Apple Seeds Sixth Public Beta of macOS 13 Ventura

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of macOS Ventura to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to test the new macOS Ventura operating system ahead of its release. The sixth beta comes following the fifth public beta and it corresponds with eighth developer beta released earlier this week.

clock weather macos ventura
Public beta testers can download the macOS 13 Ventura update from the Software Update section of the System Preferences app after installing the proper profile from Apple's beta software website.

macOS Ventura introduces Stage Manager, a new multi-tasking option for focusing on a task while having other apps waiting in the wings. ‌Stage Manager‌ puts your main app front and center, tucking your other apps to the side for quick access.

Continuity Camera allows you to use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac, offering much better camera quality than the built-in Mac camera. Apple is building special stands to hold the ‌iPhone‌ with a Mac, and there are neat features like Desk View, which uses the Ultra Wide lens.

Handoff now works with FaceTime so you can answer calls on the Mac and then transfer them over to another device, and Messages is gaining undo, edit, and mark as unread features. SharePlay now works in Messages in addition to ‌FaceTime‌, and the Mail app has been overhauled. Search is more relevant, emails can be scheduled, and there's even an option to undo an email for up to 10 seconds after it's sent.

Apple brought the Weather and Clock apps to the Mac, redesigned System Preferences and renamed it System Settings, and added support for Shared Tab Groups. Passwords are being replaced with more secure Passkeys in iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, and there are updates to Spotlight, Visual Lookup, Live Text, and more.

There are a ton of other features in macOS Ventura, and we have a full rundown available in our dedicated macOS Ventura roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Ventura

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 ...
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...
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...
new magsafe charger

Apple Releases Updated MagSafe Charger Firmware

Tuesday January 14, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods and Apple Watch models. The updated firmware is version 2A143, up from the 2A138 firmware that the accessory shipped with. In the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the internal firmware number. The 2024 MagSafe charger was...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
MacBook Air 15 Inch Feature Blue

MacBook Air Likely Apple's First Product Update of 2025: What to Expect

Wednesday January 15, 2025 8:49 am PST by
There is a good chance that Apple's first product announcement of 2025 will be updated 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models with the M4 chip. Last month, Apple released macOS Sequoia 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models are coming this year (unsurprisingly). Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the new MacBook Air models will be announced "earlier" than some...
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Three Companies Are Now in the Running to Take Over the Apple Card

Thursday January 16, 2025 8:18 am PST by
Apple is in talks with Barclays and Synchrony about becoming its new financial partner for the Apple Card, according to Reuters sources. The report today added that Apple has also been holding discussions with Chase Bank owner JPMorgan since last year, so there are at least three potential companies in the running to take over the Apple Card from current partner Goldman Sachs. Goldman...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Filed in Regulatory Databases Ahead of 2025 Launch

Wednesday January 15, 2025 6:02 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and now further evidence of the wireless earbuds has surfaced. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code Apple submitted Powerbeats Pro 2 regulatory documents to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in mid-December. The documents were made available to the public this week, and they were spotted by 91M...

Top Rated Comments

AboveGroundLevel Avatar
30 months ago

I'm not super excited about most of the features in Ventura but the (unexciting) mail ones seem the most useful: better searching and ability to undo a send. I just think 10 seconds is not enough time to undo. I would prefer they let the user set the time available to cancel a sent email (and adding a corresponding delay in sending), I'd want it more like 30-90 seconds and I wouldn't mind if my emails got delayed by that much.
You can choose between 10, 20 or 30 seconds.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiRez Avatar
30 months ago
I'm not super excited about most of the features in Ventura but the (unexciting) mail ones seem the most useful: better searching and ability to undo a send. I just think 10 seconds is not enough time to undo. I would prefer they let the user set the time available to cancel a sent email (and adding a corresponding delay in sending), I'd want it more like 30-90 seconds and I wouldn't mind if my emails got delayed by that much.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdrianCobon Avatar
30 months ago
Downloading the public betas to my M1 iPad Air 5G and my M1 Mac Mini now... I can't wait until the actual releases are made in a bit. I hopped on the beta bandwagon due to the expanded focus modes - they actually made it possible to separate my work and home lives without having to use separate accounts on my Mac. (I am a freelance writer working from home.)

This makes me curious about Apple's plans for iWork. I dumped Office for iWork '09 and have been a fanboy ever since. Paired with Scrivener and the occasional forays with Google Docs, I have never needed to use Microsoft Word. Though I will admit I miss the old full-screen mode from Pages '09. The new one just isn't the same.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rpmurray Avatar
30 months ago
Have they fixed the slowdowns in Safari? I won't ask about System Settings since that's a dumpster fire that will take until the middle of next year to work out.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
30 months ago
I have yet to upgrade from Big Sur to Monterrey. It’s gonna be a while before I upgrade to Ventura. Based on all the bugs iOS 16 GM is experiencing, it’s safe to say, Ventura will have its share.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdrianCobon Avatar
30 months ago

Did you have any issues with Focus modes previously?
I tried to use them because I genuinely find the idea great - but no matter what I set up it always told my partner that I had notifications silenced.
Which I didn’t. In fact, she’s set up one of the few people who get through even when I’m on “Sleep”.
The main problem was with email. I have separate email accounts for work, personal, and junk. Beforehand I could only figure out how to block the mail app entirely, which wasn't ideal considering I needed to get messages from clients while working. Ventura allows me to specify the email accounts and people to craft focus modes perfect for the situation. For instance, I have my work mode set up for between 8-12 and 1-6 with a separate lunch mode from 12-1. I get notifications of personal emails during lunch but not after, and business emails are silenced during lunch. Junk isn't available until after I clock out at six when it and personal get unblocked, though with business getting blocked.

Similar thing with my cellphone. Outside of work hours, all my business contacts get shunted to voicemail or silenced until the start of the next day. While at work, I only allow clients and immediate family (my husband and one of my brothers) to call/text me.

For your problem - it may be worth it to dump all of the focus modes on your devices and start from scratch. I found that sharing focuses between devices can be *interesting* at times, with one device saying/doing one thing and the rest doing something else. So dump it and write your own from scratch!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)