Apple Releases macOS Catalina 10.15.6 With New Apple News Features and Fix for USB Issue

Wednesday July 15, 2020 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released macOS Catalina 10.15.6, the sixth official update to the macOS Catalina operating system that was released in October 2019. macOS Catalina 10.15.6 comes over a month after the launch of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 with Battery Health Management features.

macos catalina wallpaper
‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.6 is a free update that can be downloaded from the Mac App Store using the Update feature in the System Preferences app.

No new features were found in macOS Catalina 10.15.6 during the beta testing period, but the update adds local Apple News stories in San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City, plus it introduces customization for the daily newsletter from ‌Apple News‌.

Apple says the update also fixes an issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads could lose connection, which is a problem that was affecting USB 2.0 devices that were used with new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 introduces local news in your Today feed in Apple News and improves the security and reliability of your Mac.

Apple News
- Local news in your Today feed provides extensive coverage of San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City
- More stories available from local news providers with a subscription to Apple News+
- Your daily newsletter from Apple News can now be personalized with stories that reflect your interests

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.
- Adds a new option to optimize video streaming on HDR-compatible Mac notebooks for improved battery life
- Fixes an issue where the computer name may change after installing a software update
- Resolves an issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads may lose connection

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices.
For more detailed information about this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT210642
For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

macOS Catalina may 10.15.6 may be one of the final updates to the macOS Catalina operating system as Apple shifts its focus to macOS Big Sur, the newest version of macOS set to be released this fall.

Related Forum: macOS Catalina

Popular Stories

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

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....

• 25 comments

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

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

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...

• 46 comments

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

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by Juli Clover

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...

• 88 comments

Top Rated Comments

ProTruckDriver

74 months ago

No problem here running Catalina. I hope I have the same luck running the Big Sur. :)

Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)

chewbaka

74 months ago

You're dreaming!

I use my Mac for serious work, and have had no problems with Catalina. In fact, I've found some features (namely, sidecar), especially useful during work from home.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Rigby

74 months ago

For those who haven't made the jump to Catalina, there's also a security update for Mojave.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Gautam.

74 months ago

Wonder if they finally fixed this issue - my new MBP 16" has been experiencing a lot of kernel panics, while Apple Support could only tell me they're working on a fix.
https://mrmacintosh.com/10-15-4-update-wake-from-sleep-kernel-panic-in-16-mbpro-2019/

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)