macOS Sonoma (14.0) Public Beta is Now Available
Today, Apple announced the first public beta of macOS Sonoma (14.0) to the public beta testers after its initial announcement at WWDC and three developer betas. This is the first Public Beta update of macOS Sonoma which comes just a little over a month after the launch of the first beta that came out on June 5 at the WWDC event and is available to the general public. Interested users can download and install the beta update through the Apple Beta Software Program after the appropriate profile is installed, available through the Software Update mechanism in the System Settings. Once you install the beta, it will likely receive several updates between now and the final release. The Public beta typically signals that Apple's newest Mac Operating System is approaching the level of stability and polish needed for a final release.
Along with this update, Apple has also released iOS17, iPadOS17, WatchOS10, and tVOS17 Public Beta to the general public.
The macOS Sonoma (14.0) includes a variety of new features like Screen Savers, a new Lock Screen, the introduction of widgets, new messages features, and Profiles support in Safari which allows for unique profiles for different purposes such as work and school to keep things tidy, FaceTime video messages support and many other various changes and improvements
Using Apple's Beta Software Program, any user can enroll their Mac using and can participate in the Beta Software Program for access to the beta, which gives them access to be able to install macOS Sonoma Beta on a supported Mac. Unlike the Developer Beta Program, you are no longer to pay a fee for participating in early access to the developer release. Although Public Betas are of much-reduced risk than Developer Betas, this should be limited to advanced users and users having secondary hardware. A final release is on the way which is expected to be released by this fall.
What we know about macOS Sonoma 14 Public Beta so far...
For detailed information about the content of this update, please visit: macOS Sonoma Beta Release Notes.
The first Public beta of macOS Sonoma Beta is quite stable and performs well in a fresh install as well as on the systems that have been updated using the Software Update method available in the System Settings. It still remains to be seen how stable macOS Sonoma Public Beta is and what more bugs it brings.
Should you install macOS Sonoma Public Beta?
Generally, Apple decides to release the Public Betas of its new Operating System when it believes the update is relatively stable and ready for the general public to try. That being said, there are still chances that you'll definitely run into some bugs in the public beta even if it's available to anyone.
As the name implies, the public beta is specifically intended for the general public and available to anyone who wish to try out the new public beta releases. Any interested Mac user can enroll their Mac in the Apple Beta Software Program, which means anyone can install macOS Sonoma Beta right now. However, due to the buggy nature of the beta system software in general, the beta software is much less stable and less reliable than the final versions of the system software, even if the public beta is available to the general public, it's really best reserved for more advanced users having secondary hardware and should be avoided in the first place unless you have secondary hardware and should not be deployed on primary devices, or production systems, especially if you're in an enterprise and/or mission-critical environment, as there is always a chance of unexpected errors and bugs in the software that could result in a loss of functionality or even data loss since its a pre-release version. Moreover, it is likely possible that you'll have some apps that are incompatible with macOS Sonoma right now as developers are working to update their apps and it is not unusual for apps to crash with beta system software, or the entire system to not behave as expected. Unlike Windows, there is no way to uninstall the updates or roll back to a previous state unless you have a proper Time Machine backup. The only way is a full reset in recovery mode. The more casually curious users should wait for a final release, which is expected to be coming this fall.
macOS Sonoma will be in beta testing for a couple of months and the final release of macOS Sonoma will be available for all Mac users as a free software update this fall.
How to Download macOS Sonoma Public Beta?
If you're enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, you should see a notification (Software Update Available) in the System Settings, just below the Sign In option. If not, you can download the update using the steps below:
1. Click on the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Navigate to General and then click on Software Update.
3. Select the macOS Sonoma Public Beta in the Beta Updates.
4. Click on Update Now to begin downloading the macOS Sonoma Public update.
Alternatively, you can click on System Settings from Dock and then click on Software Update to download the macOS Sonoma Public Beta update.
Direct Download Link for macOS Sonoma Public Beta Installer
If you're planning to perform a clean install of macOS Sonoma Public Beta on your Mac, you can download the full installer of macOS Sonoma Public Beta directly from Apple's server using the InstallAssistant.pkg file, which can be used to extract the Install macOS Sonoma beta.app to /Applications directory.
macOS Sonoma Public Beta InstallAssistant.pkg
How to Install macOS Sonoma Public Beta?
The macOS Sonoma Public beta is concurrent with the macOS Sonoma Developer Beta and if you already installed the macOS Sonoma Developer Beta, there is no point in installing this Public Beta as there's no key difference, even the build numbers are the same, though you can technically switch to Public Beta Channel if you wish to for some reason. Don't worry, we're not going to leave new users hanging who have been waiting on the Public Beta to try out macOS Sonoma on their Mac. New users, who have been waiting on the Public Beta, can check out the guide linked below.
