macOS Golden Gate 27.0 Beta 4 - What's New?

[eSaF-Eddie]

Yeah, me too, but now on Apple Silicon… how do you do such a clean install? Booting into the restore partition and then erasing the whole drive? Then, how do you install the operating system?

Since the introduction of GG, I have done two clean installations by making a USB installation drive and completely wiping the drive clean by formatting the drive.

All this was done on my M4 Mini drama free, coming from a hacintosh background, the process of formatting and installing is meat and veg to me so to speak.

 

[eSaF-Eddie]

Considering the volume with the OS is locked, how are you managing to degrade your system such that it slows down compared to having exactly the same software and data after a clean install?

So you're saying even if you completely wipe the hard drive by reformatting, the OS is still there untouched??!!!
Somehow that doesn't ring true to me but what do I know.

 

[adrianlondon]

So you're saying even if you completely wipe the hard drive by reformatting, the OS is still there untouched??!!!
Somehow that doesn't ring true to me but what do I know.

It will delete the OS volume then re-install it as it was before. This is why TM backups no longer include the OS. For a complete restore you (a) install the OS and then (b) restore from TM.

There are no settings or configuration files in the OS that are user-accessible (unless one disables SIP for some reason).

That's my understanding. I'm quite confident in it, but not 100% 😁

 

[eSaF-Eddie]

It will delete the OS volume then re-install it as it was before.

Yes I agree but my understanding is, the fresh installation will be in a vanilla state, that is, without any accumulated clutter gathered prior to the re-install.

All in all, thanks for the reply.
Cheers.

 

[Luftkopf]

Yeah, me too, but now on Apple Silicon… how do you do such a clean install? Booting into the restore partition and then erasing the whole drive? Then, how do you install the operating system?

I might be missing your point, but it’s super easy. Go to System Settings and do an Erase All Content and Settings, and when it's setting up macOS again, select Set Up New, and don't restore a backup, or transfer from another machine, and you've got yourself a fresh install.

It occurs to me you might be talking about how to make it do a complete, from blank, install. I believe you can re-boot into recovery mode, open Disk Utility, wipe your partitions, and download a new copy of macOS.

 

[nortonandreev]

The "X" button doesn't work reliably – I need to press it a few times so as to close a window.

Edit: Same with the minimize one.

 

[eSaF-Eddie]

The "X" button doesn't work reliably – I need to press it a few times so as to close a window.

Sorry but if that is happening then I think your installation is balked.
My own is working as expected as shown here.

Have you tried running 'First Aid' in Disk Utility to see if there are any errors?
Many of us tend to overlook this simple but effective builtin software that can tell a lot about the state of the volumes.

 

[Populus]

Since the introduction of GG, I have done two clean installations by making a USB installation drive and completely wiping the drive clean by formatting the drive.

All this was done on my M4 Mini drama free, coming from a hacintosh background, the process of formatting and installing is meat and veg to me so to speak.

I’ve been doing clean installs with a bootable USB from the dawn of times… on Intel Macs. But I thought it wasn’t possible on Apple Silicon Macs, and you had to have a second Apple Silicon Mac to put the first one in DFU mode and perform a clean install…

If I make a bootable installation USB of GG with createinstallmedia and try to boot an Apple Silicon Mac from that, will I be able to wipe it out and install GG there?

 

[Populus]

It occurs to me you might be talking about how to make it do a complete, from blank, install. I believe you can re-boot into recovery mode, open Disk Utility, wipe your partitions, and download a new copy of macOS.

Yes, this is the only way I know on Apple Silicon Macs. But I must be careful with what volumes or partitions I wipe from the recovery partition… because I don’t want to wipe it completely and brick it.

 

[eSaF-Eddie]

If I make a bootable installation USB of GG with createinstallmedia and try to boot an Apple Silicon Mac from that, will I be able to wipe it out and install GG there?

I had no problem making a USB installation drive and installing a fresh GG installation on my M4 Mini as I stated earlier.
This was done twice with two different GG Betas.

 

[Luftkopf]

Yes, this is the only way I know on Apple Silicon Macs. But I must be careful with what volumes or partitions I wipe from the recovery partition… because I don’t want to wipe it completely and brick it.

