10.15.3 Combo & Security Updates are no Longer Creating Restore Snapshots + 10.15.3 Update Deletes All Previous tmutil localsnapshots /
The 10.15.3 Combo & Security Update Automatic Backup Snapshots are no Longer Created.
UPDATE: 5/15/20 –A few questions came up on MacAdmins Slack about the current state of Automatic Snapshots today. To clarify, the following is now true.
Automatic Update Snapshots are no longer automatically created during the 10.15.3+ Combo but ARE for 10.14 & 10.13 Security Updates
The 10.15.3+ Combo Update REMOVES previous manual localsnapshots.
10.14 & 10.13 Security Updates do NOT remove previous manual snapshots.
Automatic Snapshots were never taken during an OS Upgrade.
UPDATE: 4/24/20 – Apple has removed the “Restore from snapshot” feature description from apple.com/macos/catalina/features! This means that the feature is no longer available in Catalina. I really hope Apple can fix this.
The APFS Update Automatic Snapshot was a new option offered when Apple released APFS in macOS 10.13 High Sierra. If you were worried about something going wrong after installing a macOS Combo or Security update, you could always fall back to a backup taken right before the update. The process was automatic and was performed by the Combo Update and Security Update Installer. To restore, all you needed to do is, boot to the recovery partition and restore to a tmutil localsnapshot / right before the update.
NOTE: you only have 24 hours to restore or the snapshot is automatically deleted.
Automatic Update Backup Snapshots are no Longer Working.
Something happened in the latest set of Apple updates released on January 28th. The Automatic Backup Snapshots are no longer working!!! At first, I thought it only happened on the 10.15.3 Combo update. I then checked the 2020-001 Security Update on High Sierra and it’s not working either!
I found this out while I was writing another article on Catalina Logs. I built a 10.15.2 device and updated it to 10.15.3. I booted to recovery to restore the from the automatic snapshot only to find that it was missing!
Manual tmutil localsnapshots are deleted during the 10.15.3 Update installation!
Ok, what would happen if I created a manual snapshot before the update? If the automatic snapshot is not working, I could get by with just creating one right before I install the 10.15.3 combo update.
Manual tmutil localsnapshot / created before the 10.15.3 combo update.
After installing the 10.15.3 Combo Update, I booted back into Recovery only to find that the manual tmutil localsnapshot / that I created was gone!!!
What should happen after the update.
Below is what you should see if you booted to recovery after a combo or security update. The below example is a backup snapshot taken by the 10.14.2 Combo Update.
This is what you should see if you booted to recovery after a combo or security update. (within 24 hours after the update install)
Let’s take a look at the logs
What do the logs say? Well first I would like to see what a successful snapshot says. Searching the install.log, I found exactly what I was looking for.
That is just what I’m looking for. The automatic snapshot was taken right before the installation.
Let’s take a closer look to see what’s happening during the 10.15.3 combo update install. Looking at the install.log again, I found this entry.
The 10.15.3 Combo Update purging snapshots.
There it is, the Installer is purging available snapshots on /Volumes/Macintosh HD. The 10.15.3 install.log does not contain any of the log items like the one from 10.14.
The good news is that the (2020-001) 10.14 and 10.13 Security Update installers do NOT purge your manual tmutil localsnapshots.
What’s going on, is this a bug?
I am not totally sure what’s going on here, if I had to guess this a bug. I wanted to let you know about this. The last thing you want to do is rely on that automatic backup snapshot only to find out it was never created.
Either way, please let Apple know about this!
If you have any questions or comments please Contact Me or leave a note below. Thanks!
MacOS Security Updates – Mojave 2020-001, High Sierra 2020-001 & Safari 13.0.5
On January 28th, Apple released macOS Mojave Security Update 2020-001 and High Sierra Security Update 2020-001. Below you will find Build Versions, Download Links, Update Sizes and previous Security Update Links. MacOS Sierra is no longer supported.
How do I keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?
I document all of the macOS Build Versions like the latest Mojave 2020-001 High Sierra 2020-001 along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.
HT goes out to Dan Kuehling, for the Mojave Security Update Build Version!HT goes out to Nicolas Aragone, Ian Trimnell & Joost-Wim for sending over the Security Update Download Links!
MacOS High Sierra Security Update 2020-001 (17G11023)
10.13.6 High Sierra Security Update 2020-001 (17G11023)
Security Updates Mojave 2019-002 (18G2022) High Sierra 2019-007 (17G10021)
On December 10th, Apple released macOS Mojave Security Update 2019-002 and High Sierra Security Update 2019-007. Below you will find Build Versions, Download Links, Update Sizes and previous Security Update Links. MacOS Sierra is no longer supported.
How do I keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?
I document all of the macOS Build Versions like the latest Mojave 2019-002 High Sierra 2019-007 along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.
Mojave 2019-001 Security Update Causing Data Loss if Interrupted – 2019-001 FileVault can’t login
UPDATE: 01/22/20 – This problem was reported as FIXED in the latest Mojave 10.14.6 Security Update 2019-002(18G2022) &Catalina 10.15.2 Update. The fixed T2 BridgeOS version is 17.16.12551. Apple did not list the fix in the 10.15.2 or 2019-002 Security Update notes but DID put them in the AppleSeed 10.15.2 Beta 2 Update Notes. I can’t post them here, but you can check the AppleSeed Patch Notes portal or you can contact Apple Support to confirm if you need further information.