1. Back up your Mac.
2. Open a Web browser and visit Apple Beta Program on your target Mac.
3. Sign in using your Apple ID. Please note that this requirement is a must. If you're already signed in, skip to step #6. If you don't have an Apple ID, sign up for an Apple ID by clicking on the Sign Up button.
4. If this is your first time signing into Beta Program, you might get a prompt for Beta Software Agreement. Simply click on Agree to proceed.
5. Click on macOS if it does not redirect automatically.
6. Click on Enroll Your Devices in the top menu of the web page or you can navigate to the Get Started section and click on the enroll your Mac link. In case you cannot find it, we have included a direct link here.
7. If you're running macOS Ventura 13.4 or later, navigate to the Turn on beta Updates section and click on Open Software Update button. The browser will prompt for opening the System Settings. Simply Click on Allow to open the System Settings. If you're on macOS Ventura 13.3 or earlier, click on Download the macOS Beta Access Utility and install it.
8. Once the System Settings opens, select Beta Updates to macOS Sonoma Public Beta and click on Done. Make sure you're still signed into the same Apple ID on your target Mac.
9. Click on Update Now to begin installing macOS Sonoma Public Beta.
10. When prompted, click on Restart Now to process the update.
Please note that your Mac may restart a couple of times to process the updates. Please ensure a proper backup of your data to protect your files during the update process.
macOS Sonoma Supported Devices
If you're not sure whether your Mac supports macOS Sonoma, check out the guide linked below.
elitemacx86.com
Today, Apple announced the first public beta of macOS Sonoma (14.0) to the public beta testers after its initial announcement at WWDC and three developer betas. This is the first Public Beta update of macOS Sonoma which comes just a little over a month after the launch of the first beta that came out on June 5 at the WWDC event and is available to the general public. Interested users can download and install the beta update through the Apple Beta Software Program after the appropriate profile is installed, available through the Software Update mechanism in the System Settings. Once you install the beta, it will likely receive several updates between now and the final release. The Public beta typically signals that Apple's newest Mac Operating System is approaching the level of stability and polish needed for a final release.
Along with this update, Apple has also released iOS17, iPadOS17, WatchOS10, and tVOS17 Public Beta to the general public.
The macOS Sonoma (14.0) includes a variety of new features like Screen Savers, a new Lock Screen, the introduction of widgets, new messages features, and Profiles support in Safari which allows for unique profiles for different purposes such as work and school to keep things tidy, FaceTime video messages support and many other various changes and improvements
Using Apple's Beta Software Program, any user can enroll their Mac using and can participate in the Beta Software Program for access to the beta, which gives them access to be able to install macOS Sonoma Beta on a supported Mac. Unlike the Developer Beta Program, you are no longer to pay a fee for participating in early access to the developer release. Although Public Betas are of much-reduced risk than Developer Betas, this should be limited to advanced users and users having secondary hardware. A final release is on the way which is expected to be released by this fall.
What we know about macOS Sonoma 14 Public Beta so far...
- Release Date - July 12, 2023
- Build Number - 23A5286i
- Update Size (Intel) - 873.4MB
- Update Size (Silicon) - 873.4MB
- System Firmware Version - 10151.0.172.0.3 (Mac mini M1)
- OS Loader Version - 10151.0.172.0.3 (Mac mini M1)
- The loading bar when installing Beta 3 has been moved to the bottom of the screen, similar to its height during old firmware updates on G4/G5 class desktops.
- Beta 3 install in progress warns that the screen will turn off for a minute
- Speedometer 2.0 improved slightly, ten run average on an Intel 2018 laptop is now 166.
- System firmware on the Apple Silicon M1 Mac mini has been updated from 10151.0.156.505.1 to 10151.0.172.0.3
- OS Loader on the Apple Silicon M1 Mac mini has been updated from 10151.0.156.505.1 to 10151.0.172.0.3
- Music.app seems to have jumped to 1.4.0.83 along with a few changes in the App.
- The wallpaper disappearing bug seems to be fixed
- Windows restoring from the Dock animates properly every time. No more invisible animation.
- The new splash in the Home.app
- The PDF bug has been fixed
- The Tailscale bug has been fixed. The app is working and doesn't crash on load anymore.
- The default browser bug has been fixed in the settings.
- Lightroom crashes have been fixed.
For detailed information about the content of this update, please visit: macOS Sonoma Beta Release Notes.
The first Public beta of macOS Sonoma Beta is quite stable and performs well in a fresh install as well as on the systems that have been updated using the Software Update method available in the System Settings. It still remains to be seen how stable macOS Sonoma Public Beta is and what more bugs it brings.
Should you install macOS Sonoma Public Beta?
