OS X Mountain Lion Bug with Apple Mail Sounds?

I seemed to have uncovered, what is for me at least, my first Mountain Lion bug.  The bug I’m dealing with is in the Apple Mail application and relates to the sounds that play when new mail arrives and when one sends mail out.

The bug simply stops these sounds from working.  Things go like this.  When my computer is awake and I first launch the Mail application I hear all the sounds I’m supposed to hear as I normally do.  When new mail arrives in my inbox I get “ding” and when I send mail I hear a confirmation “whoosh.”  The problem begins when my computer goes to sleep.  When I wake it up the sounds no longer play.  The only way I can seem to get them to play at that point is by closing the mail application and reopening it.

Have you experienced this issue or any others when using Mountain Lion?  I’m sure Apple will fix this issue via a software update soon.  Leave us a comment below if you’ve found any other Mountain Lion annoyances.

 

Larry

Larry has always had a passion for gear and gadgets. It all started for him with the release of the very first Palm Pilot. He has always had an interest in handheld electronics. From handheld PDAs, to cell phones, Mp3 players, watches and other products, Larry is the first person his friends, family and colleagues call when they need advice on tech.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle PlusYouTubeYelp

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Add to favorites
  • Email
  • RSS
  • Ed

    I have the same identical problem.

    • lgreenberg

      Glad to hear I’m not the only one.

      • Eric Hsu

        So, did this ever get resolved? I’m glad to know at least that it’s from deferred mail sounds.

        • http://www.runaroundtech.com/ Larry

          Nope.

  • Bill

    I have been having issues with the sounds in mail since the ML install. I can say that when I wake my two computers in the morning that the mail sounds for incoming work. It seems for no reason that the sounds go away for me. There is a thread in the Apple forums about this issue and there are many more having this problem.

  • http://twitter.com/techbloggersean/status/236062534300479488 Sean Lin

    OS X Mountain Lion Bug with Apple Mail Sounds? http://t.co/Xj5qm0Ma #tekfalke

  • http://twitter.com/lgreenberg/status/236069635127115776 Larry Greenberg

    New post: OS X Mountain Lion Bug with Apple Mail Sounds? http://t.co/FnF165Ej

  • Larry

    I have the same problem. I did not realize that closing and reopening Mail would fix.

  • Ron

    I have had this problem since before Lion and it still exists in Mtn. Lion. Your work-a-round is what I also have to do.

  • http://twitter.com/neek247 neek247

    Ive been having issues with my mail application being very slow buggy and also I dont get any noise.

  • Bizard

    I have the problem in lion. However, I found out quite by accident that plugging in headphones (or unplugging them if they are in) also fixes the sound, just in an unpleasant way. All of the sounds that should have played but didn’t will play back to back. If you receive or send a lot of mail this is amusing the first time, not so much after that. Quitting mail stops the sounds and when started again they don’t resume.

  • Montrose

    I h.ave the exact same problem. I’ve spoken with apple support without any resolution. Do you think it is a software issue or is it a hardware issue with the smc controller?

  • Matt M.

    Yes, I’ve had the same/similar problem. It alarmed me when I opened my new MBP (10.8) from sleep and heard a long series of ‘sending mail whooshes’. I had no idea where these emails were going, or where they were from — draft emails that were addressed but unsent?? Thankfully, not. I quit mail, and reopened it. Sent mail showed nothing different than before. So apparently there is some lag in executing the sound. Thanks for posting about it. – MM

    • http://www.facebook.com/BamBamBob Bob Abbate

      I have the same issue Matt, repeating “mail sending wooshes”. Happens after waking my MBP Retina with Mountain Lion from sleep, Sometime is stops after it finishes checking for new mail, other times I have to force quit Mail. I’ll let you know if I find a solution, please do the same.

  • John W

    Me too. A reboot fixes it briefly but then it goes back to not working again.

  • TT

    Same here, except the sounds start playing when I plug in my headphones! For the next 2 minutes, I get nothing but dings and whooshes of all the mail I’ve received / sent…since I have no idea when – last time the computer slept?

    • Dave

      I have had the same issue. Everything works find until I plug in my headphones and then the sound happens for about 30 seconds at a time.

  • lgreenberg

    I had high hopes that the recent 10.8.1 update would fix this issue but alas it did not.

  • http://twitter.com/joeyvdpoel/status/240373519731535872 Joey van der Poel

    Not the only one apparently… #Apple #MacOSX Mountain Lion #mail #sounds #bug http://t.co/LAhga3sy

  • http://twitter.com/libocannici libo cannici

    Me too same issue, I plug in the headphones and mail starts to play a symphony… (I am on 10.8.1)

    • Rainman

      Same problem here. Have you resolved this issue?