Final Verdict – After further investigation, the problem was NOT the user’s fault. After more users reported what happened during the update I found that the update stalled out during the BridgeOS update phase. The black screen is only supposed to last 2-5 minutes. In reality, the update stopped and the Mac would be on the same black screen for up to 1 hour. The user had NO CHOICE but to shut down the Mac. By that time it was already too late.
Users are Unable to Unlock FileVault 2 if the Mojave 2019-001 Security Update is Interrupted.
This issue was first reported about one month ago on the MacAdmins Slack. It was reported that after some users installed the Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update #3, they were unable unlock their Mac with the FV2 Password or PRK. The issue was not widely reported though so it was thought to be a fluke.
Mojave 2019-001 Security Update
All this changed when the Mojave 2019-001 Security Update was released. MacAdmins started to report the problem again.
I have a Mac that just finished installing the 2019-001 Security Update. I can’t get past the FileVault 2 screen with the password or Personal Recovery Key.
MacAdmin User Report
More and more MacAdmins are starting to report this devastating 2019-001 FileVault can’t login issue.
Who, What, When, Where & Why Index
1. Affected Mac Hardware = T2 Machines
2. Affected macOS Build Versions UPDATE!
3. FileVault 2 Encrypted Machines Only. UPDATE!
4. Evidence? Reports of a Black Screen Followed by User Power Off
(18G1012) Mojave Security Update Released on 10/29/19
(17G9016) High Sierra Security Update 2019-006 – 10/29/19
(17G9016) High Sierra Security Update 2019-005 – 9/26/19
3. FileVault 2 Encrypted Machines Only. UPDATE!*
UPDATE! – We now have two separate reports of this happening when the Mac is NOT FV2 Encrypted.
If your Mac is unencrypted you should be fine.
* I have not seen any reports as of 11/09/19, that include a T2 Mac that was not encrypted.
4. Evidence? Reports of a Black Screen Followed by User Power Off
After the reports started to roll in, we started to investigate. One of the common threads is that users reported a problem with the update during the install.
Black Screen – Users reported that the Mac looked like it powered down. They would try to power it back on, interrupting the install process.
Black Screen with Apple Logo & Progress Bar Stuck – While the Update was installing, some users have reported that the update hung or stalled out. This was followed by a power down.
5. Can’t login with FV2 Password or PRK?
After the user powered down the Mac, they reported the following.
Can’t login past FileVault 2 with my Password.
Can’t boot the Mac up with the PRK.
In this situation the Mac is unable to boot up at all. The only thing that the user can do is boot to the Recovery Partition or Internet Recovery.
After booting to the Recovery Partition we tried to first mount the disk.
This did NOT work!
You can confirm the issue by typing in diskutil ap list
Volume disk4s1
| ---------------------------------------------------
| APFS Volume Disk (Role): disk4s1 (No specific role)
| Name: Macintosh HD (Case-insensitive)
| Mount Point: Not Mounted
| Capacity Consumed: 171872342016 B (171.9 GB)
| Encrypted: ERROR -69808
We would expect that the Encrypted status line should be:
FileVault: Yes (Unlocked)
or
FileVault: Yes (locked)
Note the Encrypted line. It should say LOCKED or UNLOCKED. Instead you get ERROR -69808
xartutil CLI Binary
You can also use the xartutil binary to check for the Encryption Keys.
xartutil --list
You should see 2 entries listed = This is a normal output
Total Session Count: 2
If you see
xartutil: ERROR: No supported link to the SEP Present = Not a T2 Mac
If you see
Total session count: 0 = The Encryption Keys are Lost.
7. Workarounds?
Currently no known workaround is available.
We have tried multiple things.
Mounting the disk in the Recovery Terminal
Mounting the disk in Disk utility
Target Disk Mode
8. Should I block this update?
After Reviewing Multiple Reports, the issue only looks to have affected a small number of users. One MacAdmin said out of 150 machines, the issue only affected 2 of them.
I tested this issue out on a 2018 MacBook Pro.
Powered Off during the first Black Screen.
Powered Off during the second Black Screen
Powered Off during the first Security Update Progress Bar
Powered Off during the second Security Update Progress Bar
The BridgeOS Update and the 2019-001 Security Update installed successfully!
If you move forward with the update you can ask users not to interrupt the install process.
9. Will Apple fix this issue?
The black screen BridgeOS update process has been around since 2018. Something must have changed in the 2019-001 Security Update.
If you have this issue please report it to Apple ASAP.
On October 29th Apple released macOS Mojave Security Update 2019-001 and High Sierra Security Update 019-006. MacOS Sierra is no longer supported.
How do I keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?
I document all of all macOS versions along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.
Today Apple released macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Supplemental Update #3 and Security Updates 2019-005 for High Sierra 10.13 and Sierra 10.12. If Apple’s previous update release history is any guide, 2019-005 will be the final Security Update for Sierra. Once macOS 10.15 Catalina is released in October, Mojave will be security patched for two more years. High Sierra will be supported for one year and Sierra will be dropped.
10.14.6 Supplemental Update #3 ??? Wait.. What? Apple is calling it the 2nd Supplemental Update.
Not sure where Apple got out of order here, but this is the 10.14.6 Build Version release schedule.
Which version of the 10.14.6 update does my Mac need?
Software Update will always point you to the right update.
