I sometimes get the sound of outgoing mail when nothing was sent.

There are a few other threads in the Apple support forum about similar problems, even with the Mac Book Air.

In the hopes of adding more info that will help developers fix this problem, I'm using a 4-month-old retina MBP, and I am running 10.8.3 (so I can attest the .3 update doesn't make this go away).

For me, the scenario often happens when I open the laptop lid after it has been closed overnight. The sounds appear to be associated with notifications of received and outgoing mail from Mac Mail. Obviously, I haven't sent 50+ emails overnight while my computer was sleeping -- much less one -- so I'm not sure where the apparent backlog of notification sounds -- if that's the case -- comes from.

It tends to be associated with longer periods of inactivity -- say more than six hours (overnight) -- rather than just a couple hours during the day.

Like others, my only solution when the sounds just keep going has been to quit Mac Mail and relaunch it. A few times, the sounds have abated on their own; I perhaps don't have enough patience to wait them out now that I know a simple quit-restart will solve the problem.

I can affirm that I am never running Facetime or camera-related apps during these episodes. In an occurrence just a few moments ago, I had the following apps running: Mail, Entourage (2008), Firefox, Calendar, Evernote, TextEdit, QuickTime, Microsoft Excel (08) and Keychain Access.

I hope this helps. Since variations of this problem have been discussed in the Apple support community for at least a year and a half, it's a shame it hasn't been resolved yet.

Jen.

I've read the thread too and unfortunately don't get the same reassurance that it is not a virus or hijacking. (if the virus deletes sent messages out of the Sent directory, how would we know?)

I'm getting the sent mail swoosh sounds when I answer a FaceTime call. As many as 7-10 swooshes. its very disturbing.

My details:

- Retina MBP

- OS X 10.8.3

- Get messages when I answer an incoming FaceTime message. (FaceTime was not open prior to getting the call.)

- Messages is NOT running

- Mail is running

- iCal is running

- Evernote is running

- Safari is running

Conjecture:

Feel like the theory of iCal alerts COULD be involved, but not sure the number of swooshes match in any way with the number of reminders I may have. (If they're queued, as has been suggested, the number would be difficult to verify. But why would sounds queue up? That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.)

Unfortunately, the most logical explanation to me is a hijacking.

Hope to see this addressed soon.

I posted the occurance during Facetime, but yesterday the (someone needs to brand this) whooshing email, dinging sound started when I plugged in my headphones! It continued longer than it ever had... at least 15X.

I occasionally get this behavior as soon as I attach my headphone. I was just playing a WWDC 2012 video in iTunes, plugged in my headphone as the video was playing and Mail started to repeatedly play a bing followed by swoosh. Unplugging the headphone did not stop the sounds; killing Mail did.

Just happened to me for the second time. Right after I plugged in headphones. Unplugging the headphones did not stop it, nor did turning off WiFi. Shutting down Mail did stop it. I don't use Facetime or Calendar reminders. And clearly shutting down Mail ended it.

It's very disconcerting. Apple should address this.

<1 year old MBP. OS 10.8.4

@Fancytricks...I would disagree on your theory about the gmail account. I use macmail and I have the same problem. I am taking my Air in tomorrow to the genius bar, so I hope to give everyone an answer.

Apple...are you listening? I just got a message for a software update soon after making my last post. The software update was for Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 4.07 and Security Update. Coincidence...I think not...hmmm...

I took my Air to an Apple store and the tech said that nobody there has heard of this problem. I showed him this discussion. He reinstalled my OS. It happened again a few days later. I called AppleCare and the tech gave me to a Senior Advisor. She had me create a new ID on my computer and told me to use mail through that ID (different login page). She also wante to be sue that nobody else on this computer has a Mac mail account.

She sent me an email with instructions on what to do the next time this happens. The info will be collected from my computer and sent to her so they can see what my computer "looks like" when this occurs. The program is called "Capture Data". I don't know how else to share this info with the rest of you. This is what her email says about it:

"The Capture Data program will gather the logs from your computer. It is best to do it as soon as you can after the issue occured. To run it you just double click the file. It will open a folder and then double-click the grey apple. Don't worry about checking any of the boxes. Basically, you'll just have to click continue a bunch of times."

