Apple Releases macOS Sequoia Public Beta with Exciting New Features

Apple Releases First macOS Sequoia Public Beta With iPhone Mirroring and More

Apple today released the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia update to its public beta testing group, giving the general public a chance to try out the new operating system's features ahead of its fall launch. The first public beta includes the same content as the third developer beta. Public beta testers can download macOS Sequoia from the Software Update section of the System Settings app after signing up on Apple's beta testing website and opting into the public beta under the Beta Updates section. macOS Sequoia's biggest feature is iPhone Mirroring, which is designed to let you control your iPhone from your Mac using your keyboard and mouse. You can see notifications and use your iPhone apps even when your iPhone is tucked away and locked, and later this year, you'll be able to use the feature to drag and drop apps from your Mac to your iPhone and vice versa. Window tiling has been improved to make it easier to get multiple windows on your Mac in a way that works for you, Safari can summarize websites and show you highlights, and the Messages app supports scheduling messages and using the Tapback feature with any emoji. There's a new Passwords app for managing your passwords, logins, and passkeys, the Photos app has a new design, the Notes app supports audio transcription and summarization, and you can also type in any equation and get it solved automatically. macOS Sequoia supports all of the new Apple Intelligence features that are also coming to iOS 18, offering all kinds of quality of life improvements. Writing tools help you proofread and polish your writing across apps, you can create unique images with Image Playground, and make up your own emoji with Genmoji. Photos includes a Clean Up tool for removing unwanted images, and Siri will use AI for better language understanding and contextual relevance. Siri will even be able to consult ChatGPT for complicated queries. There are a long list of additional features coming to macOS Sequoia, with more information available in our dedicated roundup.

Apple Seeds Revised Third Beta of macOS Sequoia to Developers

Apple today seeded a revised third beta of macOS 15 Sequoia to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the initial release of the third beta. Registered developers can opt-in to the macOS Sequoia beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta. macOS Sequoia includes iPhone Mirroring, which allows you to control your locked iPhone from your Mac. You can open and use iPhone apps, interact with notifications, and drag and drop files between your iPhone and Mac and vice versa. There are new options for window tiling, and dragging a window to the edge of the display will suggest a tiled location to make it easier to use multiple apps at once. Apple is adding a Passwords app for managing passwords, Safari can summarize websites and surface key information, and Notes has support for live audio transcription and math equations. All of the Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS 18 will also be available in macOS Sequoia, but Apple does not plan to add these until later in the beta testing process. Apple Intelligence includes Writing Tools for editing, proofreading, and summarizing text in apps, and an Image Playground allows for AI images to be created from prompts. Custom emoji or "Genmoji" can be created for any situation and used just like emoji, and Siri is getting much smarter. Siri will be able to do more in apps and will better understand requests, especially those made in regard to on-screen content. The updated third beta comes as we await the launch of a public beta for macOS Sequoia. Apple said that a version of macOS Sequoia would be available for public beta testers at some point in July.

How to install the macOS Sequoia public beta

About a month after Apple announced it at WWDC 2024, macOS Sequoia is available to test-drive as a public beta. Although we don't recommend installing it on your primary Mac, here's how to get the 2024 version of macOS up and running ahead of its official rollout in the fall. First, you'll need a recent Mac to run the Sequoia public beta. Apple's software supports the following models: You'll notice that list still includes (up to) the last few generations of Intel Macs, so Apple may still be several years away from requiring Apple Silicon for its latest software. However, Apple Intelligence, which isn't yet included in the beta, will require a Mac with an M-series chip when it's available. Macs don't have automatic iCloud system backups like iOS devices, so you'll want to back up your Mac with Time Machine before installing. We can't stress enough how crucial this step is. Some apps and system features you rely on may be buggy or broken in the beta, and downgrading back to macOS Sonoma (the current version) will wipe all your data. A Time Machine backup lets you restore your system to where it was before you began tinkering, so do that before going anywhere near Sequoia. To back up with Time Machine, plug an external disk into your Mac, navigate to System Settings > Time Machine, add a backup disk and follow the instructions. It may take at least several hours, depending on how much data you're using (and whether you've backed up recently). But it's worth it for peace of mind. If you've never registered your Apple account for the Apple Beta Software Program, you'll need to start by heading to Apple's website in Safari, signing up, and agreeing to the terms. Afterward, head to System Settings > General > Software Update, and click "i" next to Beta Updates. In the pop-up window, choose "Off," which brings up a menu. Choose macOS Sequoia Public Beta. Press "done" in the pop-up window, wait for it to check for updates, and follow the prompts in the Software Update screen to install the pre-release software. macOS Sequoia adds iPhone Mirroring, which lets you view and control your nearby iPhone from your Mac (as long as you're logged into the same Apple account). This feature seems handy to check or reply to something while leaving your phone in your pocket or on a charger. Apple Intelligence won't be available in betas until the fall. But when it arrives, Macs with M-series chips will get system-wide AI writing tools, including rewriting, proofreading and summarizing text. It also includes (opt-in) ChatGPT integration and a new tool called Image Playground that generates AI images in various styles. Siri in Sequoia also gets an AI-infused upgrade, which could help the feature fulfill its promise as a truly conversational assistant. (You may have noticed it currently falls well short of that.) Other Sequoia features include a new window arrangement tool, a Passwords app (replacing and enhancing the existing iCloud Keychain and Safari password management) and AI-generated summaries in Safari. The final version of macOS Sequoia will arrive this fall, either around the same time or soon after Apple launches iOS 18 and new iPhones.