Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available] - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds Third Beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.6 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the second 10.12.6 beta and a month after introducing macOS Sierra 10.12.5.

macOS Sierra 10.12.6 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

10
No significant features or notable bug fixes were found in the first two macOS Sierra 10.12.6 betas, and because Apple does not provide beta release notes, we may not know what's included in the update until it sees a public release.

macOS Sierra 10.12.6 is likely to be one of the final updates to the Sierra operating system as Apple transitions to macOS High Sierra, which was introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Update: The third beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 is also available for public beta testers.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

115 months ago
So many betas nowadays :)
Waiting for 10.13 DP 2
I guess there’s no middle ground. Some are always screaming, “Doesn’t Apple test this stuff before they release it.” “Apple’s QA is in the toilet these days” “Steve would never have allowed this.” Now we’re starting hear, “Too many betas.” “Too confusing.” “Take my hand and show me ,step by step, how to back out of this POS beta.” Apple can’t win.
[doublepost=1497378192][/doublepost]
Seems like a cheap way to crowd source bug spotting. The only problem I fear is that internal QC/QA has been cut in response. Some things like security really need to be done right the first time.
See what I mean?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
When this goes final, I wonder if this will be the time to upgrade from El Capitan on my daily driver? I don't usually wait so long, but almost all of the new features in Sierra don't apply to me.
After bad experiences from updating soon these last years, I decided to update only once per year, in summer, when they release the last update for the current MacOS. It's somewhat drastic, but it works great for me, as it lets me work with the same level of stability I was used to in the 10.4.x - 10.6.x years. So, yes, I'm updating to Sierra when 10.12.6 gets final.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
I think high Sierra will just be super stable.
cough...brand new file system, what can go wrong...cough
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
manhattanboy Avatar
115 months ago
So many betas nowadays :)
Seems like a cheap way to crowd source bug spotting. The only problem I fear is that internal QC/QA has been cut in response. Some things like security really need to be done right the first time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ScooterComputer Avatar
115 months ago
I'm still waiting to hear that PDFKit has been fixed before upgrading to Sierra. Why the total radio silence on this issue from all directions?
Agree. Biggest hurdle right now for upgrading clients from 10.9.5 (yeah, that's right… it is the last "stable" OS without significant issues with productivity apps like Mail and Calendar) to 10.12 is PDFKit, because my business clients rely on PDF and being able to sign/form fill too much. It can't NOT WORK, because many of them are in the legal profession or use PDFs for legal compliance. 10.12 has remedied just about EVERY other issue I had with macOS otherwise… which makes it a shame, then, that I can't push the upgrade.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
115 months ago
I'm still waiting to hear that PDFKit has been fixed before upgrading to Sierra. Why the total radio silence on this issue from all directions?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)