Any Build Version of 10.14.6 = Supplemental Update #3
10.14.0-10.14.4 = Combo Update
10.14.5 = Delta Update
10.8 – 10.14.6 Upgrade = Updated 10.14.6 (18G103) Full Installer.app
How do you keep track of all the macOS Build Versions?
I document all of all macOS versions along with most Apple Applications, XProtect, Gatekeeper and MRT updates in one database. You can check out the link below.
Google Chrome Keystone Updater is removing the /var symlink causing account and boot issues.
UPDATE: 10/03/19
Google has posted an update that they found the issue in the Keystone Update and fixed it. They are are pushing the updated version now. The push started last night and the new version should be 1.2.13.79 or 1.2.13.80.
See Index #7 for theUpdated Fix from Google Support
#Varsectomy FAQ- Index
1.What is going on here?– #Varsectomy
2. Which macOS Versions are affected ?
3.Specific Mac Hardware ?
4.SIP – System Integrity Protection
5.AVID orGoogle Chrome Keystone Update causing this issue ?
6. How can I check my /var symlink?
7.How can I fix the issue = 2 ways to fix.
8. What about Hackintosh users? A fix for you!
9. Should I disable Chrome Auto Updates
10.Jamf Pro Extension Atribute
11. Links
12.Credit– Investigation by #MacAdmins& Apple
1. What is going on here ? – #Varsectomy
The purpose of this article is to gather all known information and data around the current issues some AVID and NON SIP protected Macs are experiencing. The issue first started on Monday 9/23/19.
Late Yesterday some #MacAdmins started to report that a few of their systems would not boot properly. They would have the following issues.
1. After rebooting the affected system it would Kernel Panic. The system will reboot only to KP again
2. User Logs out and the system shows the Setup Assistant.
3. The System Kernel Panics into a boot Loop.
AVID users were some of the first to report the issue. AVID.com says
Sometimes AVID Media Creators use 3rd Party Graphics cards connected to their Mac Pro. When the issue hit yesterday, it was thought that AVID was the main cause of the problems since all the users experiencing the issue had AVID software.
Only later after a MacAdmins deep dive investigation was it found that AVID was NOT the cause of the problem. It was Google Chrome Keystone Updater!
Join the #Varsectomy channel in MacAdmins Chat for the latest info!
2. Which macOS Versions are affected ?
MacOS 10.9 – 10.14 Mojave
NOTE: macOS 10.9 & 10.10 so not have SIP. System Integrity Protection was introduced in macOS 10.11 El Capitan.
3.Specific Mac Hardware ?
At first it was first reported that the 2013 Mac Pro was affected, this is not true.
Now it seems the issue affects all Macs that have SIP (System Integrity Protection) Disabled or turned OFF
Check if SIP is enabled by running csrutil status
System Integrity Protection status: enabled.
System Integrity Protection status: disabled
4. SIP – System Integrity Protection
All Reports so far look to be from Macs that have SIP Disabled!
Please do not disable SIP, it was created to protect macOS from this very issue.
5.AVID or Google Chrome Keystone Update causing this issue ?
At first the issue seemed to be caused by Avid Media Composer. After further investigation it was found that AVID was not the problem! Some AVID users may need to DISABLE SIP for 3rd party Video Card support.
After investigation from some of the top minds in the MacAmins Slack Chat #varsectomy channel it was found that the Google Keystone Updater was at the heart of the issue.
The Google Chrome Keystone updater lives here (if set to only update for the user who installed Chrome) – ~/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/
If set to install for ALL users. (This also prompts for admin access for install) Thanks Jeff Johnson/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/
Thank you eholtam for the VM investigation and Screenshots!
Google Chrome Keystone Update Policy Running.
After kicking off the update you can see the problem below.
“Found and deleted symlink at path /var”
Found and deleted symlink at path /var
6. How do I check my /var symlink?
Check to see if your /var symlink was modified by running the following command.
ls -ldO /var
You should get one of the following outputs. The first one below means that your /var volder is SIP protected (notice the restricted flag) and the proper sym link /var -> private/var
The next one means that your symlink is broken and the folder is NOT SIP Protected.
drwxr-xr-x 5 503 wheel - 170 Sep 24 14:37 /var
If you find /var in this condition you are affected! If you LOGOUT, SHUTDOWN OR RESTART your Mac will NOT Boot! You will need to boot into recovery, repair the /var symlink and reset the restricted flags. Fix below.
First you have to fix the /var symlink so it shows /var -> private/var
Then you can remove the affected LaunchAgents
Boot to macOS Recovery by holding down Command R
Steps for 10.11 -10.14 SIP Supported Systems
1. Boot into Recovery 2. Launch Terminal (only if you're on 10.11+ with SIP) # chroot /Volumes/[affected install] # mv var vv # ln -s private/var var # chflags -h restricted /var # chflags -h hidden /var # xattr -sw com.apple.rootless "" /var
Steps for 10.9-10.10 NON SIP Systems
10.10 or older: only do symblink and the hidden chflag and remove launch agents from /Users/[affected user]/Library/LaunchAgents/ OR /Library/LaunchAgents/ - com.google.keystone.agent.plist - com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist # exit (recommended) # csrutil enable (10.11+) 8. Reboot
NOTE: The information below is from Google. Link Below.
chroot /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD #(Macintosh HD is the default)
rm -rf /Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle
mv var var_back #(Var may not exist, but this is fine)
ln -sh private/var /var
chflags -h restricted /var
chflags -h hidden /var
xattr -sw com.apple.rootless "" /var
NOTE: Commenter stockmind has noted that the GoogleSoftwareUpdate.Bundle could reside in the USERS folder. In that case you need to run this string instead. Change USERNAME to your Username. Thanks for the tip!
