2020 MacBook Pro, MacBook Air Owners Complain About USB 2.0 Accessories Issues

Several 2020 MacBook Pro and 2020 MacBook Air owners have complained about issues that occur whenever they use a USB 2.0 accessory on the new devices.

Multiple reports of issues plaguing Apple's newest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have appeared online in various forums, including Apple's Support Communities, Reddit, and the MacRumors forums. These complaints center on one common problem: the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air not working with USB 2.0 devices.

The complaints all say the same thing. Here's a quick rundown on what the posts reveal about the issue:

• It affects USB 2.0 devices

Several users indicated that when they connect USB 2.0 accessories or devices such as a keyboard or a mouse to a hub connected to the 2020 MacBook Pro and 2020 MacBook Air, the accessories suddenly malfunction and stop working after a while.

• The issues occur at any time

The said USB 2.0 accessories suddenly freeze or stop working after an undetermined period of time. The netizens said it can happen within minutes of connecting the USB 2.0 device to the hub. It can also happen hours after the said accessories have been plugged in. Users cannot predict when the issue will happen.

• Common troubleshooting won't work

Some netizens said they tried to fix the issue in many different ways, but none of their methods worked. One particular user said resetting NVRAM and SMC didn't work, and starting the device in Safe Mode doesn't fix it. The user added that the issue persisted even after running a Diagnostic check that came back clean.

The USB 2.0 accessories remain unusable even after unplugging then replugging

One netizen said removing the accessories when they freeze doesn't solve the issue. The accessories will still remain unusable after plugged in. And although rebooting the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air seems to fix the issue, it will occur again once the USB 2.0 devices are plugged back in.

What's the problem?

An engineer who posted on Reddit provided a good hypothesis as to why the problem exists, and also shared a potential solution – at least until Apple fixes the problem in a future update.

The engineer said, “Apple has a USB 2.0 issue with either the chipset they are using or a Catalina bug regarding the handling and refreshing of USB 2.0 devices.” The Redditor then explained that a workaround exists in the form of using a USB hub that is “terminating proxies.”

Hubs serving as transparent proxies present USB 2.0 devices as USB 2.0 devices to the MacBooks. The issues normally happen when USB 2.0 devices are connected to such hubs. Terminating proxy hubs, like the $250 CalDigit TS3+, terminate the USB 2.0 input, then present USB 2.0 devices as USB 3.0 devices to the MacBooks. The problems do not occur when these kinds of hubs are used.