Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.


Apple today seeded the third beta of the upcoming macOS Big Sur update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second beta and a month after the new update was unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

macOS-BS-Beta-1.jpg

The macOS Big Sur beta can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, subsequent betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences. As with all of the new betas, Apple recommends not installing ‌macOS Big Sur‌ on a primary machine because it is early release software and could have major bugs.

macOS Big Sur introduces a refreshed design to the Mac operating system, overhauling the entire look from the curvature of the window corners to the dock icons to the system sounds. Everything feels fresh but familiar, with a lighter and more modern appearance. There's a new customizable Control Center that mirrors the Control Center on iOS devices, putting key system controls right at your fingertips.

The Notification Center has been redesigned with iOS-style widgets that are available in multiple sizes, plus there are more interactive notifications that are now grouped by app to make it easier to see what's going on.

Safari is faster and more battery efficient, plus there's a new start page that can be customized with wallpapers and sections that include Reading List and iCloud Tabs, which makes Safari more tailored to your individual usage needs.

Tabs have been redesigned, there's a built-in language translation feature, and Chrome and Firefox Extensions can be ported to Safari. There's also an option to choose which sites an extension works with for greater privacy. Speaking of privacy, a new Privacy Report feature lets users know the trackers Safari is blocking when you visit websites.

Messages is now more similar to the Messages app on iOS with support for pinned conversations, mentions, inline replies, and Memoji creation, plus the built-in search feature has been overhauled to make it easier to find links, photos, and conversations in the app.

Apple redesigned the Maps app to add support for Look Around, indoor maps, and Guides, which are lists of notable attractions, restaurants, and more created by trusted sources. Maps can also be used to generate directions for cycling routes and electric vehicle trips that can be sent to iPhone, and shared ETA updates are now viewable on the Mac.

Photos has a better Retouch tool, Apple Music's For You section has been replaced with a Listen Now section, HomeKit Secure Video cameras support Face Recognition and Activity zones, and Siri can answer a wider range of questions than before.

As of macOS Big Sur beta 2, Apple Pay support is available for Mac Catalyst apps. Developers will now be able to easily get Apple Pay up and running in Mac Catalyst apps. From the iOS 14 release notes: "Apple Pay support is now available to Mac Catalyst apps. Two methods have been added to existing delegate protocols. No changes are required for iPad apps, but one or both of these methods must be implemented when building for Catalyst."

In the future, the macOS Big Sur App Store will help users better understand privacy practices with clear info on the information that an app collects, and after installing macOS Big Sur, you'll see faster updates that begin in the background and then finish more quickly to make it easier to keep your Mac up to date.

Apple in the third beta of macOS Big Sur changed the battery icon for the Battery section in System Preferences, refining the design to make it look more clean and streamlined. There's also a new design for the Music app icon (it's red), and there are some color changes to the buttons and icons inside the music app.

batteryhealthbigsur.jpg

For more on everything that's new in macOS Big Sur, make sure to check out our roundup.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS Big Sur to Developers
Where is the Public beta? There is only a week left for it to be released in July as initially announced.
 
Where is the Public beta? There is only a week left for it to be released in July as initially announced.

July? Nuh-uh, Fall as usual. You won't see a GM (Golden Master) until mid-September at the earliest. It won't be released until after the Developer's conference.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: jbachandouris
Virtual Machines, with this Beta both Fusion and Parallels don't work however there is a Beta VMware Fusion Available and I was able to create a virtual machine and get it running in that. Note This is also beta software, nor did I try running games etc just wanted to try to install new windows machine. Its available, Here
https://vmwarefusion.github.io
Good luck At he moment trying to import existing machine. Also as its in Beta IT"s FREEEEE!!!!!!

Is this on the DTK?
 
sorry but DTK? I. googled problem and came across some stating try fusion beta so I googled that ant ended up on that page it comes with a 100 day evaluation licence. Virtual pc's imported over are not activated, Though.
DTK = Developer Transition Kit. It’s the Macs mini with A12Z chips for people to test their universal applications with.
[automerge]1595513297[/automerge]
Anyone have this issue with Beta 3? I have a 15 inch MB pro with Touch Bar. Since I upgraded the keyboard backlight only stays at minimum brightness no matter what setting I change.
I’m seeing this issue on my 2017 15” MBP. Backlighting works as expected once rebooted into Catalina so at least it only affects BS and wasn’t some firmware update screwup.

Issues like this are the reason I only install betas to an external volume. That way it’s completely isolated from my production setup.
 
macOS no longer shows in Startup Disk since upgrading

However its still possible to select between Bootcamp and macOS by holding down Option at boot and selecting the EFI boot option that shows where the macOS HD should be.

Also csrutil authenticated-root disable doesn't work. When I boot into recovery and try it it gives me the usage examples of how csrutil is to be used.
 
Last edited:
Just updated from Beta 2 using the smaller 4gb option. Got it on first try on 16" macbook pro. Took about 20 minutes and all is well. I guess i dodged a bullet.
 
If someone is using the DTK and this beta - can you reply if virtualization is working?

