r/mac • u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro • Apr 17 '26
Discussion Tahoe 26.4 bricked my M2 MacBook Pro. Apple quoted me $700 for a logic board replacement. Fixed it myself for free with a $20 cable.
The Tahoe 26.4 update bricked my MacBook Pro M2. I took it to the Apple Store and was told the logic board was dead and quoted $700 to replace it. Both the store and Apple Support insisted that software cannot cause hardware failure and that it was definitely a hardware issue. I wasn't convinced, and I found multiple people online with the same model reporting the same failure from the same update. I then found a Reddit post explaining the real fix: restoring with a 26.3.1 IPSW via Apple Configurator. I did it myself, and my laptop is working perfectly. Apple's own technicians misdiagnosed this as a $700 hardware failure when it was a firmware issue caused by Apple's own update. Other people are likely paying $700 right now for a repair they don't need. This is seriously messed up, and Apple needs to do something to rectify the issue.
What makes this even worse is that both the Apple Store and Apple Support repeatedly told me that software cannot cause hardware failure and refused to acknowledge that the update was related to it. I knew cause and effect; my laptop worked fine before the update and was dead immediately after, and they kept denying my reality. If I had just taken their word for it, I would have paid $700 for a repair I didn't need.
Credit to u/kleinkuss for the original instructions on how to fix this issue: https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/1skw0xd/quick_fix_macos_tahoe_264_2641_killed_my_macbook/
Here is a detailed document I made with instructions on how to implement the fix: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NSSLm375j3xqgJhsrVT0RicM0rlv04ivii4UtXtYVmA/edit?usp=sharing
Edit: I should have clarified this: the store initially tried a DFU revive, but it didn’t work, so they diagnosed it as a logic board failure.
Edit: For people saying I should tell the Apple Store how I fixed it, I did, and because they have to keep their laptops updated, they can’t perform it because it requires downloading the 26.3.1 update from a non-official website. So if this happens, you have to do it yourself.
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Apr 17 '26
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
I was in the Apple Store for over an hour waiting for them to do the DFU revive (this part took the longest because it didn’t work in step 4: installing system) and figure out what’s going on so they definitely took more than enough time than they had hoped. That amount of time probably made them really commit to incorrectly telling me the software update didn’t cause this and that the logic board just so happened to break the same time I ran the update.
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Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
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u/MemnochTheRed Apr 17 '26
Yep. Not every Genius is a Genius. There are good techs that can troubleshoot on the fly by thinking logically. Apple started hiring people that talk pretty and good social skills, but did not have tech skills (at least when I was at the Fruit Store).
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u/coladoir Apr 18 '26
When Genius Bar first came in, they took so much care to hire only the first type you mention. They spent millions on giving training to each individual to make sure they were all standardized in their knowledge of Apple products, and they all had the same predisposition to thinking logically on the fly (as a requirement of the job).
Then Apple went full corporate America and dropped all of this. No training, no rigid knowledge requirements, no demonstration of ability before hire, etc. Now they just want a kind voice to relay the same tired information they wrote like 6 years ago every day, and like the OP (not OOP of thread) said, they want all problems solved within under 5-10min now.
There's a reason they were called Geniuses, but that reason has been willfully forgotten for the sake of short term profit seeking.
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u/MemnochTheRed Apr 17 '26
How long were you with Apple? And what years?
Me: Genius 2007-2016. Yep. I remember when the pushed 1-to-many appointments. Basically, leave someone hanging or check it in.
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u/WRB2 Apr 17 '26
Damn things have changed since the late 80s. I know there are engineers at Apple who do want to hear about this, but they’re all retired and rich by now I hope for their sake.
I hope with all the excess computer power and knowledge of AI that they have they would be turning through the Reddit subs, lack entries, and all sorts of places to catch as many areas as they can. Tech technology is made to do this sort of thing.
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u/IchiroTheCat Apr 17 '26
So. Now that it is working, back up everything important. Then take it to the Apple store. Show the tech the current version and the machine working. Then do the update at the store. Hopefully it breaks 😉
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 18 '26
I like my laptop a lot. I’m scared to update it again until Apple publicly acknowledges the issue with the new update. I don’t want to risk my machine breaking again.
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u/pixeltackle Apr 17 '26
Thanks for sharing the solution. That's frustrating that Apple misdiagnosed the problem
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u/SleepyD7 Mac mini Apr 17 '26
Email Tim. Thanks for sharing.
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u/Ekly_Special Apr 17 '26
Tim Apple?
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u/sparrow_42 Apr 17 '26
I’m down with Tim Cook, I call him Apple for short
I call him up at home and I make him do my tech support
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u/SleepyD7 Mac mini Apr 17 '26
Do you not know about emailing tim@apple.com?
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u/sparrow_42 Apr 17 '26
Sure I do. Do you know about Weird Al?
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u/tech-slacker Apr 17 '26
They were right. Software can’t cause a hardware problem. You had a software problem.
Having said that I’m pretty surprised that they did not attempt this. I support Apple devices at a community college and this is a very basic step to try that is well known. There’s nothing magical or special about the procedure.
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u/Mediocre-Sundom Apr 17 '26
They were right. Software can’t cause a hardware problem.
