After upgrade to OS 26 Touch ID only works sporadically on 2019 MacBook Pro

OS 26.1 fixed this issue for me. Worst os transition in the last 25 years, had to do a clean install. Absolutely atrocious. The don't fix things that are not broken department needs more coffee. The smc, p-ram reset twiddle the thingy never ever solves missing qa if anything, this is not how apple products should work and is better done by MS.

Huh - I just tried the "turn it off & on again". I also tried adding a new fingerprint & it just hangs on "Preparing for Touch ID setup" (2024 macbook pro, external keyboard w/sensor).

I also deleted all the fingerprints & am trying to add one again and it's the same message & no resolution.

Aha - when I rebooted the machine, I was then able to add new fingerprints & it works for e.g. autofill of passwords.

Update: Just updated to Sonoma 14.8.2. It seems that the Touch Id is working correctly again when unlocking the laptop. Thank you, Apple, for fixing this.

I assume the update for macOS 26 also contains this fix.

Cheers!

Lancaster54 wrote:

I own a 2019 MacBook Pro (Intel processor) and it's possible that is part of my issue, but I'm hoping someone here might have a solution.

I doubt a hardware issue... this type of bug after updates is not new.

I have had no issue with TouchID on Intel 16" MBP and macOS 26.

You can try reinstalling the macOS to sort issues if software

How to reinstall macOS

Recovery (both M1/M2/M3/M4 and Intel) — How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

Unfortunately it's back again =( Seems to be there is a problem with bridgeos of T2 chip. Ended up setting up my apple watch to unlock mack. Thanks god it's not broken yet

Auriam wrote:

It's driving me nuts. I manually delete and re-add three fingerprints, they work for a little while, maybe a day or two, then they completely stop working again. I have an M1 MacBook Air from 2020. It worked fine before I updated - and I wish I could just go back to Sequoia.

Have you not updated to Mac OS 26.1 yet? It has been reported here many times that solves the problem.

Lancaster54 wrote:

I tried reinstalling the OS. This does not solve the problem. The bug comes from the OS.

It suggest a hardware issue...

In or out of warranty you can get a free over the counter 'Apple Service Diagnostics' test /assessment

Make an appointment for a "hardware issue"

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Outside the USA

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

You can Call Customer Support  (800) MY–APPLE (800–692–7753)

or on line  https://getsupport.apple.com/

Outside the USA—Contact Apple for support and service by phone

See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world.

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support 

The issue is with Tahoe 26.0 and the new iPhone Mirroring option which is not available in EU and potentially other regions.

Settings > Lock Screen > Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off: Immediately GREYED OUT. "Password immediately required when iPhone Mirroring is set to automatically authenticate."

Unable to change this setting because the iPhone Mirroring app itself is greyed out and not supported in my region.

Any troubleshooting attempts changing region of Apple ID to USA or Canada for example fail as I have an active paid subscription for iCloud and I cannot choose a EU or UK payment method.

[Edited by Moderator]

This helps :

https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/1no872w/psa_macos_26_bug_leads_to_performance_issues_in/

macOS 26.0 (including the public release) has a bug that makes many apps slower the longer they run. I have read issues about native apps, Electron apps, games . 

You could only temporarily solve it by restarting the app.

Fortunately a developer found the culprit: https://github.com/zed-industries/zed/issues/33182#issuecomment-3289846957

To disable the problematic feature for all apps thus fixing the issue, run the following command in the Terminal:

defaults write -g NSAutoFillHeuristicControllerEnabled -bool false

And restart all apps/system. Note this also disables macOS's native autofill feature.

Update: there are actually two separate bugs causing input lag and (GPU) perf issues. The provided command above likely only fixes the former issue (input lag).

To fix the perf issues for Electron apps (and presumably Chrome/Chromium browsers?), also run:

launchctl setenv CHROME_HEADLESS 1

Note this needs to be re-run every time you reboots. Thanks for u/PatrikCR for the heads up!

Had enough today and rolled back to Sequoia. It’s like having a new computer!! No fans screaming, no random Tahoe freezes and launchpad’s back! Boy I missed that thing! And Touch ID’s working flawlessly now!!  Using it for 5 hours already and not a single bug in sight!! Btw I'm using macbook pro 16 intel

[Edited by Moderator]

I found that I can fix the problem temporarily by going to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtones and Alerts and repositioning the slider which produces ]the desired sound.

If you click the sider without moving it, you will not hear any sound. Moving seems to reset sounds for a while, but the duration varies and the problem always comes back.

I've been having this problem too I have 2019 MacBook Pro and I did the latest update which is the "Tahoe". I just called the apple senior advisor and they said it's happening to a lot of people and we have to wait for another update in order to get fixed. If not to call in a week. I've tried SMC and NVRAM but nothing fixes it. If anyone has stopped it can you let me know how?

Now, see, if you'd kept your 2019 Intel MBP on Sequoia ...

... you'd have exactly the same issue. Since 15.7 ... .1 didn't fix it.

Just tried the Turn It Off (restart) Turn It On Again trick and that may have fixed it for me - thanks to whoever suggested that.

I have exactly the same problem with the 2019 MacBook Pro (Intel) with 16". Not a single solution suggested here in the thread has helped. Only the upcoming update for OS 26 Tahoe has fixed the problem. For such a terrible problem, Apple's solution is coming rather slowly. I would have appreciated a quick Hoftix from Apple.