Apple Seeds Second macOS Monterey 12.3 Beta to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS macOS Monterey 12.3 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming two weeks after the release of the first macOS Monterey 12.3 beta.

macOS Monterey on MBP Feature
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.

macOS Monterey 12.3 is a major update that introduces Universal Control, a feature that Apple first teased at WWDC and then delayed for several months. ‌Universal Control‌ is designed to allow you to use a single mouse/trackpad and keyboard across multiple Macs and iPads (with iPads running iPadOS 15.4).

After updating your devices to macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4, ‌Universal Control‌ works automatically, allowing your Mac's cursor and keyboard to work on the iPad and vice versa. It's simple and intuitive to use, and the second macOS 12.3 update adds an icon that you'll see in the menu bar to denote that it's activated.

maOS Monterey 12.3 adds support for updating the AirPods firmware when the earbuds are connected to a Mac, plus it deprecates kernel extensions used by Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive, and it eliminates Python 2, with Apple instructing developers to use an alternative scripting language like Python 3 going forward.

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
crossbody strap

iPhone 17's 'Crossbody Strap' Accessory to Feature Magnetic Design

Thursday August 28, 2025 7:49 am PDT by
Apple's cases for the iPhone 17 lineup will be accompanied by a new Crossbody Strap accessory with a unique magnetic design, according to the leaker known as "Majin Bu." Apple's Crossbody Strap reportedly features an unusual magnetic design; it likely has a "flexible metal core" that makes it magnetic along its entire length. At the ends, "rings polarized oppositely to the strap close the...
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
47 months ago
Good, now can test out several issues that the first beta had.

macOS 12.3 beta 2 (21E5206e)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
47 months ago
Beta 2
Safari is Version 15.4 (17613.1.16.1.3)

System Firmware Version: 7459.100.494.121.1 (M1 based Macs)

Darwin Kernel Version 21.4.0: Sat Jan 29 03:25:23 PST 2022
; root:xnu-8020.100.417.0.4~31/RELEASE_ARM64_T8101

Beta 1
Safari Version 15.4 (17613.1.14.1.7)

System Firmware Version: 7459.100.487.115.1 (M1 based Macs)

Darwin Kernel Version 21.4.0: Tue Jan 18 13:02:08 PST 2022
; root:xnu 8020.100.406.0.1~18/RELEASE_ARM64_T8101
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CMMChris Avatar
47 months ago
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ansath Avatar
47 months ago
The icon for Displays has changed.....




Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
47 months ago
[SPOILER="macOS Monterey 12.3 Beta 2 Release Notes"]
[HEADING=2]General[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved in macOS Monterey 12.3 Beta 2[/HEADING]

* Fixed: If your Mac currently has macOS Catalina installed, installing macOS Monterey 12.3 beta or macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 beta on a volume with FileVault enabled might cause a boot loop when attempting to log back into the previous volume. (88163545)

[HEADING=2]iCloud[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved in macOS Monterey 12.3 Beta 2[/HEADING]

* Fixed: iCloud+ Custom Email Domain set up flow can’t be initiated from the iCloud settings in System Preferences. (85212987, 88045659)

[HEADING=2]Kernel[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Deprecations[/HEADING]

* The kernel extensions used by Dropbox Desktop Application and Microsoft OneDrive are no longer available. Both service providers have replacements for this functionality; Dropbox is currently in beta. (85890896)

[HEADING=2]LibreSSL[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* LibreSSL 3.3 has changed the default digest type of openssl enc Terminal command to SHA256. Files previously encrypted with an older version of OpenSSL might fail to decrypt. (87763613)
Workaround: The openssl enc command should be run by adding the -md md5argument.

[HEADING=2]Mobile Software Update[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved in macOS Monterey 12.3 Beta 2[/HEADING]

* Fixed: Virtual machines running on Apple silicon are unable to install macOS 12.3 beta. (88106053)

[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* Installing to an empty volume from macOS Recovery might fail. (87730473)
Workaround: Use a different version of macOS Recovery. For Intel-based Macs, boot using Option-Command-R; for Macs with Apple silicon, double-press and hold the power button.

[HEADING=2]Python[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Deprecations[/HEADING]

* Python 2.7 was removed from macOS in this update. Developers should use Python 3 or an alternative language instead. (39795874)

[HEADING=2]ScreenCaptureKit[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* In ScreenCaptureKit ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/screencapturekit'), if an origin other than (0,0) is specified in the destinationRect ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/screencapturekit/scstreamconfiguration/3919822-destinationrect')or sourceRect ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/screencapturekit/scstreamconfiguration/3919829-sourcerect'), the contentRect is incorrect. (87363220)

[HEADING=2]Universal Control[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* Unexpected disconnections might occur on initial connection. (88106231)
Workaround: Sleep, then wake the device, and try again.
* Drag-and-drop scenarios might not work for some file types and apps. (88106322)
* Some third-party keyboards and mice might encounter issues when using additional functionality, like scroll wheels. (88106362)

[HEADING=2]WebKit[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* Using the App Store might lead to an auththentication loop in which the HTML sheet has no content. (87850345)
Workaround: Install WebKitRoot.tar.

[HEADING=3]Deprecations[/HEADING]

* Support for inline viewing of PostScript files was removed. (88172449)

[/SPOILER]
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
47 months ago

Is the boot loop issue resolved in this release?
It was posted in the beta 2 release notes if you need to see it in writing

* Fixed: If your Mac currently has macOS Catalina installed, installing macOS Monterey 12.3 beta or macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 beta on a volume with FileVault enabled might cause a boot loop when attempting to log back into the previous volume. (88163545)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)