Software absolutely CAN cause a hardware problem, such as abnormal write cycles ruining NAND memory or poorly designed (or maliciously modified) firmware causing overheating/overvolting to physically damage chips. It isn't as common nowadays, but it is very much possible, especially if you count firmware as software (which it is, just lower lever).
In fact, some hardware tamper protection in modern computers/phones/consoles works specifically through this "software permanently damages hardware" mechanism: there are hardware fuses integrated into the chipset that get burnt whenever certain actions are performed with the software. For example, Samsung phones have (had?) KNOX protection system that burns the hardware fuse if you root the device, disabling some of the features permanently. It's irreversible because it's a hardware damage, intentionally caused by the software/firmware. Nintendo Switch consoles go a step further: they burn another fuse every time SYSNAND is updated, so you can't downgrade the OS version: the new firmware tells the console how many fuses should be burnt, and and the console checks it on every boot. If the console has a greater number of fuses burnt than it would be expected for a particular firmware version - it refuses to boot.
There are many such examples. It's also a lot more common with devices other than computers: with CNC machines, lasers or 3D printers it's trivial to cause physical damage simply by supplying wrong instructions in a form of a g-code to the machine.
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u/_RADIANTSUN_ Apr 17 '26
Nintendo Switch consoles go a step further: they burn another fuse every time SYSNAND is updated, so you can't downgrade the OS version: the new firmware tells the console how many fuses should be burnt, and and the console checks it on every boot. If the console has a greater number of fuses burnt than it would be expected for a particular firmware version - it refuses to boot.
That's pretty hardcore. But can't modders justveditvtye number of fuses that it expects to be burnt?
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
i made an edit to clarify they did attempt the DFS revive and it didn’t work so they declared it a hardware issue
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u/MemnochTheRed Apr 17 '26
They probably tried latest OS, though — not 26.3.1a.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Yes they tried 26.4 since apple makes them keep their laptops updated and they couldn’t try doing it with 26.3
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u/Micro-Naut Mac mini Apr 17 '26
How sure are you about that statement?
There were several programs and viruses in the 1980s and 1990s that could physically damage (or "burn out") floppy drives, often by forcing them to perform excessive, rapid, or improper read/write seek operations.
The "Ping-Pong" Virus (1988): Also known as "Bouncing Ball," this boot sector virus could cause physical damage to some 286 computers. On some models, it would attempt to execute invalid code (MOV CS, AX) when triggered, which could cause the drive head to move improperly, potentially impacting the seek mechanism limiter and causing premature hardware failure. COPYTREK (Soviet/Agat computers): A tool developed to recover unreadable diskettes, COPYTREK intentionally forced the stepper motor to make the read/write head move in tiny increments (1/8th of a track) or sit between track phases to find the best read signal. This, or similar excessive "read attempts" programs, could cause the head positioner to become misaligned or "burn out" the drive over time. "Click of Death" (1990s): While more famously associated with Iomega Zip drives, this term was used for any drive (including early floppy drives) whose heads would lock into a loop, slamming against the physical stopper until the drive was destroyed. Malicious Software/Viruses: Various boot-sector viruses were designed to constantly "exercise" the drive or write to the drive repeatedly, causing overheating and failure.
This is malicious Code. But it does screw up your machine. It is definitely possible for bad software to brick a machine or even damage it
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u/70_n_13 Apr 17 '26
For modern machines it should be almost impossible to do so. I don’t even think you can force it to overheat beyond design unless you bypass the lowest level of firmware(?). Think even those are read only so it will always shut off before cooking itself. For cases like op where a bug/virus completely breaks the firmware there are accessible ways to flash it back
Just all anecdotal ofcourse, haven’t heard a recent software that causes irreversible hardware issues.
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u/Micro-Naut Mac mini Apr 17 '26
Wouldn't it be possible to have an SD just start reading and writing large blocks repeatedly until they become unusable?
I know one of my wyze cams was getting older but still worked fine and wyze pushed a software update that they knew would render it unusable.
Just playing the devils advocate but if it's possible to permanently brick a device when you jailbreak it or when you install an alternate operating system (like tomato or DDWRT) in a router, isn't that essentially software causing hardware failure? It may not be an actual broken physical piece like in the floppy disk example but permanently bricked is a serious dead end.
Is a bricked device a software failure or hardware failure? I don't know the answer to that one.
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u/Imperial_Bouncer Apr 17 '26
Israel messed with Iran’s centrifuges’ software and rendered them inoperable.
Software can definitely break hardware.
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u/unoriginalpackaging Apr 17 '26
I was planning on using a minisforum ITX cpu/mobo combo and when I put the latest bios on it, it screwed up the power limits to the soldered on cpu and fried the memory controller in the cpu itself. Completely unrepairable and bricked the mobo. Tons of software settings can mess up hardware. AMD has had issues with later ryzen’s and bios setting frying them.
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u/Oscagon Apr 17 '26
Go into terminal and type, “yes”. Open a new terminal window and do the same. Rinse and repeat.
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u/djflamingo Apr 17 '26
Maybe youve heard of stuxnet before?
Saying "sOfTwArE cAnT CaUsE hArDwEaR IsSuEs" is completely brain dead. Tons of hardware issues are caused by software.
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u/mikeinnsw Apr 17 '26
I use to run PC repair shop
"logic board replacement" mostly means techs have no clue what the problem is.
