5 Things to Know About the macOS Monterey 12.4 Update

Apple’s pushed its macOS Monterey 12.4 update and the software brings a slew of changes to Mac users.

macOS Monterey 12.4 is a milestone release which means it’s larger than the previous version of macOS Monterey (macOS Monterey 12.3.1). It has a couple of important enhancements on board and it also delivers a mind-boggling number of security patches to Mac users.

We should note that Apple’s released a new macOS Monterey 12.4 build for its new M2-powered MacBooks. The build, which comes as 21F2092, is exclusive to these new Macs so owners of older models won’t see an update.

With that in mind, we want to take you through everything there you need to know about the macOS Monterey 12.4 update and its release for Mac.

In this guide we’ll take you through the macOS Monterey 12.4 update’s performance, the current list of macOS Monterey 12.4 problems, the best places to find feedback about macOS Monterey 12.4, and more.

• macOS Monterey 12.4 Review
• macOS Monterey 12.4 Problems
• macOS Monterey 12.4: What’s New
• macOS Monterey Downgrade
• Next macOS Update

We’ll start out with our impressions of macOS Monterey 12.4 update’s performance.

macOS Monterey 12.4 Review

If your Mac is currently running macOS Monterey 12.3.1, you’ll still see a fairly large download.

The exact size of the macOS Monterey 12.4 download varies based on Mac model and the version of macOS it’s currently running. If you’re currently running an older version of macOS, your download could be pretty substantial.

If your Mac is running macOS Monterey 12.3.1, the installation should take less than 15 minutes to complete. It took around 10 minutes on a MacBook Pro (2017).

For more on the macOS Monterey 12.4 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the macOS Monterey 12.4 update on a MacBook Pro (2017) for several weeks now and here’s what we’ve learned about its performance thus far:

Connectivity

• Battery life is stable.
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable.
• Bluetooth is working normally.

App Performance

• Third-party apps including Twitter, Slack, Asana, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are working fine at the moment.
• First party apps like Safari and Podcasts are also stable.

Speed

• macOS Monterey 12.4 feels as fast as macOS Monterey 12.3.1 did.

If your Mac is struggling on macOS Monterey 12.3.1, or an older version of macOS, you may want to install macOS Monterey 12.4 on your Mac right now.

If you need help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install the macOS Monterey 12.4 update.

macOS Monterey 12.4 Problems

The macOS Monterey 12.4 update is causing problems for some Mac users.

We’re hearing about installation issues, abnormal battery drain, issues with first and third-party apps, Wi-Fi problems, Bluetooth issues, Touch ID issues, and others.

If you download macOS Monterey 12.4 onto your Mac and run into bugs or performance issues, here are a few resources that could help.

Before you get in touch with Apple customer support, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common macOS Monterey problems. We’ve also released walkthrough that guides you through how to fix macOS Monterey battery life problems.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in our guides, head over to Apple’s discussion forums. If they can’t help you, you might want to get in contact with Apple Support via Twitter or with customer support via Apple’s website.

If you still can’t fix your issue(s), you might want to schedule an appointment to see a Genius at your local Apple Store.

macOS Monterey 12.4 Update: What’s New

Apple’s milestone updates (x.x) typically bring a mix of enhancements and fixes and that’s what you’ll get from macOS Monterey 12.4.

macOS Monterey 12.4 is much smaller than your standard milestone macOS release, but it still brings a nice mix of changes to Mac users.

Here’s the official macOS Monterey 12.4 change log:

Enhancements

• Apple Podcasts includes a new setting to limit episodes stored on your Mac and automatically delete older ones
• Support for Studio Display Firmware Update 15.5, available as a separate update, refines camera tuning, including improved noise reduction, contrast, and framing

It’s worth noting that Apple has removed the beta tag from the Universal Control feature. Universal Control arrived on board macOS Monterey 12.3 earlier this year.

macOS Monterey 12.4 also brings 50+ new security patches to Mac. If you’re interested in the particulars, you can learn more about those changes on Apple’s security site.

You Can Downgrade from macOS Monterey 12.4

If you run into problems on macOS Monterey 12.4 you can downgrade your Mac’s software back to an older version if you think it might help.

There is no time frame for this to expire so if you decide you need to move your Mac back to older software, it’s fairly easy to do if you are prepared. Here’s our guide to downgrade and it will help you understand the process and make the move.

