macOS Sequoia 15.3 - Bug fixes, changes, and more

[WilliApple]

Release Date ― January 27, 2025
Build Number ― 24D60
Apple Silicon System Firmware Version ― 11881.81.2
T2 BridgeOS System Firmware Version ― 22.16.13051.0.0.0

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New Features & Changes (Found something new? Please press "Edit" on the bottom of this post and add it here)

• Genmoji is now available on macOS

Resolved Issues

• General Bluetooth reliability issues (mouse and keyboard lag, audio lag, audio distortion) with 3rd party and Apple accessories per reports on Reddit and elsewhere.
• Time Machine causes kernel panics - if you experience this issue either unplug the drive or set TM to run manually.
• Safari may occasionally be misplaced when moving a window around.

New Issues
(If you are encountering any issues, please press "Edit" on the bottom of this post and add it here)

Remaining Issues

• Alarms may not play when your display is asleep for a long period of time (FB10086690)
  • Workaround: Make your display not fall asleep in Settings > Lock Screen > Turn display off on ____ when inactive. You can turn your brightness off.
  • Issue present since macOS 13.0
• AirDropping from an iPhone to a Mac may freeze out in some cases
  • Issue present since macOS 15.2/iOS 18.2

Untested Issues
Additional Notes

• Please know, Memory Management has always been an issue on any OS (not just Apple's). If you believe there is a Memory Leak, please go to the Apple Menu > Restart > Restart to fix it.
• When a new macOS release comes out, all issues automatically go to "Untested Issues" until they are moved by someone. Issues that stay in Untested for 3 releases (beta or smooth) will be removed from all future threads. When there is a new macOS release, please be sure to let us know about the issue's status by moving it to either "Remaining Issues" or "Resolved Issues"
• macOS 15 Sequoia will be installed via a Delta Update in System Settings. Please be aware about this and the update won’t install with an installer.
• macOS 15 is officially supported on the following devices. If your device is not listed below, it has unfortunately been dropped by Apple. Any efforts of trying to get your Mac running macOS 15, including bugs should be discussed in this thread.
  • MacBook Air: Intel 2020, M1, M2, M3
  • MacBook Pro: 2018, 2019, Intel 2020, M1, M1 Pro/M1 Max, M2, M2 Pro/M2 Max, M3/M3 Pro/M3 Max, M4/M4 Pro/M4 Max
  • Mac mini: 2018, M1, M2/M2 Pro, M4/M4 Pro
  • iMac: Pro 2017, 4K 2019, 5K 2019, 5K 2020, M1, M3, M4
  • Mac Pro: 2019, M2 Ultra
  • Mac Studio: M1 Max/Ultra, M2 Max/Ultra
• macOS Sequoia 15.3 Release Notes
• macOS Sequoia Overview
• macOS 15 Release Notes
• Apple Security Updates
• Become an Apple Beta Tester
• Full Installer (App Store) (Pending)
• Full Installer (direct download link)

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Feel free to add in any issues or new features that you have spotted in this release by clicking the "Edit" button below.

 

[Adora]

Same build as RC.

 

[Adora]

15.4 Beta 1 tomorrow?

 

[fisherking]

15.4 Beta 1 tomorrow?

i'll let you know tomorrow....... 🤔

 

[dlopan]

I posted this elsewhere. Be careful with this update. Apple screwed up the file system again. I installed 15.3, ran the latest version of superduper onto a blank formatted samsung t7 drive. Worked fine EXCEPT I tried to reboot off of the external drive and I got a shutdown on my machine M1 studio. Almost didn't want to reboot off of the internal drive. Log looks like a non copied library. So in other words image copies are still not working.

 

[OldMacs4Me]

I posted this elsewhere. Be careful with this update. Apple screwed up the file system again. I installed 15.3, ran the latest version of superduper onto a blank formatted samsung t7 drive. Worked fine EXCEPT I tried to reboot off of the external drive and I got a shutdown on my machine M1 studio. Almost didn't want to reboot off of the internal drive. Log looks like a non copied library. So in other words image copies are still not working.

Thanks, updates take just short of forever with my slooooow 10 Mbps connection. If it does not fix this issue no reason to bother with this one.

 

[Patrice Brousseau]

T2 BridgeOS System Firmware Version ― 22.16.13051.0.0.0

EFI Vesrion update too: from 2069.40.2.0.0 (15.2) to 2069.80.3.0.0

MacMini 2018 BTW


A couple of reboots and that’s it! Still on my Thunderbolt Enclosure NVMe test drive, Ventura on the internal.

CCC backup done before, just in case…

 

[Homme]

I don’t have my friends MacBook Pro 2019 for this but i hope 15.3 fixes this ( it happened on 15.1/ 15.2 didn’t fix it and the computer is rebooting since). I read 15.3 fixes kernel patch’s so here’s hoping I get my hands on the Mac soon. Has anyone tried to use Etrecheck for this ( I was told but it’s a suspicious app)

Also to Edit: I very never post on any of the MacOS and MacBook forums despite my years long membership and because I have never owned a Mac myself

 

[Adora]

T2 BridgeOS System Firmware Version ― 22.16.13051.0.0.0

EFI Vesrion update too: from 2069.40.2.0.0 (15.2) to 2069.80.3.0.0

MacMini 2018 BTW


A couple of reboots and that’s it! Still on my Thunderbolt Enclosure NVMe test drive, Ventura on the internal.

CCC backup done before, just in case…

Hey,

everyone is allowed to edit the first post. I put the missing T2 version in, thanks.