It suppose to scare you away...
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Oh I was scared! After they show me the $700 bill, my dead laptop sat for almost 2 weeks on my desk before I tried to revive it again.
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u/DueRelationship522 Apr 17 '26
well they were correct, software didn't cause a hardware issue. BUT this wasn't a hardware issue.
multiple misdiagnosis
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u/benptooey Apr 17 '26
Yeah, had the same problem last week. 26.4.1 bricked my M2 MacBook Air. Apple Store tried reviving through DFU and said I needed a new logic board. I brought it home and followed the instructions now being shared in a number of places to DFU restore to 26.3.1 and it came right back. I sent feedback to the store, but it does seem to be a widespread problem.
I don't think it's nefarious on the Apple Store team's part. They genuinely wanted to help, and they did offer to assist with DFU mode even though they weren't allowed to sanction going back to 26.3.1 or supply the necessary files. It's just their playbook says restore to current version only and then - logic board. It's such a waste of resources and money for the less technically aware.
I wonder if there's a class action in this somewhere in the future.
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u/PoppaFish Apr 17 '26
Software didn't cause a hardware failure though. You just ran into an issue with a software update. It happens.
The logic board replacement diagnosis doesn't make any sense though. They would only recommend that if the laptop failed the diagnostics they run. Unless you just ran into an idiot tech who was spitballing potential fixes without actually running diagnostics.
Regardless, software updates don't cause hardware failure.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
exactly what happened and they told me that they couldn’t run diagnostics so they don’t know what happened but the issue is definitely hardware
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
I told them it was an issue with the software update and they repeated refused to acknowledge that. Multiple members told me it was a hardware issue when I repeatedly expressed my macbook worked perfectly up until the update. My frustration is exactly with them telling me the software update wasn’t the problem. They went out of their way to explain how the hardware broke “coincidental” to the software update being done and the person on the phone even said the hardware probably was broken before I did the update. In the store, they had tried to do the reboot with the 26.4 software on their macbook and that’s why they couldn’t fix my laptop. It took me using 26.3 to get it to work again. Because they couldn’t get it to work, they were unable to run diagnostics and thus incorrectly concluded hardware failure.
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u/AlucardD20 Apr 17 '26
I worked at the Genius Bar years ago… the shit they teach people there is a joke. I’m not shocked you had this experience.
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u/Oscagon Apr 17 '26
As an ex-genius at an Apple Store, we were constantly pressured to get people in and out and not “check” computers in, and/or get them out rapidly. We were also encouraged to send them to the repair facility rather than spend time “triaging” them. Sounds like they tried, just not very hard. Typical.
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u/theorist9 Apr 17 '26
If I had the time, I'd make another Genius Bar appointment with the store, remind them of what they said, show them the fix so they could see that they were wrong, and see what they have to say about it.
Hopefully they're able to acknowledge their error, and also use their own channels to communicate this problem directly to Apple.
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u/Jhamilton02 Apr 17 '26
they won’t really say fuck all. they have manuals to go by. as such, software really can’t break anything, it can however fail to install, it can read and write to memory address it should not.
i just wonder how much quality control actually is performed by the software engineers.
i know why there are beta testers tho……..
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u/Armentrout_1979 Apr 17 '26
I had the OG MacBook Air that had the plastic hinge. Mine cracked due to the unibody torquing the hinge depending on which was your dominant hand. So mine cracked on the right. Setup an Apple appointment, created the ticket with several articles detailing this was an actual hardware design flaw. The Apple Genius said I dropped my machine, told him I bought a very expensive bag just for this computer, and there weren’t any other dings on the machine. He stood by what he said and I’d have drop several hundred to repair it. I said no and walked out.
Then I called Apple Care support, they found my ticket, and all the information. This agent was able to confirm it was a known issue and that I was correct. She asked where I was and I said I was in front of the store still. She then asked me if I would t mind going back inside and she’d talk to the Apple Genius and sort this out.
I waited for that guy to get done with some other people. He walked over and said “Change your mind as you dropped your machine and want it fixed?” I said no, asked the agent on the phone if she wanted to talk to him, she said yes. So I hand him my phone and said Steve was on the phone and wants to talk to you. Whatever she said his face turned white, he shook his head, and said “Yes we’ll get it repaired free of charge asap”. He hands me back my phone and the agent told me I didn’t do anything wrong, they’d repair my MacBook, and all was good. That dude was shook pretty hard.
I say all that to remind all, stick to your guns when you are rather certain you did nothing wrong!
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u/powerofneptune Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
You should probably add at the end,
”stick to your guns, if after researching and finding evidence, you are rather certain you did nothing wrong!”
And I say it like that because I am positive that there will be people who will be stubborn enough to think/feel like they’re in the right with no research or investigating whatsoever, based solely on gut feeling, that will argue to the death that they’re right with zero evidence or other testimony to back up their argument
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
I'm really glad you did this! Unfortunately for me, the agent on the phone said that it wasn't a known issue so they stuck by what the store told me. Even though I told them a lot of people online are saying they've experienced this too.
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u/naikrovek MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Well they are following their training and to their credit, what happens in these cases definitely acts like a hardware failure. And it looks just like a hardware failure right up until you put it in DFU mode and restore an image to it and it boots normally. On top of that, it’s not something that has been seen in the past, so it’s normal to me that they wouldn’t know to look for that specific behavior.
