By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: August 26, 2019
macOS Catalina 10.15.6 will likely be the last update to the macOS Catalina operating system as Apple transitions to macOS Big Sur, the newest version of macOS set to be released in. My macbook air won't install the newest software. I got it downloaded but every time I try to turn on my macbook I get a blue screen with an apple symbol, a loading bar that has stopped loading and a spinning rainbow wheel. The waiting continues for Apple's update to the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The larger MacBook Pro has been updated, the fashionable MacBook Air has been updated, now the workhorse machine is next in.
iMessage is Apple's chat and instant messaging service, which is a great alternative to SMS or text messaging, especially if the person you are talking to is an Apple user. The beauty of the iMessage is that you can use it across all Apple devices, including the Mac.There are some people, though, who are having problems with the iMessage on their Mac. The problem is that update iMessage on Mac is not working, preventing them to properly use the messaging service on their laptop or desktop. This could be an irritating problem to have, but fortunately, there are some troubleshooting solutions you can try if you encounter this problem.In the next section of the article, we'll be discussing the different solutions you can try if your iMessage is not updating on Mac.
Let's do this!
Part 1. How to Fix 'iMessage Not Updating on Mac'?
Your iMessage not updating on Mac can be an irritating problem, especially if you are working on your Mac and also need to use the iMessage.
But like any problem, there's always a solution and for the update problem of the iMessage on Mac, there are several solutions that will be discussed here.
Method 1: Check if your iMessage is Updated to the Latest Version.
Probably one of the first things you can do is to check if your iMessage is updated to the latest version. Sometimes the latest version of the OS provides fix on several bugs and issues that you might be experiencing.
You just need to go to the App Store check to see the latest updates and update your Message App to its latest version and see if it does the trick.
Method 2: Turn Off and On iMessage.
After checking for updates and it still didn't do the trick, the most basic solution that you can possibly try doing on your own is to Turn Off your iMessage and Turn it back On again. You have to do this for all your Apple devices. Here's how you can do it:
For iOS devices:
Go to Settings
Scroll Down and go to Messages
Toggle the iMessage Off
Wait for a few seconds then toggle it On again
For Mac:
Open the Messages app
Click on Messages > Preferences
Uncheck the Enable this account
Wait for a few seconds then check it again
Sometimes the problem is that iMessage is just stuck and turning it off and on again will do the trick.
Try sending a message using your Mac and see if the issue is already fixed. But if this still doesn't work, the next you can try doing is restarting your devices altogether.
Method 3: Turn Off and On Your Mac.
Shutting down a device and turning it back on usually fixes a lot of issues and this could likely fix the issue of iMessage not updating on Mac. So try turning off your Mac computer and wait for a few minutes before turning it back on again.
Macbook Air Wont Download Newest Updates
Once it is turned back on, open the Message app on your Mac and try sending an iMessage to see if the problem is already fixed. If the problem is still not fixed, the next solution you can try is to sign out of your account and sign back in.
Method 4: Sign Out and In of your iMessage on Mac.
Another thing you can try doing is to sign out of your iMessage and sign in again using your Mac. This solution works well in most cases, so there's no harm in trying it out. To do this:
Open your iMessage on Mac
Click Preferences > Accounts
On the Accounts display, click Sign Out and confirm it
After signing out, wait a while or restart your computer then sign in again after that
If after you have tried everything here and your iMessage is still not updating on your Mac, then the best solution you can do is to go for a third-party solutions provider to help you sync and update the iMessage on your Mac.
One such provider is FoneDog Mobile Solution Provider.
Their iOS Data Backup and Restore, which is designed to make backing up restoring files and data to your iOS device or computer easier, can also be used to help update your iMessage on Mac.
You would just need to backup your iMessage using the software and restore them to your Mac so this, in return, will update your iMessage on Mac.
Part 2. How to Update iMessage on Mac?
