macOS Catalina 10.15.6 Successfully Fixes USB 2.0 Issues Experienced by 2020 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air Users

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 successfully fixes a frustrating bug that prevented some USB 2.0 accessories from working properly with 2020 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, according to MacRumors readers and users on Reddit.

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Apple in the release notes for the macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update said that the update "resolves an issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads may lose connection," and people who were experiencing that particular problem have confirmed that their accessories are now able to successfully connect.

The bug was first noticed earlier this year by ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ users who purchased one of the new 2020 machines. The Mac notebooks were unable to properly work with USB 2.0 accessories connected to their machines through hubs or adapters.

Problems included lost connections, freezes, and a failure to work entirely, and those affected were unable to find any kind of fix with methods like SMC resets, safe mode, Disk Utility repairs, and more. The only suitable fix was using a more expensive Thunderbolt 3 hub instead of a USB-C hub.

Though Apple's release notes mention mice and trackpads, the problem affected all kinds of devices, including keyboards and other accessories, though it appeared to be limited to USB 2.0 devices rather than USB 3.0 or 3.1 accessories.

There have been numerous reports from those who were experiencing the issue that confirm macOS 10.15.6 addresses the issue for all kinds of accessories. The fix doesn't appear to have been implemented in macOS Big Sur, however, so some users may still run into USB issues on the newest update until Apple adds the fix to Big Sur as well.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

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Top Rated Comments

totom_ Avatar
65 months ago

How long did it take to fix this issue. Although I must admit USB 2.0 should be rare these days
Mouses, keyboards, printers,... Literally anything not storage related uses USB 2.0. Even most USB C charging cables are USB 2...
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobtem Avatar
65 months ago
Nice to know that it “successfully fixes” because, you know, we wouldn’t want it to unsuccessfully fix it.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theorist9 Avatar
65 months ago
Which is why (unless you're having serious issues with the current OS, and can't deprecate to an earlier one*), the most hassle-free update path has become to go from x.6 to (x+1).6, rather than x.0 to (x+1).0.

I.e., update to a new OS in the summer, when the last version of the current OS is released, rather than in the fall, when the first version of the next OS is released.

*Relatedly, the one exception might be when the next OS is a "stability" release (e.g., Snow Leopard and High Sierra). These tend to be the best ones.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
65 months ago

It took COVID for this engineers to put their heads down and actually fix the problem. Maybe they should just sell the space ship and let everybody work from home.
Not sure one thing is connected to another.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chucker23n1 Avatar
65 months ago
Does it fix the PowerNap-related kernel panics? Or Mail losing messages when you move them between folders?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
65 months ago

This is one reason I won't be buying ARM-based Macs right out of the gate... New hardware revisions on the existing platform end up having little glitches like this... Imagine an entirely new platform.
Coward! :)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)