FaceTime making strange clicking sound since OS X 10.10

UPDATE: After two logic board replacements, the issue still persisted in my early 2011 15" MBP. They were going to replace the speakers, but I never got around to testing that out, as the computer kept having other issues, and the GB ended up giving me a new computer (to replace a nearly four year old machine!!!). Right when I was starting to get frustrated with Apple, they go and provide amazing customer service. So I'm sorry I can't tell you guys whether or not a speaker replacement would have done the trick, but I'm glad to have a brand new machine. Still a fan of Apple, even though they haven't figured out that this is likely a bug. They'll figure it out eventually. Look how many people have viewed this article and posted to it!! Hang in there, folks. It will be resolved!

I have this same issue with a late 2011 MBP. It seems to affect things when using the built-in mic and speakers at the same time: FaceTime, Continuity with iPhone calls, and just today on a GoToMeeting session sound was cutting in and out. Got the popping if I tried to adjust the volume.

Calls used to work fine.

Please fix this Apple!😟

I am having the same issue with facetime crackling an popping while trying to make calls. I am running 10.10.1 and 8.1.2 and the issue remains. Any help on who to contact or potential solutions to this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Same issue here, it is really very annoying. I have an early 2011 MacBook Pro 15" 2.0 GHZ i7 running OSX 10.10 and my IPhone 5 is running iOS 8.1.2. I would be really glad if that issue could be solved soon!

Just heard back from the rep I have been working with.Their engineers said it is a known issue with this specific model range (early 2011 MBP) and is being "investigated."

Apple's engineers recommended one of two options: buy a new machine with a new(er) audio setup, or wait for a software update.

As much as I like my MacBook Pro, it looks like I'll be getting that new Surface after all.

What an arrogant reply, sure go out and drop another $1500.00 on one more apple product. I had a similar experience with Volkswagen several years ago when the a/c just quit. Took the car to the dealer and in a typical dealer attitude they informed me it was a simple fix! Don’t use the a/c or buy a new unit, needless to say that was it for VW.

So I've read through most of this, and I don't see an actual answer. Apple has actually told people to get a new computer? So every four years we need to buy a new computer? That's a little much. My computer runs just as fast as a new computer. Aside from not having USB 3.0 and a retina display, it will hang with my roommates 2014 Mac Pro all day long (I upgraded to a Crucial SSD and have 16GB of RAM).

So can someone here at Apple give us a satisfactory answer, please. I'm looking for something along the lines of, "We understand your frustration, and yes, this is a problem that is due to our designing of this feature and it obviously is not a hardware issue since it only is affected when making calls paired with an iPhone (i.e. not Skype or regular Facetime calls)."

Ending with the most important part... "We have people working on this problem for you, and we will let you know when we have a patch for this issue worked into one of our updates for you."

I'd love to see that. I'm proud of my computer and it's integration with my phone, and I use it those functions often. Not only does it personally affect me when my call suddenly is filled with popping sounds and the other person not hearing me, but it really kills my sales pitch to others around which usually revolves around the statement, "You get a Mac and/or an iPhone instead of the other guys product because Apple products simply work the way you'd expect them to, every time."

Is customer service being neglected? A simple acknowlegment by Apple would go a long way in restoring confidence in the corporation and products. Between the frustration in trying to make appointments with the Genius Bar and this on going problem my confidence is waning with Apple. Let’s face it, Apple command a premium price for their products with this they used to have outstanding customer service are we witnessing the nickel and dime the customer attitudes being displayed by the management? I hope not!!

With new entries on this subject every second day what will it take for Apple to simply acknowledge the problem and offer a solution to it’s loyal customers? After installing Yosemite and immediately realizing this was a huge mistake I looked for answers to reverse the mistake. First reaction was to call Apple thinking that if anyone would have a remedy it was them. Wrong! My conversation with them was pleasant but yielded little in results to the problem. In fact I sensed a touch of denial to the well documented situation. When I mentioned the amount of responses of people having the same issue the answer given in response was less than stellar. Apple even went so far in saying that this was the first time they heard of this problem! Obviously they fail to check this site. Ok, not much in the way of a solution being offered I resorted to common sense. Maverick = no problem normal functionality, Yosemite = problems with some functions namely Face Time solution get the later operating off the computer and reinstall Maverick. Bazinga Face Time is full operational and performing as designed no snap, crackle, pop!

Hi, I've noticed the "crackling noise" nearly a year ago. It happens not only with Facetime but even with no program running at all.

I have the headphones output connected to a HiFi amp to listen to iTunes etc.

You can eliminate the noise for some time when unplugging and re-plugging the headphones connection. But it will return always

after some time. The noise is random and to me it sounds like a static discharge. Like, if there's a charge building up and then

reaching a certain voltage level, is suddenly released.

By the way, I'm not even running 10.10 as my main system, but still 10.6.8. I'm running 10.6.8 on 2 Mac Minis (2009 & 2013) and

on a MacPro. The noise is audible on all of them. I have 10.10 installed on a Mini and crackling's there as well. Tried out everything from Snow Leopard to Mavericks and Yosemite to no avail.

It's driving me crazy, because it didn't happen until about a year ago. Never ever on any Mac!

So what's the cause? Apple is dragging it's feet and I've not encountered any comment by Apple referring to the problem! At least they could acknowledge that there's a problem!

