Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Version of macOS Big Sur 11.2 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today seeded a second RC version of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new update coming a week after the first RC and two months after initial macOS Big Sur release.

macOS 11
Developers can download the updated ‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌ 11.2 release candidate using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 eliminates a feature that allowed Apple apps bypass third-party firewalls, security tools, and VPN apps. macOS Big Sur 11 included a ContentFilterExclusionList that let Apple's apps like the App Store, Maps, iCloud, and more to avoid firewall and VPN apps that users had installed. These apps were not able to filter or inspect traffic for some built-in Apple apps. That functionality has been removed in macOS Big Sur 11.2.

When macOS Big Sur 11.2 sees a release, Apple apps will be compatible with VPN apps and will no longer be able to bypass firewalls and other security tools.

According to Apple's release notes, the update also improves Bluetooth reliability and includes multiple bug fixes.

macOS Big Sur 11.2 improves Bluetooth reliability and fixes the following issues:
- External displays may show a black screen when connected to a Mac mini (M1, 2020) using an HDMI to DVI converter
- Edits to Apple ProRAW photos in the Photos app may not save
- iCloud Drive could turn off after disabling the iCloud Drive Desktop & Documents Folders option
- System Preferences may not unlock when entering your administrator password
- Globe key may not display the Emoji & Symbols pane when pressed

The update addresses a bug that could cause external displays to show a black screen when connected to an M1 Mac mini using an HDMI to DVI converter, and it fixes an issue that resulted in edits to Apple ProRaw photos in the Photos app not to save. It also includes fixes for iCloud Drive, System Preferences, and more.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
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 ...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

srbNYC Avatar
64 months ago

Still AirPods don’t auto correct
Did autocorrect incorrectly correct "auto connect" to "auto correct"? ?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PDubNYC Avatar
64 months ago
really hope it fixes the spontaneous reboot issue I'm seeing with M1 MBP's
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheGeneralist Avatar
64 months ago

Their primary focus is selling hardware, software is what they sell along with. They have been great at both through time, but so long as people buy the hardware, they are fine taking months to fix issues with their flagship machines, often into the next year by the time the next major release is scheduled. And a sample of people here on this forum find that acceptable. I would say most in the world are okay with it, going by the sales numbers and Apple's refusal to get around this habit.
I'd say that's an accurate summary on where software QA is today at Apple.
Additionally, some clearly recognizable / daily visible bugs seem to persist over years and several generations of macOS, like for example the almost-always-wrong account balance in the lower left corner of App Store App (being persistent without any improvement since at least the first days of Mojave), or the permanent problems with Apple Watch unlock (appearing in most macOS dot revisions since introduction of this feature) or with Handoff - just to name a few.

Looks like they can afford to do so, as most customers don't care / don't even understand what's happening when they are hindered by OS bugs. And the alternatives are even weaker - Windows in terms of stability, Linux in terms of effort and knowledge required for configuration and maintenance. Although I seriously doubt Windows can still be regarded as less stable if just compared to Catalina - there were so many Macs with a multitude of serious problems even up to the latest release of Catalina (including my 2014 iMac) that Windows suddenly looked like the more reliable alternative.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that it will continue that way. Typing this text on a M1 Mac, I cannot ignore that they did an extremely good job setting up the new architecture with all components required for the transition. Rosetta 2 really performs well and this machine is just a pleasure to work with. Of course there are still quite some bugs (especially with peripherals like Bluetooth devices and external Monitors, but also quite a number of other issues), but things are definitely not even nearly as bad as they were in Catalina one year before. This leads me to the assumption that maybe the "Catastrophina" was also caused by focusing most of the energy towards the next-year OS generation in order to ensure a smooth architecture transition.

So, l'm looking forward, optimistic that the remaining issues in Big Sur will be fixed in a reasonable time period (despite having experienced the opposite last year).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nortonandreev Avatar
64 months ago
RC1 is 20D53, RC2 is 20D62. Quite a big of a jump for one working day between releases. Interesting.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decypher44 Avatar
64 months ago
Come on, BT improvement!!!! ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Donza Avatar
64 months ago
Also out for the Public Beta testers. Here's hoping there is further improvements to Bluetooth.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)