As a beta tester, am I supposed to download the official release or not?

[NameUndecided]

I'm getting conflicting messages from Apple.

I will say first that I downloaded the final update of Yosemite Beta (Version 6, it says) a couple days before the official release came to the app store, and there are no updates currently available for me in the updates menu.

Now…

I received an email from them today saying "Thank you for being a beta tester…" "…Please install the release version of OS X Yosemite. As a member of the OS X Beta Program you will continue to be offered beta versions of OS X software updates…"

And then I go into the app store to download the release version, and it gives me the message "OS X v10.10 is already installed on this computer. Use the Update page to install the 10.10 update or if you would like to download the full OS X Installer click Continue."

So they're making it sound like I don't need to download "official release Yosemite" unless I just want a copy of the installer file.

Should I take the time to download this official release version? Or are they the exact same and I'm probably good to go?¿?¿?

This message implying that I don't need to download the Yosemite installer is really throwing me off.

Thank you to all for your patient help.

 

[thedeske]

Get the full installer - it is different.
The mssg confused a number of people.

 

[TechGod]

The full version includes a recovery HD, you will need that so download the official version.

 

[NameUndecided]

Thank you very much. Apologies if this is being asked a lot.

 

[simon48]

The full version includes a recovery HD, you will need that so download the official version.

PB1 installed a recovery partition for me.

 

[TechGod]

PB1 installed a recovery partition for me.

Odd, I didn't get one.

 

[NameUndecided]

Actually, I thought I would mention that I too have a recovery partition with my Yosemite Beta. But I'm still installing the final release today.

As a sidenote: I paused the download last night. I told it to resume today and instead of resuming that download, it's downloading a Beta 4 that was apparently paused down lower on my Purchased list (I don't know how that got there) and it won't let me pause or delete that. So annoying.

Okay now it's concurrently downloading that final Yosemite and the 5gb beta install that won't pause.

 

[jbarley]

Yosemite GM contains code not found in the beta releases, such as SMS forwarding according to this article on 9to5 Mac.
I've also heard rumours that some form of debug code common in betas might have been removed.
So based on these findings I did a clean install and feel good knowing that most, if not all beta cruft is gone.

 

[adrianlondon]

SMS forwarding works fine on PB6. If anyone can't set theirs up, the problem is likely to be elsewhere (such as not having both the phone no. and email set as "Reach As" for FaceTime and iMessage, on all devices).