Apple Seeds macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 Beta to Developers With Security Fixes

Apple today seeded a macOS Big Sur 11.6.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of macOS Big Sur 11.6.

macOS Big Sur Feature Orange
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and once the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

According to Apple's release notes, the update "improves the security of macOS." It's not clear why it's being released as a beta rather than to all users, but there's also a developer beta of a security update available for macOS Catalina as well.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

Apple Creator Studio

Apple Introduces New 'Creator Studio' Bundle of Apps for $129 Per Year

Tuesday January 13, 2026 6:11 am PST by
Apple today introduced a new Apple Creator Studio bundle that offers access to six creative apps, as well as exclusive AI features and content, as part of a single subscription. In the U.S., pricing is set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Here are the six apps included with an Apple Creator Studio subscription:Final Cut Pro on the Mac and iPad Logic Pro on the Mac and iPad Pixelmator...
Verizon New

Verizon is Down: iPhones Show 'SOS' Mode Due to Network Outage [Resolved]

Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:18 am PST by
Verizon is experiencing a major outage across the U.S. today, with hundreds of thousands of customers reporting issues with the network on the website Downdetector. There are also complaints across Reddit and other social media platforms. iPhone users and others with Verizon service are generally unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or use data over 5G or LTE due to the outage....
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
airpods pro 3 design

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 3 Firmware Update

Tuesday January 13, 2026 11:29 am PST by
Apple today released a firmware update for the AirPods Pro 3. The latest firmware has a version number of 8B34, up from the previous version 8B30. Apple has a support document for AirPods firmware updates, and it indicates that the 8B34 update contains unspecified "bug fixes and other improvements." No other AirPods models received firmware updates today. How to install AirPods Pro...

Top Rated Comments

MauiPa Avatar
56 months ago

What is going on isn’t 12 coming soon, what’s the point this in beta
Also not all macs can run Monterey. Despite hater’s assertions, Apple still supports older macs
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
56 months ago

What is going on isn’t 12 coming soon, what’s the point this in beta
Probably a security update.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hombre53 Avatar
56 months ago
Apple still supports Big Sur and Catalina.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RGPphotog Avatar
56 months ago
FWIW, it was a heavy duty update, requiring a long install & restart process.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tywebb13 Avatar
56 months ago

Is it actually available to "download through the Apple Developer Center" or is this blindly copy-pasted from older articles?
It's not on the Apple Developer Center as a full installer or ipsw.

The beta configuration utility is there though and once installed, it will show up in the software update preference pane in big sur (not in monterey). I think you will need 11.6 in order for 11.6.1 to show up because it is a delta not a combo.



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
56 months ago

What is going on isn’t 12 coming soon, what’s the point this in beta
Monterey is Nov, this is a minor update to Big Sur 11.6 release.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)