Youshouldn’t need to disable Chrome Auto updates at this time. From the Chromium bug report – bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1007358 Google has disabled Keystone updates for now until the issue is found and resolved.
Xcode 11 (11A420a) Is now available in the App Store
Today Apple released Xcode 11 to the Mac App Store.
The Production version of Xcode 11 was released to the Mac App Store today. The Build Number is the same as Xcode 11 Seed #2. I also double checked the release notes are they are the same.
I have added links to my previous Xcode 11 Change Notes below. Also included is Xcode Requirements and “What’s New”
Xcode 11 includes Swift 5.1 and SDKs for iOS 13, tvOS 13, watchOS 6, and macOS Catalina 10.15
SwiftUI
SwiftUI framework and design tools work together to enable a new way to build user intefaces
Declarative syntax defines your user interface using easy-to-read Swift code
Design tools make it as easy as drag-and-drop to construct and edit your views
Code you write is always in sync with the design and preview canvas
Library of controls and modifiers make it easy to build complex interfaces
Animations are built using simple commands that describe the action you want to see
Preview your real app running on multiple device types, orientations, and font sizes
Share common code across all Apple platforms, and add custom experiences for each OS
* NOTE: SwiftUI requires iOS 13, watchOS 6, tvOS 13, or macOS Catalina. To use the SwiftUI design canvas Xcode 11 must be running on macOS Catalina, coming this Fall.
Mac Catalyst brings iPad apps to the Mac
Click a single checkbox in your iPad project to add a native Mac app
One project and set of source code creates iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions of your app
Customize elements of your app for an experience unique to Mac
Add new SwiftUI code to your project along side existing UIKit code
Submit to the Mac App Store or notarize for outside distribution
Swift and Swift Packages
Swift packages are supported throughout, including build, debug, and SCM workflows
Use Swift packages from GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, or your own hosts
Download packages automatically based on dependency analysis
Create your own packages to share code among all your apps, or to publish for the community
iOS dark mode
Switch between light and dark mode instantly while developing and debugging
Asset catalog makes it easy to control images and colors for dark and light mode
Editor
Editor minimap gives a bird’s eye view of your code so you can quickly jump to any line
Each editor view has its own preview, assistant, or other complementary views
Split any editor pane to layout your workspace exactly as you want
Other improvements
Build stand-alone watchOS apps with a faster debugging experience
Simulator launches quickly and uses the GPU to accelerate Metal code
Test plans give you greater control of your test harness with sharable results bundles
Automatically generate localized screenshots using UI tests as part of your test plan
Source control adds support for stash and cherry-pick operations
Simulate device conditions such as a slow network or thermal warnings while debugging
Metrics tab in the Organizer shows how efficiently your app runs on customer devices
10.14.6 Update Causes a Kernel Panic When Using the Built-In FaceTime Camera.
NEW UPDATE: 4/08/20 – I am getting multiple reports that users are having issues applications that use Hardware Accelerated Video with the latest 10.14 and 10.13 2020-002 Security updates. The system will 100% freeze up during video conference, video or heavy app usage and you will have to hard power down. I posted all the new information about the freezing issue in a new article here – https://mrmacintosh.com/2020-002-update-causes-some-macs-to-freeze-up-while-using-vid-conf-apps/
FINAL UPDATE: 1/22/20 – Multiple users have contacted me to let me know that the latest macOS Mojave 10.14.6 Security Update 2019-002 (18G2022) has fixed the issue for them! The T2 BridgeOS version is 17.16.12551 or newer.
UPDATE: 10/03/19 – I am hearing from readers and commenters that Zoom has confirmed that this issue is fixed in macOS Catalina 10.15. This could very well mean that we will not get a fix for Mojave. 🙁
After Apple released the 10.14.6 Update, some users of 2019 & 2018 15″ MacBook Pros started to report Kernel Panics when using the Built-In FaceTime Camera.
I reported on a similar issue about a month ago when the 2019-004 Security Update for High Sierra and Sierra started causing a Kernel Panic after waking from sleep.
In this article, I will give you the lowdown of the issue. In the end, I will also give you a workaround until Apple releases a fix.
If you are interested in the 2018-004 Security Update Wake from Sleep issue you can read my report Below.
If you have the issue on a 2018-2019 13″ MacBook Pro/Air Please do not hesitate to Contact Me.
3. This issue does NOT affect most 10.14.6 users.
I tried time and time again to reproduce this issue. Having both a 2018 and 2019 15″MacBook Pro for testing, I figured that I would be able to reproduce the issue. Having FaceTime.app open for hours and using Zoom Conference call for 4 hours, produced zero crashes. This could be a clue as to an additional cause on the reported users computers, but I’m not sure.
4. Kernel Panic Reports
What do the Kernel Panic Reports look like? Looking over the report it looks like BridgeOS is crashing. Below is a sample report.
