Apple Seeds Third macOS Sierra 10.12.1 Beta to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra update to developers for testing purposes, nearly one week after seeding the second beta and two weeks after releasing the new macOS Sierra operating system to the public.

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 beta 3 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

macossierra
macOS Sierra 10.12.1 appears to focus on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements to address issues that have been found since the operating system's release. Few outward-facing changes were discovered in the first two betas, but it does include Photos support for the new iPhone 7 Plus Portrait feature introduced with iOS 10.1. New features discovered in the third 10.12.1 beta will be listed below.

macOS Sierra is a significant update that brings features like Siri support, a new storage optimization option, cross device copy paste, auto unlocking with the Apple Watch, and more. For full details on macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

forerunnerg34 Avatar
122 months ago
Yes, but...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blacktape242 Avatar
122 months ago
I wish i could unsee that.....


Sierra 10.12.1 on Late 2016 MacBook with Fusion 3D Touch trackpad.





Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smacrumon Avatar
122 months ago
Sierra 10.12.1 on Late 2016 MacBook with Fusion 3D Touch trackpad.




Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
122 months ago
It's the one OS Apple makes that isn't designed for babies or really old people, the two target groups who get confused by a real file management system
There was a time when people said similar things about a graphical operating system.

And there are plenty of people whose iPads help them to achieve incredible work. Industries such as science, medicine, graphic design — you know, those industries that are dominated by babies and really old people.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
122 months ago
in the last few betas I have seen zero difference or anything new or better, what are they actually changing
Presumably features that will be supported in the new MacBook Pro. It's meant to be sent off to the factory shortly to be installed on new machines.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
122 months ago
Going into courage overdrive.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)