Popping Sound, MBP 2016

So, I am reporting back to say that changing the whole Display/LID assembly has RESOLVED the issue for me. Been using the laptop extensively and have not heard any pops or clicks. High Sierra, 15" 2016 MBP.

Replaced in Barcelona Apple Store in one week the entire top case including the screen and problem solved.

I had to insist to store manager because they said it was a normal behavior due tu aluminium case.

The screen is absolutely the problem. I had the notorious popping, and luckily a couple missing pixels on the display so they replaced it because of that issue. The screen and the aluminum top are one a one piece replacement. The noise is most annoying, but I don't think it hurts the unit.

Why not print out a bunch of these postings of people who had the problem resolved and take them to Apple along with deep insistence that you see the store manager.

Hello everyone,

I had this same issue -> The not so frequent popping sound near the left side of the keyboard (was not able to figure exact spot though). I went to Apple Genius store and gave it to them and I got the macbook pro back today. The way I used to reproduce the noise is I usually run Xcode -> Run a heavy program, Unity -> start a game, open animation software and start it, and thats how the macbook starts its fan as heats up. Though all this is not necessary, this was my guaranteed process to make me hear those pop sound once in 4-5 mins.
Now I tried running those apps, I didn't heard any popping sound.

The repair sheet tells that they replaced -"Display Assembly".

I dont know how that is connected with the sound near left speaker but I think my mbp has stopped making that weird noise. However, its only 15mins of use after the shipment got delivered. I will update this if I listen the sound again.

The Apple Store took my computer without issue. I would recommend first chatting with support and explaining everything in detail to them, let them schedule the service appointment. They can actually ship the computer back to you. They can even ship you a box to send the computer to them but I dont know if they do that for all countries.

Along with popping sound issue, I have been suffering from a sleep and wake problem on my MacBook 2016 with touch bar.

It won't wake from sleep without a system crash.

I tired every possible solution. Nothing worked. Apple certified "computer repair shop" that I took my mbp to, told me nothing but some bs about it. Then I made an appointments with apple care that I had to reschedule. Then I missed the appointment. (I work long hours)

Finally I started thinking that both issue may be related and I started a research about "popping sound" problem.

Today I have found Terry-Lambert on Quora who says on a post that popping sound is related to power management system and it occurs when power management system turns the sound off and on.

He suggest to run the following shell script on terminal

1. #!/bin/sh
3. whiletrue
4. do
5. sleep 10
6. say " "
7. done

I have been testing for the last two hours. I haven't had a sleep and wake issue yet. No popping sound at all. However, my battery is running a little faster.

I think your issue is coming from the speakers. I've read almost the threads on this and the users that have managed to stop this sound from occurring have had their logic boards and speakers replaced.

I have had this problem repeatedly since my first machine in October 2016. They replaced the screen, then it came back, then they replaced the logic board, SSD, and external casing... and surprise, it came back again, with the addition of a weird popping noise coming from the L speaker. At that point they didn't know what to do and swapped my computer out for a new replacement. Subsequent machines had a blown L speaker with crackly / static sound distortion despite my never turning the volume past say 70%, and also developed the original popping noise coming from the display. Long story short, I have had my $3,500 laptop replaced THREE times and it's back being serviced AGAIN now. This is a COMMON PROBLEM... as there are over 2,800+ other people who have clicked "I have this problem too" on this support page thread.

There should be a MASSIVE recall of these laptops in which they either fix the display assembly, hinge, and speakers, or just release an updated version of the machine with a different design that addresses the issue and swap them out for people a la VW diesel emissions recall.

I love Apple but this process is driving me crazy and is consuming a lot of my time, especially considering the nosebleed prices I fork over for their products. Having gone without my laptop for collective weeks during the multitude of repairs, I now just buy a new laptop to use as a "loaner" and return it once I receive my machine back from repairs. Yes, this is a crazy and absurd process to have to go through. I haven't seen any formal acknowledgement / recall program from Apple regarding the issue. If anyone reading this is still having the problem and are out of warranty, I would take it to a Genius Bar and show them this thread that describes the problem we're having and shows that over 2,800 other customers are having the same problem. They should be willing to replace the display again for you and if not, I would just politely ask to discuss the matter with the store manager. Explain everything to the manager - the recurrent nature of the issue, the time and productivity you've lost trying to address it, and the fact that it is a COMMON problem for which their company has yet to offer a definitive solution. Here's to hoping they formally acknowledge the issue and decide to make it right for their customers. I should have a trophy for the number of hours (read: DAYS) I've spent at the Genius Bar dealing with this problem.

I had the issue and it never returned after repair. It was in the display and Apple replaced the display. I've seen many others with the same success.

"draw your own conclusions"

Online forums also have agendas, so you have take what you read with a grain of salt. Draw your own conclusions. 😊

And yet I took mine to the Apple store and they replaced the display and problem solved. No more popping. Rather than constantly talking to Apple on the phone you should do the same and take it to the repair center.

"I am simply after an official response or acknowledgement that the problem exists and a simple description outlining the cause of the problem "

": "Bring your macbook in for repair and we'll replace the adhesive in the screen for $(price), which will remove the intermittent popping noises")."

I had a 2016 MBP (which I mentioned earlier) and experienced the popping noise. Apple replaced the display assembly and the popping noise was gone completely. I didn't need an official statement. For what? When companies acknowledge/admit things publicly all that does is cause an uproar (which it sounds like what you're hoping for) which would lead to class action lawsuits and force the company to repair the problem free of charge for people who are out of warranty.

" a browse through the most recent posts in this discussion suggests that many others experiencing this problem with post-2018 Macbook Pros."

Due to Fedex messing up the shipping my MacBook was damaged and Apple replaced it with a 2017. Not a single popping sound. I decided to upgrade and now I have a 2018 MBP and once again no issues with popping sound. At least I have experience with all 3 versions and there's been no reports of a 2019 having this issue.

My understanding is that it's the screen and the way it fits within the lid. There is flexing here when there is heat or when opening and closing the lid. The popping is random, but can happen without touching anything due to the stresses caused by heat. Mine does it but I let it go as I couldn't afford to be without it and wasn't convinced it would get sorted without another issue occurring.

Update to my MacBook pro repair.

I brought it back into the Apple store....

The genius bar at the store wanted to keep the machine for a few days to see if they could pinpoint the issue before sending away for repairs.

After about 3 days, i called the store.....they still had it and the staff said they could not replicate the noise.

I asked them to send it off for the second time in about two weeks...(they replaced the fans - that didn't fix it)

Got it back a few days later, they work receipt show a replaced display assembly.

Problem seems to be fixed.

Thanks to all here for their advice,

Brent

Talk to Apple support, they scheduled an appointment and replaced my display assembly/top case for free, no more popping sound so far

How to reproduce?

I was able to reproduce the noise once by *very gently* pushing with on finger against the "MacBook Pro" print below the screen. Once it popped, it didn't do it any more (for now) - will try again later.

Please document here if this works for you.