macOS 26.0 Tahoe + Xcode 26.0.1 Simulator causes system-wide audio distortion

Question

Created 3w

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After upgrading to macOS 26.0 Tahoe and Xcode 26.0.1, I’ve noticed an issue with audio playback whenever the iOS Simulator is running.

Device: MacBook Pro 13" (2020, Intel, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD)

Issue: Any sound played on the Mac (system sounds, music, videos) begins to break/distort once the Simulator is active.

App Sounds: If the app running inside the Simulator plays audio, that audio also breaks/distorts.

Previous Version: This issue did not occur on macOS Sequoia 15 or with Xcode 16. Everything was working fine before the upgrade.

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Answer 1

leoboedi OP

2w

Yes, I got the same issue on my 2021 M1 Max.

1

Answer 2

Solovei OP

2w

Hey! Try running in Terminal:

sudo pkill coreaudiod

It will prompt for a pwd also. After this it will shutdown the audio but system will bring it back very shortly and the issue should disappear (for me helps for few days)

1