To do this, you would first need to install the software on your computer and to back up the data of your iOS device. In this case, you want to back up the iMessage, as this is the app that is not working properly on your Mac.
It is easy to backup your iMessage with the software. After installing it, you would just need to decide the kind of backup mode you want, and select the files and data you want to backup.
Once you have made your choice, just click start and the software will do the rest. It will only take a few minutes, depending on the size of the file. Once done, the iOS Data and Restore will display the name of the backup file and its size.
After the backup process is done, the next step is to restore the iMessage you backed up to your Mac so it can result in your Mac finally being updated.
Restoring is also easy to do, as you will only need to click the iOS Restore Data, choose the backup file you want to restore on your Mac.
Then you would need to select the specific files and data you want to restore to your Mac and the software program will do the rest.
This will effectively update the iMessage on your Mac. The beauty of the iOS Data Backup and Restore software is that it is 100% secure to use and you also won't have to worry about any lost data during the backup or restoration process.
You also won't have to worry about the any overwritten data during the restoration process as FoneDog made sure that the software won't do that.
Finally, the iOS Data Backup and Restore is something that you can try without any risk on your part.
FoneDog has a 30-day free trial on the software, allowing you to test it out and see if it is something that you will need or use without spending any money.
Part 3. Conclusion.
iMessage is one of the most useful tools in Apple, as it makes messaging free between Apple users, as long as they are connected to the internet. But there are certain issues with the iMessage on Mac, most notably, the iMessage not updating.
Now there are several solutions that you can try to do if you ever encounter this problem. These solutions include updating the iMessage to the latest version, restarting the app, and so on.
If none of these solutions work, you can always go to a third-party provider and the one I recommend is FoneDog.
Their iOS Data Backup and Restore software is not only a great tool for backing up and restoring data and files, but it can also be used to transfer files from an iOS device to the Mac or updating iMessages from iOS device to the Mac.
It is simple and easy to use and is designed in a way that it protects your files and data. You can also try it out for free, as it has a 30-day free trial period.
This ensures there won't be any risk on your part if you install the iOS Data Backup and Restore and test it out yourself.
Moreover, if your Mac running slow, here is the best solution for you.
Summary: This post is about how to fix when Mac won't boot after macOS update. If macOS Big Sur or macOS Catalina update makes your Mac not booting up, you'll know why and how to fix it quickly and easily.
Apple releases macOS and software updates periodically for better user experience. However, it backfires when your Mac won't boot after macOS update. Especially for some Mac newbies, Mac not turning on would drive them crazy.
Hence, this post will walk you through this problem. Then, you'll know what to do when Mac gets stuck on the Apple logo.
All right. Let's begin with why your Mac is not booting up after the macOS update.
Why is the Mac not turning on after macOS update?
Why won't Mac update successfully? It's fair enough to say, most of the time, Mac won't turn on after macOS update because of software incompatibility and bugs.
As we all know, technology inspires new programs and hardware to be released constantly. So, your Mac needs to update to work with most software and hardware. Sometimes, it's an overall macOS update. And sometimes, it's a tiny patch like this.
In detail, a macOS update could involve those activities.
- Upgrade certain necessary drivers. Sometimes, it simply installs patches to fix bugs. But sometimes, it will replace the whole driver structure to better use hard drives, keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera, etc.
- Upgrade the Kernel programs. Such updates will improve the security, accessibility, and management of core data.
- Redesign or update certain built-in applications. Utilities like Disk Utility, Safari, and Mail come along with the operating system. So, it could be updated for a better user experience.
- Other updates like operating system structure, file system, user interface, etc.
These updates are usually for a better user experience. Or they are for better supporting most of the latest hardware and software. However, as it is pointed out, the updated macOS can only work 'most' of them.
For example, Nvidia GTX 750 Ti can't work with Mac OS X earlier than Yosemite. After such a software update, Mac is not worknig, or the Mac or MacBook gets stuck on a loading bar after update. Once the third-party software and hardware on your Mac won't work with the latest macOS, your Mac won't turn on.