{“caused_by”:”unknown”,”macos_version”:”Mac OS X 10.14.6 (18G84)”,”os_version”:”Bridge OS 3.6 (16P6568)”,”macos_system_state”:”running”,”incident_id”:”6DCB8540-C363-4FC9-999E-9E38E276621A”,”timestamp”:”2019-07-25 15:44:33.33 +0000″,”bug_type”:”210″}
{
“build” : “Bridge OS 3.6 (16P6568)”,
“product” : “iBridge2,3”,
“kernel” : “Darwin Kernel Version 18.7.0: Tue Jun 25 21:35:19 PDT 2019; root:xnu-4903.270.47~9\/RELEASE_ARM64_T8010”,
“incident” : “6DCB8540-C363-4FC9-999E-9E38E276621A”,
“crashReporterKey” : “c0dec0dec0dec0dec0dec0dec0dec0dec0de0001”,
“date” : “2019-07-25 15:44:33.08 +0000”,
“panicString” : “panic(cpu 0 caller 0xfffffff01bca5bec): \”void AppleEmbeddedPCIeUpLinkMgmt::_linkInterruptAction(IOInterruptEventSource *, int): \” \”A link timeout has been seen after 100000 microseconds and 49999 iterations.\”@\/BuildRoot\/Library\/Caches\/com.apple.xbs\/Sources\/AppleEmbeddedPCIeUpLinkMgmt\/AppleEmbeddedPCIeUpLinkMgmt-76.260.2\/AppleEmbeddedPCIeUpLinkMgmt.cpp:3982\nDebugger message: panic\nMemory ID: 0x6\nOS version: 16P6568\nmacOS version: 18G84\nKernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 18.7.0: Tue Jun 25 21:35:19 PDT 2019; root:xnu-4903.270.47~9\/RELEASE_ARM64_T8010\nKernelCache UUID: DB4E28E6354462E8ADC412A804EB32E1\nKernel UUID: 9FC93C85-B7C5-3723-92B7-293273AB9C4F\niBoot version: iBoot-4513.270.14\nsecure boot?: YES\nx86 EFI Boot State: 0xe\nx86 System State: 0x0\nx86 Power State: 0x0\nx86 Shutdown Cause: 0x5\nx86 Previous Power Transitions: 0x40504000200\nPCIeUp link state: 0x94721611\nPaniclog version: 13\nKernel slide: 0x000000001559c000\nKernel text base: 0xfffffff01c5a0000\nmach_absolute_time: 0xa75d527f88\nEpoch Time: sec usec\n Boot : 0x5d37ad8f 0x000c3155\n Sleep : 0x5d39a45e 0x000defae\n Wake : 0x5d39ab5f 0x0006d1c2\n Calendar: 0x5d39ce41 0x000cb6eb\n\nPanicked task 0xffffffe000881680: 8160 pages, 207 threads: pid 0: kernel_task\nPanicked thread: 0xffffffe000c4b3e0, backtrace: 0xffffffe01633b590, tid: 280\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c6ae2a4 fp: 0xffffffe01633b620\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c79b5a4 fp: 0xffffffe01633b760\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c679610 fp: 0xffffffe01633b770\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c6ad848 fp: 0xffffffe01633bae0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c6adbc0 fp: 0xffffffe01633bb20\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c6ada14 fp: 0xffffffe01633bb40\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01bca5bec fp: 0xffffffe01633bbd0\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01cb35fc4 fp: 0xffffffe01633bc10\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01cb34ad8 fp: 0xffffffe01633bc50\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01cb3434c fp: 0xffffffe01633bc90\n\t\t lr: 0xfffffff01c684614 fp: 0x0000000000000000\n\n”,
“panicFlags” : “0x2”,
“otherString” : “\n** Stackshot Succeeded ** Bytes Traced 112560 **\n”,
“macOSPanicFlags” : “0x0”,
“macOSPanicString” : “BAD MAGIC! (flag set in iBoot panic header), no macOS panic log available”,
“memoryStatus” : {“compressorSize”:0,”compressions”:0,”decompressions”:0,”busyBufferCount”:0,”pageSize”:16384,”memoryPressure”:false,”memoryPages”:{“active”:8141,”throttled”:0,”fileBacked”:10933,”wired”:10886,”purgeable”:0,”inactive”:5798,”free”:3029,”speculative”:2344}},
5. Why rolling back will NOT work.
You might think, what if I roll back to a previous version of Mojave like 10.14.5? In the past, this might have worked! It will NOT work when the issue is caused by BridgeOS. Apple has made it impossible to roll back the version of your T2 BridgeOS.
After you updated to 10.14.6, your BridgeOS was also updated. If you try to reinstall 10.14.5, this version will still work but the newer BridgeOS will still be installed. This is also why if you got your MacBook Pro replaced at the Apple Store, the issue could STILL be happening to you.
The only way you could get this to work is if you got ahold of a 10.14.5 system on BridgeOS version 16.16.5601 or lower.
6. Built-In FaceTime Camera
The crash ONLY happens when you use the MacBook Pro Built-In FaceTime Camera. It does not matter what you do. From the many reports that I have looked through, the crash could happen the very second you activate the camera or 2 hours after. Most of the reports seem to be from 10min to 1 hour of use.
7. Camera Software that causes the KP’s
The following software can cause your Mac to Kernel Panic
FaceTime.app
WebEx
Zoom
Slack
Google Hangouts
Skype
Teams
gotomeeting
BlueJeans
You get the idea, basically ANY application that uses the Built-In FaceTime Camera.
8. Workarounds
Most issues like this have some type of workaround. Sometimes a workaround is found by accident or after hours of testing. This time around a few users on the Apple Discussion Forums found at least one workaround.
Plug in an additional Web Camera. This could be a USB Web Camera or even a monitor with a built-in camera like the Apple 27″ ThunderBolt Display.