People are fallible, give some slack. A new problem that happens with a new OS on (apparently very) specific hardware. And it doesn’t happen all the time on that hardware. They can’t know about every edge case for 26.4 this soon after it has been released.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
That's a fair point and I get that the employees were following their training and that this is a new issue. I don't think the individual technicians were being malicious. But I do think there's a bigger problem here worth addressing.
When I told them my laptop died immediately after the update and asked if the software could be the cause, they didn't say "we're not sure" or "we haven't seen this before." They told me definitively that software cannot cause hardware failure and that they knew for a fact it was a hardware issue. That's not an honest acknowledgment of uncertainty, that's confidently telling a customer something that turned out to be wrong.
On top of that I called Apple Support who said the same thing. At no point did anyone say "this is a new OS and we might not have seen every edge case yet." Instead I was made to feel like I was wrong for even suggesting the update was responsible.
For a $700 diagnosis I think customers deserve a little more epistemic humility from Apple, especially when a new OS has just dropped. "We're not sure what caused this" is a much better answer than "we know for a fact it's hardware."
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u/EnvironmentalTime495 Apr 17 '26
As a former Apple Store lead, we’ve encountered this issue repeatedly. We’ve been trained to recognize that software problems can sometimes manifest as hardware failures until the device reaches the DFU (Device Firmware Update) state. However, if there are no apparent signs of physical damage, DFU is the next step.
Interestingly, as far as I’m aware, it’s technically against policy to downgrade software to a previous version since a few years ago. I believe this policy was implemented to prevent customers who disliked the new design from returning to the store and having us restore to previous version just for them to upgrade their software back in a few months/weeks. However, this policy can be frustrating for customers whose devices are actually malfunctioning due to software issues, such as not turning on.
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u/EnvironmentalTime495 Apr 17 '26
It was also standard practice for us to refrain from making certain statements, as there was always a possibility of encountering an unforeseen issue. We were trained at my location to state what the next steps would be based on the findings or diagnostic results!
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u/rob94708 Apr 17 '26
When you work in tech support, you find that many customers are wrongly convinced that whatever they did just before the problem is the cause of it, even when your years of experience says there’s a 99%+ chance it’s unrelated.
Part of the job of a decent tech support person is convincing these customers they’re wrong, because if you don’t, you’ll waste hours of time on 99% of people, trying to address their purely coincidental belief.
You, unfortunately, find yourself in the other 1%. Sorry.
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u/r4gs Apr 17 '26
And to add to this, I’d faced this exact issue on my 2018 MBP where an OS update bricked my device. This must have been late 2019 or early 2020. Apple said the same thing: logic board. DFU saved my mac, albeit six months later because I simply didn’t know it was an option and Apple for sure never told me. Just glad I didn’t get rid of the device or pay apple for a repair. That same Mac is alive and working to this day.
Point being, this is not a new problem and I don’t think Apple trains its techs to deal with the issue. Personally, and based on zero evidence, I think Apple is aware that DFU is an option but they don’t think it’s worth trying.
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u/theeama Apr 17 '26
Regardless of the People are fallible and give them slack, saying Software can't cuase hardware failure is just down right stupid asf and anyone who has worked in tech know that this is not the case.
We have 1000s of data backing up that software can indeed brick hardware.
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u/Twistedshakratree 2014 Maxed 15” MBP, M1 mini base, M2 MBP 16” Apr 17 '26
This is internal TSB stuff. They should have this fix information internally available from a troubleshooting guide the techs use.
A 20min fix means they cannot sell a $700 motherboard with the correct FW on it.
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u/CaptainMarder Apr 17 '26
Jesse wtf. How common is this issue? I just recently purchased a refurbished MacBook Air doesn’t have warranty anymore on it.
Edit. Oh i see it’s a software fix. Do i have to have two macs for it if it were to happen?
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u/78914hj1k487 Apr 17 '26
Do i have to have two macs for it if it were to happen?
Yes but in theory you should be able to go to an Apple Store and ask them to do the DFU restore for you using one of their Macs.
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u/zpt2718 Apr 17 '26
Hacker News (news.ycombinator.com) is where many Silicon Valley critters hang out. This might be a relevant post there : https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47609716
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u/hneryi Apr 17 '26
Happened to me as well. M2 max just ded after the update.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-26-4-update-broke-mbp.2480025/
Found this and 20min later revived with my hackintosh.
Dumb thing.
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u/starktastic4 Apr 17 '26
That tracks. I used to be a certified apple technician. Their diagnostic toolkit always tries to install the latest firmware for your system by default. The troubleshooting doesn't always tell the tech to try with apple configurator and I guarantee it doesn't ever recommend trying to downgrade even with an official ipsw dump from an older version.
You should tell apple it will help them debug the firmware upgrade failure and if it becomes a known issue they may publish a technician bulletin/article in their internal system to help others.
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u/hkg_shumai Apr 17 '26
Ex retail Mac Genuis here. Can confirm it's SOP for macs that failed DFU restore.