I'm also doing some recording with my Mac's and it's annoying to hear that crackling during quiet passages. And afterwards trying to remove them.

Let's us all praise the almighty Apple for their tremendous customer service!

User 1 = MacBook Pro 15" (Late 2008), 8 GB RAM, 500 GB HD, Yosemite 10.10.1, iPhone 5s, 16 GB, iOS 8.1.2.

User 2 = MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2011), 8 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, Yosemite 10.10.1, iPhone 5, 16 GB, iOS 8.1.2.

All 4 devices connected to same WiFi network using Apple Airport Extreme base station and Airport Express (as network extender) on cable internet conection.

User 1 = MacBook Pro 15" (FaceTime works) + iPhone 5s (FaceTime works) using same Apple ID #1.

User 2 = MacBook Pro 13" (FaceTime CLICKS) + iPhone 5 (FaceTime works) using same Apple ID #2.

FaceTime on both computers and both iPhones working fine prior to 10.10. FaceTime on the 13" (Early 2011) has the "FaceTime strange clicking sound" running Yosemite 10.10, while FaceTime on the 15" (Late 2008) works fine. This was puzzling since everything else was working fine (tested by recording audio in Quicktime Player on 13" and it had no audio clicking). Rebooted the 13", checked everything, sound input sources, read all the other "fixes" on this discussion to no avail.

After much thought and testing different combinations of hardware, software, settings, etc..., I remembered that the MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2011) has almost enough hardware to support Handoff in Yosemite 10.10. However it has Bluetooth 2.1, while Handoff requires Bluetooth 4.0. What was one of the new features in OS 10.10 that didn't exist in 10.9 or earlier when FaceTime worked fine? Handoff!!!

The solution that has fixed the FaceTime audio clicking for the user with the MacBook Pro 13" and iPhone 5 using the same Apple ID, is turning off Handoff on their iPhone 5. In iOS 8.1.2 Handoff is located under Settings / General / Handoff & Suggested Apps / Handoff - slide to OFF.

In this case I suspect there is a conflict between the iPhone 5 trying to use Handoff with the MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2011) when they are joined to the same WiFi network and using the same Apple ID. Even though the MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2011) is not supposed to be compatible with Handoff, I believe it was attempting to interact with the iPhone 5 when both were on the same WiFi network and sharing the same Apple ID #2, and this was the cause of the problem.

What is interesting, is the iPhone 5s with Handoff turned on was not causing issues with the MacBook Pro 13" or 15" all on the same WiFi network. The 15" uses the same Apple ID #1 as the iPhone 5s (Apple ID #1) but is too old (Late 2008), and the 13" is using a different (Apple ID #2). So it doesn't appear to be problem with all Handoff traffic on the network. It was the combination of the 13" MacBook Pro (Early 2011) using Apple ID #2 + iPhone 5 using Apple ID #2 with Handoff turned on + same WiFi network that caused the FaceTime clicking issue for this 13" MacBook Pro (Early 2011) user.

By turning off Handoff on the iPhone 5, we are able to use FaceTime on the MacBook Pro 13" (Early 2011) without any problems and they both share the same Apple ID #2. We were not using the Handoff feature anyways (since we didn't have 2 compatible devices on the same Apple ID) so we don't miss it. Everything appears to be working good again with all 4 devices joined to the same WiFi network.

If you have a MacBook Pro 13" with the FaceTime audio clicking with Yosemite 10.10, make sure to turn Handoff OFF on ALL of your iOS devices using the SAME Apple ID on the SAME WiFi network (i.e all your iPhone's, iPad's, etc...) and then restart your MacBook Pro and check to see if FaceTime works.

Hopefully someone else finds this information useful.

It's an error of the ambient noise reduction. Here's what seems to work for me.

Set "Use audio port for sound Input"

Turn off ambient noise cancellation.

Don't worry, when you plug in any kind of modern headphone your music will play fine because the computer knows it has mic and speakers. I have restarted FaceTime and made calls several times while pulling out and plugging in my headphones over and over again without issue. Hope this works for everyone.

So, after I installed 10.10.2 the issue got worse. I cannot use Skype or iTunes without a loud "pop" noise in my MacBook Pro whereas before it was limited only to FaceTime.

Reset PRAM and SMC, issue goes away temporarily but comes back if the computer has been slept and woken.

Under Windows 8.1 (via Boot Camp), no such issue exists, and I'm able to use Skype, iTunes, Google Hangouts, etc., without a problem. (Sadly, no FaceTime, though)

For the forseeable future, it seems I will be running Windows full-time now on my MacBook Pro. In my experience over the last few weeks dealing with AppleCare, I do not believe Apple has any interest in fixing this problem.

Thanks for the heads up for 10.10.2 Oso Grande.

I just wanna know if all the 2011 MacBook Pro users are having the same problem?

Apple should fix this problem soon or I am gonna have to install 10.9 from scratch.

Also, anyone having luck with 10.10.2?

Unfortunately, this did not work with my early 2011 MBP - turning off handoff on iPhone/iPad or turning off ambient noise suppression. I just think the code is written expecting 4.0 BT hardware and the 2.1 BT hardware causes issues when using the headphone jack and/or letting the computer go to sleep or close the lid. Apple needs to find the area in the code and fix it to recognize 2.1 BT hardware and "turnoff" Handoff in the code in my opinion.