office update yesterday, I disabled Edge, and later shutdown for the evening (not sleep, shut down).

Startup this morning and the notification sure seems to imply that you cannot "manage this in Login Items Settings"

Unfortunately, this problem is still very poorly understood and specific to certain apps. In many cases, it appears that using that interface to "manage" those Login Items actually causes the problem.

Folbo wrote:

Sorry ... what evidence is there for this? Somehow this has a 'best answer' tag ... but seems not to be my experience.

Each question is unique. The person who started a thread is the one who can assign that "best answer" flag if they think it was the best answer in their case.

This particular problem is very specific to certain 3rd party apps. Different people are always going to have different apps installed. A solution for one person is very unlikely to solve the problem for anyone else. In some cases, the accepted "solution" may be a scorched-earth approach that leaves many 3rd party apps permanently disabled. Yes, that will eliminate the notifications. But it will also cause other problems, some minor, some potentially major. As each installation is unique, there is no way to tell what the result will be with that approach.

That's I keep recommending that people start their own question for their own problem. Then they can get a solution specific to the apps that they have installed.

Okay, here's my latest (they seem to change a lot). Citrix, perhaps I want - who knows what it is doing. My organization depends on it for remote access. AMZN Mobile LLC - who knows? Could be malware, could be indispensable to Amazon shopping (which I use frequently) or Amazon Music (ditto). Spotify - definitely not. I never use it, app is not even on my machine. Somehow something from them is hidden somewhere. Adobe - who knows? Is there anyone more annoying than Adobe, yet more indispensable? They have dozens of things throughout Applications and elsewhere. I want Adobe Reader to work, the rest of it to all go away.

Still, I disagree with the premise. None of this started until Ventura. Even if it is a good idea in Ventura, it shouldn't happen repeatedly. Apple seriously messed up.

One question I still have: what does "Allow in Background" have to do with "Login Items"? Are these background items actually loading at login, or was that list just jammed in there for convenience? No idea...

In the meantime (and I'm repeating myself a bit) I'm not sure whether the Settings dialog box has any efficacy whatsoever:

• the "Allow in the Background" list contains a slew of items that are unchecked but still load in the background on occasion per the notifications that the unchecked thing "added items that can run in the background"

Good grief...

Works for some things. Check the neighboring directory, LaunchDaemons, for additional culprits. Found disturbing items there from apps never used. Apple claims to police security - how did this stuff all get in there?

Assuming you mean the /Library/LaunchDaemons/ folder, they will only be there if you installed them.

Thank you. What you have identified is a user specific LaunchAgents, in addition to the global one. I found Spotify in there at last, and deleted it.

Just got two notifications (Citrix, Adobe) that I had been getting as well. It appears that merely touching these directories triggers notifications.

I may need whatever Citrix and Adobe are up to, so left them in place.

However - it is still wrong for Ventura to pop these (remaining items) up again and again. How about once per reboot, OSX engineers?

Robert Hargraves wrote:

Am I right to simply remove applications by going the the Applications folder and moving the app to Trash?

No. Anything that runs a a background process must be uninstalled using the developer’s uninstaller.

These spurious and unhelpful notifications have started in Ventura 13.1 - telling me that GoToMeeting and 'CleanMyMac X' have added Background items. I then uninstalled these two apps but continue to get these notifications. I now notice a pattern - these notifications appear immediately on launching and then on quitting MS Teams. I do not see any connection between Teams and these apps - so what is Microsoft doing and why? And why do these continue to appear when the two apps been uninstalled?