Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.3 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available Too] - GeekWebGuides
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.3 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available Too]

by

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.3 update to developers, a few days after seeding the third 10.12.3 beta and more than a month after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.2, the second update to the macOS Sierra operating system.

The macOS Sierra 10.12.3 update is available for download through the Apple Developer Center or through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

macos-10-12-3-beta
According to Apple's release notes, the 10.12.3 update "improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac." No specific changes, bug fixes, or feature additions were discovered in the first three betas, but we'll update this post should any new features be found in the fourth beta.

With bug fixes, it's often hard to determine exactly what's included in an update until Apple supplies detailed release notes with a release. We do, however, know that this update fixes a Safari bug that caused battery life problems during the MacBook Pro testing conducted by Consumer Reports.

Available since September, macOS Sierra is the latest Mac operating system. It includes Siri support, Apple Pay for the web, Universal Clipboard, Apple Watch auto unlocking, improved iCloud Drive integration, Picture-in-Picture multitasking, and dozens of smaller features that can be found in our macOS Sierra roundup.

Update: The fourth macOS Sierra 10.12.3 beta is also available for public beta testers.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Top Rated Comments

hippielover Avatar
128 months ago
Does anyone know what has been changed since beta 2 and 3
I got fatter
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vashetti Avatar
128 months ago
Public Beta too
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jlc1978 Avatar
128 months ago
i wonder if they fixed the USB bug where drives are disconnected and not recognized after waking from sleep...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
128 months ago
Build 16D30a
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Guy Clark Avatar
127 months ago
I have the new mac and the new 4k display. It's not fixed, or there are other graphics bugs. I agree this is the worst mac I've ever had.

The display comes on in the middle of the night from sleep and doesn't come on when opening the laptop. Same glitchy graphics as ever.
Older Macs are Better
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
128 months ago
Since the last 2 betas i seem to have problems with MDS and MDworker again, I say again cause I had this problem before a few years back, adding all disks to Spotlight Privacy Tab won't work, even after killing both processes it still reads and writes too much and eats processor time.

But, what is fixed in this last beta (for me) is that my sleep light works again after not working for a long time.
[doublepost=1484472752][/doublepost]
Each time I install a beta, and this time is no exception (it's happened 9 times so far ...), as my laptop is booting up completing the install, my Apple ID gets locked. My phone and iPad get popups asking me to login to iCloud, after which I get the message that the account is locked. So I unlock it and then am forced to pick a new password. At the moment, I just change a number in it, hence why I know it's been 9 times so far :)

So I have to log back in to iCloud, iTunes, the App Store, FaceTime and iMessage on all my devices. I've become efficient at this process but it's irritating.

This time, before installing the beta I thought ti try logging out of iCloud on my laptop before running the installer. NO different.

I don't see other posts on this, so is this only happening to me? I log a Feedback each time, but anyone got any ideas what could be doing this? It seems the install must be probing my account with an old password somehow and failing.
What happens if you (next time with an update) create a new empty (Admin)User, log into that one and update from there.
[doublepost=1484472894][/doublepost]
It says my Photos Agent.app & Spotlight.app are using significant energy which is strange as my Photo app is not running, nor and am I actively using Spotlight.

As above, open Activity Monitor and see if MDworker and MDS are using considerable resources, these are Spotlight processes.
[doublepost=1484472995][/doublepost]
Photos Agent is a background app that handles Face Detection, location, and syncing. Spotlight is most likely indexing your drive—in the background. So while you THINK you're not using them, you actually are.
Seems to me Spotlight/MDS/MDworker do have some problems again.


-----------------

I just switched off spotlight altogether, problem gone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

RIP, MacBook Ultra

Monday October 19, 2026 9:37 am PDT by
Apple today sent out invites for an experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, and the "Pro and tell" tagline on the invitation likely means that the rumored MacBook models with touch-enabled OLED displays will stick with MacBook Pro branding instead of the once-rumored "MacBook Ultra" name. The long-rumored "iPhone Ultra" ended up being named iPhone Duo, so speculation that Apple...
iPhone Duo Trio

Here's What Apple's Apps Look Like on the iPhone Duo

Tuesday October 20, 2026 11:12 am PDT by
With just three days to go until the iPhone Duo is released, Apple is getting ready for the launch. Behind the scenes, the App Store now has screenshots of Apple's built-in apps running on the Duo. We've seen some apps in marketing materials, but images of the ones we haven't seen give us an idea of what it will be like using the iPhone Duo day to day. Many apps are shown in landscape...
apple pro tell logo

Apple Announcing New Products Next Week: 'Pro and Tell'

Monday October 19, 2026 9:05 am PDT by
Apple's Greg Joswiak today hinted at new product announcements coming next week, sharing a social media post that says "Can't wait to pro and tell next week." Rumors suggest Apple is planning to debut the new MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen display, an M6 entry-level MacBook Pro, an M6 iMac, an iPad mini with an OLED display. Can't wait to pro and tell next week....
Latest Stories
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
Giant iPhone Duo Displays Coming to Four Apple Stores
9 minutes ago
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store
Apple Pulls Keynote, Pages and Numbers From App Store
59 minutes ago
Apple Updates More Apps With iPhone Duo Support
Apple Updates More Apps With iPhone Duo Support
1 hour ago
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
Apple Will Label Apps 'Made for iPhone Duo' in App Store
4 hours ago
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
Amazon Takes $49 Off iPad With Prices Starting at $399.99
5 hours ago
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
F1 on Apple TV Now Available in Dolby Atmos
5 hours ago
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
Apple Reveals More Than 50 Apps That Will Be Updated for iPhone Duo
6 hours ago
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
Apple Blocks Certificates That Could Help Attackers Fake Websites
7 hours ago
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
Giant iPhone Duo Installations Spotted at Apple Fifth Avenue
8 hours ago
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
iPhone Duo 2 Prototypes Include Under-Display Face ID
8 hours ago
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
Tesla App Gains iPad and iPhone Duo Support
12 hours ago
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
Apple Reportedly Boosts iPhone Duo Orders by 44%
13 hours ago
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
13 hours ago
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
13 hours ago
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
14 hours ago
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
14 hours ago
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
15 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
20 hours ago
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
21 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
22 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
22 hours ago
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
23 hours ago
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
1 day ago
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
1 day ago
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
1 day ago
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
1 day ago
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
1 day ago