MacOS Sonoma always requires sound driver install on startup

[codedev168]

Every time I turn on my Mac running MacOS Sonoma, I get a pop-up asking me to install a sound driver, even if I have already installed it previously. This makes the startup process slower and is an unnecessary extra step.

Steps to reproduce

1. Shut down Mac
2. Turn Mac back on
3. Get pop-up dialog asking to install sound driver
4. Click install driver
5. Driver installs and completes
6. Restart Mac
7. Get pop-up dialog again asking to install sound driver

Expected behavior
The sound driver should only need to be installed once. After it is installed and the Mac is restarted, I should not continue getting a pop-up to install it every startup.

Additional details

• Mac model: MacBook Pro 16-inch 2019
• macOS: Sonoma 14.3
• cpu/gpu chip: Intel Chip / AMD Radeon

Let me know if any other details would be helpful in tracking this down. It's annoying to have to dismiss this install pop-up every time I boot up. Please fix in next macOS update.

[pisacane1800]

I'm having the same exact problem on a Macbook Pro M2 2022 with MacOS Ventura 13.5.1

I'm currently running eqMac v1.8.3, drivers v2.5.1 and UI v5.0.5

I'm not aware of any recent changes that might have triggered the bug, as I've used the app for several months with no issue whatsoever. Thank you to the devs for their good job and thanks for your help!

[nodeful]

Could you please confirm or deny if just putting your Mac to sleep and waking up (with eqMac still running) you see the same issue, or is it just after a restart?

Also if you ignore the install prompt and just restart eqMac does it still happen or eqMac doesn't ask for driver install?

[pisacane1800]

In my case, the problem is present only after a restart, not when putting the Mac to sleep.
And, if I ignore the install prompt and restart eqMac, it still happens and I get the install prompt again.

I've just updated the app to version 1.8.4 and the behaviour is the same.

[nodeful]

Does it require an admin password prompt to install or just installs without the password?

[codedev168]

Does it require an admin password prompt to install or just installs without the password?

it all always require password.

[jpourdanis]

I have the same issue on m1 chip and Sonoma 14.2.1

[pisacane1800]

in my case it always requires the password every time

[martijndevalk]

Same issue here

[Mickey016]

Same issue here :
Mac mini M2 Pro
Sonoma 14.3
eqMac 1.8.5 / driver 2.5.2

[smile4yourself]

On my MAC Studio, I have the same issue since maybe a month.

[dumdumgoose]

Same here, already having this issue for several months.
M2 Max Macbook Pro 16
Sonoma 14.3

[nodeful]

Can anyone here who still experienced this issue please reach out to me either by email contact@eqmac.app or on Discord: romankisil or through the website chat system and schedule a video call with me with TeamViewer or AnyDesk so I can debug this?
I have spent countless weeks playing around with 10 different Macs at this point trying to trigger this bug but I can't seem to replicate it at all...

Thanks

[nodeful]

Even though nobody reached out to help debug this... I think I might understand what is going on.
You might have disabled eqMac Helper from running in Login Items settings (System Settings > General > Login Items > Allow in the Background > eqMac.app (or Bitgapp Ltd):

Could anyone please check if it was disabled for you and if so, does enabling it fix the problem?
Hoping for some kind of a response, thanks.

[pisacane1800]

Thank you very much for your help, I have just now tried your suggestion and I saw that the Bitgapp Ltd wasn't enabled on login, even if I am quite sure I haven't disabled on purpose before. In any case, I think you might have found the issue.
I will test for a couple of days before confirming this works.
Thanks again and have a nice weekend! :)

[Mickey016]

After checking the Login Items, I found out that I had 2 lines related to eqmac :

• Bitgapp Ltd. which was unchecked
• eqMac.app which was checked
  

So I checked the Bitgapp Ltd. line too and it looks like it solves the problem for me.
I don't know why I have 2 different lines, as long as it work ;)

Thanks for the help @nodeful

[codedev168]

Even though nobody reached out to help debug this... I think I might understand what is going on. You might have disabled eqMac Helper from running in Login Items settings (System Settings > General > Login Items > Allow in the Background > eqMac.app (or Bitgapp Ltd):

Could anyone please check if it was disabled for you and if so, does enabling it fix the problem? Hoping for some kind of a response, thanks.

after enabled it, it required to update driver instead of install, then I click update driver :

[chronicallyoffline]

Adding the two entries to Login Items seems to have resolved this issue at first glance. Rebooted and no longer asked for the driver installation. Will test over the next week or so and report back.

[BillyFKidney]

Even though nobody reached out to help debug this... I think I might understand what is going on. You might have disabled eqMac Helper from running in Login Items settings (System Settings > General > Login Items > Allow in the Background > eqMac.app (or Bitgapp Ltd):

Could anyone please check if it was disabled for you and if so, does enabling it fix the problem? Hoping for some kind of a response, thanks.

I found that the Bitgapp Ltd. login item had been disabled, not certain why. Enabling has stopped the "install driver" pop-over after rebooting.

[chronicallyoffline]

It was disabled for me and so far it hasn’t prompted for a driver install since my last comment.Sent from my iPhoneOn Feb 13, 2024, at 9:11 AM, Billy ***@***.***> wrote: Even though nobody reached out to help debug this... I think I might understand what is going on. You might have disabled eqMac Helper from running in Login Items settings (System Settings > General > Login Items > Allow in the Background > eqMac.app (or Bitgapp Ltd): Could anyone please check if it was disabled for you and if so, does enabling it fix the problem? Hoping for some kind of a response, thanks. I found that the Bitgapp Ltd. login item had been disabled, not certain why. Enabling has stopped the "install driver" pop-over after rebooting. image.png (view on web) —Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[pisacane1800]

I can confirm the issue seems solved even one week after the fix. I am sure I didn't "intentionally" disable the Bitgapp Lt. authorization, but thanks to your fix things are working again.
Thanks!

[BillyFKidney]

Even though nobody reached out to help debug this... I think I might understand what is going on. You might have disabled eqMac Helper from running in Login Items settings (System Settings > General > Login Items > Allow in the Background > eqMac.app (or Bitgapp Ltd):

Could anyone please check if it was disabled for you and if so, does enabling it fix the problem? Hoping for some kind of a response, thanks.

Did you still need help debugging the root cause?
After being powered off for five days my MacMini produced this:

[smile4yourself]

I reloaded the app Mar 31, after taking a break from using it, and found that it is fixed for me. I did not need to enable Bitgapp in "Login Items" and eqMac opened without asking me to re-install the driver. I will update you if I need to enable Bitapp. Thanks for fixing it!

[kirkegaard]

I wish there was an option to restart the sound driver or something similar. Almost everytime i switch from my monitor to my laptop, the audio bugs out. Sometimes im lucky and it starts working after a few minutes. The only thing that helps really is to reboot. Restarting the app does nothing unfortunatly. This is on an M2 latest Sonoma, and latest eqMac