Turn off startup with lid opening M2 Macbook Air 2022

Email from the helicopter operator below; I've forwarded it to Apple as well, 6 months ago. Hopefully they will do something about it.

Thank you for contacting our website regarding carriage of an Apple MacBook Pro. The decision made at the security point was correct, as MacBooks fitted with the M1 chip (post 2016) had the capability to deactivate the open lid reboot function removed at this time, and are therefore prohibited from travel on our flights, and other helicopter operators.

Helicopters operate to stricter requirements than on a fixed wing , being there is no fire suppressant capability in the hold of an aircraft. We are required by the regulator adhere to more stringent measures to ensure an electronic device is switched off, fully switched off and not in sleep or hibernation mode, and restrict the overall number that can be carried. This is not just on the outbound flight, but also through ad hoc inbound searches as well.

For computer devices that have additional functionality such as hibernate and sleep modes, the way this is achieved in both scenarios is once a device is powered down and the lid closed, it is reopened to ensure a shutdown was not disturbed or the full shutdown failed. A key or screen pressed, and if nothing then happens we have the assurance it is fully switched off. This has to be completed over multiple thousand devices. This cannot be achieved if opening the lid restarts the device. Most other products with similar auto reboot capability continue to have the feature to disable and are therefore approved to travel once actioned, as are older Apple MacBooks where there are known codes to de-activate the function.

All clients for whom we operate for are fully aware of our position with regard to this particular Apple product and the issue with the later models, and, whilst we always regret we cannot let every item a passengers want to carry travel, we have the right and are approved by the UK aviation regulator to determine what we allow to carry onboard the aircraft we operate, which is based on the safety of both our crew and passengers onboard. We will not be changing our position with regard to the later Apple Notebooks. If the auto reboot capability can not be de-activated, the device cannot travel.

I hope this helps clarify our position in this matter.

Kind regards

Louise

Louise H.

[Edited by Moderator]

I have seen this question asked before and the responses have been with these newer Macs, this open-lid/turn-on-Mac behavior cannot be changed. But why would you be opening the lid if you don't want the computer to come on? Why would you want to open the lid to look at a blank/dark screen?

As this cannot be changed, what I do to clean the display and keyboard is simply open the lid, boot the MacBook up, then choose Shut Down. Then clean things up and start up again. It's not that big a deal to me, as 99% of the time when I open the lid, I WANT my Mac to start up.

In any event, you will be unable to comply with their ridiculous requirement.

So I need to be able to open it and it only power on when I press the power button.

You cannot do that. I trust that answers your question.

yhockey wrote:

This is a straight up security issue for the user. All I need to do is crack open the lid on your mac while you are not paying attention and I have access to your laptop. Its a simple request, please allow us to disable this enhanced feature we would prefer to live without it.

If someone can get your laptop away from you, turn it on, and use it without a password, they can do that whether or not they have to press a power button after opening the lid.

So there's no "straight up security issue" around the machine powering up when you open the lid. Framing your dislike of "opening the lid powers on the machine" as a security issue doesn't make it so.

If you want to protect against someone powering up your machine and getting into your account, go into System Settings > Users & Groups and set "Automatically log in as" to Off.

Agree with OP! And questioning why we want this choice is so like the Apple community, where anything Apple gives us is thought to be for our own good. Why we want the choice to not have the machine turn on automatically is not the point here. Just please give us this option!

Hi! I've tried what you say but doesn't work properly because most of times the MAC startup with little touch of any key. I think this feature is a real mistake, because it is really unnecessary as we're intelligent, we can press the start button everytime we want to start the computer. I hope Apple will remove this autostart feature or at least include an option to change it in the System Configuration. I feel uncomfortable to make any change in the terminal, cause this is Mac/Apple, and this type of solutions remind me to Windows.

I need a solution for this (as there is for M1 MacBooks) as I cannot fly to work on a helicopter with my M2 MB due to it 'not being able to be turned off properly' in the eyes of the helicopter operators. Can anyone help? Running the battery right out is not an option as they insist on seeing the MB on, then powered down, then they check it open/shutting it and press any keys (other than power button). So I need to be able to open it and it only power on when I press the power button.

... I cannot fly to work on a helicopter with my M2 MB due to it 'not being able to be turned off properly' in the eyes of the helicopter operators.

The helicopter operator is dumb, sorry. You can tell them that if you wish. I've been flying for over four decades on all sorts of equipment and none of their operators impose such a ridiculous requirement.