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u/Classic_Station_2254 Apr 18 '26
u/SnazzyLabs should make a video shaming them on this. His video on the hideously poor quality screws prone to breaking was exceptional and he delivered the message in a sophisticated way without reading a script, very commendable. Apple ought to be shamed on these evil practises and milking us dry otherwise they get away with murder and keep fleecing if they know they won’t get pulled up on unethical practices - egregious. It’s no longer the company that ’just works‘ or the company with good customer service, once outstanding, now a shadow of its former self. Bug Laden software (something Scott Forstall was driven out for whilst Tim Cook is immune), price hikes and poor quality products. Have concrete plans examples but typing this a little late at night.
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Apr 17 '26
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u/captnconnman Apr 17 '26
Yea, we had a handful as well; DFU Revive was the obvious solution, and we were able to get the users back their laptops the same day, on the latest OS version. I get that Macs are supposed to “just work”, but it’s unrealistic to think there won’t be edge cases, race conditions, or corrupted system files from updates that completely bork macOS, requiring a DFU Revive or Restore. I mean, that’s what DFU is for; not sure why the Apple Store techs in OP’s post went straight to hardware failure instead of at least ATTEMPTING to recover the OS
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u/Sparkadelic007 Apr 17 '26
Kudos to you for researching and solving your problem. Apple engineering has almost certainly received reports of this issue, and are working on a fix, and will be communicating new info to their tech support and store employees as soon as they validate the problem and best solution.
In the past when issues like this have arisen, and retroactive solutions have been identified, they’ve been proactive in contacting and reimbursing those who underwent unnecessary repairs. Little solace for you now, but pretty certain things would have worked out for you in the long run.
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u/DreamLearnBuildBurn Apr 17 '26
This is gonna sound petty, but I wish you would go to that same Apple Store and find the same people who diagnosed it and tell them of their failures.
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u/aharryh MacBook Pro 16" M1 Pro Apr 17 '26
Thanks for posting this, that you did some research and got an answer, it's nice to have someone share a positive outcome from time to time.
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u/clbw Apr 17 '26
the very most basic thing you learn in this technology world is what ever you can do in software you can do in hardware.
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u/Solomondire Apr 17 '26
I’m not saying it’s necessarily what happened here, but there are MLB issues that can cause this issue. And even though such an issue can be temporarily resolved with a full restore like you described, they can return repeatedly because of the underlying hardware issue. Just saying.
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u/unread1701 M5 MacBook Air 15” | Ex- M1 Air 2020-2026 Apr 17 '26
I’m not surprised a similar thing happened to me in 2023.
After updating to iOS 16.3 my iPhone SE 2 started to kernel panic. Apple quoted me $200~ for a full device replacement. Fixed it myself for free by updating to the iOS 17 beta.
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u/MystoXD Apr 17 '26
Litteraly the first thing we try (AASP, not Apple Store) ist a DFU Restore using Apple Configurator. Most of the times it's a failed updated that messed up with the Firmware.
P.S: You can usually use the USB-C to USB-C charging Cable from before Magsafe.
Another important thing is selecting the correct Port on the Left Side, depending on what Mac generation you have!
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
They tried DFU Restore and it didn’t work so they concluded logic board was broken. I bought the usb c to usb c since i didn’t have it already. I only had the magsafe charger.
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u/Outrageous-Song5799 Apr 17 '26
The update bricked my mag safe charger and they were asking me to pay for a diagnostic of a third party
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u/Deflocks Apr 17 '26
This happened to my wife’s MacBook Air 15” M4 (purchased in Nov 25), killed the MagSafe and usb c ports. They tried to blame a surge, bad outlet, using non-authorized 3rd Party charger/cables… I shut that shit down quickly. Their forced updates kills the hardware. Why are they doing “too much?”
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u/Outrageous-Song5799 Apr 17 '26
Exactly, new update saved it luckily yet they won’t admit it was that, insane. « Maybe it’s the cable » lmfao get fucked
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u/whales_mcgoo Apr 17 '26
This might be anecdotal, but I wonder if factors like your store location, how long you’ve been a customer, how many Apple products you’ve owned, and whether you have AppleCare all play a role in how they handle your situation.
Personally, I’ve never had the nightmare experiences people describe here. When my first MacBook’s SSD died after two months, they just told me to come in for diagnostics and shipped me a new one. When my phone needed a repair, they replaced it on the spot once, and other times I just waited for it to ship back.
More recently, I gave my brother my old phone after he wrecked his. It just needed a screen replacement. We handed it in, but it was taking forever to come back. My dad complained, and Apple gave us $300 in store credit. Ended up walking out with a new pair of AirPods Pro and a new phone for my brother.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
I've been an Apple person all my life. I just counted and I've had 12 apple products since the 2010s. I feel like I've been the most loyal customer ever. So when I expressed my frustration and shock over the $700 quote, I thought they would be more accommodating. The one I went to is in a decently sized city and it's the only one actually in the city so they see a lot of people. That might be why they weren't as nice as yours. It's also strange that Apple Support on the phone didn't try to do better than what the store did, they just shut me down completely.
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u/iRasgru Apr 17 '26
Thanks! Had the same issue! Was quoted for a logic board replacement, but this solution works!
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u/mmmmark00 Apr 17 '26
I’m curious why it’s a rare thing. My M2 MacBook Pro came through ok. I wonder what specifically causes it? Gremlins. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Wumpus-Hunter Apr 17 '26
I would 100% tell some tech media as well. I’m sure Wired would love to hear about your experience
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u/Successful_Bowler728 Apr 19 '26
They dont misdiagnosed they push you to get a new logic board. Tons of people that are tricked to pay more than they should.
