Apple releases third OS X 10.11.4 beta with Live Photos in Messages, secure Notes, more

Apple has released the third OS X 10.11.4 beta today to testers. The latest developer preview can be found in the Updates section of the Mac App Store. Previous versions have added new features to the Mac including the ability to view and share Live Photos shot on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus using Messages, and the ability to password protect Notes. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below.

In the current available version of OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.3, sending and receiving Live Photos through iMessage on the Mac removes the audio and video elements as only the still image is supported. Starting with OS X 10.11.4, Live Photos work in Messages just as expected. For more information on Live Photos, read up our initial overview of the iPhone 6s feature.

OS X El Capitan added new formatting features to the Notes app last fall, and the 10.11.4 update goes a step further by letting you password protect individual entries behind a single secure password. The feature requires iOS 9.3 beta on the iPhone and iPad for syncing compatibility, otherwise password protected notes won’t appear on older platforms, and these notes can actually be accessed using your fingerprint on iPhones and iPads with Touch ID.

Past focus areas have also included iBooks and Photos.

The first developer beta appeared in early January and testing is expected to continue through around Apple’s expected March 15h event. In addition to developer betas, Apple has also been releasing public beta versions of the 10.11.4 update to public beta testers a few days out.

The update is expected to resolve the issue with opening Twitter URL links in Safari as well.

Let us know in the comments, via email at tips at 9to5mac dot com, or on Twitter @9to5Mac if you spot any changes in the new beta, and we’ll update with changes we find as well.