Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update to developers for testing purposes, a week and a half releasing the third beta and over a month after releasing macOS Catalina 10.15.5 with battery health management features for Macs.

macos catalina wallpaper
The macOS Catalina 10.15.6 beta can be downloaded from the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center.

There's no word yet on what improvements the new update to macOS Catalina brings, but it likely includes performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the previous update. No new features were found in the first three betas, but we'll update this article should anything new be found in the fourth beta.

Related Forum: macOS Catalina

Top Rated Comments

jb-net Avatar
58 months ago
Is Apple even interested in fixing all the bugs in Catalina or a the just working on their ARM project? There are so many open bugs in Catalina, its mind-blowing! :mad:
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScooterComputer Avatar
58 months ago

There are so many open bugs in Catalina, its mind-blowing! :mad:
What’s especially infuriating to me, as a 2012 MacBook Pro user, is that Apple has ONCE AGAIN decided to abandon a large chunk of users on a really buggy OS. Last time it was High Sierra. At this point, it’s pretty naked they’re doing it to drive new sales, which is supremely scummy. Worse IMHO is that they are cleaving off good popular work horse Macs, while supporting 4 years of known-garbage MacBook keyboards and warmed-over hard-drive-based iMacs. It’s like I’m being punished for not being stupid and just buying whatever crap Apple decided to poop out since 2016.

The community needs to get smarter, more vocal over this nonsense; it’s getting worse, not better. This Exec Team is revealing itself to be despicable.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RLK7 Avatar
58 months ago
Be careful! With a 2018 MacBook Pro 15 it wont recognize your keyboard or trackpad so I can’t log in! Even safe mode doesn’t let you use the keyboard/mouse. How does something that basic get through even the first beta?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheSkywalker77 Avatar
58 months ago
Well, here goes what is likely one of the last updates to my 2012 MBP. It’s been a fun ride.


Time to wait for dosdude1’s Big Sur patcher! :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dickie001x Avatar
58 months ago

I finally bit the bullet a few months ago and moved my Macs from High Sierra to Mojave - I wanted to see if there were going to be any glaring issues before High Sierra fell off the security fix wagon.

All in all, Mojave seems mostly reliable (which wasn't my experience with provisional installs of earlier versions of Mojave). Main difference from High Sierra is that it's a bit more locked down security-wise, you have sometimes to go into Security & Privacy preferences to authorize special access for certain apps when they're first installed. AND the biggest bugaboo there is that you don't always get a notification that you need to do that - but if you miss the initial 30 minute window to approve the app's access... you're SOL!!

(actually you're not completely SOL, you can usually completely uninstall the app, reboot and then reinstall to restart another 30-minute authorization window. But it can be a silent failure, with no explanation regarding why an app isn't functioning as expected).
Disable Gatekeeper with the following command in Teminal:

sudo spctl --master-disable
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5097842 Avatar
58 months ago

Still running High Sierra here and will upgrade to Mojave when my apps end support for it and Apple requires 10.14 or later. My concern is, should I just leave my MBP 2015 at Mojave since it seems Catalina and later seems not be particularly worth it both feature and stability wise? All I've been hearing about Sierra since it was launched is stability issues and bugs.
Yes, I would stick with Mojave. My MBA is still on Mojave, unfortunately my 16" MBP only runs Catalina. I may try the Big Sur beta on the Air to see how it compares to Catalina. (don't want my primary machine on a beta) Hopefully Big Sur is an improvement ...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

Apple Announces iOS 18.2 Launching Today With These New Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 5:23 am PST by
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today following more than six weeks of beta testing. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, the update introduces additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for creating custom emoji, Image Playground and Image Wand for generating images, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also ...
iphone 17 pro concept render cameras

Major iPhone 17 Pro Redesign Backed by Supply Chain Info, Claims Leaker

Thursday December 12, 2024 4:36 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 Pro models will reportedly feature a major redesign, specifically centering around changes to the rear camera module, and now new supply chain information appears to confirm the striking change, according to a Chinese leaker. iPhone 17 Pro concept render Late last month, The Information's Wayne Ma claimed that the rear of the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro...
m4 mac mini hands on

Cloud-Based M4 and M4 Pro Mac Mini Models Now Available

Wednesday December 11, 2024 7:34 am PST by
Developers now have access to cloud-based M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini units via MacWeb, a Silicon Valley-based provider of cloud services. The company has launched three configurations of the new Mac mini, powered by Apple's M4 and M4 Pro chips. Developers and IT teams can rent these machines for tasks ranging from basic development to advanced artificial intelligence modeling, providing an...
macOS Sequoia Night Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:02 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.2, the second update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that was released in September. macOS Sequoia 15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Sequoia 15.1. Mac users can download the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Sequoia 15.2 adds Image Playground, an app that lets you create...
macbook air m2 13 inch

macOS Sequoia 15.2 Confirms New M4 MacBook Air Models Are Coming

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:54 am PST by
Apple today made a mistake with its macOS Sequoia 15.2 update, releasing the software for two Macs that have yet to be launched. There is a software file for "Mac16,12" and "Mac16,13," which are upcoming MacBook Air models. The leaked software references the "MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 2025)," confirming that new M4 MacBook Air models are in...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 With Genmoji, Image Playground, Siri ChatGPT and More

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:03 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the second major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates that came out in September. The new updates come over a month after Apple released iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Versions of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

Monday December 9, 2024 10:06 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the first RCs. The first iOS 18.2 RC had a build number of 22C150, while the second RC's build number is 22C151. Release candidates represent the final version of beta software that's expected to see a ...