Apple Seeds macOS Sequoia 15.4 Release Candidate With Mail Categorization

Apple today provided developers with the release candidate version of an upcoming macOS Sequoia 15.4 update for testing purposes. The new beta is available a week after Apple released the fourth beta.

macOS Sequoia Feature
Registered developers can opt-in to the macOS Sequoia beta through the Software Update section of the System Settings app. An Apple ID associated with an Apple Developer account is required to get the beta.

macOS Sequoia 15.4 brings Mail Categorization to the Mac for the first time, reorganizing the Mail app into dedicated categories like transactions, updates, promotions, and primary, a category that surfaces the most important emails first. The update brings a range of new emoji characters to the Mac.

For Apple News+ subscribers, there is a dedicated News+ Food section with recipes, articles about restaurants, and other related content. There's a new Sketch style in Image Playground, the option to create Memory Movies in the Photos app, and Apple Intelligence is expanding to new languages.

Apple plans to release macOS Sequoia 15.4 in early April, and the RC represents the finalized version of the software that will be launched to the public as long as no issues are found.

Related Forum: macOS Sequoia

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
chatgpt logo

Sam Altman Declares 'Code Red' for ChatGPT, Delays OpenAI Advertising Plans

Tuesday December 2, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
OpenAI is deprioritizing work on advertising as it focuses on improving the quality of ChatGPT, reports The Information. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a "code red" on Monday, and told employees that the company needs to improve ChatGPT so it doesn't fall behind competitors like Google and Anthropic. Altman said that OpenAI needs to work on personalization for each user, image generation,...
Sad Siri Feature

Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays

Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today. Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...

Top Rated Comments

Ad47uk Avatar
9 months ago
So, the update will turn on Apple AI again, I suppose? I wish Apple would stop doing this, do they think we will get fed up turning it off and start using it?
I don't want AI on my computer, simple as that and looking at the muck ups that these AI things are making, they seem to be about as useful as a bucket with a hole in.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mansplains Avatar
9 months ago
I've said it before, but removing most first party apps from the OS in favor of independent updates would be a welcome change for me. Something as simple as mail categories could be added much quicker in a standalone mail pipeline. Let alone the ability for me to uninstall Mail.app if it weren't tied to OS, as I don't use it. Or the multitude of bloat apps, like Stickies from Tiger, effectively replaced over a decade ago with Notes in Mountain Lion.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
9 months ago

On iOS I turned off mail categories straight away. Terrible feature.
It was about 80% wrong for me over a period of a week. I turned it off as well.

What is the point of categorizing mail if I to check every category every time I open the mail app it to make sure I didn't miss anything?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ironpony Avatar
9 months ago
Leave my mail alone!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kingtj1971 Avatar
9 months ago

On iOS I turned off mail categories straight away. Terrible feature.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who views it this way. I strongly dislike the email categories in Google's Gmail and pretty much everywhere else I find them.

My feeling is, categories just cause me to miss email I need to see, AND it encourages hanging onto a lot of useless junk mail because it gets "tucked away" under various category tabs where you forget about it.

What I think mail clients *really* need are more tools to allow selectively deleting groups of mail based on criteria you specify. I'd love it if, for example, I open a piece of mail from Walgreens and could just right-click on it to get a menu with a "Remove all mail from this sender received before" and get prompted for a date.

Sometimes, I don't mind getting "junk mail" from restaurants or stores I frequent, but I definitely don't need their older mail with expired offers or sales hanging around.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skyscraperfan Avatar
9 months ago
I still find that feature very creepy, even if it is done locally. Does it also read all the dirty messages you exchange with your friend with benefits?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)