5 Things to Know About the macOS Sonoma 14.3 Update

Apple’s pulled its macOS Sonoma 14.3 update out of beta testing and it’s available to download right now if you own a compatible Mac.

macOS Sonoma 14.3 is a milestone upgrade, the third such update for the company’s macOS Sonoma operating system, and it brings new features, enhancements, and under-the-hood improvements to Mac.

If your Mac is still lingering on macOS Ventura or an older version of macOS, this is the version of macOS Sonoma you’ll see if you decide to move your Mac to the operating system.

With that in mind, we want to take you through everything you need to know about Apple’s macOS Sonoma 14.3 update for Mac right now.

We’ll highlight macOS Sonoma 14.3’s changes, provide you with thoughts about the software’s performance, go over the current list of macOS Sonoma problems, and more.

We’ll start with a quick look at macOS Sonoma 14.3’s performance.

macOS Sonoma 14.3 Review

The macOS 14.3 Sonoma download is fairly large so plan accordingly.

The exact size of the download depends on your Mac model and the version of macOS it’s currently running. If you’re running really old software, the download will be substantial.

After the download is complete, you’ll need to initiate the installation process and it should take around 10 or so minutes to finish up.

For more on the macOS Sonoma 14.3 download and installation, take a look at our guide. It’ll walk you through everything you need to know.

We’ve been using macOS Sonoma 14.3 on a 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023) for a few days now and we haven’t run into any trouble yet. Here’s how it’s performing thus far:

macOS Sonoma 14.3 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable right now, we haven’t noticed any abnormal drain
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth is also working normally

App Performance

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

Speed

• macOS Sonoma 14.3 feels fast and we haven’t run into any UI lag, random reboots, or freezes

If your Mac is struggling on macOS Sonoma 14.2.1, or an older version of macOS, you might want to install macOS Sonoma 14.3 on your Mac today.

If you’re feeling leery about a move to macOS Sonoma 14.3, we’ve put together a list of the best reasons to, and not to, install the latest version of macOS Sonoma 14.

macOS Sonoma 14.3 Problems

macOS Sonoma 14.3 went through an extensive beta, but the testing period failed to catch everything. We’re already hearing about problems with the software.

We haven’t noticed any problems on our Macs yet, but some users are complaining about unstable Wi-Fi, broken Bluetooth, abnormal battery drain, and problems with various first and third-party applications.

If you run into issues with macOS Sonoma 14.3, here are a few resources that could help.

First, have a look at our list of fixes for the most common macOS Sonoma problems. If your Mac’s battery life is struggling, check out our fixes for macOS Sonoma battery life problems.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in our guides, head over to Apple’s discussion forums. If the users there can’t help you, you might want to get in touch with Apple via its website.

If you still can’t fix your issue(s), you’ll probably want to schedule an appointment at your local Apple Store.

macOS Sonoma 14.3 Features

Apple’s milestone updates (macOS x.x) usually bring new features, enhancements, security patches, and bug fixes to Mac users and that’s what you’ll get from macOS Sonoma 14.3.

Here are Apple’s official release notes for macOS Sonoma 14.3:

Features & Enhancements

• Collaborate on playlists in Apple Music allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, reorder, and remove songs
• Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist in Apple Music
• AppleCare & Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID

macOS Sonoma 14.3 also delivers new security upgrades. You can learn more about them, there are 16 in total, over on Apple’s security site.

macOS Sonoma Downgrade

If you run into problems on macOS Sonoma 14.3, you might try moving your Mac’s software back to an older version.

If you’re interested in moving back to older software, have a look at our downgrade guide. It will help you get familiar with the process and make the move.

What’s Next

Apple hasn’t confirmed macOS Sonoma 14.4, but we expect the company to push the software into beta testing in the near future. We could see it land later on this month.

The company’s confirmed a new iOS 17.4 update for iPhone so it’s only a matter of time before it confirms new macOS Sonoma software as well.

Look for macOS Sonoma 14.4 to enter beta testing in the near future with a release coming in March or April.

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