Apple Seeds Fourth macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Beta to Developers [Updated]

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of the upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.2 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the third 10.12.2 beta and a month after the public release of macOS 10.12.1.

macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 4 is available for download through the Apple Developer Center or through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

macos-10-12-2-beta
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 includes new emoji, introducing Unicode 9 characters like clown face, selfie, face palm, fox face, owl, shark, butterfly, avocado, pancakes, croissant, bacon and more, plus many profession emoji are available in both male and female genders. Apple has also updated the artwork on many existing emoji, adding detail and design elements to make them look less cartoonish and more realistic.

There are few other outward-facing changes aside from the addition of new emoji, but the 10.12.2 update also likely includes many bug fixes and performance enhancements to address issues that have surfaced since the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.1.

Available since September, macOS Sierra is the latest Mac operating system. It includes Siri support, Apple Pay for the web, Universal Clipboard, Apple Watch auto unlocking, improved iCloud Drive integration, Picture-in-Picture multitasking, and dozens of smaller features that can be found in our macOS Sierra roundup.

Update: macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 4 is also available for public beta testers.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Popular Stories

iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
Cyber Week Deals 2025

Best Cyber Week Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Week is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...
Sad Siri Feature

Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays

Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today. Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...
studio display purple february

M5 iPad Pro Could Hint at New Studio Display Feature

Sunday November 30, 2025 10:30 am PST by
The updated specs of the M5 iPad Pro may point toward a major new feature for Apple's next-generation Studio Display expected in early 2026. Apple's latest iPad Pro debuted last month and contains one display-related change that stands out: it can now drive external monitors at up to 120Hz with Adaptive Sync. The feature should deliver lower latency, smoother motion, and fewer visual...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple's Big Plans for iPad Mini 8

Friday November 28, 2025 8:39 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through the latest rumors about Apple's upcoming iPad mini 8. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The next-generation version of the iPad mini is expected to feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...

Top Rated Comments

Bubba Satori Avatar
118 months ago
The face palm emoji seems especially relevant.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TimCookMustGo Avatar
118 months ago
Now we can have the upside down smiley face emoji on our gimmicky touchbar. Thanks Tim!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CausticSoda Avatar
118 months ago
Nice to see "outward-facing changes aside from the addition of new emoji". Courageous.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
natepaschall Avatar
118 months ago
What turd MacOS Sierra is. After spending all that effort to clean up the bugs in Mavericks & Yosemite with El Capitan, they release a fresh stinking pile of buggy software full of emojis.

Wish I never upgraded. The 3 positive benefits of MacOS Sierra is their space-reducing feature, ApplePay, and App Tabs, and none of these are dramatic user experience improvements. Other than that, 3rd party software suffices for any of their new 'features'.

Siri? - Used once just to see how it worked.

Universal Copy-Paste? - I have 2 apps that can do that

Unlock via TouchID? - I have an app for that and I don't have to buy a new MacBook to do it

Desktop & Documents folder on all devices? - Even more fragmentation? No thanks. As if the iCloud environment isn't already confusing enough.

ApplePay? - Neat, haven't used it yet

Photos? - More bloated mac apps? No thanks

Emojis? - Everything thats wrong with the world today

iTunes? - The worst app on Mac becomes even worse

Tabs? - Neat, haven't used it yet

I still can't plug in my HDMI monitor without the Fan buzzing like a Category 5 hurricane (mid2102 MBP 15" Retina) .

Stick with El Capitan if you haven't upgraded.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Porco Avatar
118 months ago
So they have the shark emoji, just need the Fonzie on waterskis emoji now... maybe in 10.12.3? Here's hoping.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
skippermonkey Avatar
118 months ago
Dear God, what a cluster**** Apple is these days. Tim and his buffoon buddies have six months to release something that equates to a decent desktop computer, or then my $many thousands go to a PC manufacturer. Emojis... I mean what the actual ****? So glad I stuck with El Capitan.

And I agree with one of the posters above. Tim Cook really has to go.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)