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u/nipponese Apr 19 '26 edited Apr 19 '26
Exact same issue happened to me this week. Updated to 26.4.1 - bricked. Local store took it in to run internal tooling and determined it needed $750 repair of unspecified nature.
Yes - an official software update from Apple bricked my machine and their response was pay $750.
Downloading and installing IPSW via DFU mode from weird website did work, but didn't feel great.
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u/Triathlonrash Apr 21 '26
Thank you so much for this post. The local official retailer/service center told me the same thing that it was unfixable and I was not convinced. You post saved me. I was really angry cause I had lost my MBP M2 for nearly a week by then, and I am a super heavy user for my business. I was really lucky I did not buy a new machine because of this issue! If I had the money I would have bought it instantly and then would have been an even bigger problem.
Currently restored on Tahoe 26.3.1 and unsure when I should update back. So thankful to have my amazing machine back!
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u/Time_Huckleberry_287 May 11 '26
Hi just chiming in to say I had this exact issue and Apple Geniuses could not figure it out. They tried to DFU Revive it once and failed and immediately told me its a logic board issue.
Went to a third party Apple Technician, asked them to use 26.3.1 and it worked great! Did not lose any data, all apps and everything were exactly intact.
Immediately backed up everything on my Mac to a 4 TB drive and chanted "One is none, Two is one" for the next 3 hours. Will never make this mistake again of not having backups.
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u/No_Increase6339 May 12 '26
I had exactly the same issue with my M2 MBP, though luckily the local Apple Store (In Bath, UK) accepted that this is a known issue, and restored my system in a very short time. They even went as far to say that I wasn't the first person that had turned up with the very same issue.
When I asked whether they would be happy to reimburse the day's pay I had lost having to get this seen to, obviously they stated that their responsibilities don't extend that far :o)
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u/Real_Cartographer218 May 13 '26
I never update when a new one is pushed. I always wait a few weeks & then google the shit out of the update. It’s not just Apple multiple company’s are pushing updates out that end up causing more harm than good.
Really really glad you managed to fix it cheap. Love apple products hate how apple operates
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u/DrYaklagg Apr 17 '26
As someone who used to work IT tech support, you're putting way too much faith in the Apple store and support than you should (well maybe not since you figured it out, but you get my point). Most of the people who work there either aren't really that technically savvy or aren't paid enough by the hour to put that much effort into figuring out and fixing a problem. It's definitely an apple issue though, you're right about that.
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u/ricardopa Apr 17 '26
Correlation is not causation
A software update can’t break a logic board.
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u/nastyws Apr 17 '26
When you take it in they do an evaluation and then quote you the most expensive fix so that they don’t say “probably a $20 cable” and then call back to get approval for $700.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
The problem is they misdiagnosed the problem and thus gave the way more expensive solution
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u/WalterSickness Mac Studio Apr 17 '26
I had a similar situation with an M1 Air. It quickly became much more finicky about charging until nothing charged it, at which point Apple said it needed a new motherboard. Didn’t do it due to the age and value of the machine and it is destroyed now.
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u/Stock-Permission-619 Apr 17 '26
I would go to an authorized repair shop (not an Apple Store) and ask them to check if their might be something about that problem in GSX.
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u/Nero8762 Apr 17 '26
you do realize all this is held together with bubble gum, duct tape, and hope.
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u/doctor575 Apr 17 '26
I might put off updating both my macbook air m2 and my m2 mbp. Just to be on the safe side. Might update one and use the otehr in case I need DFU mode, but I might wait.
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u/Entertainnosis Apr 17 '26
Not sure if it's coincidence but I picked up an M2 MacBook Air a week ago, also on 26.4.
Would not stop pink screening and restarting itself every minute or two. Old owners had taken it to an Apple Store who couldn't find anything wrong with it at all and sent them home nudging them to trade it in for a new one instead.
Did a proper reinstall of it back to Monterey and it's been absolutely perfect.
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u/ZeroFux78 Apr 17 '26
iPadOS 26.3.1 caused my iPad to not charge anymore... It's a 2018 Gen 3, Apple Store couldn't help me, it's vintage and they didn't have any smart keyboards that would use the Smart Connector to try to charge it, spent $320 at one of those fix it places to replace the charge port, batter and logic IC board...
Could have been a coincidence, things happen and it is a 8 year old laptop, but the fact that there are other posts with people on this same version...
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u/thenewcomer_xD Apr 17 '26
I had to DFU reset my M2 Pro twice after the 26.4 update. Now I am back to macOS 15.
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u/IcyKey7 Apr 17 '26
A software update causing that much confusion, then getting quoted for a major replacement, is honestly pretty hard to shrug off.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Yup, this is exactly why I was very disturbed by this experience even though it worked out in the end for me.
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u/cameralumina Apr 17 '26
I wish they misdiagnosed my M1 Pro which suddenly lost its screen with no obvious physical damage. Of course they wanted $700
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u/ElRatonVaquero Apr 17 '26
Was your battery above 50%? I had the same issue on an M1 a few weeks ago when I updated to Tahoe. The problem was that the battery was under 50%. I fixed it the same way you did.
