Apple Warns macOS Catalina Users About Installing macOS 12.3 Beta on Volume With FileVault Enabled

Apple today updated its macOS 12.3 beta release notes to warn macOS Catalina users about a potential boot loop issue when installing the macOS 12.3 or macOS 11.6.4 betas on a separate APFS volume with FileVault enabled.

macOS Monterey on MBP Feature
"If your Mac currently has macOS Catalina installed, installing macOS Monterey 12.3 beta or macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 beta on a volume with FileVault enabled might cause a boot loop when attempting to log back into the previous volume," says Apple.

On a Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, it is possible to install macOS on a separate APFS volume and then switch between versions of macOS, including betas, as if each were on a separate disk. Apple has a support document with more details.

Apple seeded the first beta of macOS 12.3 earlier this week, with a key new feature being Universal Control. macOS 12.3 also features new emoji, deprecates kernel extensions used by Dropbox and OneDrive, removes Python 2.7, and more.

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:16 am PST by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the "ultra-thin" device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple Expected to Launch 20+ Products This Year: Here's the Full List

Friday January 17, 2025 5:30 am PST by
2025 promises to be quite a big year for Apple, with the company rumored to be planning more than 20 product announcements this year. Apple's rumored smart home hub will be its second all-new product to launch in as many years, following the Apple Vision Pro headset last year. And of course, we will get several new iPhone and Apple Watch models, like every year. Beyond that, Apple could...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Major Thermal Design Upgrade

Friday January 17, 2025 4:33 am PST by
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to a new report. The news comes from Chinese tech news site MyDrivers, which claims that the entire iPhone 17 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader. Vapor chamber technology is already used...

Top Rated Comments

dr_lha Avatar
39 months ago

I wonder how many people in that case will actually receive the information.
If you're not reading changelogs, you probably shouldn't be installing betas.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antnythr Avatar
39 months ago

If you're not reading changelogs, you probably shouldn't be installing betas.
And if you are installing betas, your data should be backed up so when something like this inevitably happens, it’s not actually an issue.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sdf Avatar
39 months ago

Wait, are you saying Apple only tested a Beta release in the simplest and most basic install config? I’m SHOCKED!!
Discovering bugs in a variety of real world conditions is why beta tests exist.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
39 months ago

If you're not reading changelogs, you probably shouldn't be installing betas.
Next you assume people read TnC of anything
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
randyhudson Avatar
39 months ago
Wait, are you saying Apple only tested a Beta release in the simplest and most basic install config? I’m SHOCKED!!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apparatchik Avatar
39 months ago
Not only shouldn't you install betas on critical / important devices but, just out of caution, you shouldn't jump head first to new major releases whatever the OS.

I was once left out of my bank's mobile app (which meant I couldn't withdraw money, pay for critical stuff, etc.) because I updated my phone right away to the new release and the app would crash. It took three weeks for the bank to fix it. On iOS you should wait at least six months, and on a Mac you use for a living, you better wait a full year and always stay a version behind if possible.

Beta testing should be left to either platform developers or people with the time and spare devices to actually test things. People shouldn't expect it to be seamless.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)