I don't know if anyone else does this and it goes to her mail. This is her email: danielle_campbell@apple.com

The saga continues... I plugged my laptop into power, external keyboard, and external monitor this morning... ding, ding, ding! swoosh swoosh swoosh! I grabbed my iphone to document the experience on camera, but it stopped by itself after about 10 dings. This was the first time I had the experience not using headphones or iSight, but just doing what I do every single workday.

As a PC user, a 30 year veteran of IT (Information Technology), one who understands how actual computers work, and the husband of an Apple user (Macbook Pro, Ipod, Ipad and Iphone), I'm struck by the fact that not a single "genius" (an obvious and sad marketing term) has chimed in here with the answer to this issue. This is not from Kathy but Kathy's husband, Richard.

Nice dramatic tone to your post, but no need for that. Apple employees are allowed to participate here, but on personal title and not allowed to tell they work for Apple. If this issue was solvable by a Genius, I guarantee you it would have been solved by now. But they don't know either. You can't just replicate the issue, so no way of investigating it. I think only a programmer can solve it, unless it's a conflict with a third party plug-in or pref pane we've all got installed (Flash or WMV fx).

Also some Apple employees have this issue themselves, I know this from personal experience. ;-)

i am also experiancing the same thing... i am running 10.8.4 and use mac mail app.... when i wake my macbookair it sounds as if i am sending and receiving multiple emails... but when i check the activity window there is no activity? is it emails that have been sent and recieived on other machines via my .me account? ie: my iphone or my ipad or other laptop? would love to find a way to stop the noise....

I've had this issue going on for some time now. It made me paranoid enough to always (except for this afternoon) shutdown my iMac when I am not using it. I'll add that I do not use iCal. I do not have an iPhone. I do not use Mail: I use Outlook for Mac. I do have several gmail accounts.

Most bothersome is that in addition to the swooshing and dinging sounds of outgoing and inbound mail, I also occasionally have several SCREEN SHOT sounds intermixed with these other sounds. As I mentioned, it makes me a bit paranoid that someone can highjack my iMac. But we all know that no one would ever do that would they (sarcasm).

I also get the sounds of SCREEN SHOTS. I already added that to a new post, but thought I'd reply to you as well.

Nale in Scotland wrote:

I originated this thread and it has been viewed 12,859 times and there have been 75 replies.

Still no cure, but the numbers show widespread interest in the strange happening that puzzles us.

I have gone a couple months without the "Phantom Swoosh"... until a few minutes ago...

The odd thing is that there were two e-mails arriving, both replies to this thread, and I got the incoming sound followed by the familiar "outgoing" sound. Yet nothing was going out and nothing showing up in Sent.

Strange... weird... spooky...

Message was edited by: Dallasguy

Finally! Now I think I can provide a good clue! Can it have something to do with USB sound management???

I have a set of USB loudspeakers connected to a USB hub at the office. The Time Machine back-up hard drive is also connected to the hub.

When I arrive at the office I connect my MacBook Pro to an external screen, the ethernet and power. And to the hub. It is when I do this that the wooshing and beeping as if mail is sent and checked has been appearing. However, it does not happen every time but the problem keeps coming and going.

Well today something happened that may be an important clue. I realized that the sound was not coming out of the uSB speakers but from the internal loudspeaker in the MacBook Pro. So I went into the sound settings and selected the USB speaker. And then the whooshing and beeping started for almost one minute. So it is likely that the problem is something to do with how USB sound is managed by the USB sound driver.

The loudspeakers are called JS (Jazz Hipster Corporation) model J-1116U. The company site is http://jazzspeakers.english.eyp.com.tw/eyp/front/bin/home.phtml but I can not find the product there. I found a picture on a French site http://www.materiel.net/haut-parleurs/jazz-speakers-j1116u-black-14386.html . It could be that these loudspeakers are the problem for the driver, but perhaps others have other USB sound devices that can trigger the sounds. Then it could be a software problem in the USB sound driver.

Perhaps this can help someone at Apple. Would appreciate if anyone (developer?) who follows this thread and is in contact with Apple on this issue could forward this information.

Best regards,

Johan