Ah yes, otherwise you’ll need to mess around with DFU from another Mac to get it working again.

 

[southerndoc]

Having an issue that started with this beta. Google Chrome loses ability to access local network. Toggling privacy permissions doesn't fix the problem. Inactivating ethernet port and activating again doesn't fix it. Restarting the computer always fixes it.

 

[nortonandreev]

Sorry but if that is happening then I think your installation is balked.

It’s brand new install, a reset from DFU.

So far I’ve noticed it happening with WhatsApp and today with the iMessage.

 

[LeVan]

I’ve been doing clean installs with a bootable USB from the dawn of times… on Intel Macs. But I thought it wasn’t possible on Apple Silicon Macs, and you had to have a second Apple Silicon Mac to put the first one in DFU mode and perform a clean install…

If I make a bootable installation USB of GG with createinstallmedia and try to boot an Apple Silicon Mac from that, will I be able to wipe it out and install GG there?

I used a USB install disk, GG, and used it to create a new Volume on the 1TB SSD in my M2 MBA, then installed GG on that Volume. Works great and I can choose the start up disk in both the Sequoia and GG systems, to switch between them. Original instaler file is available from the Mr. Macintosh site.
Erasing the internal SSD should be possible too. Look under the Recovery Menu when booting from the USB.
Should be a Erase Mac item there. Make sure you have your data backed up, two separate disks in smart, I suggest both Time Machine and CCC just in case.

 

[dumiku]

Anyone having processes Energy Impact going up to 1000?

Once I reboot everything come back to normal then, after like 3hour my menu bar apps start reaching that impact, then 5h letter the others app follow

View attachment 2648710

This started noticing this behavior yesterday morning when I woke up but it the evening it was fine and now since the morning I have to keep my fans around 4500rpm to keep it cool

Update:

I also notice memory leak issue with app that are not supposed to use too much ram

- f.lux currently at 9.7GB
- Mac Fans Control: 7.9GB
- NordVPN: 7.9GB

The only app with normal usage is Zen Browser

Swap is currently at 22GB, hopefully we get beta 5 next week.

 

[littledamon]

Considering the volume with the OS is locked, how are you managing to degrade your system such that it slows down compared to having exactly the same software and data after a clean install?

Edit: Genuine question, as I'll also do a clean install if it definitely speeds things up!

I think you might be mixing up a couple of scenarios.

Wiping the Mac and starting from scratch is faster than simply upgrading from one version to another. This involves factors like getting rid of extensions, apps, cache files, and the various bits of junk that accumulate over time.

The macOS core itself remains the same, of course, but that’s not what slows the Mac down.

My previous comment was in response to a user who said it makes no sense to wipe the drive and then restore a FULL Time Machine backup. And they’re right—that doesn't make much sense—but wiping the drive and restoring ONLY your personal files (skipping system settings and preferences) really does make a difference.

I speak from personal experience: whenever a new version of macOS comes out (like 13 to 14, or 14 to 16, etc.), I perform a clean install via a USB drive after wiping the SSD completely. The Mac runs faster, and everything just flows better. The option to wipe the Mac and start fresh works well, too.

 

[Populus]

Anyone having processes Energy Impact going up to 1000?

Once I reboot everything come back to normal then, after like 3hour my menu bar apps start reaching that impact, then 5h letter the others app follow

View attachment 2648710

This started noticing this behavior yesterday morning when I woke up but it the evening it was fine and now since the morning I have to keep my fans around 4500rpm to keep it cool

Update:

I also notice memory leak issue with app that are not supposed to use too much ram

- f.lux currently at 9.7GB
- Mac Fans Control: 7.9GB
- NordVPN: 7.9GB

The only app with normal usage is Zen Browser

Swap is currently at 22GB, hopefully we get beta 5 next week.

Yeah, I fear memory leaks and other issues… that’s why, as much as I may like iOS 27 and macOS 27, I’m waiting until the 27.2 at least to update.

 

[VitoBotta]

Crontab stopped working for me. Anyone else?

 

[MeasterHD]

Anyone having processes Energy Impact going up to 1000?

