Popping Sound, MBP 2016

Hi John & Dennis de wit,

Is this noise/sensation you hear/feel happens while shaking the laptop along the axis of the hinge? I have also reported this issue and it was dismissed by at a very Genius person from Genius Bar saying, that it was the vibration felt from the taptic engine from trackpad and to prove this they took the laptop from the display, which only made that noise and not the one which didn't. I never understand how would that be? but this Genius person from Genius Bar said, you feel or hear the sound near/or from the screen because the screen is the thinnest part of the machine and vibrations are amplified. I told this guy, I am a mechanical engineer by profession and do study these vibrational forces, and when asked about why I really cannt feel anything near on the trackpad, which is the source of the vibration? He said it will only produce noise near the screen. I asked do you have screen and body separately to test it? He said, no! and I said I dont trust you. then he said, he cant help me anymore? What kind of fKing service do you provide?

I am very disappointed by the service, its very poor and very untrustworthy!

I am mad at the Apple and especially at the Guys from Genius Bar from St Davids Apple Store in Cardiff. They are useless and Apple please educate them or provide your customer with proper evidence rather than a story from the Apple Engineers. This is wrong!

I have had a look at the transcript and I will be reporting soon to the UK Consumer Rigths group along with the transcript and misleading information which was given to me at the time of collection.

And while I type this reply, I hear loud bang bing bang noise from the machine!!!

I will encourage other members of this group or forum to report to the Consumer Rights groups in their own respective country.

Hi Damo,

I pick up the laptop at both speaker grills and then just simply shake it. I hear and feel something is being lose at the very back of the laptop (like there where the Touch Bar is, but then on the backcover). I am very much not sure what exactly is shaking. I have no clue. If I didn't know better, I'd think it actually is the battery or so. I will have it judged by the Genius Bar in Amsterdams Apple Store.

Moreover, at least I am sure that it is not supposed to be like this. I have also shaken my brothers MBP (same model) and draw the conclusion my brothers model is not making this sound. It really feels and sounds like something is loose. Which is odd. So, I checked the rest of my MacBook. Per accident, I held my MacBook with my hand against the back of the screen while lifting the MacBook with my other hand. And I heard the very familiar pop. I am very much able to reproduce this sound on command now. All I have to do, is hold back my screen and then gently press the back of the screen. 3 cm above the hinges, at the middle (straight under the Apple logo). I am thinking that my display is not glued well enough to the casing and I am even scared of using my MacBook any longer. This sound reminds me of the iPhone 7 Plus, which has been swapped out 4 times.

This sound is not anything near the trackpad. I consider this argument as BS. Especially because my brothers MBP doesn't make this noise, and my previous MBP (same model) didn't either. If support in Amsterdam is going be like this, I am ready to ask for a manager. It would not be the first time finding myself or my family having an argument in the Store. I will be there on Tuesday. I will let you know.

Got a new MBP (512gb) exactly two weeks ago.

From the start on I noticed this "clicking". The comparison to a plastic bottle about sums things up. At first I thought it was the speakers but then I was able o replicate it by "LIGHTLY and ever so softly" pushing the bottom, middle part of the screen. It also makes this noise when opening the lid. The issue seems to be of mechanical nature.

The wierd thing is I have another MBP, similar model (216 Gb) and it doesn't have this issue.

The problem is progressing. Temperature is a factor, as soon as I fire up a VM or use the GPU the problem worsens. Not cool guys. Not acceptable for 3200€. I don't even feel like going to the AS just to have someone from customer service reset the SMC for me, send it in for 6 weeks to no avail.

dev_uRandom, i suggest you call apple immediately and ask for a refund seeing as you're only a day out of their refund/replacement policy. If you're not aware, Apple just announced the revised MBP on Monday and have already begun shipping them.