You don’t even have to use the secondary camera. For some reason with the second camera plugged in reports say that you can use the built-in FaceTime Camera without crashes. Found by user edgonz305
Run a Windows Fusion VM with Skype in that VM. The problem does not occur using integrated camera. This is not a solution for everyone, but for me it works better than using an external camera. Additional workaround from OaSOakover
You can prevent the crashes by just disabling video on the meeting. (This one is pretty obvious if you don’t need to use the FaceTime Cam)
macOS Catalina Beta may fix the issue. Reported by Commenter Dave!
9. Will Apple fix this issue? 10.14.6 Supplemental Update #3 ?
With the end of support coming up fast for Mojave, will Apple fix this issue? I think the answer is YES. This is coming from reports that Apple DOES know about the issue and is still investigating. My guess is that Apple will release one final Supplemental Update to fix this.
If you or any of your users are having this issue, please contact Apple Support.
Zoom Response -“We found it not only influences ZOOM but also FaceTime, Skype and other Camera involving Apps, we are still working with Apple to fix it but currently as a workaround, please turn off your video when joining ZOOM meetings or use external camera by USB.”
If you have any information on the 10.14.6 FaceTime Kernel Panic issue that you would like added to this article, please Contact Me.
The Xcode 11 Gold Master version of Xcode is ready! Usually GM or Gold Master means that this Build Version is the final shipping version. Apple still may release another update so don’t bank on this being the final version.
This article is meant to save you time going through the notes to find what is new and what is still leftover from the last beta. I went through both Beta 7 and the new New Xcode 11 GM (11A419c) release notes to find all the changes. I also included the entire patch notes list as an archive. When Apple releases new patch notes the previous patch notes are overwritten and taken down.
Summary of New Xcode 11 GM Seed 1 Patch Notes
26 New Features
25 New Resolved issues
15 New Known Issues
2 New Deprecations
A Full List of changes is listed below, along with the full patch notes list.
The new Xcode 11 is available in the Mac App Store and includes SDKs for iOS 13, macOS Catalina 10.15, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13. Xcode 11 supports development for devices running iOS 13.1. Xcode 11 supports on-device debugging for iOS 8 and later, tvOS 9 and later, and watchOS 2 and later. Note that Xcode 11 requires a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14.4 or later.
1. New Features in Xcode 11 GM
Asset Catalog – Xcode can find assets in your workspace/project using the Find navigator. The Asset Catalog Editor also supports Find and Replace, and you can rename assets using Replace. (14279237)
Build System – Xcode uses response files by default to pass input files to the Swift compiler. To turn this behavior off, set USE_SWIFT_RESPONSE_FILE to NO. (50852028)
Build System – Projects may now use custom build rules by setting the ‘Process Header Files’ (APPLY_RULES_IN_COPY_HEADERS) build setting to YES. (48185100)
Build System – An XCFramework makes it possible to bundle a binary framework or library for multiple platforms —including iOS devices, iOS simulators, and Mac Catalyst — into a single distributable .xcframework bundle that your developers can use within their own applications. An .xcframework bundle can be added to an Xcode target’s Link Libraries phase and Xcode uses the right platform’s version of the included framework or library at build time. Creation of frameworks is supported from the command line using xcodebuild -create-xcframework. Frameworks or libraries bundled in an XCFramework should be built with the Build Libraries for Distribution build setting set to YES. (49948269)
Create ML – A Tabular Regressor template is now available, joining Image Classification, Sound Classification, Activity Classification, Tabular Classification, Word Tagger and Text Classification. (54005628)
Debugging – Override system settings like appearance, dynamic type, and accessibility options for the debugged process using Environment Overrides, accessible from the debug bar. (45848655)
Debugging – Xcode can prefer using Wi-Fi to connect to a Watch when installing or debugging an app. (50313856)NoteThe iPhone-Watch pair must be on the same 2.4 GHz network. Networks that block peer-to-peer connections cannot be used.
Debugging – LLDB’s Python scripting is now based on Python 3. If you are using Python extensions that aren’t compatible with Python 3, they will break. To help with the transition, you can run in Python 2 mode by setting a default:defaults write com.apple.dt.lldb DefaultPythonVersion 2 Python 2 support will be removed in the future. (47806994)
Debugging – Swift Decimal values have a data formatter in LLDB, making them display in a readable way. (38983073)
Localization – The manual page for genstrings documents its behavior in more detail. (19709369)
Organizer – The new Metrics organizer shows battery life and performance analytics for your app to help you drive optimizations. Metrics are reported for your app when distributed on the App Store and after sufficient field use. The available metrics are battery drain, launch time, hang rate, memory, and disk writes. You can filter data by device and usage characteristics. (43028903)
Playgrounds – SwiftUI live views and inline results in playgrounds are supported. (42226387)
Server – Xcode Server now supports Mac Catalyst apps. (50602873)
Simulator – Metal is available in iOS 13 and tvOS 13 simulators when running on macOS 10.15. Metal code is executed on the host Mac GPU, and is significantly faster than simulated OpenGL code. (System APIs in watchOS 6.0 simulators are also GPU accelerated.)The APIs in SceneKit, CoreAnimation, and other system frameworks abstract many differences between GPUs, reducing the need for device-specific code. When running on earlier versions of macOS or in an environment where Metal is not available, simulators continue to use software rendered OpenGL. If your Mac has multiple GPUs, use the File menu in Simulator to select which GPU to use. If the GPU in use becomes unavailable, any simulators using it automatically shut down. (18430676)
Simulator – Xcode no longer creates every available iOS simulator device by default. Instead a set of the most commonly used devices are created. To create other devices — or multiple instances of a device — open the Devices window, select Simulators, click the + button, enter a name, and select the relevant device type and OS version. In Terminal, execute the xcrun simctl create command, for example xcrun simctl create “My iPhone 7” “iPhone 7” iOS13.0. (49428617)
Simulator – iOS 13, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13 simulators now have a dyld shared cache. This improves simulator launch times and reduces the number of open file handles used by simulator processes. If you report an issue you believe is related to the shared cache, include a simctl diagnose and the output of launching your program with DYLD_PRINT_LIBRARIES=1. (13632739)NoteA missing symbol crash may now mention the shared cache but this is not a shared cache bug. The message is merely informing you that the shared cache was consulted when searching for the symbol.
