Apple recently released the macOS Sonoma 14.4 software update to the public after weeks of beta testing. The update doesn't bring with it any huge new features beyond some additional emojis and support for transcriptions in the Podcasts app, but it's always worth installing the latest updates to ensure you have the latest bug fixes and security improvements. But unfortunately, sometimes those updates can cause an issue or two and leave you in a worse position for it.
That seems to be the case with macOS Sonoma 14.4 with some people reporting new issues related to the devices and accessories that are connected to their Macs. Specifically, people say that their input peripherals and monitors no longer function as expected after updating to the latest version of Apple's Mac operating system.
The issue isn't affecting everyone, but reports are starting to rack up across all manner of social media. There is no pattern to the hubs that are being used, nor do they all happen to be USB-C or Thunderbolt specifically — there's a mix across both. The same can be said for the accessories as well, with no suggestion that a particular brand of monitor is proving more problematic than others. But one thing we do know — these accessories were all working before the Macs were updated to macOS Sonoma 14.4.
Problems galore
The issues were first spotted by MacRumors after it was noted that people across social media, including X and Reddit, were all reporting similar problems. The report also notes that the website's own forums also have people complaining of the same issue, with one noting that macOS 14.4 broke their ability to use an external monitor.
"14.4 definitely breaks USB hub monitor functionality," user mjodotcom warned. "Things worked without a hitch until my work MBP upgraded to 14.4 and now no devices are detected. On my personal MBP that is still on 14.3 everything is detected without issue. Clearly an OS related problem."
Others took to Apple's own community support forums to say much the same thing.
"I have the same issue with my MacBook Pro M2 Max 64GB RAM and monitor Dell U3219Q; none of the USB peripherals connected to the Monitor's USB hub work," explained one user. "On the contrary, all peripherals work fine when I attach a Windows computer to the Dell Monitor. In addition, I check every USB peripheral by attaching them directly to the Mac, and of course, they are working." They went on to say that they "rebooted the Mac and detached the power plug from the Monitor, trying any configurations or sequences of rebooting as possible. Nothing is working since the update to Sonoma 14.4."
Currently, there doesn't appear to be an official fix for the issue. Some have suggested that opening the System Settings app, choosing the Privacy & Security section, and then changing the 'Allow accessories to connect' option to 'Ask for New Accessories" is enough to improve matters. That doesn't seem to be working for everyone, however.
For now, those who are impacted by this bug can only either connect their accessories to their Mac directly or cross their fingers and hope that Apple issues a fix. Unfortunately, connecting things like HDMI monitors to some Macs isn't possible due to the lack of an HDMI port, one of the many reasons that people have turned to USB-C and Thunderbolt docks so much in recent years.
