macOS Sequoia

If you’re still running an Intel-powered Mac, you’ll have at least one more year of macOS support. macOS Sequoia runs on the same Macs as macOS Sonoma, but as usual, there are some caveats about specific features supported on Intel machines.

Now that macOS Sequoia is available to everyone, here’s what you need to know.

As promised last week, Apple today released macOS Sequoia to the public. The company had been running tests with beta versions of macOS 15 since June, when it was announced at WWDC. The next version of the macOS operating system brings new features such as iPhone Mirroring and a Passwords app.

At today’s “It’s Glowtime” Apple Event, the company has announced that macOS Sequoia will be released on September 16th. Apple announced macOS Sequoia at WWDC24 back in June, with new features such as window tiling, iPhone Mirroring, and more.

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The privacy implications of Notification Center popups are well-known in the security forensics community. Whether a user likes it or not, macOS temporarily keeps a log of every notification received in a single plaintext database. This can include messages from applications like iMessage, Slack, Teams, and virtually anything else.

However, it now appears Apple has moved the Notification Center database in macOS Sequoia to address concerns.

iOS 18 public beta 6 is now available for download, plus new public betas for iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and more. This beta 6 update is likely the final release ahead of the iPhone 16 launch event on September 9. It provides the best version yet for experiencing iOS 18’s wide assortment of new features.

With macOS Sequoia, which was announced at WWDC 2024 and is currently available as a beta for users, Apple has eased the storage requirements for downloading apps from the Mac App Store. Now with the latest beta of macOS 15.1, users will also gain the option of downloading apps right to an external drive.

Today alongside iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 beta 3, Apple has released the third developer beta for macOS Sequoia 15.1. This update can be downloaded and installed by devices compatible with Apple Intelligence—meaning M1 Macs and newer. The beta contains all the features found in the iOS 18.0 beta, such as iPhone Mirroring. It also adds to those a preview of Apple Intelligence features.

It’s no surprise to most people that Apple releases new versions of iOS in September, following the launch of the latest iPhones. However, when it comes to macOS, the company usually holds back major updates until October. This year, however, it seems that Apple might release macOS Sequoia alongside iOS 18 in September.

Apple has just released iOS 18 public beta 5 for iPhone, alongside beta 5 for iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and more. Earlier today, the companion developer betas dropped. These new updates are available for all users who are part of Apple’s public beta program. Existing beta users will see the releases in the Software Update section of Settings.

As we approach the public release of macOS Sequoia this fall, Apple continues to add new features. In the latest macOS Sequoia betas, there are nine new built-in backgrounds for video conferencing apps that showcase various different parts of Apple Park.

Apple has changed its screen recording privacy prompt in the latest beta of macOS Sequoia. As we reported last week, Apple’s initial plan was to prompt users to grant screen recording permissions weekly.

In macOS Sequoia beta 6, however, Apple has adjusted this policy and will now prompt users on a monthly basis instead. macOS Sequoia will also no longer prompt you to approve screen recording permissions every time you reboot your Mac.

iPhone Mirroring is one of the headlining features of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, set to launch to the public this fall. With the latest betas of these updates, Apple has added a new feature to iPhone Mirroring: the ability to enter “jiggle mode” and rearrange your iPhone’s Home Screen.

Today just hours after releasing iOS 18 developer beta 6, the companion public beta update is now available as public beta 4. New public betas for macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, and more have dropped too. Here’s what’s new in public beta 4.

Alongside iOS 18.1 beta 2, Apple is also now rolling out macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 2 for developers. This update includes the first set of Apple Intelligence features and comes two weeks after Apple kickstarted macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta testing two weeks ago.

Apple has released new betas for its array of software platforms. Joining the just-released iOS 18 beta 6 and iOS 18.1 beta 2, developer beta 6 is now available for iPadOS 18, visionOS 2, and more.

A new regime of repeating macOS Sequoia permission prompts have been described as “a subscription you didn’t buy and can’t cancel.”

An Apple ad once made fun of the endless stream of permission requests in Windows Vista, but some are suggesting that Sequoia is now every bit as bad …

Apple and other tech companies are constantly looking for ways to improve the security of their operating systems. Even so, some things go unnoticed. An exploit from 18 years ago is still being actively used by hackers to access internal networks, but Apple has already confirmed that it will fix this with macOS Sequoia.

A disability campaigner has highlighted what he says is a huge accessibility breakthrough with Voice Control in the latest iPhone and Mac betas.

He said that what may sound like a small improvement is a massive improvement to those who, like him, rely on voice to control their iPhone, iPad, and Mac …

With macOS Sequoia this fall, using apps that need access to screen recording permissions will become a little bit more tedious. Apple is rolling out a change that will require you to give explicit permission on a weekly basis to these types of apps, and every time you reboot your Mac.

Update, August 7, 2024: Apple hasn’t commented on this change, despite an uproar from Mac users. On Mastodon, Craig Hockenberry points to a potential solution: the Persistent Content Capture entitlement. But as he succinctly puts it: “The issue here is that Apple has provided no documentation or any other guidance on how to get this entitlement.”

As far as I’m aware, this has also not been communicated to any developer who has proactively contacted Apple to ask about this pop-up in macOS Sonoma.

Apple continually updates and refines its security protections across all its software. In macOS Sequoia, there’s a small change coming that makes it harder to run certain apps. Here’s what you need to know.

Apple has released public beta 3 for macOS Sequoia, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, and watchOS 11. Today’s update brings with it a variety of improvements and new features, especially on the Mac and iPad. Here’s everything that’s new.