I have my MacBook Pro 13" with touchbar since January and i have noticed this Issue since day one I contacted apple and they suggested software solutions of course it didn't help I also searched the web to see if anyone else does have this issue i found this discussion back then it had just 2 pages now it has 19 and I noticed many people are finding this issue ... I also visited the Genius Bar without any solution then I decided to work with it and try to ignore the sound and I think after al those months its because of the Aluminium when I am putting the ,a book in my bag after a work session I normally grab it from the top when closed and every time i hear the same noise a popping while shut down it's the same sound that I hear when it's on and open I flourish want you can try it out after finishing just press a little on the upper bottom part in the area under the trackpad and you will hear it please tell me if anyone noticed it after trying ...

Same issue here. MBP 2.7GHz, 512SSD, Radeon 455. Didn't happen for the first month. Now is happening over ten times a day. Happens seemingly spontaneously. I'm not even using youtube or anything ... just normal web browsing and coding. Macbook does not appear to be hot at all and certainly isn't under heavy load of any sort.

Hi!

Just have the same thing with my secondhand MBP 15 early 2013(!!).

The loud pop from speakers only, usually when laptop turn on after the rest. Like this: Macbook Pro 2016 15" Pop/ Click 1 - YouTube

No pops form hing or display.

This was start after I install 10.12.3 3 days ago, and not noticed with previous ElCap.

So I'm really convinced that the problem is audio drivers replacing with Sierra update.

Can't try to reinstall ElCap for now, unfortunately, but maybe someone want to try...

PS: sorry for my English, guys.

I have the same sound developed in my 5-year old MBP computer. Sierra 10.12.5 recently installed and sound developed after that. Took it to Apple Store; they replaced a "bracket" and could find nothing else wrong (fan, hard drive, etc.). What in the world could this be ?

I went to the Apple Store in Amsterdam. It has costed me THREE ⚠ hours at the Genius Bar. The Genius immediately acknowledged the problem. He says it is valid problem. So what he did, is calling to the Engineering team in America.

Then, I got told Apple knows about the problem and is investigating this issue. They do NOT know which component causes this issue. Therefore, no repair can be offered. I have asked for a manager because this MacBook was the result of a swap due to a faulty MacBook earlier. He pointed me to the fact the MacBook was bought at Apple’s Online Store and not the store in Amsterdam. Therefore, the product needs to be swapped by Apple Online.

The Genius called Apple Online. I have been sitting there for an hour. He came back, telling me Apple Online doesn’t want to swap or repair it. The statement is:

Apple is aware of this problem and our Engineering team is investigating this issue. Unfortunately, we can not do anything for you now.”

The Genius has told Apple Online that he wanted to swap it, but the system blocked it. Apple Online doesn’t want to swap and says Apple Store in Amsterdam should swap it.

I decided to call Apple. Dutch law says Apple is REQUIRED to swap the laptop or repair it in a reasonable amount of time. Since they gave no outsight to an end date, this even can last for years, Apple has broken the law. I wanted to dissolve the purchase agreement. Then I got told by Apple on the phone that Amsterdam and the callcenter employee both have escalated this issue. Within now and 2 working days I will get to know what they will do for me.

If they will not swap, I’ll take the legal actions I stated above. I have nothing to complain about the Geniusses. They have done everything they can. Both Geniusses told me they feel ashamed of the way that Apple has treated me and that they fully take the blame for my unsatisfied feelings.

Let’s see what the outcome will be. Apple is updating the case and has made a note that I as a customer am claiming my rights in The Netherlands and am not agreeing on waiting forever. If Apple is reading this message; I am a customer. I have customer rights. You are legally required to obey the law. I have the right to get a repair or a new machine in 'a reasonable time'. Saying you are 'investigating this issue' and can not give a timeframe, means you are being unlawful. I hope the escalation will result in a new MacBook. Or I will dissolve the agreement and have my money back. Then I'll buy the same MacBook again, but then at the Apple Store, so I don't have to go through this legal ****. I bet Steve would be very upset now.

Another moment: install the coolers control software, something like Macs Fan Control (it's free) and set the fans speed faster. My MBP didn't pop with it, cause it doesn't go to overheat. Pops only at cold start.

