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!

On 01/31/2026 at 6:25 PM, HappyBee276 said:

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 noise-canceling triggering dropouts on your MacBook Pro but not on your phone definitely points to a Bluetooth stack or driver issue on macOS. I had a similar problem with my Sony WH-1000XM3, and what helped was toggling the "Use AAC codec" option off in the Bluetooth debug menu (you can access this by holding Shift+Option while clicking the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar). Sometimes the default codec negotiation messes up when ANC is enabled, causing those brief cutouts.

Also, some users reported better stability by disabling "Automatic Ear Detection" in the Sony Headphones Connect app when using ANC on Mac. It’s a bit of trial and error, but between codec tweaking and app settings, you might find a sweet spot. Worth a shot before diving into third-party tools or rolling back macOS versions.

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’s a tricky one with the dropouts only happening when ANC kicks in. Since you’ve already updated firmware and macOS, it might be worth digging into interference sources around your workspace - sometimes even a USB 3.0 device or a monitor’s wireless signal can cause those Bluetooth hiccups. I had a similar issue where just moving my laptop a bit or unplugging a nearby wireless mouse helped a lot.

Another angle: some users have found that toggling the Bluetooth codec on the Mac from AAC to SBC (or vice versa) can stabilize connections with certain headphones. You can check this in the Bluetooth debug menu (hold Shift+Option and click the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar). It’s a bit of a hidden setting but might make a difference with how ANC communicates with your Mac.

Lastly, if you haven’t already, try using the Sony Headphones Connect app on your phone to tweak ANC levels or modes, then reconnect to the