Apple Seeds Sixth macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

by

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.2 update to developers and public beta testers, a few days after releasing the fifth 10.12.2 beta and over a month after the public release of macOS 10.12.1.

macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 6 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, 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 characters, adding detail to make them look less cartoonish and more realistic. New wallpapers are also included in macOS Sierra 10.12.2, introducing the color explosion options that were previously used in iPhone marketing materials.

There are few other outward-facing changes aside from the addition of new emoji and wallpapers, but the 10.12.2 update also includes some important bug fixes. A serious graphics issue that has been affecting some new MacBook Pro owners has been solved, and a Time Machine crashing issue, also impacting the new MacBook Pro, has been fixed.

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.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Read Full Article • 42 comments
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Read Full Article • 136 comments
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Read Full Article • 315 comments
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
Read Full Article • 52 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Read Full Article • 40 comments
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Read Full Article • 206 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Read Full Article • 50 comments
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Read Full Article • 274 comments
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 ...
Read Full Article • 54 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Read Full Article • 107 comments

Top Rated Comments

anzio Avatar
anzio
117 months ago
Wait for the recently toxic community to find a way to spin updates into a doom story.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Precision Gem Avatar
Precision Gem
117 months ago
Thank god there are more emojis, I was running out of them to use today.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
jclo
117 months ago
These articles are more or less copy and paste, seems to me MR repeats this over and over.
When it gets this late in the beta cycle, there's little new to say aside from announcing that a beta is available. So yeah, the articles do end up sounding a lot like each other, but we like to highlight the betas right away so you guys know they're available for download.

Definitely more noticeable when we're getting multiple betas a week, but since we're expecting a launch next week, this is hopefully the last beta post you'll see.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
jclo
117 months ago
I'm usually not one to complain about the content of stories on this site, but can we please get a dedicated section for all of these stories about new betas? There's a story every time they update the iOS beta, the watch OS beta, the tvOS beta, and the macOS beta. They're posted even if nothing at all changes! Then a day or two later there's a story about how all these different betas are now available to public beta testers. Then there are separate stories about new features found in the betas, other stories about bugs fixed in the betas, etc. And those are fine I guess, but combined with the others it's too much beta! I have to sift through all this beta news just to find the latest news that's worth reading.
We were putting all of the beta release posts aside from the iOS betas (because this is where we see the most change) on the Mac/iOS blog, but some people weren't happy with the lack of attention the Mac was getting. So now we generally feature Mac and iOS betas on the front page, while watchOS and tvOS go on the iOS blog. It's hard to please everyone, but in general, it seems people like to hear that the betas are available and what's new in them (these usually get separate posts because of our videos).

It's a lot more noticeable right now because beta testing is ramping up ahead of release and it's becoming more clear what's in the macOS Sierra beta, but it should calm down next week when these updates become available to the public.

We only do public beta posts when there's a separate public beta, which only happens early in the beta testing process. I appreciate the feedback -- we're always re-evaluating things based on your feedback, so we may change things up at some point.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OG_Macintosh Avatar
OG_Macintosh
117 months ago
Thank god there are more emojis, I was running out of them to use today.
Stale, overused complaint. Try to be more innovative with your comments than Apple has been with their hardware lately...
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
macduke
117 months ago
I'm usually not one to complain about the content of stories on this site, but can we please get a dedicated section for all of these stories about new betas? There's a story every time they update the iOS beta, the watch OS beta, the tvOS beta, and the macOS beta. They're posted even if nothing at all changes! Then a day or two later there's a story about how all these different betas are now available to public beta testers. Then there are separate stories about new features found in the betas, other stories about bugs fixed in the betas, etc. And those are fine I guess, but combined with the others it's too much beta! I have to sift through all this beta news just to find the latest news that's worth reading. Love the site, but this is getting to be annoying. Even if I "just don't read them" they still get in the way everywhere and I have to check every single one to see if there is anything new, even though they usually write up what's new separately.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments