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5 hours ago
1
MBPro (Intel, 2020 era, 13") with TouchID, NOT using any wireless kbd or external/wireless mouse. I'm generally never hard-wired to ethernet, using WiFi. Now running Sonoma 14.8.1.
Ever since about July-August 2025 (through a couple of OS updates in Sonoma) I am seeing two behavior changes at the login screen. Problem 1 and 2 occur AFTER I am logged in, for example, waking the unit from screen saver. Problem 1 occurs often when I am logging in after a cold boot or logout.
Problem 1: When asked to type my password and I am typing a few characters, the pwd prompt backspaces over what I typed (the dots disappear) and I have to start over. It's as if a ghost was backspacing over my pwd as I type it, or my keyboard had a random stuck "backspace key". This happens maybe over half the time that I am required to enter a pwd at the prompt. I can replicate this behavior: I just tap the space key (or any character key) about once a second as if I'm entering a pwd, and after 4 or 5 or 6 dots, BOOP what I type is wiped out. I then start over with entering my pwd and I'm in.
I can't count how many times I try to log in and it fudges my pwd while I'm typing, and I have to retry.
Problem 2: I have set up to use touch ID. At almost random, sometimes I am NOT able to use touch ID to get on the system (this is AFTER I have logged in). Instead of the usual prompt (a message used to appear consistently saying "Your password is required instead of using touch ID", now it almost NEVER appears like it used to; that's random too).
I.E. waking from screen saver, sometimes touch ID will take me in, but more often it stubbornly requires my password. And then, Problem 1 above randomly happens sometimes, sometimes not.
It used to be, if I close the lid and open seconds or a minute later, or if I bump the cursor into the "screen saver" hot corner by accident, I could ALWAYS without fail rely on touch-ID to get me back in. Now at random times, SOMETIMES touch ID gets me in, other times not and requires password, and again no prompt saying "no touchie, you must use pwd".
This all started happening after an OS upgrade, couldn't tell you which one, but in recent months. The randomness of it is disturbing.
Do I have a ghost running in a VM behind me, capturing my pwd?
Should I reset the NVRAM stuff?
Keyboard hardware getting flakey? I don't see this in normal typing.
It is particularly disturbing to see the dots disappear while I am typing in my pwd. What process could take a jump start-start ahead of completion of login / authentication?
Also, I try often to shut off WiFi before I log out or reboot. I have Little Snitch firewall, and it seems not it no longer starts "first", but the network monitor is the LAST item to appear as an active process in the top bar if I reboot and log in (this also is a recent behavior - what processes send/receive on the network before LittleSnitch starts filtering?)
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: MBPro-Touchbar AND login weirdness Sonoma - login prompt resets while I type - random fails to allow touch ID from screen saver
