Some macOS 12.2 users are dealing with Bluetooth battery drain during sleep

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What you need to know

Some people report odd battery drain during sleep with the latest macOS 12.2 update installed.
The issue seems related to Bluetooth devices waking the machine overnight.
It isn't yet known whether macOS 12.3 will fix the issue.

A number of macOS 12.2 users are reporting a bug that is causing significant battery train during sleep mode that is being caused by Bluetooth accessories.

The current shipping version of macOS Monterey, version 12.2 is now available for download but a number of users are experiencing an issue that is causing unusual battery drain when Bluetooth devices repeatedly wake the machines.

First spotted by MacRumors, the problems have popped up across social media and Reddit.

The problem is so bad that some people report batteries draining from 100% to 0% overnight. Notably, the problem is impacting both Apple silicon and Intel machines.

Affected users say their Mac's battery life drops from 100% to 0% while in sleep mode overnight since updating to macOS 12.2. A few users tried to identify a cause in Terminal and found that Bluetooth accessories are frequently causing a "DarkWake from Deep Idle" that results in the Mac repeatedly waking from sleep, which drains the battery. The issue appears to be affecting both Intel-based Macs and M1-based Macs.

@ Apple tweeps: macOS 12.2 breaks something related with bluetooth + sleep/wake. Looking at `pmset -g log`, it seems like it spent all night waking up every few seconds for bluetooth and drained all the battery. [FB9862509] https://t.co/5IF81PVw3P pic.twitter.com/qczeDKD5oX@ Apple tweeps: macOS 12.2 breaks something related with bluetooth + sleep/wake. Looking at `pmset -g log`, it seems like it spent all night waking up every few seconds for bluetooth and drained all the battery. [FB9862509] https://t.co/5IF81PVw3P pic.twitter.com/qczeDKD5oX— João Pavão (@jpavao) January 28, 2022 January 28, 2022

While Apple released macOS 12.3 to developers and public beta testers last week we haven't yet heard whether that has fixed the problem or not. Even if it hasn't, it's possible it could do so by the time the update is made available to the public. Expect multiple beta releases before macOS 12.3 is ready for primetime, for example.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

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