Once I reboot everything come back to normal then, after like 3hour my menu bar apps start reaching that impact, then 5h letter the others app follow

View attachment 2648710

This started noticing this behavior yesterday morning when I woke up but it the evening it was fine and now since the morning I have to keep my fans around 4500rpm to keep it cool

Update:

I also notice memory leak issue with app that are not supposed to use too much ram

- f.lux currently at 9.7GB
- Mac Fans Control: 7.9GB
- NordVPN: 7.9GB

The only app with normal usage is Zen Browser

Swap is currently at 22GB, hopefully we get beta 5 next week.

Having and using NordVPN and as for now it’s on 1% of overall memory usage.
I’m on B4 and everything behaves as usual except DB3 where apps consumed a big chunk of battery and memory during initial indexing. But it lasted probably 48 hours and right after it went back to normal.
With current B4 my MBP is much faster and battery life is even better than it was on Tahoe.

 

[SketchyClown]

What happens if you just delete the AI package? I don't know where the AI system is stored or how to check the size as other people have been doing, but if I find the directory, can I just delete it?

This is why these forums exist. 🤣 I love the people who just start deleting stuff.

For starters, be calm. This is a BETA. Let the story play out or you could go back to 💩Tahoe💩.

With that said, unless Apple offers a toggle by the time the RC ships to turn it off and allow you to recover that space that Siri / Apple Intelligence is currently taking up, you can undoubtedly presume that it is literally baked into every nook and cranny of this OS, and there will be no "deleting" it. At which time the pitchforks will all come out on this forum, people will rabble rabble rabble for a while, some will go back to Tahoe 🤣, some will go experiment with Linux, and the rest of us will just say "uncle" and capitulate to our Siri overlord.

 

[mactracker]

Apple's rumored support for integrating third-party models, besides ChatGPT, with Siri AI already ships with macOS 27:

Apple’s rumored Siri Extensions quietly shipped in macOS 27. I got “Ask Claude” working.

You may have seen a report that Apple is working on Siri Extensions, a system where agents from third-party apps can integrate with Siri AI across OS 27 releases. MacRumors has a good summary. Turns out all the necessary pieces are already present in macOS 27. Using the new, internal Model...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[MeasterHD]

Until now I didn’t have any problems, everything ran smoothly and as it should. But after I disconnected screen mirroring of iPad Pro all antics with menu bar popped up.
Macnotch app started crashing immediately right after, menu bar icons shrunk and entire menu bar was unresponsive, not talking about extreme usage of memory and slight overheating.
Few restarts didn’t help the cause so iStats Menu had to go until Apple will fix that messy Menu Bar.

 

[nortonandreev]

The best new songs view is a bit f*cked.

 

[Aggedor]

This is why these forums exist. 🤣 I love the people who just start deleting stuff.

For starters, be calm. This is a BETA. Let the story play out or you could go back to 💩Tahoe💩.

With that said, unless Apple offers a toggle by the time the RC ships to turn it off and allow you to recover that space that Siri / Apple Intelligence is currently taking up, you can undoubtedly presume that it is literally baked into every nook and cranny of this OS, and there will be no "deleting" it. At which time the pitchforks will all come out on this forum, people will rabble rabble rabble for a while, some will go back to Tahoe 🤣, some will go experiment with Linux, and the rest of us will just say "uncle" and capitulate to our Siri overlord.

It was actually a serious question, because people saying "SIRI AI IS TAKING UP 5 GAZILLION TB!" implies that there is a single package or directory. Because if there isn't - like you say, if it is baked into every nook and cranny of the OS - how can people be determining how much space it takes up? Golden Gate might be, I dunno, 20GB larger than Tahoe (made up number), but you wouldn't be able to attribute that increase just to Siri/AI.

 

[Luftkopf]

It was actually a serious question, because people saying "SIRI AI IS TAKING UP 5 GAZILLION TB!" implies that there is a single package or directory. Because if there isn't - like you say, if it is baked into every nook and cranny of the OS - how can people be determining how much space it takes up? Golden Gate might be, I dunno, 20GB larger than Tahoe (made up number), but you wouldn't be able to attribute that increase just to Siri/AI.

People are going to do exactly that. They’re going to compare install size and blame the difference on Siri AI. It is as inevitable as it is incorrect.

What can you do?