If i'm on macOS Sequoia 15.1 dev beta, can I get macOS Sequoia 15 stable ?

[GuillaumeB]

Hello,

Those past few weeks i have been playing around with macOS Sequoia 15.1 dev beta.
i'd like to start afresh next week with the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15

When turning off beta release
- Will I get macOS Sequoia 15 stable release ?
- Or will I have to wait until the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15.1 ?

Thank you

 

[chrfr]

Hello,

Those past few weeks i have been playing around with macOS Sequoia 15.1 dev beta.
i'd like to start afresh next week with the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15

When turning off beta release
- Will I get macOS Sequoia 15 stable release ?
- Or will I have to wait until the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15.1 ?

Thank you

You'd either need to erase your disk and install 15.0 clean or just stay on the 15.1 betas until that's released.

 

[Mike Boreham]

There is no stable release of Sequoia. 15.0 and 15.1 are both beta.

 

[gilby101]

When turning off beta release
- Will I get macOS Sequoia 15 stable release ?
- Or will I have to wait until the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15.1 ?

It is unusual to have two versions in beta (so nothing is certain), but my expectation is that after turning off beta releases in System Settings, you will next be offered 15.1 release version. 15.0 would be a downgrade which usually requires a clean install and data recovery from a backup made with a 15.0 beta or 14.x.

 

[GuillaumeB]

Thanks, that's what I thought, but since it's unusual i was wondering if Apple communicated on a Stable 15 release to 15.1 testers

 

[Adora]

Thanks, that's what I thought, but since it's unusual i was wondering if Apple communicated on a Stable 15 release to 15.1 testers

I wanted to downgrade too without a clean install, but found no way to do it. I didn't try using a the firmware file from another Mac yet...

I always thought you could just downgrade by installing an older version over the newer one, without getting a downgrade error message, at least the main version has to be the same and the Mac is compatible.

Either this has changed or I confused something. Maybe it only works between double-point releases, what are mostly gone since 10.15.x, but would be the same now.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I wanted to downgrade too without a clean install, but found no way to do it. I didn't try using a the firmware file from another Mac yet...

I always thought you could just downgrade by installing an older version over the newer one, without getting a downgrade error message, at least the main version has to be the same and the Mac is compatible.

Either this has changed or I confused something. Maybe it only works between double-point releases, what are mostly gone since 10.15.x, but would be the same now.

Since the advent of split volume (SSV and Data) downgrading has to be done using a bootable installer of the macOS you want to downgrade to.

You have to erase the volume pair of the latest OS that you are downgrading from.

Then install the older macOS that you want, from the bootable installer.

This will give you a factory fresh install of the older macOS. If you want to migrate all your data and settings from a TM or CCC backup of the newer macOS, you can do this during Setup Assistant when it asks if you want to migrate from another Mac a backup etc.

Choose the backup you want to migrate from.

You will get a warning that the backup was made on a newer OS and recommending you update to the newer OS before migrating.

But there is an option to SKIP. This has always worked for me.

The most likely problem is that your Photos Library may have been converted by the newer OS and be incompatible with the older. If this happens you can either download a fresh copy from iCloud or repair it, which will restore compatibility. This does not happen between 15.0 and 15.1.

 

[chrfr]

I always thought you could just downgrade by installing an older version over the newer one, without getting a downgrade error message, at least the main version has to be the same and the Mac is compatible.

That has never worked with macOS. Also, using the firmware (IPSW) file only erases the disk. It’s not like an iPhone where you can use an IPSW file to update the existing OS without losing data. (You also can’t downgrade iOS that way either.)

 

[socialwill]

Hello,

Those past few weeks i have been playing around with macOS Sequoia 15.1 dev beta.
i'd like to start afresh next week with the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15

When turning off beta release
- Will I get macOS Sequoia 15 stable release ?
- Or will I have to wait until the stable version of macOS Sequoia 15.1 ?

Thank you

Like everyone has said, you will need to do a complete wipe and drive format in order to downgrade. However, if you do that now you would be going with macOS 14 until macOS 15 is released.

If you are having issues with 15.1, you might wait as this coming week there should be new updates for the OS, Beta 4. It might include some of the newer AI stuff that has not yet appeared as well as improvements to the OS

 

[Mike Boreham]

Like everyone has said, you will need to do a complete wipe and drive format in order to downgrade. However, if you do that now you would be going with macOS 14 until macOS 15 is released.

Not if he makes a bootable installer of 15.0.

It is safer and only necessary to delete the volume pair in Disk Utility. I did a complete erase of the whole internal drive once and had to use Apple Configurator to put the firmware back on.

 

[chrfr]

Not if he makes a bootable installer of 15.0.

That still won’t install over the top of a 15.1 beta without erasing the disk.

 

[GuillaumeB]

Thanks for all your answers, I appreciate.
i'll see how it goes next week, if indeed Sequoia goes stable

 

[Mike Boreham]

That still won’t install over the top of a 15.1 beta without erasing the disk.

I agree about that part, as my earlier post (#7) said, but a bootable installer for 15.0 would mean he would not be on macOS 14.