2019 MacBook Pro Touch Bar flashes when sleeping

I have no idea what is going on in these communities... here it is again:

I suspect hardware issue, see if it kicks out an error code:

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Shift Command 6 will capture the entire touchbar / Control strip:

ref:

For software issue do both:

Try resetting the System Management Controller Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

Try resetting NVRAM/PRAM Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

copy & paste: support.apple.com/en-us/102539

see Vintage and Obsolete:

Vintage—Apple will repair if parts are available; Obsolete—no.

Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support

if isolated to the Control Strip you can turn it off as a work-a-round:

Oribuu wrote:

2019 Macbook Pro 15" touch bar is flashing when the bar goes to sleep. See picture below - this is what flashes for a split second every so often once the bar goes to sleep. Touch bar otherwise works perfectly fine. This only started happening in the last couple of days. I have just updated to Sequoia 15.7.7. and no change. I tried restarting touch bar processes via Terminal with no success. Anyone else experience this and/or have any solutions?

Its not a big deal, just somewhat annoying when watching anything. I suspect my Macbook is on its way out as the battery is in terrible condition and there are other small issues cropping up here and there but I want to limp along as long as I can before shelling out for a new one.

Official Apple Support Community

I would suspect a hardware issue.

You can run the user diagnostic an see if it kicks out an error code:

Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac - Apple Support

Shift Command 6 will capture the entire touchbar/Control strip:

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On an Intel Mac try both in an effort to sort software issue:

resetting the System Management Controller Reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

resetting NVRAM/PRAM Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

Reset NVRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

see Vintage and Obsolete:

Vintage—Apple will repair if parts are available; Obsolete—no.

Obtaining service for your Apple product after an expired warranty - Apple Support

You can turn off the Control strip if it is isolated issue... as a work-a-round

i

Oribuu wrote:

Thank you so much for the help! I ran diagnostics and no issues were found so it was not a hardware issue.

A passing diagnostic result is meaningless. The only useful diagnostic result is one which produces an error code.

Besides, the Apple Diagnostics really don't test the Touchbar. Even the Apple Service Diagnostics are unlikely to report any issues with the Touchbar.

Then I tried resetting SMC and NVRAM/PRAM and one of those seems to have worked! I’ll have to keep an eye on it to see if it comes back but so far it has stopped the flashing.

I doubt that will solve the problem.

One of my organization's laptops is suffering this as well. It usually occurs when the laptop has been sitting idle for a while, or when I wake the laptop from sleep. As soon as the Touchbar is touched....the flashing immediately stops & displays the icons properly with seemingly no operational issues. I honestly don't know what to believe whether it is an implementation issue or whether this is the beginning of the end for the Touchbar and it will full out fail soon. I suspect this is the first sign of the Touchbar's hardware failing.

FYI, it is not worth spending any money to repair any of the Intel USB-C Macs for multiple reasons. The money is better spent on a new laptop.

Oribuu wrote:

Thank you so much for the help! I ran diagnostics and no issues were found so it was not a hardware issue. Then I tried resetting SMC and NVRAM/PRAM and one of those seems to have worked! I’ll have to keep an eye on it to see if it comes back but so far it has stopped the flashing.

Good computing Oribuu ! Appreciate your feedback here.

The SMC controls the touchbar, (and the T2 Controller is responsible for TouchID)

as well, so some USB is in play, this would be NVRAM in part, notice: 

USB Device: Apple T2 Bus

USB Device: Touch Bar Backlight

USB Device: Touch Bar Display

USB Device: Apple T2 Controller

(you can see the complete list in Terminal,   copy and paste: ioreg -p IOUSB)

I can agree the Diagnostic is not definitive by any means, however it does have an associated error code:

None-the-less I would remain optimistic.

I did supply reference above for turnoff the Control Strip if your issue continuous as a possibility.

Oribuu wrote:

I doubt that will solve the problem.

...but it does seem to have solved the problem. I am no longer getting the flashing. Maybe it will come back but for the moment it has stopped and that is all I really wanted. I know my Macbook is on the decline - I am just trying to get as much out of it before I inevitably have to get a new one.

Give it time. The laptop I mentioned seems perfectly fine for long periods, then it may act up again fairly regularly.

Depending how the Touchbar ultimately fails you may still be able to continue using the laptop as long as you don't need to use any of its functions. The ESC key is the only really critical part of the older Touchbar models until Apple made the ESC key a real physical key again.

I was just trying to prepare you for its likely return. I hope it doesn't return.