MacOS Sonoma 14.4 update might be breaking some USB hubs

The latest macOS Sonoma 14.4 update reportedly breaks the functionality of some USB hubs. This is according to several reports across the web, though it’s currently unknown how widespread the issue is.

AppleInsider first reported on the issues after some of the site’s readers alerted it about them. Specifically, these users reported that USB hubs connected to monitors from Dell, Samsung and Gigabyte have stopped working. In addition, some users from Reddit, X (formerly Twitter) and even Apple’s support forums have also reported encountering these issues as well.

So far, Apple has yet to respond to the reports. The macOS Sonoma 14.4 update started rolling out last week, bringing in new emojis on top of a slew of bug fixes, though it seems it’s introduced new bugs as well. (Read: Apple M3 finally brings ray tracing to Mac)

Can the issue be fixed?

So far, users affected by the macOS Sonoma 14.4’s USB hub-breaking glitch have been trying various means to address the bug. However, there does not seem to be a single solution that works.

A few users have found luck with simply shutting down their Macs and then powering them back on. Others have stated that going into macOS’s Privacy and Security settings and changing the “Allow accessories to connect” option to “Ask every time,” then rebooting, allows their devices to connect again. Meanwhile, a few other users have found that simply switching to a different USB cable solves the issues.

That said, users looking for a guaranteed fix to maxOS Sonoma 14.4’s USB hub issue will likely have to wait until Apple quietly releases a fix. Hopefully, this fix will come sooner — in Sonoma 14.5 — rather than later, for the sake of all those affected by the bug.

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