I will not install El Capitan because when I press at the back of the dispay, it is popping a lot also. I can reproduce the clicking my heating up my MacBook. You can just run the yes command sometimes after each other. Running this command:

yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes

Hmm, maybe it's another problem... As I described, my secondhand MBP 15 Retina early 2013 start to pops when I install the new Sierra. And it pops goes ONLY from speakers, it's not a mechanical pops from the thermal expansion. When I put a cigarettes box to the left speaker I hear POP only from right.

I can confirm. The MacBook doesn't pop with the coolers on. But I heated the MacBook first and then cooled it wit your app, too. And then it DOES pop! This seems to be an issue with the housing of this model.

Sorry for the vertical video, but on my video you can hear the popping and see how I reproduce it.

MacBook Pro 2016 TB Pop - How to reproduce - YouTube

Hello:

Some people think it's a software problem, which is not true. I send again a message that I sent a few days ago to this forum:

I have the MBP 15 with 256 GB and I have the same problem. The "pop" sound started after a month of use of the MBP, so I could not change it in the first 14 days. The sounds are random but very annoying because they occur several times in an hour. I have observed the following:

1. It's not about the speakers, so it's not a software problem.

2. The "pop" sound is heard on the left and center of the MBP. It could be the left hinge and is almost certainly due to the expansion-compression of materials by temperature changes.

3. Sometimes the "pop" sound can be played by moving the screen slightly after a working time, when the temperature change causes the problem. Sometimes it can also be reproduced by making light pressure on the outside of the screen, in the lower center, between the hinges.

4. Personally I consider that the problem is because the new design has not placed the two central screws between the hinges. This reduces the rigidity of the MBP and allows the components to have more space for movements caused by changes in temperature. My theory is corroborated by comparing with the 13 "MBP that has less between hinged space so it is more rigid, and therefore does not present this problem.

I have not taken my MBP to the Apple Store because I will surely get the same response as many of you. I'll wait for Apple to officially address this issue. It is also expected that with a time of use maybe the problem is not present due to the slight wear that may have the materials that cause the "pop" sound.

Héctor Nandar C. wrote:

Hello:

1. It's not about the speakers, so it's not a software problem.

Agreed.

Héctor Nandar C. wrote:

2. The "pop" sound is heard on the left and center of the MBP. It could be the left hinge and is almost certainly due to the expansion-compression of materials by temperature changes.

I exactly have the same thing. Pressing the touchpad causes the same sound. Could it be the 'brand new touchpad' causing this issue? Sounds reasonable. They have changed it on both MacBooks.

Héctor Nandar C. wrote:

3. Sometimes the "pop" sound can be played by moving the screen slightly after a working time, when the temperature change causes the problem. Sometimes it can also be reproduced by making light pressure on the outside of the screen, in the lower center, between the hinges.

Indeed, as I stated above, this can be reproduced by influencing the temperature of the internal components. Poking the screen indeed causes this issue too. Ok, so maybe not the touchpad but indeed the hinges?

Héctor Nandar C. wrote:

4. Personally I consider that the problem is because the new design has not placed the two central screws between the hinges. This reduces the rigidity of the MBP and allows the components to have more space for movements caused by changes in temperature. My theory is corroborated by comparing with the 13 "MBP that has less between hinged space so it is more rigid, and therefore does not present this problem.

I am not sure. I agree it has some thing to do with the hinges. But it could also be because the speakers are near the hinges, which means the metal has less a less maximum weight to support. Just adding 2 screws, will not fix it. And where will you put these screws? Seems like the housing needs a bit of a redesign then.

Héctor Nandar C. wrote:

I have not taken my MBP to the Apple Store because I will surely get the same response as many of you. I'll wait for Apple to officially address this issue. It is also expected that with a time of use maybe the problem is not present due to the slight wear that may have the materials that cause the "pop" sound.

At least report this issue to Apple. Waiting for normal 'wear and tear' is a ridiculous idea. The MacBook is not supposed making this sound anyway.