5 Things to Know About the macOS Ventura 13.3 Update

Apple’s confirmed a new macOS Ventura 13.3 update for Mac.

macOS Ventura 13.3 is official and it’s in beta testing ahead of its public release. The firmware represents a milestone release which means it will carry new features, bug fixes, enhancements, and security patches on board.

We don’t have an official macOS Ventura 13.3 release date yet, but Mac users who don’t want to wait can download a pre-release version of the software right now.

With macOS Ventura 13.3 confirmed, we want to take you through everything there is to know about the next major macOS Ventura release.

In this guide to macOS Ventura 13.3 we’ll take you through the update’s known changes, what you can expect from the macOS Ventura 13.3 release date and release time, information about the macOS Ventura 13.3, and more.

macOS Ventura 13.3 Beta

Apple’s pushed a macOS Ventura 13.3 beta to developers and those enrolled in the Beta Software Program.

A developer account requires you to pay Apple, but the Beta Software Program is free to anyone with a compatible device and working Apple ID. Most people interested in trying the new software early should download the public macOS Ventura 13.3 beta.

Before you download the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta onto your Mac, note that pre-release software is typically plagued with bugs and performance issues. These issues could impact the performance of your core apps, your Mac’s battery life, and its overall speed. Most people shouldn’t use beta software as a daily driver.

While you might be able to fix some issues on your own, other bugs and performance issues will probably require a fix from Apple down the road.

If you can’t stand the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta’s performance on your Mac, you can always downgrade back to stable macOS software.

Apple is currently on macOS Ventura 13.3 beta 4.

macOS Ventura 13.3 Beta Problems

If you download the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta and run into bugs or performance issues, here are a few resources that could help.

Before you get in touch with Apple support, have a look at our list of fixes for the most common macOS Ventura problems. We’ve also released a guide that shows you how to fix macOS Ventura 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 if it’s open.

macOS Ventura 13.3 Release Date

Apple hasn’t confirmed the macOS Ventura 13.3 release date, but it should roll out in the near future.

As of right now we expect the software to arrive sometime in late March or early April alongside iOS 16.4 for iPhone, iPadOS 16.4 for iPad, and watchOS 9.4 for Apple Watch.

In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the public macOS Ventura 13.3 release should take place “in the next three weeks or so.”

For more about the macOS Ventura 13.3 release date, check out our guide.

macOS Ventura 13.3 Release Time

As for macOS Ventura 13.3’s release time, it will probably roll out around the usual time. Apple typically pushes new software updates in and around 10AM Pacific.

It can sometimes take a few minutes for macOS updates to show up so there’s no need to worry if you don’t see the update on your Mac right away.

macOS Ventura 13.3 Update: What’s New

Apple’s milestone updates (x.x) typically bring a fairly long list of changes and that’s what you can expect from macOS Ventura 13.3 right now.

Developers are digging through the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta and they’ve found several intriguing changes including new emoji characters. Here are some of the highlights thus far:

• 31 new emoji characters including pink heart, a shaking face, and a jellyfish.
• HomeKit architecture upgrades.
• Previews for Mastodon links.
• Improvements to Shortcuts.
• And more.

Apple could add to, or subtract, from the macOS Ventura 13.3 beta as testing progresses and we’ll let you know if there are differences between the beta and the final release.

Install macOS Ventura 13.2.1 for Better Security

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You'll want to install macOS Ventura 13.2.1 in the near future if you want to better protect your device and the data stored on it from harm. macOS Ventura 13.2.1 brings four security patches to compatible Mac models. You can read more about those over on Apple's security site. As for older versions of macOS Ventura, macOS Ventura 13.2 brought 25 security patches to Mac devices. You can read about those right here. In addition, the software came with support for physical security keys for Apple ID. These will beef up your account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process. Learn more about the change right here. macOS Ventura 13.1 delivered 35 security patches and it also brought upgrades to Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. macOS Ventura 13.0.1 brought two security patches and the first version of macOS Ventura, macOS Ventura 13.0, had a ton of patches on board.

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