Apple Releases First macOS Sequoia Public Beta With iPhone Mirroring and More

Apple today released the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia update to its public beta testing group, giving the general public a chance to try out the new operating system's features ahead of its fall launch. The first public beta includes the same content as the third developer beta.

macos sequoia iphone mirroring
Public beta testers can download ‌macOS Sequoia‌ from the Software Update section of the System Settings app after signing up on Apple's beta testing website and opting into the public beta under the Beta Updates section.

‌macOS Sequoia‌'s biggest feature is iPhone Mirroring, which is designed to let you control your ‌iPhone‌ from your Mac using your keyboard and mouse. You can see notifications and use your ‌iPhone‌ apps even when your ‌iPhone‌ is tucked away and locked, and later this year, you'll be able to use the feature to drag and drop apps from your Mac to your ‌iPhone‌ and vice versa.

Window tiling has been improved to make it easier to get multiple windows on your Mac in a way that works for you, Safari can summarize websites and show you highlights, and the Messages app supports scheduling messages and using the Tapback feature with any emoji.

There's a new Passwords app for managing your passwords, logins, and passkeys, the Photos app has a new design, the Notes app supports audio transcription and summarization, and you can also type in any equation and get it solved automatically.

‌macOS Sequoia‌ supports all of the new Apple Intelligence features that are also coming to iOS 18, offering all kinds of quality of life improvements. Writing tools help you proofread and polish your writing across apps, you can create unique images with Image Playground, and make up your own emoji with Genmoji. ‌Photos‌ includes a Clean Up tool for removing unwanted images, and Siri will use AI for better language understanding and contextual relevance. ‌Siri‌ will even be able to consult ChatGPT for complicated queries.

There are a long list of additional features coming to ‌macOS Sequoia‌, with more information available in our dedicated roundup.

Related Roundup: macOS Sequoia
Related Forum: macOS Sequoia

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Top Rated Comments

CalMin Avatar
10 months ago
Q: "I only have one Mac and it's critical for me because I use it for school/work and I don't have a backup Mac. Is it safe to install the public beta?"

A: NO.

Q:"But it has cool new stuff that I want?"

A: NO.

Q:"But iPhone mirroring...?"

A: NO.

Q:" But I have a backup from 6-months ago..."

A: NO.

Q" But I have a backup from last night..."


A: NO. No, no, no, no, no.

--

Even with a backup, you might not be able to roll back, or it might hose your machine and then you will have to visit an Apple Store and if you depend on that Mac, then you will be in trouble.

Don't do it.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PaulKemp Avatar
10 months ago
Is iPhone mirroring available in the eu? Considering rolling Mac, iPhone a watch into the beta. Mirroring is a ‘killer feature’ (something I’ve wanted for a long time) for me
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
10 months ago
Going to install this ...
6.36GB on my M1 MBA
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcscot Avatar
10 months ago
This looks to be one of the most exciting releases for a long time.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hans1972 Avatar
10 months ago

Q: "I only have one Mac and it's critical for me because I use it for school/work and I don't have a backup Mac. Is it safe to install the public beta?"

A: NO.

Q:"But it has cool new stuff that I want?"

A: NO.

Q:"But iPhone mirroring...?"

A: NO.

Q:" But I have a backup from 6-months ago..."

A: NO.

Q" But I have a backup from last night..."


A: NO. No, no, no, no, no.

--
Nancy Reagan approves.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CalMin Avatar
10 months ago

Been doing it for years. Just make an external ASR volume (ext SSD example) using TimeMachine or CCC. Then install the revised seed made to be used as the first PB seeding. I have it running on two AS Macs just fine.
? Sounds like you know what you're doing. The post was aimed at those who don't.

It happens every year that someone tries the beta and finds themselves cornered because some critical work/school app doesn't work, or they can't easily roll back or don't have the technical expertise to undo the upgrade. Main point to be made here is that it's a beta, not an advance way to get the new features before everyone else - especially the early public betas.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)