      • eg

        Also the same problem, drives me crazy, still on 10.8.1

  • Aubrey

    After waking up my MBP w/r, Mail just disconnects with my accounts, and the only solution is to close Mail and reopen it…

  • john

    same issue with me!

  • rich a

    same issue with me

  • czb

    same issue here in virginia (oct 4, 2012)

  • http://twitter.com/marcomattiello/status/253981404432592897 Marco Mattiello

    Ahn ecco, non sono l'unico ad avere il sound-bug di Mail in OSX.. http://t.co/Bb63ZDoC

  • HarryD

    I had hoped that the update to 10.8.2 would solve this problem.
    But unfortunately, the problem is still there.

  • drlisagriffin

    Same problem. It’s amazing how unsettling it feels to not get that confirmation that an email actually sent. So unsettling that I close and reopen mail several times a day at this point just to get it back.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kheldan David Milette

    Same issue here with new MBPr. Very annoying to have sound go out. Apparently related to Power Nap.

  • Peter Helfer

    Same problem here. I miss the sounds

  • azbirdman

    Same here, but who has a fix?

  • Mike

    i was looking for an answer for the exact same problem. My sound also went away. I closed mail and then re-opened it and the sound returned…update later? thanks for the help, Mike

  • vmm

    Same problem 10.8.2
    Looks like Apple does not care

  • treiner05

    Same 10.8.2 Just my sent mail sound has disappeared.

  • GULFSTREAMVII

    there is a new upgrade coming soon that’s going to solve this and other Mt. Lion annoyances.

  • Oclupak

    I have the exact same problem of the vanishing “woosh” sound that used to be associated with outgoing mail. I’m happy to learn that I am not alone and that there is no need to keep looking further for what I might have done wrong in setting up my brand new mac mini. I am mostly glad to have learnt by reading the previous posts that the sounds can be restored by quitting the Mail.app and then restaring it.

  • Joe

    My send sound doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter whether I restart. It still doesn’t work

  • bill

    have the same issue with 10.8.2

  • Thomas

    I got exactly the same problem, after 10.8.2 mail notification are no longer working properly. I just noticed that when I plug a set or earphones to mac Macbook or unplug it, then I would get the latest email notification that were not played on the moment I sent/received and email…I wonder if this has to deal with mountain lion upgrade…If yes, I’m totally disappointed!

  • Marcin

    I have the same on version 10.8.2 MacBook Pro Retina Display.

  • julie

    new macbook air bought in dec 2012- same issue!

  • vlado

    i have same problem with mail notifications. i get sound when i sent the email. but i dont get the sound when i receive any email. i also don’t get notification banner with new email. this started just recently. i had no problem in december’2012. i tried everything i suppose. but nothing helped.

  • Anonymous Guy

    What’s interesting is that, for me, the sounds occur when I plug in my headphones and I usually get about 30 seconds of Dings and Whooshes.

  • CSmith

    This is weird. This just starting happening a few days ago. As long as I close Mail and re-open it, the outgoing mail gets sent. Otherwise, it just sits in in the outbox. I’m good about picking up all the patches so I’m not sure what could have changed.

    • http://www.facebook.com/patricia.white.902 Pat White

      See above post, here scroll down to “silence” I could never tell if mail went or not. Had to quit mail, reopen.

      http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5394

      Good luck!

  • http://www.facebook.com/patricia.white.902 Pat White

    This should work. Funny, 2/4/13 I download Mountain Lion and had the problem. Last night I downloaded to iMac no problem w/send sound. However, here’s what fixed it. Guess we can’t have our cake and eat it too:

    “If you use the Play Sound or Send Message feature of Find My Mac, Power Nap does not make a sound.

    Turning Power Nap on or off

    Power Nap can be turned on or off in the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences. It is enabled by default on supported computers when connected to AC power.

    • J Hancock

      Brilliant. That worked.

      • http://www.facebook.com/patricia.white.902 Pat White

        Great, kinda stinks that we can’t have both. Figure there will eventually be a fix.

  • J Hancock

    Pat, you are brilliant. Turning off Power Nap worked.

    • http://www.facebook.com/patricia.white.902 Pat White

      Good, was driving me crazy too. Was a pain to keep checking the send box to see if mail went. Gotta have that swoosh.

  • Mozo

    I have the same problem. Not only mail sounds disappearing, but iChat sounds, trash empty etc. etc. What fixes is it – temporarily at least, is to open the ‘Audio Midi Setup’ in Applications > Utilities, and toggle the format for the Internal Speakers under the ‘built in output’ tab between 48000 hz or 44100 hz. You will instantly hear the backlog of sounds that haven’t been played. This will work for a while, then need to be done again. I think it is after a sleep compared to a full shut down. Works for me – good luck everyone. ps I’m running a brand new ‘skinny’ iMac 27″ with 10.8.2.