Apple Seeds First Public Beta of macOS Sonoma 14.2

Apple today seeded the first public beta of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.2 update, allowing non-developers to test out the software ahead of its release. The public beta comes a day after the first developer beta.

macos sonoma 4
Beta testers can opt-in through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Under Beta updates, simply toggle on the Sonoma Public Beta. Note that you must sign up to participate on Apple's beta testing website.

‌macOS Sonoma‌ 14.2 adds Messages sticker reactions, which make it quicker to add a sticker or an emoji to an iMessage. It also includes support for collaborative Apple Music playlists, allowing multiple people to add songs to a single playlist.

There's a new Favorites ‌Apple Music‌ playlist as well, better support for Messages in iCloud syncing, and iMessage Contact Key Verification for people who face extraordinary digital threats.

Related Roundup: macOS Sonoma
Related Forum: macOS Sonoma

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

These 5 Features Will Make the iPhone 17 the Biggest Update in Years

Monday July 22, 2024 4:02 pm PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 16 models that we're expecting to see in September are going to be quite similar to the iPhone 15 models, but rumors suggest that Apple is making big changes in 2025. We've been hearing hints of an all-new device in the iPhone lineup, and it may be the most expensive iPhone Apple has offered to date. New 'Slim' Design Rumors have taken to referring to the new iPhone 17...
iOS 18 on iPhone Feature

Everything New in iOS 18 Beta 4

Tuesday July 23, 2024 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 18 today, introducing small changes to a number of features throughout the operating system. There are no big additions in this beta, but Apple is continuing to refine existing settings and design choices. Apple plans to continue updating iOS 18 over the next few months, with the update set to be released this fall. We've rounded up all of the changes...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Launch Early Next Year With OLED Display, 48MP Camera, and More

Monday July 22, 2024 7:22 am PDT by
The fourth-generation iPhone SE will offer a series of major upgrades over the current model, the leaker known as "Ice Universe" claims. The information was listed in a post on Weibo, which also detailed the specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup. As previously rumored, the fourth-generation iPhone SE is expected to feature Face ID and USB-C, marking a major upgrade from current and previous ...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
10 months ago
The install of 14.2 beta 1 on top of 14.1 RC was fairly quick. Not seeing anything really amiss with my two AS Macs.

What was released yesterday to devs/PB testers today

* iOS 17.2 beta (21C5029g)
* iPadOS 17.2 beta (21C5029g)
* macOS 14.2 beta (23C5030f)
* tvOS 17.2 beta (21K5330g)
* watchOS 10.2 beta (21S6331f)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
10 months ago

BTW, I still despise the new System Setting introduced in Ventura. Real, genuine hatred. I thought it would grow on me and I'd develop some muscle memory after more than a year, bit I still can't remember where anything is. I used to be able to get to 80% of what I needed with one click. Now it's at least two, sometimes three or four clicks.
Don't forget about the Alphabetical list view in Mac System Settings. While the below image is from Ventura, Sonoma is the same.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
achtung! Avatar
10 months ago
Finally, Apple Music has received more updates. I am looking forward to seeing what's in store for the future. There's plenty of room for improvement.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mudflap Avatar
10 months ago

What's the overall consensus with Sonoma? I'm curious as to how stable it's been.
Sonoma is solid for me.

This is the first macOS in quite some time that worked with all of my software out of the box. Adobe CC has a couple glitches here and there but it works, generally. And of course — although I'm going to sound like a borked record — the screensaver/wallpapers are absolutely stunning, especially in HDR on a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro. I do miss the third party Mail Receipt plugin for Mail.app; Apple got rid of plugins altogether and are moving to extensions. So maybe we'll have an alternative in the future but for now, nope.

Apple Remote Desktop is noticeably more responsive administering a couple Mac minis I have set up as audio and video servers. That was a very pleasant surprise!

I just installed it yesterday, waiting until I was finished with a big project to be safe. The only issues I've seen so far; sometimes an app's window is stuck behind or in front of another window. I might update to 14.2b to see if that fixes it, as long as it doesn't introduced other problems. And I swear everything really does feel a little zippier on my 14" M1 Pro.

BTW, I still despise the new System Setting introduced in Ventura. Real, genuine hatred. I thought it would grow on me and I'd develop some muscle memory after more than a year, bit I still can't remember where anything is. I used to be able to get to 80% of what I needed with one click. Now it's at least two, sometimes three or four clicks.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr.Mozi Avatar
10 months ago
Journal app maybe?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jbmelby Avatar
10 months ago

Sonoma is solid for me.

This is the first macOS in quite some time that worked with all of my software out of the box. Adobe CC has a couple glitches here and there but it works, generally. And of course — although I'm going to sound like a borked record — the screensaver/wallpapers are absolutely stunning, especially in HDR on a 14" or 16" MacBook Pro. I do miss the third party Mail Receipt plugin for Mail.app; Apple got rid of plugins altogether and are moving to extensions. So maybe we'll have an alternative in the future but for now, nope.

Apple Remote Desktop is noticeably more responsive administering a couple Mac minis I have set up as audio and video servers. That was a very pleasant surprise!

I just installed it yesterday, waiting until I was finished with a big project to be safe. The only issues I've seen so far; sometimes an app's window is stuck behind or in front of another window. I might update to 14.2b to see if that fixes it, as long as it doesn't introduced other problems. And I swear everything really does feel a little zippier on my 14" M1 Pro.

BTW, I still despise the new System Setting introduced in Ventura. Real, genuine hatred. I thought it would grow on me and I'd develop some muscle memory after more than a year, bit I still can't remember where anything is. I used to be able to get to 80% of what I needed with one click. Now it's at least two, sometimes three or four clicks.
Solid as a rock for me.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)