M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro Owners Complain of Crashes Playing HDR YouTube Videos
Some 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro owners have been experiencing kernel crashes when watching HDR YouTube videos, according to a number of complaints on the MacRumors forums.
As explained by MacRumors reader Cababah, watching an HDR YouTube video in Safari and then scrolling through the comments results in a kernel error on macOS Monterey 12.0.1. Watching YouTube in full screen and then and exiting full screen mode can also cause the error, and it may be primarily affecting 16GB machines, though 32GB/64GB models can also be affected.
Other MacRumors readers were able to replicate the error, which appears to happen after watching a few YouTube videos. From MacRumors reader spiritedaway:
Been happening to me as well, YouTube 4K HDR video on Safari. After closing full screen playback the Mac completely shuts down and reboots. M1 Pro 16". I can pretty much get it to do it every single time
From MacRumors reader Sam.b1:
I'm getting the same error under the same conditions, 4k HDR YouTube playback on Safari/Chrome. At first I thought it could have been some Chrome bug but then it crashed in Safari too. I'm running Monterey 12.0.1, 16 inch M1 Max with 32GB RAM. I haven't tried the workarounds yet. I'm thinking I should just exchange it, not sure.
Some MacBook Pro owners speculate that it's an issue with AV1 decoding, but it is not yet clear what the specific problem is or if it's something that can be fixed in a software update. Not all MacBook Pro owners are seeing this issue, but we were able to replicate it in our own testing.
The macOS Monterey 12.1 beta may fix the problem as some users are reporting improved performance after updating. If you're experiencing the same issue with YouTube, let us know in the comments.
Popular Stories
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
