USB hubs, printers, Java, and more seemingly broken by macOS 14.4 update
A few weeks in the past, Apple launched macOS Sonoma 14.4 with the same old listing of bug fixes, safety patches, and a few minor new options. Since then, customers and corporations have been complaining of an extended listing of incompatibilities, principally regarding damaged exterior equipment like USB hubs and printers but additionally extending to software program like Java.
MacRumors has a very good rundown of the listing of points, which has been steadily getting longer as folks have run into extra issues. It began with studies of malfunctioning USB hubs, sourced from customers on Reddit, the Apple Help Communities boards, and elsewhere—USB hubs constructed into numerous shows stopped functioning for Mac customers after the 14.4 replace.
Different points surfaced within the days after folks began reporting issues with their USB hubs, together with some cases of damaged printer drivers, sudden app crashes for some Java customers, and issues launching apps that depend on the PACE anti-piracy software program (and iLok {hardware} dongles) to authenticate.
A minimum of a number of the issues appear localized to Apple Silicon Macs. The truth is, iLok recommends working digital audio software program in Rosetta mode as a short lived stopgap whereas Apple works on a repair. Based on iLok, Apple has acknowledged this explicit bug and is engaged on an replace, however “[has] not indicated a timeline.”
The USB hub problem could also be associated to the USB safety prompts that Apple launched in macOS 13 Ventura, asking customers to verify whether or not they wished to connect with USB-C equipment that they have been connecting to their Mac for the primary time. Some customers have been in a position to get their USB hubs working once more after the 14.4 replace by making macOS request permission to connect with the accent each time the accent is plugged in; the default conduct is meant to acknowledge USB units that you’ve got already related to as soon as.
Scanning Apple’s launch notes or safety replace disclosures for the replace would not reveal any smoking weapons, however most of the safety bugs have been addressed with “improved checks” and “improved entry permissions,” and it is actually potential that some reliable equipment and software program have been damaged by a number of of those adjustments. The Oracle weblog put up concerning the Java issues refers to reminiscence entry points that appear to be inflicting the crashes, although that will or might not clarify the issues persons are having with exterior equipment. The weblog put up additionally signifies that these bugs weren’t current within the public developer betas of macOS 14.4.
My desktop M2 Mac Studio setup, which is related to a 4K Gigabyte M28U with a built-in USB hub, hasn’t exhibited any uncommon conduct because the replace, so it is also potential that these points aren’t affecting each consumer of each Mac. If you have not up to date but, it could be value ready till Apple releases fixes for some or all of those points, even for those who do not suppose you will be affected.