Apple Seeds macOS Sonoma 14.4 Release Candidate - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds macOS Sonoma 14.4 Release Candidate

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Sonoma 14.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the release of the fifth beta. The release candidate marks the final version of the macOS Sonoma 14.4 update that will be provided to the public.

sonoma desktop wwdc
Registered developers can opt-in to the beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. Note that an Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

macOS Sonoma 14.4 introduces new emoji characters, podcast episode text, and an option to only show icons for websites in the Safari Favorites Bar. The update also supports the new MacBook Air models that were introduced today.

macOS Sonoma 14.4 introduces new emoji as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.

Emoji
- New mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji are now available in emoji keyboard
- 18 people and body emoji support facing the opposite direction

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
- Podcasts Episode text can be read in full, searched for a word or phrase, clicked to play from a specific point and used with accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast, and VoiceOver
- Business Updates in Messages for Business let you get updates that you've opted into, like order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts or other transactions from trusted businesses
- Safari Favorites Bar adds an option to show only icons for websites

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.

For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

macOS Sonoma 14.4 could see a public release as soon as this week.

Related Forum: macOS Sonoma

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...

Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
29 months ago

more dumb features, meanwhile bug fixes and stability remains ignored

no competition to macOS either so this will never change

im so checked out
MacOS has been rock solid for me for the past couple years. I'm really wondering what y'all complaining about stability are doing.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago
more dumb features, meanwhile bug fixes and stability remains ignored

no competition to macOS either so this will never change

im so checked out
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago
I find it ridiculous how emojis are repeatedly highlighted as update features, when that's like one of the least important or useful things and should just be footnotes.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roncron Avatar
29 months ago

Nothing is better than a new macOS RC. Nothing.
Sex, a vacation, your jerk boss getting fired, a new car, winning the lottery, your best friend getting engaged (unless it's to the person that just dumped you). A new Mac to replace the one you've been using for 6 years.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago

Try amphetamine
We do, and it works, but it sucks having to use a 3rd party workaround on a $3000 laptop.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Edgecrusherr Avatar
29 months ago

MacOS has been rock solid for me for the past couple years. I'm really wondering what y'all complaining about stability are doing.
Tends to be a use case. I have a stack of RAIDs, and do everything from IT work, graphics design, video editing, files sharing, screen sharing, using my Mac as a media server, virtualization, emulation, gaming, scripting,and some minor coding. I throw a lot at it, in a lot of different areas, so you may just be lucky. My sample size includes myself and about 200 users.

Starting around 10.14, there's been major issues with icnonserivcesagent, that was only partially fixed in 10.15, and become pretty bad again in 13 (Ventura). Apple Music Home Sharing started having issues in 10.15, and has not ever been fixed. Screen sharing and file sharing became very unreliable in 13. Early 14 (current Sonoma) had some crazy GPU system crashes when using large amounts of memory, that was eventually resolved around the .2 release. 14 also introduced major issues with IO, including external storage, typically seen in larger volumes. 14 also has login Window and Dock crashes when using an external display on a desktop (Mac mini, Mac Pro, and Mac Studio). There's really a lot of graphics related issues with external display. Waking from sleep and properly connecting to an external display has been rough for a few years. Apple still doesn't support / promptly communicate EDID data that's been industry standard for years. Don't get me started on ultra-wide support.

Apple's hardware reliability has gotten a lot better since moving from intel. Though, Bluetooth on the Mac mini and Mac Studio is shockingly terrible with ambient noise and range, especially compared to their other products.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)