You know when you know there’s something wrong but you do everything in your power to put it to the back of your mind?
I’ve been experiencing this with the M1 Mac mini ever since the macOS 11.2 update which included a fix for the Bluetooth issues users were experiencing.
Following that update, things have been better for me, but not perfect.
This week, it struck me that I’ve been making the classic mistake of forcing myself to believe a problem isn’t there, simply because I so badly want everything to be ok.
Alas, it’s time to face up to the reality: the M1 Mac mini still has a really big issue with Bluetooth, and it’s spoiling what is the best desktop computer I’ve ever owned.
There’s still a Bluetooth problem with the M1 Mac mini
To this day I still receive YouTube and blog comments asking if the M1 Mac mini’s Bluetooth issues have been resolved. I’ve stopped replying with my stock answer of, “yep, macOS 11.2 fixed it for me”. Instead, I’ve observed as others get involved and reveal that they’re still having issues, despite Apple’s patch.
If you’re not aware, the Mac mini has always had a troubling time with Bluetooth – even before the introduction of the brilliant M1 chip. Whether it’s due to the way Bluetooth is implemented, the chassis design or something else beyond the user’s control, the issue manifests itself in the inability to maintain Bluetooth connections.
It’s incredibly frustrating and affects both Apple and third-party hardware. Keyboards will randomly disconnect and if, like me, you have a Logitech mouse, you’ll probably find yourself resorting to a dongle in order to obtain fluid cursor movement.
macOS 11.2 did make a huge difference to the issues I was experiencing, which were severe enough for me to abandon my AirPods Pro, and resort to a wired keyboard. Even AirDrop didn’t work for me – at all (it literally crashed Finder).
The macOS update enabled me to return to a Bluetooth connection for my keyboard, resurrect the AirPods Pro as my conferencing ‘headset’ of choice and finally make use of AirDrop once more.
Or so I thought.
Whether the issues have reappeared gradually or I’m simply noticing them more, I have no idea, but I’ll break them down individually.
Keyboard weirdness
I’ve developed a bit of a thing for mechanical keyboards. But boy do they behave weirdly with the Mac mini.
I can say this confidently because they don’t act strangely at all when connected to my 5K 27” iMac. I also have enough keyboards to test the possibility that the issue only lies with one brand or device.
It doesn’t.
When I connect any one of the numerous mechanical keyboards I have in my studio to the Mac mini, they’ll occasionally lose the connection entirely (although not to the extent of the pre-macOS 11.2 era). But more often than not, they’ll also do some incredibly weird things.
For instance, my IQUNIX F96 will randomly switch to Arabic. Other keyboards will start to lag with their input and miss keystrokes entirely. Both of these issues are always fixed by a quick toggle of the Bluetooth switch on macOS.
Most mechanical keyboards have a Bluetooth connection status light, and I’ve noticed that this also indicates something is amiss because said light will flash randomly, as though the keyboard is momentarily searching for a connection.
It’s hard to explain unless you experience it, but something really isn’t right with the Bluetooth connection between my keyboards and the Mac mini.
Unusable AirPods Pro
The keyboard issues are annoying, but this takes the crown for being the most embarrassing Mac mini Bluetooth problem.
I undertake a fair few remote calls each week and I’ve had to stop using my AirPods Pro for the task. Again.
This is irritating because they’re the best headphones I have for the job, but I simply cannot rely on their connection to the Mac mini.
At first, I thought it was my internet connection. Then, I blamed Teams (it’s gotta be that, right?!). But, no, there was clearly something else going on.
During every call, people would complain about the inability to hear me. I’d “sound like a Dalek”, or my voice would disappear entirely (and, no, I wasn’t on mute). As soon as I switched headphones and instead used my webcam’s mic, the problem disappeared.
I’ve tested this, too. If I use my AirPods Pro on my M1 MacBook Air, they work perfectly.
Again, a bit like the keyboard issues, something isn’t right.
The Logitech mouse
Hands-up: I’d forgotten about this one. But that’s mainly because even before the macOS 11.2 update, I’d switched to Logitech’s bundled wireless dongle in order to circumnavigate the Mac mini’s Bluetooth connection.