Generally, Apple decides to release the Public Betas of its new Operating System when it believes the update is relatively stable and ready for the general public to try. That being said, there are still chances that you'll definitely run into some bugs in the public beta even if it's available to anyone.
As the name implies, the public beta is specifically intended for the general public and available to anyone who wish to try out the new public beta releases. Any interested Mac user can enroll their Mac in the Apple Beta Software Program, which means anyone can install macOS Sonoma Beta right now. However, due to the buggy nature of the beta system software in general, the beta software is much less stable and less reliable than the final versions of the system software, even if the public beta is available to the general public, it's really best reserved for more advanced users having secondary hardware and should be avoided in the first place unless you have secondary hardware and should not be deployed on primary devices, or production systems, especially if you're in an enterprise and/or mission-critical environment, as there is always a chance of unexpected errors and bugs in the software that could result in a loss of functionality or even data loss since its a pre-release version. Moreover, it is likely possible that you'll have some apps that are incompatible with macOS Sonoma right now as developers are working to update their apps and it is not unusual for apps to crash with beta system software, or the entire system to not behave as expected. Unlike Windows, there is no way to uninstall the updates or roll back to a previous state unless you have a proper Time Machine backup. The only way is a full reset in recovery mode. The more casually curious users should wait for a final release, which is expected to be coming this fall.
macOS Sonoma will be in beta testing for a couple of months and the final release of macOS Sonoma will be available for all Mac users as a free software update this fall.
How to Download macOS Sonoma Public Beta?
If you're enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program, you should see a notification (Software Update Available) in the System Settings, just below the Sign In option. If not, you can download the update using the steps below:
1. Click on the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Navigate to General and then click on Software Update.
3. Select the macOS Sonoma Public Beta in the Beta Updates.
4. Click on Update Now to begin downloading the macOS Sonoma Public update.
Alternatively, you can click on System Settings from Dock and then click on Software Update to download the macOS Sonoma Public Beta update.
Direct Download Link for macOS Sonoma Public Beta Installer
If you're planning to perform a clean install of macOS Sonoma Public Beta on your Mac, you can download the full installer of macOS Sonoma Public Beta directly from Apple's server using the InstallAssistant.pkg file, which can be used to extract the Install macOS Sonoma beta.app to /Applications directory.
macOS Sonoma Public Beta InstallAssistant.pkg
How to Install macOS Sonoma Public Beta?
The macOS Sonoma Public beta is concurrent with the macOS Sonoma Developer Beta and if you already installed the macOS Sonoma Developer Beta, there is no point in installing this Public Beta as there's no key difference, even the build numbers are the same, though you can technically switch to Public Beta Channel if you wish to for some reason. Don't worry, we're not going to leave new users hanging who have been waiting on the Public Beta to try out macOS Sonoma on their Mac. New users, who have been waiting on the Public Beta, can check out the guide linked below.
1. Back up your Mac.
2. Open a Web browser and visit Apple Beta Program on your target Mac.
3. Sign in using your Apple ID. Please note that this requirement is a must. If you're already signed in, skip to step #6. If you don't have an Apple ID, sign up for an Apple ID by clicking on the Sign Up button.
4. If this is your first time signing into Beta Program, you might get a prompt for Beta Software Agreement. Simply click on Agree to proceed.
5. Click on macOS if it does not redirect automatically.
6. Click on Enroll Your Devices in the top menu of the web page or you can navigate to the Get Started section and click on the enroll your Mac link. In case you cannot find it, we have included a direct link here.
7. If you're running macOS Ventura 13.4 or later, navigate to the Turn on beta Updates section and click on Open Software Update button. The browser will prompt for opening the System Settings. Simply Click on Allow to open the System Settings. If you're on macOS Ventura 13.3 or earlier, click on Download the macOS Beta Access Utility and install it.
8. Once the System Settings opens, select Beta Updates to macOS Sonoma Public Beta and click on Done. Make sure you're still signed into the same Apple ID on your target Mac.
9. Click on Update Now to begin installing macOS Sonoma Public Beta.
10. When prompted, click on Restart Now to process the update.
Please note that your Mac may restart a couple of times to process the updates. Please ensure a proper backup of your data to protect your files during the update process.
macOS Sonoma Supported Devices
If you're not sure whether your Mac supports macOS Sonoma, check out the guide linked below.
macOS Sonoma (14.0) Compatibility - Will your Mac Support it?
macOS Sonoma (14.0) Compatibility List - Will Your Mac Support it? Today, at WWDC 2023, Apple announced their new macOS version i.e. macOS Sonoma (14). Whenever Apple releases a new version of its Operating System, one of the most common questions that arise is, “Will my Mac be compatible?”...
elitemacx86.com
Last edited:
