Developers can download the new watchOS RC
After release candidates for iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 hitting last week, Apple has now provided them for macOS Sonoma 14.4, watchOS 10.4, tvOS 17.4, and visionOS 1.1.
Developers participating in Apple’s beta program can get the new builds via the Apple Developer Center or more directly by updating their hardware already running the betas via their respective Settings apps. The public beta versions usually turn up shortly after the developer versions, and can be signed up to through the Apple Beta Software Program.
Updates can be triggered automatically or via the Settings app for most of Apple’s hardware with little difficulty for users. For visionOS, users require a registered Apple developer account, though it can be a free account rather than a paid-up one.
Apple’s previous round of trial builds were handed out to developers on February 27, alongside a fourth beta of visionOS 1.1.
Monday’s collection consists entirely of release candidates, including the second for macOS Sonoma 14.4 and tvOS 17.4, the first for watchOS 10.4, and the first release candidate for visionOS 1.1.
The new RC build for macOS Sonoma is 23E214, the watchOS 10.4 build is number 21T216, tvOS 17.4’s build number is 21L227, and visionOS 1.1’s RC is build number 21O209.
The first beta of visionOS introduced MDM, Contact Key verification, and Passcode changes to Apple’s newest operating system. The second beta added to StoreKit, SwiftUI, and fixed some bugs introduced in the first beta, while the third killed more, including several user interface bugs and a Siri issue.
The main watchOS 10.4 changes include new emoji characters and an option to disable Double Tap on the Apple Watch when using the Apple Vision Pro, since the headset relies on hand gestures.
The changes in macOS Sonoma 14.4 largely consist of support for new emoji characters. The updates for tvOS tend to be in the background, usually consisting of bug fixes, performance improvements, and compatibility changes.
Apple also included a new second release candidate for Xcode as part of the collection.
AppleInsider and Apple strongly suggest users don’t install beta operating systems or other beta software on “mission-critical” or primary devices, as there is the small chance of issues that could result in the loss of data. Testers should instead use secondary or non-essential hardware and ensure they have sufficient backups of their critical data at all times.