If I attach my MX Master 3 via Bluetooth, it’s unusable. The connection is maintained, but the cursor skips and stutters across the screen. You can deal with it for about ten seconds before reverting to the dongle.
However, after the macOS update, I still experienced a few minor issues – even via the dongle. Ever so occasionally, the cursor would still stutter. So, I leant on the advice of a lovely YouTube viewer and bought myself a USB extension cable.
That extension cable is now attached directly to one of the Mac mini’s USB-A ports and dangles beneath the desk. Attached to it is the Logitech dongle. The idea is that it moves the dongle as far away from the Mac mini as possible, and it works – the mouse operation is now flawless.
But why on earth am I having to do this?
How can Apple fix the M1 Mac mini Bluetooth problems?
This is where it all gets a bit sad and depressing. Sorry.
I think it’s clear that Apple can’t solve this issue, and that saddens me, deeply.
I’ve gushed about this computer for months. It has other problems, sure, but it still blows me away in terms of what it can do on a day-to-day basis for a busy content creation business.
Updates to macOS have definitely resulted in improvements to Bluetooth connectivity, and I still receive comments from people whose connectivity issues have been totally resolved. That’s awesome, and it’s one of the many reasons I’ll continue to recommend this computer.
But, if like me, you rely heavily on Bluetooth gear and you have several wireless devices around you at all times (I’m convinced that has an impact on proceedings), you may want to take stock.
We don’t know what Apple is going to do next with the Mac mini. There are rumours of a high-end version on the horizon, but it’ll need far more than additional ports and the next version of the M-series chip to win the adulation it so badly deserves.
Clearly, the Mac mini needs a complete design overhaul. I’m at the stage where I’ve accepted the Bluetooth issues, simply because the computer itself is so, so great.
This still isn’t good enough though, Apple, and it would be lovely if you’d break your silence on the matter.
I to have had issues with my iPad Air loosing connection when I am listening or watching something on my iPad Air if I decide to have a look at something on my Android phone the connection seems to drop its signal until I close the phone maybe it’s something to do with having two many Bluetooth gadgets so close to each other maybe the Mac mini and even the iPad gets confused I think we have to remember it’s all done over airwaves for me it’s a bit like WiFi it can be very flakey depending we’re you are in the house and even out and about I have to sometimes turn my WiFi off and use my data to brows as free WiFi can be very hit and miss the same goes for wireless router I have had to buy a standalone router which has made a difference ?
I fought weird bluetooth issues with my dad’s Chromebox. The issue ended up stemming from the speakers he had nestled next to the Chromebox. Have you tried isolating the Mac mini away from your other peripherals to isolate the issue?
I’ve had bluetooth problems with every Mac I’ve owned going back to my original PPC.
Do some research on Bluetooth.
Really old technology with limited band width and has only been kept alive by incrporating wi-fi to enable longer range and multi devices on the single channel.
It’s time something else was developed and Bluetooth went the same way as Flash Player
[…] first is the Bluetooth problem which, for a long time, I willfully ignored. But, after a while, I couldn’t look past it any longer. It’s a serious issue that affects a great many owners (the comments about it still flood in each […]
Returned my M1 Mac mini yesterday (16GB, 1TB SSD). I had to put up a fuss to get Apple to take it back as I got it in April but have had many issues, received one replacement and didn’t want a second replacement.
Issues:
random reboots, SOCD
rapid battery drain on magic keyboard and trackpad (1-2 days full to empty). This is a symptom of the Bluetooth issue
USB devices go missing on each reboot, requiring the cable to be removed and replugged
TimeMachine backup drive (connection Thunderbolt to Firewire with genuine Apple cables) randomly gets kicked offline and marked read-only, sometimes requiring it to be re-initialized.
Occasional screen flicker that can take several powers off/on to remedy
Many, many hours on the phone with Apple trying to sort this out. I finally gave up.
I do not recommend the M1 Mac Mini at the present time.
This is very reminiscent of another Apple connectivity problem. Remember this? In 2015 bought an ipad air 32gb with iOS 8.4.1, but it had major problems getting and keeping a wifi connection. I did some searching and discovered this had been an ongoing problem since iOS 8.
