Typing in Messages is 'laggy' since installing Mac OS Sequoia 15.1 update

This issue exists here on a 2019 Macbook Pro 16" and a 2020 Macbook Pro 13", both with MacOS 15.1 (24B83).

Here is what I have observed:

• iMessage text entry becomes increasingly slow as longer messages are entered.
• Short messages do not seem to be affected. By about the 800 character mark, the text entry box is laggy, sometimes so much as to be unusable.
• The slow text entry problem does not affect any other software which accepts text entry - it is specific to iMessage, as far as I can tell. (I do not use Whatsapp.)
• This is not related to any third party security software (I have none).
• The problem occurs regardless of whether any other software is running (I have reproduced this on a clean reboot).
• I have removed all peripherals except my USB keyboard, so there is no relationship to (for example) my external GPU.
• There are two third-party drivers installed: OpenVPN, and a Canon printer driver.
• This problem was not reproducible on my 2020 Macbook Pro 13" with MacOS 15.0.1. It was immediately reproducible after I upgraded it to 15.1, so that seems pretty definitive.
• So far, I cannot reproduce this problem on an Apple M1 Pro 16" with MacOS 15.1, though I see that others have reproduced it on this platform. On this particular M1, Apple Intelligence is offered only as a waitlist item, not yet an available feature, in case that is significant.

I have not found any reliable way to prevent this from occurring when I experience it, so I have resorted to composing longer messages using vi in a terminal and then pasting them into iMessage.

Same here, Messages and WhatsApp, everything else seems to be fine. - And this is only on my M1 MBP. My M1 MacMini works normal under Sequoia 15.1.

This has been driving me nuts. It appears to get exponentially worse the more characters that are typed into a message. If your message is 4 lines, you might as well wait about 10 seconds to see your message fully typed out on screen.

For what it is worth - I am on a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro 16"

Same with me. Also WhatsApp as app is the same.

Other apps like MS Teams seem to work fine.

Same here on a 2019 Mac Pro. Typing is so laggy in Messages that it's borderline unusable. WTF?

I have exactly the same issue as you mentioned. I do have ESET Cyber Security installed! The Apple Intelligence isn't a problem actually.

After I turn off the real-time file system protection in ESET Cyber Security, the issue is gone!

I'm seeing the same problem and I don't have any special security or anti-virus software installed. Looking forward to a fix.

Since installing the macOS 15.1 update (16" M1PRO), I've also been experiencing significant keyboard lag in the iMessage app only.

Moments after a reboot, everything works ok, only a minute after loading the system the problem returned.

The temporary solution to the problem was to disable real-time file system protection in Eset Cyber Security.

Does anyone know a permanent solution to the problem of significant typing lag in the iMessage app (ms teams work without problems)?

I don't want to give up ESET protection at the expense of writing in iMessage.

Happens to me too but apparently only on Whatsapp standalone app, and only after I updated it to version 24.21.84.

Signal, MSTeams, etc all seems ok.

I don't have ESET, but I do have Sophos (that I cannot disable).

Same problem. Apple M1 Pro 16".

Exactly same problem with me. I am running macOS 15.1 on Apple M1 Pro 16". Apparently Apple doesn't care.

Same issue here with WhatsApp & iMessage, MacBook Pro M1 Max, 32GB, 2To, Sequoia 15.1 (24B83).

Same issue - the longer the message, it gets so unbearably slow. Not to mention, you can even higlight parts of a word - you can only highlight the whole thing. Not sure how Messages on macOS has become awfully slow.

I'm also having this issue - 2020 MacBook Pro. I've reached out to Apple Support multiple times. Also group texts/messages have their text boxes disappear on my iMessage app on my MacBook too. It's irritating.

56Mat wrote:

Since installing the macOS 15.1 update (16" M1PRO), I've also been experiencing significant keyboard lag in the iMessage app only.

Moments after a reboot, everything works ok, only a minute after loading the system the problem returned.

The temporary solution to the problem was to disable real-time file system protection in Eset Cyber Security.

Does anyone know a permanent solution to the problem of significant typing lag in the iMessage app (ms teams work without problems)?

I don't want to give up ESET protection at the expense of writing in iMessage.

 ESET

There are no known Windows-like Viruses in the wild that self replicate and affect macOS, because of the underling UNIX  Foundation and Permission Limitation. 

The Operating System resides in a Sealed and Read Only Volume that cannot be opened by the User nor by Third Party Applications.

The Only thing this Antivirus software is protecting is the Bank Account of the Developers and for zero return to the User aside from the problems this software creates.

Security. Built right in

Mac app security enhancements

 The Built in Security  is all that is required to protect the computer.

Protecting against malware in macOS

There is Adware & Malware which will affect the computer and is generally downloaded from “ Shady “ Websites or Developers who Inject this software into the download.

From a well written User Tip from @Kurt Lang

What is malware? - Apple Community