command + click to "open new tab" in safari requires double-tap when tap-to-click

Question

I'm using monterey on 14 inch M1 pro macbook pro from 2021. In safari, I can hold command and physically click my trackpad (i.e. press it down) and it opens links in new window, which is the intended behavior.

However, I also have "tap to click" turned on in trackpad settings. I expect holding command and tapping once to also open link in new window. However, doing so does nothing about 90% of the time.

However, if I hold command and DOUBLE tap, then it opens in new window, as if I had single physical-clicked. Rarely, <10% of the time, command double-tap actually opens TWO new taps.

I remember finding a thread in official Apple forums where someone else had the exact same issue, but no response except a standard (try these steps to troubleshoot). Anyone else have the same issue?

Answer 1

I have exactly the same issue with a 14-inch MacBook Pro delivered on January 29, 2022. Upgraded to Monterey 12.2 - no change. If you hold down Cmd THEN mouse over a link and tap, it works. If you mouse over a link, press Cmd and tap, it works around two out of three times for me. One in three failure rate - enough to present a major problem in core functionality.

Contacted Apple support today. After a restart in Safe Mode failed to make a difference I asked if anyone had contacted Apple with this issue. Answer: "This is actually the first time." Obviously, Apple doesn't read its own forums or many of the other threads around the internet.

If Apple says this is not an issue, I have to assume it affects my machine and others who have written about it. Return is the only option, unfortunately.