macOS 14 Sonoma Beta 2 'Google Chrome is sharing your screen' bug troubling some users, here's what you need to know

macOS 14 Sonoma, the latest iteration of Apple’s operating system, has generated considerable excitement and anticipation among Mac users.

As a beta version, it offers a sneak peek into the upcoming features and enhancements. However, as with any beta release, users should be aware that it may come with certain bugs and issues that could impact their experience.

macOS Sonoma Beta 2 ‘Google Chrome is sharing your screen’ bug

And indeed, reports have emerged from macOS Sonoma Beta 2 users indicating that Google Chrome has been sharing their screens involuntarily (1,2,3,4,5).

Users have experienced this issue even when they have not explicitly granted screen-sharing permissions to the browser or when the browser is running in the background.

I am using Sonoma on my non-primary machine and noticed something odd. I dont know if I got a virus or this is a known or expected Sonoma thing. I see in the menu bar screen sharing for an app that I didnt open or initiate. It looks scary to me.
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Hey #macossonoma beta users. Anyone else seeing this using Chrome? “Google Chrome is sharing your screen” Running Version 114.0.5735.133
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The bug seems to occur randomly, without any pattern. Some users have noted that their screens are shared during calls. In other cases, the bug activates even when users are simply browsing the internet.

In addition, Mac will occasionally display ‘Unknown is sharing your screen’ (1,2,3) even when no screen sharing apps are running and screen sharing is off in the system settings.

There is a weird bug in macOS Sonoma because of which my Mac randomly shows “Unknown is sharing your screen” even when no screen sharing apps are open, and Screen Sharing is turned off in System Settings!
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This bug is significantly affecting users and they feel that their privacy is being compromised. As a result, users have voiced their frustrations on various social media platforms.

Here’s what you need to know

Unfortunately, Apple has not acknowledged the macOS Sonoma Beta 2 ‘Google Chrome is sharing your screen’ bug.

But it’s worth noting that the Screen Share app has been modified in Sonoma. So, as per users, it’s a possibility that any app that could monitor the display causes this prompt to appear.

Moreover, it’s been claimed that users are seeing those pop-ups since the application has the required permissions to do that.

It likely means that the application has the permission to do so and not necessarily that the Chrome is doing it the whole time
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That said, we hope that Apple addresses the issue at the earliest. And if it’s indeed a bug, we hope that the team fixes it with future updates.

We’ll keep tabs on the latest developments and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated Apple Section so be sure to follow them as well.

Featured image source: Apple

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