Earlier today as Apple was unveiling OS X Yosemite for the first time at the Worldwide Developers Conference, software chief Craig Federighi announced that there would be a public open beta for the new operating system ahead of its launch this fall. Now, users on our forums have discovered an AppleSeed sign up page for the program, with Apple noting that the program is open to the first one million users who register.

osx_yosemite_open_beta2

How can I participate?

To join the OS X Beta Program, just sign up using your Apple ID. When the beta software is ready, you’ll receive a redemption code that will allow you to download and install OS X Yosemite Beta from the Mac App Store. Then go ahead and start using it. When you come across an issue that needs addressing, report it directly to Apple with the built-in Feedback Assistant application.

Users will also need to be running OS X Mavericks, and Apple recommends that the OS X Yosemite beta be installed on a secondary Mac in the event of possible bugs and errors.

OS X Yosemite includes a brand new user interface design alongside major new features focusing on seamless integration between Mac and iOS devices. The new operating system also includes a new cloud storage solution called iCloud Drive, as well as the ability to make phone calls and texts through an iPhone.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2025

Top Rated Comments

XboxMySocks Avatar
142 months ago
That leaves you with 2 options.

1) Install Yosemite beta as your only OS

2) Don't use Yosemite beta

Really. I don't understand why it's so damn hard for people to get this.

For real.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
142 months ago
But I don't want to deal with two OS's. I want all my life on one.

That leaves you with 2 options.

1) Install Yosemite beta as your only OS

2) Don't use Yosemite beta
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jbachandouris Avatar
143 months ago
They said "coming this summer." Summer doesn't start until June 21st, officially. And we could be waiting until July or even August. Who knows.

Developers can download a preview now. The public beta will come later.

That's the confusion: the developers can download NOW and the public beta will be later. There are so many posts on here of people already using it, its easy to confuse the two.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HenryDJP Avatar
142 months ago
I really want to sign up but also don't want to deal with bugs. what to do.... :confused:

Um, the article explained what to do.

----------

I'm really looking forward to testing out the Beta, but I just hope that they iron out a few kinks inside the Developer Program first before they release the Beta to the public. I'm expecting bugs, but hopefully not the sort of bugs which make work impossible.:eek:

As a beta tester it's your job to discover the bugs and report them. It shouldn't be used for your daily work.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S.B.G Avatar
142 months ago
But I don't want to deal with two OS's. I want all my life on one.

Sounds like you have a quandary to solve on your own then.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sevoneone Avatar
143 months ago
I should have known better but in the excitement of Apple releasing Yosemite I being an IOS developer downloaded the Yosemite not thinking it would be nearly this buggy because pre release iOS software isn't nearly this bad. I ended up installing it on my main mac an can barely use it is there any way i can revert back to a stable version pf mavericks for a few weeks till this becomes a bit more stable.

----------

Another problem I have ran into is I am running this on my mac book pro retina display but it will not allow me to turn up the audio at all and in the system prefs it shows that there is no output device! please help i need to get audio working.

Time machine, or carbon copy cloner. Please tell me you have a backup?

I only saw one other person mention this, but since 10.6 you can install OS X in a virtual machine, as long as the host environment is running on Apple Hardware. VM Ware Fusion isn't terribly expensive and you can indulge your beta desires without risking your stable installation.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Epic Games Wins Major Victory as Apple is Ordered to Comply With App Store Anti-Steering Injunction [Updated]

Wednesday April 30, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. Epic Games dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to ...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Submits iOS App Update With Out-of-App Purchase Options

Thursday May 1, 2025 3:37 pm PDT by
Spotify today submitted an app update to Apple that will include information on Spotify plan costs and options to subscribe through weblinks without using the in-app purchase system. Spotify will not need to pay a fee to Apple when customers subscribe to the service using alternate payment methods in the Spotify app. In a blog post announcing the changes, Spotify said that yesterday's ruling ...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iOS 19

Apple Already Testing iOS 19.4 After Delaying Personalized Siri Features

Thursday May 1, 2025 9:03 am PDT by
A subset of Apple's software engineers started internal development of iOS 19.4 last month, according to the MacRumors visitor logs. iOS 19.4 is expected to be released in March or April next year, so the software update is still nearly a year away. However, Apple develops both "Fall" and "Spring" versions of iOS each year, with our website's analytics logs indicating that both iOS 19.0 and...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Offers Apple 'Peace Proposal' to Return Fortnite to the App Store Worldwide

Wednesday April 30, 2025 5:12 pm PDT by
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney today said that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store next week, and he offered a "peace proposal" with a pledge to bring Fortnite back to iOS worldwide if Apple follows certain steps. "Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop...
nest thermostat

Google Announces End Date for Original Nest Thermostat Support

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:08 am PDT by
Google has announced that first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats will lose support in October 2025, disabling their connected features (via ArsTechnica). After October 25, 2025, these devices will no longer receive software updates or connect to Google's cloud services. Users won't be able to control them via the Google Home app or voice assistants, though basic temperature...