Apple menu () randomly opening by itself — bug, hardware issue, or something else?

I thought my issue was fixed with the latest test version, but it just popped up agin. I'll try option two, but if that doesn't work i'm off to ICE for a bit. I don't know how you are expected to screen record it since it is a random occurrence, not happening all the time.

So i'll try option 2, if that doesnt' work I'm going to swap to ICE for the moment (https://github.com/jordanbaird/Ice) and hope there is a fix for Bartender soon.

I have tested it over the last year, and for me, no issues at all - it is my backup if the new Bartender owners decide to go some subscription pathway. A lot of people swapped over to ICE when Bartender was sold to a new company and they were sending user data every 10 minutes to amplitude without warning their users.

This Reddit thread started it all:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macapps/comhttps://www.macbartender.com/b5blog/Lets-Try-This-Again/

That prompted this blog post from the original owner/creator:

See Ben's message, three months after the sale, with no warning to users:

https://www.macbartender.com/b5blog/A-New-Chapter-for-Bartender/

And Bartenders follow up after a backlash following the reddit thread above.

https://www.macbartender.com/b5blog/Lets-Try-This-Again/

LifeHacker and many other tech blogs reported on this issue/change too:

https://au.lifehacker.com/apple/8735/news/the-bartender-app-for-mac-can-record-your-screen-and-we-have-no-idea-who-owns-it

Lots of users have swapped over to ICE without any issues, as well as BTT and others. I've gone back and forth with ICE and Bartender and not found any issues myself with the way I use ICE. If ICE has no issues, i'll use it as an interim until Bartender gets their act together and releases a new bug free version - it is almost the same usability.

I don't see any issue mentioning ICE to people having this problem as a possible solution for their issues, with an app that is totally free, so there is no cost for anyone to test it out and see if it solves their issues. If it does, brilliant, when the new Bartender owner(s) gets their act together and patches their software for this bug, we can all jump back to it. Until then, there is no other solution other than using a different app, and this is one option that people should be aware of - or check out the Lifehacker link above and there are two other free options as well.

Just wanted to say that I'm on Bartender 5.3.6 and still having this issue. I switched to Ice previously because of this thread, but figured I'd give the latest update a try and yeah it immediately opens the Apple menu and just doesn't stop.

The whole reason I use Bartender is for the triggers, so I don't want to turn them off... if I can't use them I might as well just stick with Ice.

I installed Bartended 5.3.8 and this has the release note of:

Fix a bug with the Apple Menu bar item. Performance enhancements.

(https://macbartender.com/B2/updates/5-3-8/rnotes.html)

So far the Apple Menu button is still opening by itself - so bug is still present.

I did tick the "update to test builds" to get that update (I didn't check without that ticked to see if it was a full release) .. so far no further update, but the bug is still there.

I'm hoping it is a test build and still will be fixed so I can move back to Bartender from ICE.

New test build 5.4.0 - mentioned "prevents issues with the Apple Menu" ... lets see if this one actually fixes the problem. I just installed it with no issues so far, but it is too soon to tell.

This build introduces a brand-new layout system that makes Bartender faster, more reliable, and prevents issues with the Apple Menu. Everything should feel snappier, and your bar should now layout faster than ever, even with larger bars. This is a substantial change, so we’ll be releasing a few test builds before we ship this to the stable release feed. If you encounter any issues, please send feedback directly in the app, and we'll take a look straight away!

For users on Tahoe, please signup to stay updated on our Tahoe specific beta coming soon.

[Edited by Moderator]

I have been using the new test build 5.4.0 ("prevents issues with the Apple Menu") for the last few days now.. So far no random selection of the Apple Logo. So i'm hoping that means that this issue is over with now, and you simply have to update to that latest test build to solve the issue. I have stopped using ICE and i'm back with Bartender now that the bug is over. If anything changes i'll post another comment, but at this stage i'd recommend anyone with this issue to update to the new test build 5.4.0.

Just a follow up to the 5.4.0 test build for Bartender. We aren't getting the Apple logo being selected anymore, however watching videos in full screen will bring down the top bar every few seconds. Doesn't seem to be anything you can do about it. So outside of full screen mode it seems good, but if you watch videos in full screen it still is buggy. I'm also still investigating if this version slows things down a bit in browsers and so on, I have a feeling it was slowing down clicks and a few other things, I wonder if it is because it is constantly analysing the menubar. So this test build isn't 100% yet.

Frederick Northrop wrote:

It is happening to me but only in Safari. I do have bartender. M1 MacBook Pro

It has been confirmed that Bartender is the problem. You can test yourself by uninstalling Bartender and it will no longer happen.

It seems to pop up when playing videos for me. I'm on 5.4.0 test build (unless that has already progressed to a stable, but no updates are available for me since going to that test build) .... when i'm watching a video in full screen the menu bar keeps popping up ruining the full screen video.

I've been using ICE now for a month or more waiting for Bartender to be fixed, and ICE is working flawlessly and does everything I want to do. I would have hoped Bartender would have been fixed by now, but i'm wondering if the new owners have too much on their plate with other projects and Bartender has dropped down that list.

I might just stick with ICE. It is FREE and works like 90% of what Bartender has function wise, which covers everything I need to do. No more mucking around. But i'll keep trying and see when bartender gets completely fixed.

My hunch is they are waiting for the new MacOS to come out, and they will release Bartender 6.0, as a new version, and I wouldn't be surprised if everything is now fixed and it is a subscription model for payments rather than the buy once per major version. As most software companies are using this business model now.

Don't forget this thread isn't from Bartender, it is users supporting users. But yeah, the test build is in options under the Bartender Settings. I just fired it up again and there hasn't been any test build update since I last ran Bartender. So for me the bug is still there. I've been quite happy running ICE however, and just installed that for a friend on another computer. It works really well and it is free. Well worth giving a go if this bug is making you go nuts, and you can always go back to Bartender whenever this bug is totally fixed.

I still have the suspicion that it will be fixed in the next major update, with that major update removing lifetime licenses and going to a subscription based service. I assume that was probably the plan when the new owners took over, but with all the controversy of the takeover they have held back on that one.

Me too. It just keeps opening by itself with no rhyme or reason...

Doesn’t matter if I’m doing anything or nothing...

Maybe my AppleMouse?

iMac Retina 5k 27inch A2115

Sequoia 15.4.1

The same thing happens to me, whether or not I'm using an external keyboard/mouse/display.

Macbook Pro 16-inch, 2021

Apple M1 Max

Memory 32 GB

macOS Sequoia 15.1.1

I have the same problem on my M1 Pro MacBook (32GB, latest version of Sequoia). I suspect one of the menu bar tools is causing it, but not sure which one.

Thanks, but there's no other shortcut assigned to this action and, as far as I can see, no other apps that can cause it.

Any other ideas?

Just happened to me with mouse and keyboard turned off.