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macOS Sonoma Public Beta Now Available

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Apple today provided the first beta of the upcoming macOS Sonoma update to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to test the new operating system ahead of its fall launch.

macos-sonoma-feature-purple-green.jpg

Public beta testers can download the macOS 14 Sonoma update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after signing up on Apple's beta testing website and opting into the public beta under the Beta Updates section.

macOS Sonoma introduces interactive widgets for the desktop, making widgets more useful and more prominent. You can even use your iPhone widgets on your Mac's desktop through a new Continuity feature.

There are updated screensavers that are similar to the high-resolution animated screensavers available on the Apple TV, and for video calls and presenting, there's a Presenter Overlay option that lets you move, walk, and talk in front of content you're sharing from your Mac.

Safari supports web apps so you can add your favorite websites to your Dock, plus there are new Profiles to separate your work browsing and personal browsing. iCloud Keychain supports sharing passwords with others, and private browsing windows are locked when they are not in use.

Enhanced AutoFill is available for PDFs so you can quickly fill in information like names, addresses, and emails, plus users can collaborate on PDFs and see real-time updates through the Notes app.

For more on what's new in macOS Sonoma, including a new Game mode, we have a detailed macOS Sonoma roundup that highlights all of the features in the update.

Article Link: macOS Sonoma Public Beta Now Available
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/07/12/macos-sonoma-public-beta-now-available/
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Make sure to back up to an external ASR volume using a backup utility first. I had no issue installing this dev beta multiple times on different AS Macs but it pays to take that extra step just in case.
 
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zorinlynx said:
How's stability been with the betas? Thinking of diving in but wary of breakage.
Click to expand...
We had really four releases, the DB1, DB2, first DB3 build, and yesterday's DB3 build which is what you will use. I would say it's pretty stable comparably.

Occasionally I see Safari 17 show some animation like it's still trying to load a URL even though it did that. Just do a reload the page again if that happens. Currently using it on a M1 24" IMac, and M1 Max 16" MBP without any real issues.

macOS 14 beta 3 (23A5286i)
  • Safari Version 17.0 (19616.1.20.11.3)
  • System Firmware Version: 10151.0.172.0.3 (M1 based Macs)
  • Darwin Kernel Version 23.0.0: Fri Jun 30 17:48:23 PDT 2023; root:xnu-10002.0.168.505.3~1/RELEASE_ARM64_T8103 arm64
Should be the same beta 3 build from yesterday
  • iOS 17 beta 3 (21A5277j) - July 11, 2023
  • iPadOS 17 beta 3 (21A5277j) - July 11, 2023
  • macOS 14 beta 3 (23A5286i) - July 11, 2023
  • tvOS 17 beta 3 (21J5303h) = July 11, 2023
 
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Realityck said:
Make sure to back up to an external ASR volume using a backup utility first. I had no issue installing this dev beta multiple times on different AS Macs but it pays to take that extra step just in case.
Click to expand...
ASR volume? Could you elaborate as to why a normal full Time Machine backup would be insufficient?
 
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I installed the Dev beta last night and lost WiFi. It would work for about 30 seconds after a reboot, but otherwise nothing. Spent the morning troubleshooting and finally just wiped the drive and reinstalled Ventura and then used a Time Machine backup to get back to before I started.

The question is: Do I try again?
 
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JosephAW said:
I'm confused, thought I was already running public beta two on my Mac Mini? :rolleyes:
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The first three betas were dev betas, then a slight build variation to dev beta 3 yesterday (patched), then today yesterdays patched beta 3 becomes the first PB beta release. Just look at the beta seed build to clarify this.
  • iOS 17 beta 3 (21A5277j) - July 11, 2023
  • iPadOS 17 beta 3 (21A5277j) - July 11, 2023
  • macOS 14 beta 3 (23A5286i) - July 11, 2023
  • tvOS 17 beta 3 (21J5303h) = July 11, 2023
 
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This looks like a great update. Looking forward to desktop widgets, iPhone widgets, predictive text completion and playing with the game porting toolkit among other things!
 
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