Considering the new M1 Mac computers are debuting a revolutionary new architecture, the rollout has been surprisingly free of teething problems.
However, some early adopters of the new Apple Silicon-powered MacBooks are currently experiencing a strange screensaver bug that just won’t go away. The issue has been reported on each of the new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini models released in late 2020.
Many users on the MacRumors forums, Apple support forums and Reddit say the screensaver lingers on the display – when usually a quick flick of the trackpad will reawaken the screen.
The Fast User Switching bug, as its referred to by MacRumors, can be resolved by closing the lid and reopening, using tapping the power/Touch ID button, or the Alt-Command-Q key combo to return to the login page.
You can see the issue in the video below (via The Verge)
Even though the mouse pointer is accessible and moves around the display, it simply sits atop the screensaver rather than serving to dismiss it. Weirdly, the issue is even affecting some users who don’t even have a screensaver active.
One solution is to completely disable the Fast User Switching feature completely, but that has the disadvantage of disabling a useful feature on machines with multiple users.
Forum user drmacnnut writes: “Brand new Mac mini M1, 2nd day using it, Big Sur macOS 11.1 (20C69) with screensaver and screen sleep set to 20 mins. I was actively editing some Calendar entries when all of a sudden the same exact thing happened (screensaver on, user locked out). I ended up using Remote Access from my MBP to get in and log out the user on the Mini. The Mac mini then jumped to the login screen and it’s working fine again now. Very weird.”
Have you noticed the issue with your new M1 MacBook? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