Source Editor – Xcode 11’s source editor introduces a mini-map of the file. The mini-map includes legible text for Mark:, highlighted lines with errors and warnings, source control changes, breakpoints, and highlighted Find results. The mini-map is enabled by default and can be turned off per editor. (35939517, 46064742, 46064809, 46064921, 46064981, 47127500, 47208960, 47516881)
Source Editor – Added options to control the indentation of case labels inside switch statements. This can be controlled separately for Swift and C-family languages under Preferences -> Text Editing -> Indentation. (9441571)
Source Editor – Added an option for controlling indentation inside the C++ namespace and external C blocks in Preferences > Text Editing > Indentation. (20700010)
Source Editor – Pasted text is no longer re-indented by default, though the initial whitespace is adjusted to match the surrounding text. This can be controlled with Preferences > Text Editing > Indentation. (16047992)
Source Editor – Added support for syntax coloring YAML files. (19942196)
Swift – The @frozen attribute for structures and enumerations is now available. (SE-0260, 36597490)
Swift – More thorough checking has been implemented for restrictions around escaping closures capturing in-out parameters or values of noescape type. While most code isn’t affected, there are edge cases where the Swift 5.0 compiler accepted code that violated these restrictions. (SR-8546, SR-9043, 43355341)An example of invalid code which was incorrectly accepted by the Swift 5.0 compiler is an @escaping closure that calls a local function that references an in-out parameter from an outer scope:struct BadCaptureExample { var escapingClosure: () -> () mutating func takesInOut(_ x: inout Int) { func localFunction() { x += 1 } escapingClosure = { localFunction() } } } The compiler now correctly diagnoses the above code by pointing out that the capture of x by localFunction() is invalid, since localFunction() is referenced from an @escaping closure.This also addresses certain cases where the compiler incorrectly diagnosed certain code as invalid, when in fact no violation of restrictions had taken place. For example:func takesNoEscape(_ fn: () -> ()) { func localFunction() { fn() } { localFunction() }() }
Swift Packages – Xcode now supports creating and working with Swift packages, as well as adding, removing, and managing package dependencies. The package management support in Xcode is built on top of the open source Swift Package Manager project. (22427200)
Testing – XCTest includes augmented performance testing capabilities with the new measure(metrics:options:block:) method and related methods. The metrics argument requires a list of objects conforming to the XCTMetric protocol. You can either implement your own custom metrics or use XCTClockMetric, XCTOSSignpostMetric, XCTCPUMetric, XCTMemoryMetric, or XCTStorageMetric. (49430032)The following shows an example performance test that measures the CPU and Memory impact of sorting a list:func testExample() { // Measures the CPU and memory impact of sorting the input list. measure(metrics: [XCTCPUMetric(), XCTMemoryMetric()]) { sortedList = qsort(list: self.fiftyNumbersFrom0to100) } }
Testing – When running tests using a test plan, it is now possible to configure which targets to include in code coverage results via the test plan’s code coverage setting. (53504451)
2. New Resolved Issues in Xcode 11 GM
General – Fixed an issue where issue text may appear light when using a light theme with a dark system appearance. (48230278)
Create ML – Non-ASCII characters can be used as training labels for Image Classification and Sound Classification. (53594243)
Debugging– Breakpoints support the VoiceOver command to open the shortcut menu. (44940944)
Debugging – Redeclaring self in Swift code works properly with LLDB. (39611934)
Debugging – The Swift REPL and LLDB’s python scripting work properly when the python binary in PATHisn’t the system one. (40961425)
Interface Builder – Fixed an issue where system colors in XIB files set to deploy before iOS 13.0 wouldn’t adapt to the system appearance at runtime. (54362252)
Debugging – Resolved an issue that prevented running a Watch App that has the ‘Supports Running Without iOS App Installation’ setting on a pre-watchOS 6.0 device or simulator. (54104164)
Simulator – Fixed an issue that could cause Simulator to crash or become unresponsive following clipboard-related actions in other applications if automatic pasteboard synchronization is enabled. (54011137)
Simulator – Changing the audio in a simulated device while a video is playing in Safari won’t mute the audio of the video. (51207286)
Source Editor – Fixed an issue where double clicking on a C++ destructor name would also select the tilde (~). (6368356)
Source Editor – Makefiles are now correctly recognized, and are always indented using tab characters. (16975247)
Source Editor – Fixed an issue where changing a file’s tab width would not update the display. (52026893)
Source Editor – When full lines are selected, typing a delimiter now places the delimiters on separate lines, shifting the selection to the right. (52077437)
Source Editor – Fixed a problem where double-clicking text containing words separated by periods in comments would select too much. (11541526)
Source Editor – Double-clicking the quotes of a Swift string containing interpolations now selects the whole string. (24470374)
Source Editor – Improved the recognition of functions in shell script files. (52478049)
Source Editor – Improved performance and correctness when parsing XML and HTML files. (50672550)
