Consistent Flash Animation Issue on Maximizing Minimized Applications from Dock

I have been facing a recurring graphical glitch on my MacBook Pro 14 with an M2 Pro chip, running macOS Sonoma, concerning the animation behavior when maximizing minimized applications from the dock. This issue has persisted since my previous MacBook that ran on macOS Ventura. Here's a detailed breakdown of the problem:


  1. I minimize an application to the dock by clicking the minimize button.
  2. Regardless of the time interval, when I click on the application's icon in the dock to maximize it, it swiftly maximizes before executing any opening animation, displaying a quick flash on the screen.
  3. This flash animation is visually jarring and contrasts sharply with the otherwise smooth user experience typical of macOS.


Additional Information:

  • This issue occurs every time an application is maximized from the dock, irrespective of how long the application has been minimized.
  • I have attempted to replicate this issue with continuous clicking to minimize and maximize the application, and the problem persists in every instance.
  • The problem has been consistent across different versions of macOS, from Ventura to the current Sonoma version.


MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.0

Posted on Oct 2, 2023 08:11 PM

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Posted on Jan 23, 2024 05:16 PM

I am also having this issue. I reset my MacBook as it was so distracting, same thing. It also happens in safe mode. It doesn't happen every single time but it is very distracting. It also doesn't happen on every app, safari, mail, messages... works fine, notes app does the weird animation, also parcel app from App Store swell, activity monitor too...


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 23, 2024 05:16 PM in response to Barney-15E

I am also having this issue. I reset my MacBook as it was so distracting, same thing. It also happens in safe mode. It doesn't happen every single time but it is very distracting. It also doesn't happen on every app, safari, mail, messages... works fine, notes app does the weird animation, also parcel app from App Store swell, activity monitor too...


Jan 23, 2024 06:05 PM in response to Jekcus

Upon further testing I resolved the issue with the flashing animation when i unchecked the option minimize windows into application icon in dock settings. I encountered a different problem. When I maximize an app it doesn't apply transparency immediately and pops into view later.


Image 1: Right after maximizing app





Image 2: Half a second later


Jul 9, 2024 04:45 PM in response to yihao114

I was on the phone with apple support close to 1 hour and 30 minutes. after going through all the steps necessary they sent me to the next level of support. The sent a message to the engineer team and I was told I would not a response for probably the next 4 to 5 days. It came the next day.... here is the response.


Hi Joseph, 


I hope this finds you well! 


I have received a response from my engineering team. 

They acknowledge this issue is under further investigation. 


Furthermore my suspicion has been confirmed. 

Since this can be reproduced this looks to be a cosmetically induced behavior for certain applications.

To conclude, this is not a hardware fault and servicing your Mac would not be advised. 


They encourage you to keep macOS up to date as the results of the investigation may come in the form of an update, a knowledge base article, or some combination of the two.


If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out. 


I will be in touch should my engineering team require additional logging or screen captures from you. 


Thanks,

Richard

Apple

Jun 5, 2024 06:03 AM in response to yihao114

My Mac has done this also since Ventura into Sonoma. I recently purchased a bran new M3 14 and before I did I tested out the floor models and they did the same thing. I also restored my daughter's M1 and did a fresh install of Sonoma and the same thing happens. I have seen this on multiple machines. I really would like apple to patch this. After paying so much for a new machine and still have the issues is very frustrating. It happens to me when using Music and Final Cut Pro. If you found a work around or a fix please advise. thanks

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Consistent Flash Animation Issue on Maximizing Minimized Applications from Dock

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