Hey, to clean keyboard and lid, there is this app called 'One Menu', that was created by a fellow programmer and youtuber ‘Marko’. Check it out! It lets you lock the keyboard (in addition to a system monitoring, and window management feature) for cleaning purposes. I know what you're thinking. In case you close the lid by accident without turning the keyboard cleaning mode off, will the keyboard work? The answer is yes. It will work as long as you're in the lock screen, enabling you to enter your password and/or fingerprint. But the moment you unlock it, the keyboard cleaning feature gets enabled again (if you have kept it on before closing the lid). Hope this is helpful!

People are experiencing computers booting up unexpectedly at times they don't want them to because of this feature. That's a problem. Period. Unless you have some sort of moral objection to human agency and property ownership, you really have no argument against allowing this to be disabled.

Others have brought up cleaning the screen and keyboard as reasons to open the laptop without booting it. That's one reason. Other possible reasons include wanting to read a label or post-it note on the screen, check to see if the laptop is powered off, or my personal favorite, none of your ****** business.

However opening the lid and/or pressing the key doesn't have to be a deliberate action. it can happen accidentally. This can cause a real problem, as follows:

Fully charged laptop is shut down and placed in a bag or box for transport. During handling, the lid is accidentally lifted slightly or pressure is applied to any keys. The laptop is now powered on inside an airtight insulated environment.

Best case scenario, battery is drained unnecessarily, affecting lifespan of the non-replaceable battery.

Worst case scenario, the laptop bursts into flames, explodes, and takes down an aircraft, killing hundreds of people. Obviously this is very unlikely, but it's not impossible. The reason aviation safety is as good as it is today is because extremely unlikely scenarios are considered and accounted for.

There are countless other scenarios in between, and any one of them is sufficient justification for allowing this feature to be disabled.

There are environments where powering off an electronic device needs to be something that can be done in a way that can ensure affirmative action must be taken to power it back on. If it can power on because it is handled, inspected, bumped, or dropped, that's a safety hazard. Period. There is no rational argument to the contrary.

One issue is this feature can cause it to boot with the lid CLOSED. That alone is a serious flaw, not to mention a security risk.

I may be misreading your question, but why does reason matter if we want to open it without starting it? We all use our computers for our own needs. I can't conceive of why anyone would want their computer to always auto-start upon opening it, but people do.

This is an unnecessary feature that users should have the permissions and ability to disable. This poses a potential security risk in addition to being a battery drain.

Thank you for forwarding Bristow Helicopters Ltd's correspondence. It confirms the fact they're dumb.

The reason for that is illustrated in the following statement:

... the way this is achieved in both scenarios is once a device is powered down and the lid closed, it is reopened to ensure a shutdown was not disturbed or the full shutdown failed.

The correct way to shut down a Mac is explained in Apple's Support document, here: Shut down or restart your Mac - Apple Support. That can easily be accomplished under their direct supervision.

Opening a Mac's lid turns it on. In other words their stated requirement is to turn it on, which accomplishes the opposite of their stated intent. That's dumb. Read and re-read that statement as often as you wish.

• If you want to turn off a Mac, then turn it off.
• If you do not want to turn it on, then don't turn it on.

Can anything be more simple?

Are people really that dumb? (rhetorical question, I know).

Furthermore it is unavoidable fact that powering down a Mac does not render the potential chemical energy in its batteries inert. That desire cannot be met with any battery of similar characteristics, for the simple reason it that all such devices incorporate circuitry that monitors the internal battery charge states and thermal characteristics to prevent catastrophic failure. If necessary that circuitry protects the equipment by physically disconnecting the battery internally. As long as the battery has sufficient charge it will remain active and completely inaccessible, otherwise those protections could easily be bypassed. And a battery that has become completely discharged (as can occur after a long period of time in that state) cannot be fixed. It can only be replaced.

In other words there is simply no way to render the chemical energy within any useful battery completely inert and harmless, whether the equipment it powers is powered down or not. It's irrelevant. It's dumb. Even batteries that have been disconnected and completely separated from their equipment have caught fire and caused extensive damage. That's one reason Apple and other responsible companies to to such lengths to ensure the batteries they use comply with extensive quality control requirements throughout their manufacture and distribution in the equipment they sell.

Telling them that fact in that manner will only entrench their position though. As Louise Hall explained in her document it is their decision and theirs alone. It is based on nothing, nor does it have to be. Case closed.

If they haven't changed their procedures yet it's doubtful that they will. But if you choose to convince them otherwise I suggest not saying what I said in the manner I said it. You will have to be nicer. Fortunately the aviation operators I use in the US have not been as obstinate, or as ignorant.

This is a straight up security issue for the user. All I need to do is crack open the lid on your mac while you are not paying attention and I have access to your laptop. Its a simple request, please allow us to disable this enhanced feature we would prefer to live without it.