macOS 15 Beta: What Mac Users Can Expect

WWDC 2024 is just a few weeks away which means we’ve been getting questions about macOS 15 and the upcoming beta. Here’s an early look at what to expect.

Apple’s annual developer event runs from June 10th to June 14th. It will take place online though Apple will host a special in-person event at Apple Park on June 10th.

The company will use the keynote to showcase the latest versions of macOS for Mac, iPadOS for iPad, iOS for iPhone, watchOS for Apple Watch, tvOS for Apple TV, and visionOS for Vision Pro.

For the Mac, that means macOS 15, an operating system we’ve heard a lot about. It’s not expected to feature a major redesign, but it should come with numerous enhancements for compatible Mac models.

With anticipation mounting, we want to help set expectations for those looking to use macOS 15 on their Mac. Here’s what we expect from the macOS 15 beta.

macOS 15 Beta Release Date

We don’t expect Apple to switch up its beta protocols this year which means the first macOS 15 beta should become available to developers almost immediately after the conclusion of Apple’s keynote on June 10th.

macOS 15 Beta Release Time

Apple’s keynote kicks off at 10AM Pacific/1PM Eastern on June 10th. Apple hasn’t said how long it will last, but you can expect it to run for at least two hours.

Last year, Apple pushed the first macOS Sonoma beta to developers around 1PM Pacific. We expect the first macOS 15 beta to land around 1PM Pacific on June 10th.

Public macOS 15 Beta

Mac users have used beta software for years already know this. However, if this will be your first time using beta software on your Mac, here’s your public service announcement.

There are two versions of a macOS beta. One is for those in Apple’s developer program and the other is a public beta that’s available to anyone wanting to try pre-release software.

We expect the macOS 15 developer beta to drop on June 10th, but the first public macOS 15 beta should land a month later. Apple typically the first public beta in July.

Last year, the first macOS Sonoma public beta landed on July 12th. We expect a similar gap this year.

macOS 15 Beta Eligible Macs

When Apple confirms macOS 15, it will confirm the Mac models eligible for the upgrade. And those will be the Mac devices that take part in Apple’s beta process.

Apple typically keeps Macs updated with major software upgrades for five or six years. This means we could see some models get left behind on macOS Sonoma.

We won’t find out until WWDC, but we may see Mac models from 2018 and previous years stay put on older software.

If that occurs, here are the Mac’s that should be compatible with the macOS 15 beta:

• MacBook Pro 2019 and later
• MacBook Air 2019 and later
• iMac 2019 and later
• Mac Pro 2019 and later
• Mac Studio
• Mac mini 2020 and later

macOS 15 Beta Duration

Apple’s beta will stretch from the summer into the fall. We’ll see the company refine the software with updates and we expect at least six versions of the beta.

In the fall, Apple will confirm the macOS 15 release date. We may see an announcement in September when Apple announces the iPhone 16.

Before the company releases the final version of macOS 15, it will push the macOS 15 GM or Golden Master. This will serve as the final version of the beta.

macOS 15 Beta Features

Again, we’re not expecting a huge redesign. But macOS 15, like its predecessors, will bring upgrades to Mac. If you want to learn more about them, head to our roundup.

There are two important things to keep in mind about macOS 15’s feature set. First, don’t expect the first version of the beta to include everything Apple announces during the keynote.

Apple will roll out new functionality over the course of the beta process. It may even pull some features back if they aren’t quite ready for public consumption.

We also expect some features to launch after macOS 15 arrives in the fall. These features will emerge within macOS 15 milestone upgrades (macOS 15 x.x) in late 2024 and 2025.

You can also expect there to be limitations meaning, some Mac models won’t get macOS 15’s full suite of features.

Newer Mac models like the new M3 MacBook’s will probably get the best feature set while older Mac models may miss out.