Tried a few things an this seems to work. Had the same issue with Catalina 10.15 and now it has become worse with Big Sur
MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016 2.7 Ghz Core I7 with 16 GB RAM)
Here is how I fixed it based on reference https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8160651
Disable Automatic GPU Switching (System Preferences -> Battery - > Power Adapter - > Uncheck Automatic Graphics Switching)
Run the following command to find out the gpuSwitch setting on AC Power and on battery
sudo pmset -g custom
You will need to change the above settings .
Note the setting
0 - Integrated Graphics
1 - Discrete Graphics
2 - Automatic Switching
Change gpuSwitching with AC charger plugged in to use integrated graphics only.
sudo pmset -c gpuswitch 0
Change gpuSwitching with battery use integrated graphics only.
sudo pmset -b gpuswitch 0
Change all setting to use integrated graphics only
sudo pmset -a gpuswitch 0
Note: This would mean you will not be able to run high end graphic applications, but in my opinion stability wins over the pain of flicker
Important Note: Once you are done with the above instructions, reset SMC ONLY and NOT PRAM.
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Macbook pro late 2016 I7 Quadcore, same issue since Catalina 10.15. The issue of screen flicker because of graphics switching is an issue. Turning off graphics switching causes battery to drain so far it is unbelievable.
Apple needs to fix this issue. I understand the big deal about M1 chips etc but we have been with apple for a long long time. Better get us what we need for the price being paid.
Late 2016 macbook pro, Big Sur sucks, update drains battery by the minute. Can hardly get 3 hours on full charge. The UI is great but Apple needs to do better with the battery drain with OS upgrades. Catalina 10.15.2 had Automatic Graphics Switching issues which caused flickering screens all the time hence had to update.