Apple iOS 8.4 Hit By Return Of Crippling Bug
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/07/24/apple-ios-8-4-old-foe/
Welcome to the nightmare Apple can’t wake up from. After promising to fix the functionality stripped from iOS 8.4 in iOS 9, Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software has now been hit by an old foe…
WiFried is back with a vengeance. The bug makes any form of Internet access a nightmare by repeatedly dropping WiFi connections and slowing speeds to a crawl and Apple Support Communities has now started receiving WiFried complaints from frustrated users running iOS 8.4.
Apple iOS 8.4.1: Should You Upgrade?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/08/20/apple-ios-8-4-1-should-you-upgrade/
iOS 8 has a notorious history for troubled WiFi, but those who hadn’t experienced previous issues are now finding iOS 8.4.1 is causing new problems.
WiFried: iOS 8 WiFi Issue
https://medium.com/@mariociabarra/wifried-ios-8-wifi-performance-issues-3029a164ce94#.51yu8i51y
Apple customers report devices crashing on iOS 9 update
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/apple-customers-report-devices-crashing-ios-9-112600600–finance.html
iOS 9 users reporting Wi-Fi connectivity problems
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ios-9-users-reporting-wi-fi-connectivity-problems-how-fix-them-1520656
iOS 9 brings its own share of inherent bugs and post-update issues such as persistent Wi-Fi connectivity problems like any other major iOS update. Some of the recently reported issues include inability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, unexpected error messages with incorrect password entries, intermittent connection issues and/or extremely slow connection speeds.
Broken Wi-Fi in iOS 9
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2015/10/22/ios-9-problems-fixes/
We’re already seeing complaints about broken Wi-Fi in iOS 9. This isn’t at all surprising given that Wi-Fi problems are among the most common iOS problems.
Apple customers report devices crashing on iOS 9 update
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/apple-customers-report-devices-crashing-ios-9-112600600–finance.html
Apple Releases iOS 9, Update Failures Anger Users
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/09/16/apple-releases-ios-9/
I watched a video today from a guy who recently bought an M1 Mac Mini. He mentions that earlier ones had Bluetooth problems, but the ones made more recently are okay (true or not, I don’t know):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5E0fqzdKUA
I am trying to decide whether to buy a 16gb/512gb one here in Japan. In Japan one doesn’t buy something and return it if you are not happy with it. Basically, you bought it and it is up to you to deal with problems. 🙁 So, I am concerned. Also, I have read about many problems people have connecting to various monitors. I am accustomed to plugging my several non-Apple monitors into various Windows computers and they just work. If I get a Mac Mini and have problems such as these then I can’t expect a refund. Last night I also saw this video from someone who loved his, but had so many problems he ended up getting rid of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv-vShLVp08
After my bad experience with the ipad in 2015 in Japan it makes me hesitant, although I sure would like to have an M1 Mac Mini.
Update…. A few hours later, after my earlier post…
Did a factory re set of Bluetooth module on Mac Mini, multiple times. Then re booted Mac mini. Simultaneously press Option Shift keys, then click on BT icon (upper right), then go to reset bluetooth tab, scroll down.
Re arranged physical location of Pluggable port replicator location to 12-14 inches away from Mac mini.
Changed Bluetooth channel on Logitech MX2 mouse from ch1 to ch2. It would not connect on ch1…Mini saw the mouse on ch1, but could not reliably connect. On ch2, it appears to be a reliable connection. Did not need to use Logitech Bluetooth dongle.
Disconnected lightning cables from Apple keyboard and trackpad. So far, they are operative using Bluetooth. Keyboard appears to reliably type correct characters.
Key question: will this wireless state remain stable OR will it become intermittent?
Much forum activity about this problem. I have $20 that says if you call Apple about it they will claim that it’s the first they’ve heard of it.
So far this is the worst £699 I’ve spent.
[…] hope it’s the latter. As regular readers of my blog will know, I’ve had dreadful problems with the Bluetooth connection on the current M1 Mac mini; it’s an inherently flawed design in that […]
There are lots of rumors that on March 8th one or two new Mac Minis will be announced. Maybe an M2 Mac Mini and/or an M1 Pro Mac Mini. Fingers crossed that the Bluetooth and monitor problems are fixed!