Common boot problems after macOS update
macOS is an improved range of Mac operating systems after Mac OS X. Up to now, there are three macOS systems available: macOS High Sierra, macOS Mojave, and macOS Catalina. Nevertheless, updating to each of them could cause problems.
1. Mac won't turn on after macOS Big Sur update
The newest major release of Mac operating system is macOS 11 Big Sur, which now is in beta version. Up to now, known boot issues of macOS Big Sur Beta include the following, or more.
Macbook Air Wont Download Newest Update Ps4
- If you updated to macOS Big Sur 11.0 but not the newest vesion that has fixed existing bugs.
- You choose a wrong startup disk after installing macOS Big Sur 11.
A Complete List of macOS Catalina Problems and Solutions
It talks about macOS 11 Big Sur update problems including downloading, installing, apps not working, not booting, battery issues and so on. Read more >>
2. Mac won't boot after macOS Catalina update
Then it comes to macOS Catalina. Even though it should be better than the previous two, (In some aspects, it is.) Catalina update problems like Mac won't boot after macOS update still occur.
Except for APFS conversion, the macOS Catalina update will automatically divide your hard drive into two volumes. One is the read-only Macintosh HD system volume, and the other is Macintosh HD - Data for saving your files. But if there is not enough free space for an update, your Mac will get stuck on a update loop.Whta's worse, you might see the Mac folder with question mark at startup because macOS Catalina update is not found.
What's more, the 'Full Disk Access' permission might be a lion in the way for some unauthorized applications. For instance, you have a program that requires certain Kernel extensions. But after updating to macOS Catalina, this program can't access the Kernel resource anymore. It doesn't have permission. As a result, your Mac will be frozen at the loading bar because this program keeps asking for resource permission.
A Complete List of macOS Catalina Problems and Solutions
It talks about macOS Catalina problems including downloading, installing, apps not working, not booting, battery issues and so on. Read more >>
3. Mac won't restart after macOS Mojave update
macOS 10.14 Mojave is coming after 10.13 High Sierra. Thus, the same boot problems on macOS High Sierra could also happen to macOS Mojave. As you might know, Apple introduced the System Integrity Protection (SIP) feature since OS X EI Capitan. It was originally introduced to keep system security. But once this feature was disabled previously before you update to macOS Mojave, it could cause boot problems.
For example, the Google software update on September 23, 2019, was shipped with a bug. This flaw damages the macOS file system on computers where System Integrity Protection is disabled. Many video professionals reported that their Mac crashed due to this.
So, just think about it, even Google can't avoid such software conflict, how about other third-party software? That's one of the reasons why many users who disabled SIP previously get Mac crashed after installing macOS Mojave.
4. Mac won't boot after macOS High Sierra update
One of the major updates in macOS High Sierra is the introduction of the Apple File System (APFS). As a part of the upgrade process, the macOS High Sierra installer will automatically convert the SSD to the APFS file system.
Even though Apple claims that the conversion process is supposed to be risk-free, many Mac users still meet problems. And disk corruption during the update is one of them. In this case, it's sure that the Mac won't restart after update. Mac will stop loading after update for such corruption.
Except for hard drive corruption, hardware or software incompatibility is another major reason. As your computer needs to work with so much hardware and software, the in-between conflict is inevitable. Those incompatibilities could slow your Mac down. They could make your Mac not responsive. Or, the Mac won't let you log in with right password. Also, the Mac could freeze on a black or Mac white screen of death.
What to do if Mac can't turn on after macOS update?
