Strange repeated clicking noises
Recently it started to produce a strange clicking sound - three clicks in quick succession, then a gap, sometimes of several hours, sometimes just a few minutes. It is hard to tell, but it sounds like it is coming from the speaker. I don't notice any other performance issues. And I can't think of any common event when it occurs - e.g I can be typing or I can be idle.
In trying to diagnose the "problem", I have thought about these things:
- I began hearing the sound with my mid 2010 MacBook Pro which still runs fine (except for the software being out of date). So, I recently purchased a new machine. (2021, Apple M1 Pro) and I am now hearing the same noise on this machine!
- The sound is a little like the sound made when I try to type and no software is selected and the computer gives a warning clicking sound. But it is a different pitch, and there are always 3 clicks in rapid successions, so not the same.
- Googling this issue shows that failing hard disks can make a clicking sound, though I doubt it would be like this (3 quickly then long break). I have an SSD, and Disk First Aid finds no problems, so I doubt that's it.
So I am at a loss. Has anyone any ideas what is causing this and whether it is a problem, please?
Thanks
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.2
