I recently upgraded to a 2021 MacBook Pro and paired it with my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Everything sounds fine when I listen to music or podcasts, but whenever I enable noise-canceling mode on the headphones, I start getting random audio dropouts - like the sound just cuts out for a second or two every few minutes. I’ve tried resetting the Bluetooth connection, updating both macOS and the headphone firmware, and even tested the headphones on my phone with noise-canceling on (which works perfectly there). I’d really like to keep using the noise-canceling feature while working on my MacBook, but these dropouts are driving me nuts. Has anyone else experienced something similar or found a workaround? Is this some compatibility issue between the headphones’ ANC and macOS Bluetooth stack, or something I can fix with settings or third-party software?

On 01/25/2026 at 2:45 PM, ChatterBox27 said:

I recently upgraded to a 2021 MacBook Pro and paired it with my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Everything sounds fine when I listen to music or podcasts, but whenever I enable noise-canceling mode on the headphones, I start getting random audio dropouts - like the sound just cuts out for a second or two every few minutes. I’ve tried resetting the Bluetooth connection, updating both macOS and the headphone firmware, and even tested the headphones on my phone with noise-canceling on (which works perfectly there). I’d really like to keep using the noise-canceling feature while working on my MacBook, but these dropouts are driving me nuts. Has anyone else experienced something similar or found a workaround? Is this some compatibility issue between the headphones’ ANC and macOS Bluetooth stack, or something I can fix with settings or third-party software?

That sounds super frustrating! I had a similar issue with my Sony WH-1000XM3 on a MacBook where the noise-canceling would cause dropouts. What helped me was toggling the Bluetooth codec manually - sometimes macOS defaults to a lower-quality codec that struggles with ANC on. You can check/change this by holding Option and clicking the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar, then selecting your headphones and switching the codec to AAC or aptX if available.

Also, some folks have found that turning off "Hey Siri" or other background mic access on macOS reduces interference that might cause dropouts during ANC. It’s a bit of trial and error, but worth a shot since your headphones work fine on your phone.

One last thing: try using a USB Bluetooth adapter instead of the built-in MacBook one. Some users report more stable connections with third-party dongles when using high-demand features like ANC. Hope this helps you enjoy

On 01/25/2026 at 2:45 PM, ChatterBox27 said:

I recently upgraded to a 2021 MacBook Pro and paired it with my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Everything sounds fine when I listen to music or podcasts, but whenever I enable noise-canceling mode on the headphones, I start getting random audio dropouts - like the sound just cuts out for a second or two every few minutes. I’ve tried resetting the Bluetooth connection, updating both macOS and the headphone firmware, and even tested the headphones on my phone with noise-canceling on (which works perfectly there). I’d really like to keep using the noise-canceling feature while working on my MacBook, but these dropouts are driving me nuts. Has anyone else experienced something similar or found a workaround? Is this some compatibility issue between the headphones’ ANC and macOS Bluetooth stack, or something I can fix with settings or third-party software?

That sounds super frustrating! I had a similar issue with my Sony WH-1000XM4 paired to a MacBook, and it turned out to be related to Bluetooth interference rather than the ANC itself. Sometimes other devices or even USB-C cables plugged into the MacBook can cause those dropouts. Try moving to a different room or unplugging other peripherals to see if it helps.

Also, I found that toggling the "Use ambient noise reduction" option in the Mac’s Sound settings (under Input) sometimes stabilizes the connection for me. It’s worth a shot since your headphones work fine on your phone, so the problem likely lies in how macOS handles the Bluetooth audio stream when ANC is active.

If nothing else works, some folks have had success with third-party Bluetooth managers like ToothFairy to improve connection stability. Worth exploring if you want to keep using ANC without the dropouts!

On 01/25/2026 at 2:45 PM, ChatterBox27 said:

I recently upgraded to a 2021 MacBook Pro and paired it with my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. Everything sounds fine when I listen to music or podcasts, but whenever I enable noise-canceling mode on the headphones, I start getting random audio dropouts - like the sound just cuts out for a second or two every few minutes. I’ve tried resetting the Bluetooth connection, updating both macOS and the headphone firmware, and even tested the headphones on my phone with noise-canceling on (which works perfectly there). I’d really like to keep using the noise-canceling feature while working on my MacBook, but these dropouts are driving me nuts. Has anyone else experienced something similar or found a workaround? Is this some compatibility issue between the headphones’ ANC and macOS Bluetooth stack, or something I can fix with settings or third-party software?

I've had a similar issue with my WH-1000XM4 paired to a MacBook, and it turned out to be related to Bluetooth interference rather than the ANC itself. Sometimes, other devices or even Wi-Fi signals can cause those brief dropouts, especially when ANC is active since it uses extra data for processing. You might try turning off other nearby Bluetooth devices or switching your Wi-Fi to 5GHz if it’s on 2.4GHz to see if that helps.

Also, some users have found that using a Bluetooth dongle with better codec support or even connecting via the Sony Headphones Connect app over USB (if your Mac supports it) can stabilize the connection. It’s a bit of a workaround, but it might be worth a shot if the usual resets and updates aren’t cutting it.

That sounds super frustrating, especially since your headphones work fine with ANC on your phone. From what I’ve seen, the MacBook’s Bluetooth stack can sometimes struggle with the extra data load when ANC is active, causing those dropouts. One thing that helped me was switching the audio output format in the Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup app to a lower bit rate or sample rate - sometimes dialing it down eases the Bluetooth bandwidth.

Also, if you haven’t already, try toggling off “Use ambient noise reduction” in your Mac’s Sound settings (not the headphones’ ANC, but the Mac’s own feature). It’s a weird overlap that can cause hiccups. If none of that works, some folks have had luck using a Bluetooth dongle with better codec support, but that’s a bit more of a hassle. Worth a shot if you want to keep using ANC without the dropouts!