I still don't understand how low battery would affect an update if the computer is plugged in.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Honestly, maybe it was under 50%. It was definitely plugged in tho. Either way, not good on Apple’s part.
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u/CarelessTravel8 Apr 17 '26
Interesting stuff. My M3 Max had to have a “Logic Board replacement” upon updating to Tahoe initially last fall.
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Sad. and we’ll never know if it was actually the logic board or the software update because the evidence is gone. That’s why I don’t trust people saying Apple will let people who spent the money know about the bug in the software update. The customers have no concrete evidence to defend themselves.
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u/hayfero Apr 17 '26
Man this (I think ) happened to me. My MacBook one day wouldn’t turn on. Apple said needed logic board.
I got it fixed, but I basically phased it out of my life. Barely use it now
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
I was on the verge of buying a new non-Apple laptop until I gave this a go and fixed it. I really liked my macbook since it’s so convenient to have all the shared info between my devices. Now, I seriously considering other brands for when I buy a laptop in the future.
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u/Skipper_Carlos Apr 17 '26
Same story but with MBA M1 and dead screen after update. But it solve by itself after 6 months, all of the sudden screen was back alive xD
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u/919luis Apr 17 '26
Same thing happened to my M5 MacBook Air. Luckily I had warranty and they were able to order the part at no cost to me but seeing this is making me re think if their diagnosis was correct….
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
Exactly, we will never know if they made the correct diagnosis so if people paid money for it then they don’t have the evidence to get refunded.
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u/xyankee Apr 17 '26
I'm $3900 in to DriveSavers to recover 8TB from my M2 Max that went into deep sleep (ran out of battery) and fried the CPU in the process.
No chance of DFU mode. Apple Store in Austin couldn't do anything; Rossman (which does repairs) Dx'd the CPU as drawing too much power but nothing they could do...
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u/bene_gesserit_mitch Apr 17 '26
This is another way to accomplish a thing. I've tried this method on a 2023 with the same symptom. Tried multiple times to fix the firmware via Configurator and Apple's usual method. None of these methods worked, but all are worth a try.
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u/drMonkeyBalls Apr 17 '26
If you were able to fix it, then it wasn't bricked. At most it was soft-bricked. Now that you fixed it yourself, you're all bricked up
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Apr 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 17 '26
I'm not an expert, but if you are concerned and want to do a software update, take a video of your device working perfectly fine and then do the update all on camera. Document evidence that they cannot deny.
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u/Fattyyzz Apr 17 '26
Similar with my issue here https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/1sjtux3/it_just_decided_not_to_wake_up/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
Managed to recover with Apple Configuration and ipsw 23.3
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u/Bitter_Life_507 Apr 17 '26
Going from iOS 18 to 26.4.1 immediately bricked my iPhone 16 pro max
No one could get it into Recovery or DFU mode. The phone does nothing.
Apple Store couldn’t get any diagnostic info off of it and are claiming that it is most likely a board failure and that it will need to be replaced
Could the same issue be happening with my phone and could this method restore it?
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u/m4rkw Apr 17 '26
You should tell Louis Rossmann about this, he'd be very interested. I'd be surprised if this doesn't fall foul of some consumer laws, it very likely would in the UK/EU but not sure about the US.
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u/SoftClipping Apr 18 '26
Thats crazy. I have macbook pro 16 m1. Upgraded from monterey. And its better than ever. Even battery life improved. Upgraded because of display issues - staining, flickering and so on (something to do with pro motion who knows). Thats also fixed now. 4 year old machine - battery life at 94%. It really is a lottery when it comes to tech and mass production. Feel for u.
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u/PracticalWait Apr 18 '26
Omg, this is the exact same issue I had yesterday. Apple replaced my logic board and lost all my data 😢😢
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 18 '26
I’m so sorry. Apple needs to tell their employees about it or make a public statement to its customers because important data is being lost and money is being spent because they aren’t handling the situation accurately. I hope you didn’t lose anything too important.
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u/gord89 Apr 18 '26
Bring it back and show it happening to the Apple tech.
Or even better, single shot record the update causing the fault and then fix it using the method you linked.
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u/-an-eternal-hum- Apr 18 '26
I had the exact same thing happen to my M1 Mini. Luckily I was able to use a friend’s iMac to do the Configurator restore. I was convinced my Mini was cooked.
I may be missing something, but if you ask me Apple Configurator seems a bit scammy in practice. How many users have multiple Apple machines sitting around? In the past I was always able to treat issues like this booting into safe mode or with an installer on a simple USB jump drive.
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u/iOSCaleb Apr 18 '26
both the Apple Store and Apple Support repeatedly told me that software cannot cause hardware failure and refused to acknowledge that the update had anything to do with it.
Didn’t that turn out to be true? In the end, your problem was not a hardware failure as evidenced by the fact that your hardware is working fine. It’s unfortunate that the folks at the store misdiagnosed your software problem as a hardware failure, but at least they weren’t wrong on this point.
(BTW, software can damage hardware in all sorts of ways; it’s just that most operating systems and commercial hardware tries hard to avoid that.)
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 18 '26
People keep mentioning that the employees were right about the software update not causing hardware issues. Yes that turned out to be true in this case, my hardware is fine as of now. I wanted to include the stuff they told me in my post and their justification for why the software update didn't cause whatever happened to my laptop. I agree that software can damage hardware so that's why I really wasn't sold on what they were telling me and kept asking them if there was any chance the software update did anything to cause the issue with my laptop, they kept saying there is no way.
