rxhanson
[BUG] App + Chrome both become unresponsive when using Rectangle Pro to snap/resize windows
Summary
Both Rectangle Pro and Chrome become unresponsive for a period of time (about 15–30 seconds) after using Rectangle Pro to snap/resize windows.
- I get pinwheel when hovering on either app
- This only ever happens after using Rectangle Pro to snap
- After about 15–30 seconds, I can use both apps fine without delay
- During that 15–30 second period, I am unable to use Rectangle Pro to adjust any other apps
- After the unresponsive period, it's like nothing happened — both Rectangle Pro and Chrome behave just fine (as long as I'm not trying to use Rectangle Pro to resize the windows)
- Resizing Chrome windows directly without rectangle pro works completely fine
- I haven't used all of the Rectangle Pro shortcuts, but the shortcuts I used when noticing the issue are ctrl+opt+arrow for halves, and ctrl+opt+u, i, j, and k for 4ths
Context
- This started after updating to one of the 2 or 3 most recent versions of Rectangle Pro
- This happens intermittently — infrequently at first, and more often as time goes on.
- This initially started happening on my 2019 MacBook Pro.
- I bought a new MBP with the M1 Max, but the behavior remains the same.
Troubleshooting steps
- I tried restarting Rectangle Pro, Chrome, and restarting my computer — all to no effect.
- I also tried reinstalling Rectangle Pro — still no effect.
- Tried on a fresh & clean Chrome install (with no extensions) on a brand new Mac — still happens.
Environment
- Mac Monterey v12.5 — MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2021 — M1 Max
- Note: This also occurred on my other MacBook Pro (2019 on Intel silicon and nearly the same environment otherwise)
- Chrome Version 107.0.5304.87
- Rectangle Pro v2.7.1 (127)
Notes
Although this seems specific only to Chrome, it's also possible that impression may be due to how frequently I use Chrome vs. other apps. I can't say for certain that it doesn't happen on other apps, but I haven't noticed it yet if so.
This is an issue Chrome side, and here are the details on it: https://github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle/issues/912
I built the same workarounds into Rectangle Pro, and here are the terminal commands you can use to enable them:
defaults write com.knollsoft.Hookshot enhancedUI -int 2This will disable AXEnhancedUI when windows get resized, and it will not re-enable it after. (This was the change that was in the referenced auto-generated build).
Alternatively, you can try this:
defaults write com.knollsoft.Hookshot enhancedUI -int 3This will disable AXEnhancedUI when frontmost application changes.
Restart the app after executing either of those. Setting it to 1 or 0 will undo those changes.
As mentioned, these are workarounds, and they don't "play nicely" with other apps that could rely on AXEnhancedUI being enabled. It's for this reason that I have only allowed them to be toggled via terminal command, and the underlying issue is still best resolved Chrome side.
(note that you want "Hookshot", not "Rectangle" in those terminal commands)
Update on this: Go to chrome://settings/help and it'll update your chrome to Chrome 108, where this is fixed Chrome side.
