Touchbar flashing

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Level 1

17 points

Touchbar flashing

Apple seems to have completely abdicated any responsibility for the faulty touchbar on the 13" macbook pro. Several people have written in and the only answer seems to be "it's a hardware issue" or "take it in for a diagnostic test". Apple knows that the touchbar is faulty as they no longer include it on the 14" and 16" models. Why can't Apple come up with a solution? Quitting Touchbar Server and Control Strip in Activity Monitor doesn't seem to work any longer (it did when first tried, then the touchbar completely disappeared, then a few days later returned as did the flashing). The problem seemed to start after updating to the new Os (Ventura, which ironically is my last name).

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 13.1

Posted on Jan 17, 2023 4:27 AM

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Answer 1

Miche11e_P

Community Specialist

Jan 18, 2023 12:40 PM in response to JMVDC

Hi JMVDC,

Thanks for contacting Apple Support Communities!

We understand that your Touch Bar isn't working as you'd expect on your Mac.

You can troubleshoot the Touch Bar by resetting the SMC on your Mac which controls indicators and sensors on your Mac, and it will reset your Touch Bar as outlined here: Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

"If you don't have a Mac with Apple silicon or the T2 chip

Follow these steps on older computers that have neither Apple silicon nor the Apple T2 Security Chip.

Laptop computer

Shut down your Mac.
On your built-in keyboard, press and hold all of these keys:

Shift on the left side of your keyboard
Control on the left side of your keyboard
Option (Alt) on the left side of your keyboard

While holding all three keys, press and hold the power button as well.

Notebook keyboard with all 4 keys pressed

4. Keep holding all four keys for 10 seconds.

5. Release all keys, then press the power button to turn on your Mac.

If you need help, contact Apple Support."

You don't have to take your Mac in to have a diagnostic test run to check its hardware. You can run a diagnostic test yourself. This article explains how to run the diagnostic test and includes a link to the reference codes to help you to determine if there is an issue with hardware: Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

We hope this helps you.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

JMVDC Author

Level 1

17 points

Jan 19, 2023 12:40 PM in response to Miche11e_P

Thanks so much for your help. I'll give this a try. But from the online community, none of the fixes seem to work, which suggests that the touchbar software is just faulty. It is a nuisance but at least I'm not susceptible to seizures (I have the feeling this flashing light would trigger a seizure in someone susceptible).

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Answer 3

Mar 1, 2023 5:00 AM in response to JMVDC

Same here. No problems, and then updated Mac OS Ventura and touch ID stopped working and touch bar flashing began. It's getting progressively worse. Activity Monitor and SMS reset don't work.

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Answer 4

woj2358

Level 1

8 points

Jan 19, 2023 7:40 AM in response to Miche11e_P

I've had this problem for about 2 years since the warranty expired on my 2019 MacBook Pro. I have run the diagnostics (no issues found), tried every fix I could find online with no success. The TouchBar even occasionally flashes when the laptop is shutdown. I would like to trade it in and get a new one, but since it has this fault the device is worthless to Apple. Replacing the TouchBar look very painful, and the new one will probably eventually have the same issue...

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Touchbar flashing

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