Focus Loss Bug Across Applications in macOS Sonoma

Description: I am encountering a severe focus-related bug in macOS Sonoma that causes applications to lose proper focus, leading to significant usability issues. This problem occurs across various applications, but I will use Safari as a primary example to describe the issue in detail.

Issue Overview: When interacting with applications, such as Safari, the active window can lose focus under certain conditions, even though the application appears to be active. For instance, after switching between the desktop and Safari, or after interacting with another application, Safari might regain focus visually, but elements within the application (such as hover effects, buttons, and links) do not respond as expected.

In the video demonstration I’ve provided (linked separately), you can observe the issue around the 0:07 mark. At this point, Safari should display a hover effect over a webpage element, but it does not. Although I can click and navigate within Safari, the application is not fully active, leading to a disrupted user experience.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Example 1: Desktop and Safari Interaction

• • Right-click on the desktop.
  • Left-click on the desktop.
  • Right-click on the Safari icon in the dock.
  • Double left-click on the Safari window to bring it back to focus.
  • Attempt to interact with webpage elements (e.g., hovering, clicking).

1. Example 2: Switching Between Applications

• • Open Safari and load any webpage.
  • Switch to another application while keeping Safari visible in the background.
  • Right-click on the Safari window without switching back to it.
  • Left-click on the Safari window again to regain focus.
  • Attempt to interact with webpage elements (e.g., hovering, clicking).

Expected Behavior: The application (Safari, in this example) should regain full focus after these interactions, allowing for normal use, including responsive hover effects and clickable elements.

Actual Behavior: Despite visually regaining focus, the application does not respond to certain actions. Hover effects are not triggered, and clicking on elements might not register. This issue renders the application partially unusable, severely impacting productivity.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken: As an experienced IT professional, I have performed extensive troubleshooting, including:

• Restarting the Mac.
• Booting into Safe Mode to rule out third-party software conflicts.
• Resetting PRAM/NVRAM and SMC.
• Repairing disk permissions via Disk Utility.
• Testing on a clean user profile to rule out user-specific settings.
• Reinstalling macOS Sonoma.
• Disabling non-essential startup items.
• Running macOS diagnostics, including generating sysdiagnose and system information reports (attached).

Despite these efforts, the issue persists and continues to affect all tested applications, making it a critical problem that needs urgent attention.

Impact: This is a major usability issue that affects basic interactions within macOS. The problem disrupts workflow across multiple applications and significantly hampers productivity. I urge the Apple development team to prioritize this bug, as it represents a fundamental flaw in how macOS manages application focus.

I am available to provide any further information or additional logs as needed to assist in resolving this issue as quickly as possible.

Thank you for addressing this serious problem promptly.