Apple Seeds First Beta of Upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.6 Update to Developers

Apple today appears to have seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.6 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing macOS Catalina 10.15.5 with battery health management features for Macs.

catalina10156beta
The macOS Catalina 10.15.6 beta can be downloaded from the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences, as it does not yet appear to be showing up in the Apple Developer Center.

There's no word yet on what features or improvements the sixth update to macOS Catalina will introduce, but it likely focuses on performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the prior update.

Related Forum: macOS Catalina

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Top Rated Comments

hagjohn Avatar
70 months ago
Hopefully they actually fixed some bugs instead of creating more.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BWhaler Avatar
70 months ago
I can’t believe it, but I think Catalina will be the first major OS from Apple I just skip.

A year of bug patches and it’s still shoddy quality and not reliable.

I say this not to be snarky. It stuns me. And it makes me sad.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tywebb13 Avatar
70 months ago

So if you installed the supplemental update, it appears you don't get the 10.15.6 beta?
I think that is right.

I had 10.15.5 build 19F96. It could see the 10.15.6 beta.

I updated to build 19F101 with the supplemental update and could not see the 10.15.6 beta anymore.

I used a bootable usb of 10.15.5 build 19F96 to downgrade to 19F96. It can see 10.15.6 beta again.

Now updating to 10.15.6 build 19G36e.

Of course I backed up each time. So although I only actually ran 19F101 for a few minutes at least I have a backup of it before getting 10.15.6.

A possible reason for this behaviour: Although the beta was released on the same day as the supplemental update it could be that build 19F101 is actually newer than 19G36e - which explains why 19F101 can't see 19G36e i.e., 19G36e can't install over the top of 19F101 because 19F101 is newer.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
centauratlas Avatar
70 months ago

Ye, seems annoying. Don't know if 10.15.6 is not appearing yet (it usually takes about an hour for me, in the UK) or if we are supposed to install the supplemental update first.
I did the supplemental update and still don't see the 10.15.6 beta. (In the US.)

So I think it may just be a waiting game. It took a little while for the last 10.15.5 beta too.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sau93 Avatar
70 months ago
To owners of MBP 16''. Has it fixed anything?)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adrianlondon Avatar
70 months ago

Wake me when the thing where it can’t reconnect to an external share except by IP address unless you restart finder is fixed.
ok - sleep well!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)