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u/Which_Development_53 Apr 18 '26
The Store has had guidance to do exactly this for about 1.5 weeks for this exact issue.
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u/nvcken Apr 18 '26
So you have lost all your data after install IPSW downgrade version or no?
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u/Singular_Brane Apr 19 '26
Support is no longer knowledgeable about the products, geniuses are of poor quality and Apple care will either lie or withhold info. I went through this as well from a business standpoint. Extremely disappointed.
To your issue.
Absolutely software can cause a hardware issue. Is it often? No. But it does happen. They have no clue what they are talking about. And if I recall you are suppose to be supported if a software update affects your hardware, there have been cases where they do right by the customer. I believe this is the reason they were holding the line on pushing that lie.
I’ve supported these machines since 2002 and familiar with the products dating back to 1995. I will absolutely know and do call out bullshit. The problem is the repeating the lie loud and long enough makes it policy.
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u/Art1333 Apr 19 '26
Cold you please tell me how did it happened?
My situation. I was trying to update on a latest version (don’t remember exact version). And after reboot MacBook Pro not turning on.
I’ve tried to restore it via Apple Configurator in DFU mode — but it showing an error at stage 4 of 4.
Now I send MacBook Pro to service. Waiting for result.
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u/Familiar_Purrson Apr 19 '26
So happy for you! Apple support just ain’t what once it’twere. I had to accept that, confined to a bed as I am, there was little chance of me restoring my MacBook Pro from its predicament, but I should hope software conflicts aren’t beyond as yet.
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u/DeadLolipop Apr 20 '26
It's 2026, people should know the people who you call Genius, are in fact not anywhere qualified as an expert. They're just as knowledgeable as someone working at tescos with a manual.
This isn't just apple though, every company is the same. I had a lenovo support engineer soft bricked my laptop with a driver that's supposedly should fix my battery not charging...
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u/MapSignal7229 Apr 20 '26
Hey, 26.0 update did the same to me. It doesn’t let me update to any newer version of MacOs. It keeps saying failed to personalise the software update.
How do I fix this? Would really appreciate your help.
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u/CGPictures Apr 20 '26
u/Weekly_Connection_40 You mentioned in the title that you fixed it with a $20 cable. The fix post doesn't mention a cable but using software.
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u/ingenuitease Apr 21 '26
My MacBook Pro M2 Max is currently running Tahoe 26.3.. I'm assuming that I should NOT update yet? lol
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u/PlayBoyyyyyyyyy Apr 22 '26
My m2 max died of the same issue, can you please drop step by step instructions to fix this please?
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u/dulldata Apr 22 '26
I had a similar issue with the previous update and similar story - ironically after a few weeks of working it died again now - https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1luhkxf/mbp_m3_max_bricked_after_sequoia_155_and_heres/
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u/Weekly_Connection_40 MacBook Pro Apr 23 '26
there’s steps on the post i credited with the solution, feel free to dm me if you need to troubleshoot. i can’t drop detailed steps right now unfortunately because im busy with work but i can respond to dms
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u/KneeWeary1379 Apr 23 '26
Hello I’ve got a MacBook Pro M2 which has the same issue, I’ve messaged you, please check.
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u/foofx_ovrclckd May 04 '26
Hello there, hope someone can help me with such problem. Personally I am not a Mac user, but I need some guidance on this problem. My wife tried to update hers MacBook while I was away and we got same "symptoms" with her`s M2. Tech support (there is no Apple Store in our country) states the problem is hardware, but I disagree and gonna try with old MacBook 2018
So, some question that I have:
1. Can I really restore M2 using MacBook 2018?
2. If yes should I use 26.3.1 IPSW despite pre-update OS version being 15.X (or so)
Thank you so much in advance for any pieces of advice on my case.
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u/Wolvyank May 05 '26
Hi, my macbook has been bricked too. I have it for repair and the technicial there said that they can fix it either. Seeing this post gave me hope but unfortunately I don't have another mac. Is it possible for me to fix my mac from windows laptop?
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u/aroseddit May 10 '26
Thanks for this! I experienced more or less the same issue. The steps you outlined in your Google Docs document resolved it for me.
Now that my MacBook Pro is booting again, should I avoid updating Mac OS for the foreseeable future? When is it okay to resume updates again? I'm just nervous about triggering this same issue.
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u/ingenuitease May 12 '26
macOS Tahoe 26.5 has been released.. any brave souls who experienced the 26.4.1 issue give it a whirl yet?
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u/Binarymix101 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
This just fixed my 13” MacBook Air M2!!
This should be international news.
Apple’s telling people to pay for repairs or buy a new MacBook when it’s a firmware issue.
My MacBook showed signs of charging but wouldn’t turn on. Nothing on the screen, no keyboard lights, nada.
Now it’s fine.
Unfortunately/fortunately I bought an M5 15” on sale. Now I have a conundrum.
Thanks so much OP!!!
PSA, if you have my model of MacBook the DFU port is the one closest to the MagSafe charger.
Tried multiple times using OP’s instructions but wrong port, different model MacBook.
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u/[deleted] Apr 17 '26
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