Having discussed why Mac won't boot after macOS update, you may find that it's tricky to hit the point. But don't worry, here are some inspirations so that you can troubleshoot this issue step by step:
- 1. Check if the Mac hard drive is corrupted
- 2. Check if any program is not compatible with your macOS
- 3. Check for a hardware incompatibility
Step 1: Check and repair the Mac hard drive in macOS Recovery mode
If your Mac refuses to boot after the update, you should check the Mac hard drive. Chances are that your MacBook ran out of power and the APFS reformatting process was interrupted. Or the hard drive is corrupted for bad sectors.
In this case, you can try to repair the hard drive with Disk Utility under Recovery Mode. Disk Utility helps Mac boot up in some ways sicne it's the built-in free disk repair tool on your Mac.
Learn how to run First Aid on the startup disk and repair the file system or disk errors.
If no disk error was found by Disk Utility, then the hard drive should not be responsible for this issue. To find out why you can't turn on your Mac after macOS update, you can try Safe Mode.
Step 2: Boot your Mac into Safe Mode
You may be wondering 'why should I do this in Safe Mode?' The reason is that Safe Mode will only launch some basic necessary programs at startup. It's easier to isolate incompatibility software that makes your Mac unbootable.
Make sense, right? Then let's dive into details on how to do this.
- 1. Press and hold the power button until the Mac forcibly shuts down.
- 2. To start the Mac up in Safe Mode, restart this Mac with Shift key pressed and held.
- 3. Release the key when you see the progress bar.
If you boot into Safe Mode successfully, you'll see Safe Boot at the right top. At least, it indicates that the macOS update is not failed. Then, it should be third-party software incompatibility.
But to figure out exactly which program makes your Mac unbootable, you need to reboot into Verbose Mode. Verbose mode allows you to see what's happening when macOS is starting up.
You can hold Command + V at startup. Then you'll see a live report when your Mac is booting up. Once you find out the culprit, you can simply uninstall the software in Safe Mode
But if you fail to boot into Safe Mode, it means it's a macOS update failure. The system data is damaged or broken. You need to reinsall the macOS in macOS Recovery mode. You can simply boot into macOS Recovery Mode and choose Reinstall macOS. If you don't want to update macOS anymore, you can try your luck with using APFS snapshot to recover your system.
The point is that macOS reinstallation will risk your data on the Mac. Thus, you should first check your backups. Or you can recover data from unbootable Mac first.
Learn how to get your important files off the startup disk when your Mac won't boot.
Macbook Pro Updates Won't Install
Tips: You can prevent APFS conversion with start to install this time if you want to avoid unnecessary problems. But you are not advised to unless you are a Mac command geek.
Step 3: Ask Apple repair store for help
Macbook Air Won't Download Update
The toughest thing is that your hard drive is fine. And there is no software incompatibility noticed in Verbose Mode. In this case, you should check the hardware inside your Mac.
The reason is that macOS updates are always for better supporting the latest software and hardware. So, the hardware or drivers on your Mac may be too outdated to work with the newer OS.
In this case, you can ask help from the Apple repair store and reset the Mac. If it's the Mac machine itself is too old, you should replace it with a newer Mac model. Or you simply don't allow automatically update the macOS.
How to avoid macOS update failure?
Every time there is a new macOS update available, you'll receive a notification. It asks 'Do you want to restart to install these updates now or try tonight?'. However, it's not safe to update directly because your Mac could get stuck on update or even lose important files. In case the Mac won't boot after macOS Big Sur or Catalina update, you surely can do some preparations in advance.
- Read several reviews from tech enthusiasts to learn problems when a new macOS beta is released.
- Make sure your Mac model and its hardware work with the updated macOS.
- Read macOS update instructions carefully when you are up to update your system.
- Back up your files, photos, documents, etc.
- Make sure there is enough free disk space for macOS update.
- Make sure your Mac is connected to power to avoid the black screen of death during macOS update.
So, you'd better do these preparations before you update to any operating system. But if your Mac can't boot up already, you should calm down and follow this guide to fix this issue. If you have any more any feasible solution to enrich this article, kindly drop us a hint at [email protected]
