USB-C Multiport Adapter update not installing

Overall this post helped me -- I did the upgrade with the power cord plugged into one port and the USB-C Adapter plugged into a second one.

However...

I wanted to add that once the computer rebooted, I saw a spinning wheel (not a progress bar) that lasted a solid 5-7 minutes -- I wasn't timing it because at this point I was on hold with Apple Technical support. I had seen this in some earlier attempts and had done a hard shutdown each time around 2-4 minutes in, figuring the update had failed.

Once the spinning wheel disappeared, the Apple logo appeared with a progress bar, and that took about 2 minutes to complete. Then the Apple logo reappeared a second time, with a progress bar, and that second progress bar took about a minute. Finally the login screen came up and things were fine.

As per this post: About the USB-C Multiport Adapter Update 1.0 - Apple Support I verified that the firmware had been updated to 2.33.

So, overall, this update succeeded but required around 10 minutes to complete.

This is exactly what I had to do. I followed nearly every other suggestion (PRAM reset; safe mode; etc.). The "trigger" was doing this with 1.) all other cables detached, and 2.) making sure the power was in line with the adapter, but nothing else (including VGA monitor) was attached. What a strange update with painfully specific things you have to do. But this does work if you follow these instructions exactly.

This was too complicated. I can't imagine it couldn't be spelled out any clearer, but I had to reboot with nothing at all connected to the adapter to work properly.

Lastly, I just bought a brand new (2017) MBP and new adapter(s) I can't believe the update hasn't been applied already to currently shipping products?!

And I just bought the adapter to use with a new 2017 iMac and HDMI external display. So no way for me to connect the adapter to power. The Apple support document assumes you are updating the firmware on a laptop. Online chat with Apple Support slowly came to the same conclusion. They suggest I go in to a Store and they will update the adapter there for me - presumably using a laptop. Crazy.

Hi there Michael Paine,

It sounds like the USB-C update appeared to install but you still have the prompts to update it, and it did not actually install. I would start by booting to safe mode. This will clear some system level caches and perform a disk check and repair if needed.

Follow these steps to start up into safe mode.

1. Start or restart your Mac.
2. Immediately after you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Shift key.
3. Release the Shift key when you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.

After the Apple logo appears, it might take longer than usual to reach the login screen or your desktop. This is because your Mac performs a directory check of your startup disk as part of safe mode.

To leave safe mode, restart your computer without pressing any keys during startup.

From: Try safe mode if your Mac doesn't finish starting up

Then leave safe mode with a normal restart and check to see if the driver is still installed, or if you can then install it again properly. If not you may need to try resetting the PRAM and testing again:

How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac

If it still is not resolved then I would next reset your SMC and give it another go:

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities, all the best!

Thank you for the update and sharing your information!

I have this same problem with my Macbook that I just bought about a week ago. I tried all the steps you mentioned but I still get the prompt to update the USB-C Multiport Adapter. Any other ideas?

UPDATE: I got to work finally. Apparently if the power to the Mac is below a certain threshold, it won't install. I plugged my Macbook into a different outlet and it installed successfully. The original outlet I used is known to have unstable power output (sometimes lights dim/fluctuate, etc.). Hope this helps anyone else with this problem.

Thanks!

I tried the NVRAM reset but that didn't work. So then I worked through all the pre-steps to the SMC Reset and tired again without doing the SMC reset and it worked. The only thing I can think of is the Force Close showed Spotify was open. So after the final shutdown I unplugged the adaptor, put the mains cable directly into the macbook and restarted. Once it was up I closed Spotify so the only app showing as open was Finder. I then plugged-in the adaptor (connected to the mains cable) and installed from the prompts. This worked.🙂

I also had the problem of updating the multiport adaptor.

I was using a 3rd party power adaptor (Anker). After reading this thread I switched back to the original Apple USB-C adaptor (and cable) that came with the machine and updated the multipart adaptor. It worked properly afterwards.

Hope this helps.

For me it worked ONLY when running the installer with battery fully charged. At 100%. Not 99% or below.

This answer is for others who find this posting, when installing the adapter on a NEW MacBook Pro13,3 with Retina display.

Problem:

When connecting the adapter and the power cable is connected via the adapter for the first time, the update prompt will appear. You follow the steps, installs and then reboots. Once rebooted, the prompt appears again and again.

Solution:

Either disconnect the power cable or connect the power cable directly to the Mac. Reboot with only the power connected. Then add the adapter with no other connections to it. Install the software, follow instructions, reboots then you will not see the prompt for the upgrade.

Now use the adapter normally.

I was finally getting this to work by making sure I

unplugged all other cables from the adaptor except for the UBC-C power cord which needs to power the adapter

I hope that helps some users that are still stuck. I also made sure my laptop was charged to 100%.

Thank you! This fixed the problem for me :)