Source Editor – Improved the syntax coloring for man page files. (52035097)
Swift – Static libraries are now always force-loaded in their entirety during linking, fixing most “unable to demangle” runtime errors. (47598583)
Swift – If a type has the same name as its containing module, importing that module from a module interface works properly. (19481048, 48445154)
SwiftUI – The #if/#endif compiler conditionals surrounding PreviewProvider types have been removed from SwiftUI templates. PreviewProviders aren’t properly removed from built products when archived. (51539802)
SwiftUI – Xcode Previews work when your built products (derived data) are on a separate volume from your home directory. (54327360)
SwiftUI – Switching run destinations will show the correct device in Xcode Previews. (54006837)
SwiftUI – Fixed an issue preventing Xcode Previews from working for macOS apps with App Sandbox enabled. (51088926)
Testing – The unit test discovery mechanism is more efficient for large projects. The test navigator gets populated faster after reopening a project. (32567980)
3. New Known Issues in Xcode 11 GM
General – When building an Objective-C iOS File Provider application extension that implements the URLForItemWithPersistentIdentifier method, Xcode emits a warning saying that this callback method is deprecated and won’t be called. This warning is incorrect; the method isn’t deprecated, and is called at the appropriate times. (54487300)
Asset Catalog – Named colors in the asset catalog won’t be found at runtime when running on iOS 11. (54325712)
Command Line Tools – When using the Command Line Tools as the active Developer directory, some users may experience random crashes in the Swift compiler. (53582696)Workaround: Execute the command sudo rm -f /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/lib/swift/macosx/libswift*.dylib in Terminal.
Create ML – Apps importing the Create ML framework may not launch if they are compiled by Xcode 11. This doesn’t impact existing apps. (53795065) Workaround: Add the file libswiftCreateML.tbd in the ‘Link Library with Libraries’ section.
Reality Composer – The Rename menu item isn’t enabled when scene, object, or behavior is selected. (54274819)Workaround: You can rename scenes and objects using the Name field in the Properties inspector. You can rename behaviors by right-clicking the behavior and selecting Rename from the contextual menu.
Simulator – iCould Drive isn’t supported in iOS 13.0 and earlier simulator runtimes when running on macOS Catalina 10.15. Logging into iCloud on impacted simulators will result in birdterminating and relaunching in a cycle. (51392951)Workaround: Log out of iCloud in impacted simulators to halt the crash cycle.
Simulator – Simulated devices running iOS 13 may fail to enable an external display or CarPlay display, instead displaying a black window. (53966664)Workaround: Close the window and try again. If that fails restart the affected simulator.
Simulator – When running UI tests in a simulated device on a macOS host with slow hardware the test runner process may get killed by the CPU watchdog. (54136015)Workaround: Free up resources so the simulated device has faster I/O. You can also extend the watchdog timeouts by setting a user default in the relevant simulator. Boot the simulator, then run:xcrun simctl spawn defaults write com.apple.springboard FBLaunchWatchdogScale 2 This must be set on each simulator. Erasing a simulator will reset this setting.
Simulator – Attempting to create an MIDINetworkSession in a simulated device running iOS 13 won’t succeed. (54484923)
SwiftUI – The attribute inspector doesn’t allow specifying flexible frames. (51310989)Workaround: Use the source editor to work with the frame inspector when specifying flexible size information.
SwiftUI – Text view doesn’t display properly in tvOS playgrounds. (54148259)
SwiftUI – SwiftUI has an API that lets you change the value type of Binding to AnyHashable:let someBinding: Binding = … let typeErasedBinding = Binding(someBinding) Attempting to use this API fails at compile time with a linker error on watchOS 6. (53769896)
SwiftUI – Apps containing SwiftUI inside a Swift package crash on launch on devices running iOS versions earlier than iOS 13. (53706729)Workaround: When back-deploying to an OS that doesn’t contain the SwiftUI framework, add -weak_framework SwiftUI to the Other Linker Flags setting in the Build Settings tab. See Frameworks and Weak Linking for more information on weak linking a framework. Note that this workaround doesn’t apply when using dynamically-linked Swift packages which import SwiftUI.
SwiftUI – Xcode Previews fast turnaround may not work in some files. (48091832)Workaround: If you encounter issues using Xcode Previews, you can try disabling hot-swapping per file using the Editor > Previews menu. You will still be able to use previews, but without the faster turnaround that hot-swapping provides.
Swift Compiler – Applying multiple property wrappers to a property could cause the compiler to synthesize accessors with the wrong ABI. This feature has been disabled to prevent incompatible ABI changes from occurring in the future. (53428736)
4. New Deprecations in Xcode 11 GM
Command Line Tools – Command line support for Subversion will be removed in a future release. (50195246, 50231958, 50266910, 51740851, 52528748)
Debugging – Starting in macOS 10.15, the Quartz Composer framework is marked as deprecated, but remains present for compatibility purposes. Transition to frameworks such as Core Image, SceneKit, or Metal if your app is using Quartz Composer. (50911608)
