Feeling electric current on MacBook Pro M1 with charger plugged in

Have you tried to purchase the grounded extension wire and replace short plug coming with the block?

The grounded extension cord is US$20, neither difficult nor expensive.

I know you said you don't want to hear it but I recommend as a troubleshooting step that you try another outlet, and/or a different building.

Millions of computers are sold and occasionally we see a post like yours. So the common factor that may be contributing has to be eliminated. If the issue is the adapter design we would see many more posts like yours. This is not to say that your adapter may be not correctly working, but other causes have to be explored and eliminated as well.

I got my 3rd Macbook Pro last month. I was trying to live with it since my previous MBP Intel chip already giving tingling feeling when touching the chassis. Until yesterday, I plugged in my IEM (In-Ear Monitor) earbuds, the IEM is a metal chassis, when i put on my IEM, i can immediate feel the piercing on my ears which is not ACCEPTABLE! In my opinion, this is the design problem since MBP comes with 3.5mm audio jack, you are expecting user to use speakers/earphones/earbuds and ungrounded charger is a problem and Apple shall replace the charger for FREE!

Get a nice big ferrite bead and loop your cable through it 6 or 7 times. Works for me.

Telephone agents are not authorized to make any extensions of 'suitability for any particular purpose' already written into the warranty. Only officers of the company (typically Vice President and above) are authorized to make such changes on behalf of Apple, Inc.

Apple will fix it if you give them the appropriate opportunity, through their designated channels, to do so.

[in my opinion] this computer is BROKEN, not design-flawed, so there is no need to invoke the EU rules to force them to fix it.

Sure, the MacBook is about 16 month in my possession. they won't replace. And there is no need, as the grounded extension wire is solving the problem and it does so for everyone on the internet who reported the issue. This is not about fixing the issue as a user, it is about a $3000 device that is delivered to the user without a properly grounded charger block just for Apple to safe what? About $5 at production cost for the extension wire.

This is what this is about.

<<. the MacBook is about 16 month in my possession. >>

You have waited far longer than the required 14 days for a replacement or refund.

if older than a year, your standard warranty has also expired.

If you would like to request a REPAIR, please make a Genus Bar appointment. Out of warranty, any costs will likely be yours to pay.

Readers here do not work for Apple, they are other Users like you, and powerless to assist you. The idea that the forums reach wide enough that Apple Movers and Shakers will see them and respond is not accurate. These deeply technical discussion are NOT widely read, so you are mostly talking to yourself at this point.

If you would like to make a constructive suggestion, use this page:

Product Feedback - Apple

If you would like better audience for your whining, try Reddit.

I don't think there's a grounding problem, I think that when you don't have a true ground, and your 2 wire power is not *perfect* the mac's metal body will have a current on it. I've tried 3 chargers they all have the same problem. The issue is that we need a true ground and apple for some reason is making this harder and harder to actually provide for.

mwille64 wrote:

We got the message. Still it is revolting to pay $20 for a cable when apple could just provide a properly grounded charger in the first place. Zero cost for apple, and a happy customer who is spending $3000 for an already luxury priced macbook.

Tell Apple what you think:

Product Feedback - Apple

There are three wires in a MagSafe 2/3 cable. Pins 1 and 5 are ground/earth, pins 2&4 are 14V->20V and the middle pin is the charger control pin - that carries a serial protocol allowing the computer to tell the PSU what voltage to produce and query the type of charger that is connected.

The metal shell of the MagSafe connector is connected to ground, as is the chassis of the MacBook. Now, onto USB cables. Pin 1 is +5V and that is usually produced by the MacBook, pin 2 is the -ve differential half of the serial signal and pin 3 is the +ve half, guess what, pin 4 is ground, as it the shield of the connector... So in this way, a externally powered device such as a hard drive, has its ground connected to that of the MacBook. If the power supply in the hard drive fails and puts (in my case 350V DC) onto the "ground" then I will get a surprise. It is for exactly this reason we are told not to use the MacBook whilst it is plugged into the mains - no mention of what happens when another device plugged into the mains that is connected via Thunderbolt/USB has an insulation failure...

Besides that, the MacSafe connector is not insulated from the housing. And the electric field travels along the wire connected to the MacBook.