DTK has special limitations. It's a test machine for developer and I do not think it will support hardware virtualization at all.
BTW, can someone check the Intel version of Beta 3 and lipo the build-in apps to see if they are universal binaries?
[automerge]1595516254[/automerge]
Is this on the DTK?

You should not ask that question as anyone who knows the answer can not tell you due to NDA.
And this question is useless as DTK is a special machine not a retail one.
 
What a mess! On my 2018 Macbook Pro 15” it freezes the keyboard and keypad. So you can’t even sign in! Unless i start up from an external drive (not using Big Sur) I can’t use the Mac at all.
 
I tried it out last week. It was neat to see, but pretty clunky. I figured a significant 2 or 3 revs left before it'd make sense to really try to spend time in. & maybe a couple more after that before letting the public in on it.
This is completely contradictory to what the consensus is. Literally 95+ percent of people I've seen online are saying since the first release it's been surprisingly rock solid. What's your angle here?
 
This is completely contradictory to what the consensus is. Literally 95+ percent of people I've seen online are saying since the first release it's been surprisingly rock solid. What's your angle here?

Beta 1 doesn't mean beta 2 or 3 would be just as stable or more stable. B2 regressed in stability for me after B1 was stable for the most part. I've seen other reports the same thing that Safari was more unstable (crashing) in b2.

I switched back to Catalina, so I don't know what b3 is like but do not assume the old stuff you've heard is still a fact in later builds.
 
Beta 1 doesn't mean beta 2 or 3 would be just as stable or more stable. B2 regressed in stability for me after B1 was stable for the most part. I've seen other reports the same thing that Safari was more unstable (crashing) in b2.

I switched back to Catalina, so I don't know what b3 is like but do not assume the old stuff you've heard is still a fact in later builds.
Consistently since release it’s been hailed as incredibly stable. Most of what I saw was last week when the original commenter is claiming to have issues.
 
Consistently since release it’s been hailed as incredibly stable. Most of what I saw was last week when the original commenter is claiming to have issues.

And I saw issues in beta 2 that I didn't see in beta 1. You now have two cases of people who didn't see a stable beta 2.

Here's a thread of beta 3 folks reporting bricked Macs (https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/beta-3-bricked-my-imac.2247101/).

Here's one that said spotlight bug was fixed in b2 but broken again in b3: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macos-big-sur-11-0-bugs-and-bug-fixes.2242188/post-28700391

Does that mean Big Sur is going to be unstable for all people? No, nor does it mean the opposite either.

We've seen people say Catalina is perfectly stable for them from the first update and yet, majority of complaints came out still.

Software development is tough and OS development is even more so.

All we can do is file reports to Apple and help them fix them.
 
DTK has special limitations. It's a test machine for developer and I do not think it will support hardware virtualization at all.
Well, it will have virtualization support (not x86 virtualization) because that was demoed on Apple Silicon during the WWDC Platforms State of the Union (via usage of Docker). They even gave virtualization a little icon :). Unfortunately, it wasn't discussed in any sessions and I haven't heard much since. I'm thinking it will roll into one of these betas. I'm just not sure when.

You should not ask that question as anyone who knows the answer can not tell you due to NDA.
And this question is useless as DTK is a special machine not a retail one.
Agreed, but I'd put this right up there with wanting benchmarks for the DTK, and we know how well those remained a secret. The public wants to know how well this works... You can't keep that secret. And I'm not breaking any rule asking :) It's just not worth the $500 and time and effort to nurse a beta DTK to find out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Been using Beta 3 all day, working a treat. Remotely connected to work via Citrix workspaces and it ran pretty fine, there was a bit of a slowdown mid afternoon, a reboot sorted that.

so, really, just the superficial issue of the green Touch Bar buttons at the login screen and guest login when guest accounts are disabled.
 
Been using Beta 3 all day, working a treat. Remotely connected to work via Citrix workspaces and it ran pretty fine, there was a bit of a slowdown mid afternoon, a reboot sorted that.

so, really, just the superficial issue of the green Touch Bar buttons at the login screen and guest login when guest accounts are disabled.

I'm getting the occasional greenness when browsing web-pages - almost like a green screen effect where it then overlays the images.

Seen this before in beta's and been fixed with the next release.
 
This is completely contradictory to what the consensus is. Literally 95+ percent of people I've seen online are saying since the first release it's been surprisingly rock solid. What's your angle here?

Not sure why I'm spending a minute to dignify this with an answer, but my angle should have been obvious, which is to state my experience with it, which was exactly as I described.

If you care so much that you're going to start arguing with people about their experience, just go ahead an install it yourself, instead of wasting a bunch of time trying to imagine "literal" percentages of others opinions, imagining there's a consensus, & looking for "angles" like some paranoid nutter looking for a conspiracy in everything. Just do it yourself, takes no time at all, & maybe it'll be great. Or maybe you'll be one of the literal 5%, and revert back, wait a month til apple decides its ready for public beta testing, and do it all over again, bc what version of software you have on your computer that month has absolutely no bearing on anything or anyone in the world and does not matter at all other than satisfying your own curiosity for a day or two. Either do it and summarize your experience, or don't and have nothing to talk about, idc
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.