Force Touch Trackpad input while typing

I'm willing to say it works. I can certainly tell you it doesn't do anything bad to your computer. I put it in Terminal yesterday morning, when my cursor skipped for the first time since having my top case replaced. By this time, I've had three trackpads since January on a new 12" 2015 Macbook, and they all have the same problem, so I don't believe it's a hardware problem any more. This line in Terminal seems to replace the "ignore accidental trackpad input" setting that used to be in Systems Preference. Apple says they removed it from System Preferences because it was put into the software as default, but we can see that our computers behave as though they don't understand that. So yesterday I put it in and since then I have typed without checking the position of my hands or the speed at which I am typing -- and my computer is behaving absolutely normally.

I do see the secondary cursor flash on the screen from time to time as I type - probably an indication that I have accidentally brushed the trackpad - but so far, it has not relocated the cursor. I am reluctant to call this an absolute cure because I have been very hopeful about other fixes before. But try it -- it won't hurt. I think the best thing to do is copy and paste, so that you get all the spaces right. Then let me know if it works for you.

I too am willing to say that this terminal command as posted (and repeated here for convenience) seems to work.

defaults write -g com.apple.trackpad.setWantsRestingTouches -bool TRUE

Thank you for posting this, and shame on apple to deny the problem exists instead of pointing people to this simple potential fix.

Does this persist after a reboot or do you have to enter the command every time you reboot? Seems to me that you would have to reissue after a reboot.

I'm not a developer so I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that Terminal commands generally stay in place until they are contradicted. Any time I've entered one, the only way to change it back has been to re-enter it with FALSE at the end.

There is probably someone who knows better, but my idea is that Terminal commands become part of the code - that's why I don't like to mess with them too often. But desperate times.....

It does seem to be definitely related to the Force Touch trackpad. No one is reporting this issue on an Air, as far as I know. But when I first had the problem in January on a brand new 12" Macbook, the Apple Store gave me a new computer. It happened on that one, too, and so a couple of weeks ago they replaced the top case, including the trackpad -- and then it happened again. That satisfied me that it is either a hardware issue built into the Force Touch trackpad, or a software issue.

The Terminal line above is still solving my problem, so now I'm becoming fairly sure the problem is in the software.

Unfortunately, this did not work for me on a brand new MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015). As I basically write for a living, this has been a disaster. I've had Apple products since the Apple II and it is truly sad to see quality going downhill in both hardware and software. As for customer service, I'm usually treated like a know nothing.

I am also a writer by profession, so I feel your pain. If the Terminal line didn't work for you (and you are sure you copied it exactly) perhaps you need the double whammy of a hardware fix and the Terminal fix. Before I had my top case replaced, my cursor was insane, skipping two or three times a sentence, sometimes right out of the app I was working in. After the top case was replaced, skips were much less frequent - though still present - and the trackpad was much more responsive to things like click and drag or even to taps. I did note a positive change after the hardware was replaced, but the flying cursor was the worst for me and still happened occasionally. Then, adding the Terminal command solved that problem entirely, at least for the past 2-3 days.

I do see more problems with Apple software recently, though the software is also trying to do much more than it used to. I still love OS X and iOS and wouldn't think of using anything else. My worst hardware problems were with my 2006 white Macbook - the first in the series - which had multiple issues throughout the five years I used it. The difference was in Customer Service, which I agree has gone downhill -- or maybe it's just bad in Toronto, where I am now. I hope that's it, because their speedy and cheerful repairs of my poor 2006 model -- including free repairs AFTER my AppleCare expired -- were what really hooked me on Apple.

I have done some more troubleshooting and stared my MacBook 12 inch in safe mode and viola... the cursor stopped jumping around while I type. I kept my cursor on the minimize button just to be sure and it did not one interfere with my typing. I need to find out what in my startup is possibly causing the problem and report back. I used the machine is safe mode for a while. What a pleasure to use!

I can confirm that the terminal command did not change anything on my end either. Still experiencing the issue.

I am not sure what third party apps may cause the problem but can confirm that in safe mode things work as they should. As soon as I am back in normal mode my curser is all over the place when I type. Not a happy customer!

Well, the point of Safe Mode is that it lets you know that a third party app - not your hardware or a native Apple app - is responsible for your problem. So if you're an unhappy customer, it ought to be with someone other than Apple at this point!

When I was in high school I was talking with the principal who told me, tongue in cheek, that "This would be a nice school if it wasn't for all those kids." I suppose today he would say that the MacBook Pro's trackpad was a great trackpad if it wasn't for all those apps.

I've reported on this thread and many others have as well that these problems don't seem to exist on the MacBook Air. I first ran into them after migrating to the MBP. I used every app on my MBP that I did on my MBA. The mouse pointer worked just fine on the platform without the fancy new trackpad and it jerks and stops on the platform with the fancy new trackpad. Hmmm....

It's very plausible that the problem is due to an interaction between the hardware/software of the MBP and MB trackpads and non-Apple apps, but why hasn't Apple either a) figured out the problem and fixed it and/or b) told other app developers how to construct their products to work gracefully with the new trackpad?

This problem has gone on long enough and apparently impacted a lot of people. I think Apple should take the lead in getting it fixed.

Just wanted to add that this issue affects me as well. I have had virtually every generation of MBP going back to about 2005. I have never had this issue. My nearly identical 15" MBPr from 2013 or 2014 did not suffer from this problem. It's the force touch trackpad that is to blame and it REALLY stinks. I paid $3,000 for a laptop because it's the best. I have LOVED the trackpad on these things for over a decade. Now they've ruined it. It's such a pain in the butt having my typing all-of-a-sudden appear in the wrong part of a document or email out of the blue. Apple needs to fix this. But I'm not holding my breath...

IIt's not the MacBook Pro issue.

IVe had all pf them since 2008 model. It's the new force touch trackpads.

Eureka! I found the solution! Not really... as a work-a-round, I have put a rubber thimble on my left thumb (I am right handed) and it seems to work to such an extend that I can now type without interruptions. The question is, why is Apple not fixing this very frustrating issue or at least acknowledge that it exists and why do a person have to struggle so much to use their expensive products the way you became accustomed to?