What’s Next

Apple’s confirmed a new version of macOS Monterey and macOS Monterey 12.5 is currently in beta testing ahead of its public release later this year.

The company hasn’t confirmed a specific macOS Monterey 12.5 release date and we expect the software to stay in beta for a little bit longer. Look for the release to come sometime in July.

macOS Monterey 12.5 is a milestone upgrade which means it should bring a mix of new features, security patches, and bug fixes for lingering issues.

If your problems are really bad, or you just want to try new software, you might try downloading the macOS Monterey 12.5 beta onto your Mac right now.

For more on macOS Monterey 12.5 and the beta, have a look at our walkthrough. For more about the upcoming macOS Monterey 12.5 release date, check out our guide.

Apple’s also working on its new macOS 13 Ventura operating system and it’s currently in beta ahead of an official release in the fall.

If you really want to get your Mac off of macOS Monterey, but don’t want to drop back to older software, you can move your device to macOS Ventura right now.

Install macOS Monterey 12.7.4 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing the macOS Monterey 12.7.4 update right away. macOS Monterey 12.7.4's purpose is to help protect your Mac and its data from harm. This makes it an essential download for most Mac users. The software has 20+ security patches on board.  As for older updates, macOS Monterey 12.7.3 delivered a total of nine security patches to Macs macOS Monterey 12.7.2 featured several security patches and macOS Monterey 12.7.1 addressed 11 security issues.  macOS Monterey 12.6.7 through macOS Monterey 12.7 all had security fixes on board and you can learn more about all of them if you head here. macOS Monterey 12.6.6 had 20+ security patches on board making it an extremely important release from Apple. If you want to learn more about the changes, head on over to Apple's website. macOS Monterey 12.6.5 brought a fix for an actively exploited vulnerability. If you want to learn more, head over here.   macOS Monterey 12.6.4 brought important security patches to Macs as well. For more about these fixes, check out Apple's guide. macOS Monterey 12.6.3 delivered 14 new security updates. If you want to dig into these patches, head right here. The macOS Monterey 12.6.2 update brought several security patches to Macs and  you can read more about them right here on Apple's security site. macOS Monterey 12.6.1 update had three very important security patches on board while macOS Monterey 12.6 brought eight security patches to Macs.  For more information about these changes, check out Apple's rundown. macOS Monterey 12.5.1 had a pair of important security patches on board and you can read about them in detail right here. The macOS Monterey 12.5 update brought 50 important security patches with it and they will help protect you and your device from harm. If you want to learn more, head over to Apple's website.  macOS Monterey 12.4 delivered 50+ security patches. If you're interested in the details, you'll want to head on over to the company's security site. macOS Monterey 12.3.1 brought two security patches to Mac users. You can read more about them over on Apple's website.  Apple's macOS Monterey 12.3 update had 40+ security patches on board. If you want to learn more about these upgrades, you can check the particulars over on Apple's security site. The macOS Monterey 12.2.1 update brought an important patch to Mac users. You can learn more about the patch over at Apple's security site.  Apple's macOS Monterey 12.2 update had 13 security patches on board. If you're interested in the details, head on over to Apple's website to learn more. macOS Monterey 12.1 included 40+ new security patches to Macs. You can read all about them over on the company's security site.  Microsoft says it discovered a new 'Powerdir' vulnerability lurking in macOS. Powerdir allows "an attacker to bypass the operating system’s Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) technology, thereby gaining unauthorized access to a user’s protected data." Fortunately, Apple patched up the issue in macOS Monterey 12.1.  macOS Monterey 12.1 also included some important upgrades to privacy. The software delivered Apple's communication safety features for kids. You'll find these features in the Messages app, in Siri, in Spotlight, and in Search.  If you're moving up from macOS Big Sur, you'll also get macOS Monterey 12.0.1's 30+ security patches when you update. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website. In addition to those patches, the macOS Monterey update comes with additional security and privacy upgrades. If you're an Apple Card user, you'll now get a security code that changes regularly to use when you make online transactions.  Apple's also included a built-in authenticator that's similar to Google Authenticator. This will let you generate verification codes for enhanced sign-in security under your Passwords. New Mail Privacy Protection helps prevent senders from tracking your Mail activity and there's a new recording indicator in Control Center for apps that are accessing your mic.

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