 

[Adora]

T2 BridgeOS System Firmware Version ― 22.16.13051.0.0.0

EFI Vesrion update too: from 2069.40.2.0.0 (15.2) to 2069.80.3.0.0

MacMini 2018 BTW


A couple of reboots and that’s it! Still on my Thunderbolt Enclosure NVMe test drive, Ventura on the internal.

CCC backup done before, just in case…

I that a much faster SSD than the internal one? I noticed updates are much faster on my M4 Pro mini than on my M3 iMac and wondered if it's just the drive or the CPU.

 

[Adora]

I don’t have my friends MacBook Pro 2019 for this but i hope 15.3 fixes this ( it happened on 15.1/ 15.2 didn’t fix it and the computer is rebooting since). I read 15.3 fixes kernel patch’s so here’s hoping I get my hands on the Mac soon. Has anyone tried to use Etrecheck for this ( I was told but it’s a suspicious app)

Also to Edit: I very never post on any of the MacOS and MacBook forums despite my years long membership and because I have never owned a Mac myself

Hello,

EtreCheck is not suspicious. I was in the biggest Apple forum in my country where everyone used it when there was a problem they posted the EtreCheck report, so that others can help better.

It was recommended by the admins.

 

[Patrice Brousseau]

Hey,

everyone is allowed to edit the first post. I put the missing T2 version in, thanks.

Oops, thanks!

 

[Patrice Brousseau]

I that a much faster SSD than the internal one? I noticed updates are much faster on my M4 Pro mini than on my M3 iMac and wondered if it's just the drive or the CPU.

Approximately the same speed tested with AmorphousDiskMark, ~3000 mb/s.

 

[Adora]

Approximately the same speed tested with AmorphousDiskMark, ~3000 mb/s.

Same for my M3 iMac. The external drive supports about 7.500 but the case not. Maybe there are better cases out there in the meantime. There are even drives with double the speed, but they need a really big cooling. Two of my cases have a button for a fan, but I never needed that.

 

[New Apple User]

Again

Fixed

 

[gank41]

I’m not sure what’s triggering it, but I’m finding that the macOS Dock’s Downloads folder keeps reverting to “Stack” and “Fan” when I have it set to “Grid” and “Folder”. When this happens, right clicking on the Downloads Folder in the Dock still shows that it’s set correctly, but I’m forced to run ‘sudo killall Dock’ in Terminal and then have to restart Finder for it to look normal again.
-- FB16422187

Still unable to use a Folder from the Photos App to randomly cycle thru Desktop Backgrounds
-- FB13282770

The Mail app still dumps you into the next available email when you delete or move the email you're currently viewing. Pretty bad privacy issue from a company that always prides themselves on privacy...
--FB10280669

I'm also still repeatedly prompted to "Trust This Computer" when I connect either my iPhone or iPad to my Mac mini or MBP...
--FB11795629


I've also noticed that my M1 MBP Touch Bar sometimes just doesn't show anything at all. I'll have to reboot 5-8 times sometimes for it to actually show anything (it does work if I touch it where the speaker icons would be). I've tried booting up in Safe Mode and am seeing the same behavior. This happened before and was fixed in another point update.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Adora]

I've also noticed that my M1 MBP Touch Bar sometimes just doesn't show anything at all. I'll have to reboot 5-8 times sometimes for it to actually show anything (it does work if I touch it where the speaker icons would be). I've tried booting up in Safe Mode and am seeing the same behavior. This happened before and was fixed in another point update.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Since the first 15.3 beta there was a problem with the screen not waking, while everything else still or already was awake. I solved this with having a button to wake it and press it several times.

The App "One Switch" has a switch for display sleep and you have to set a key or combination to wake before you can activate it. I already used this because on my iMac minimal brightness didn't make the screen black like on my MacBook before, what I used often.

Don't know if this is the same problem because it's gone since several weeks already in the betas.

 

[gank41]

Since the first 15.3 beta there was a problem with the screen not waking, while everything else still or already was awake. I solved this with having a button to wake it and press it several times.

The App "One Switch" has a switch for display sleep and you have to set a key or combination to wake before you can activate it. I already used this because on my iMac minimal brightness didn't make the screen black like on my MacBook before, what I used often.

Don't know if this is the same problem because it's gone since several weeks already in the betas.

No, I'm referring to the MBP TouchBar, not the laptop's display. The TouchBar still "works" for me in that I'm still able to tap it in multiple places like where the volume is or where Siri is, and that functionality still works. I still see what looks to be a black backlight for the TouchBar, too. It's just not displaying anything.

 

[MOM20xx]

Found the following bug with apple tv application on macos 15.3 german.

when i start the tv application and click all points in navigation and close the app. i get following directories in finder

~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.tv.sharedcontainer
~/Library/Group%20Containers/group.com.apple.tv.sharedcontainer

 

[Jett0516]

My magic keyboard bluetooth seems to lag often after 15.3 install

 

[gank41]

My magic keyboard bluetooth seems to lag often after 15.3 install

I’m seeing this issue, too.

 

[smithrh]

When using an iPhone as a personal hotspot, get the warning that the iPhone is low on battery, do you want to disconnect even when the iPhone is plugged in and at 100% battery. Pops up anywhere from 10-15 minutes apart to a few hours.

Also, the cell technology display is laughably wrong, I've seen GPRS and GSM when using 5G and 5G+.

 

[Ron_Kabele]

I have a Mac Studio with three monitors. After the 15.3 update, only two monitors would show up. I have three different user accounts on my mac. 1) Administrator, 2) my main user account, 3) one for my son.

All three monitors came up in both my administrator user account and son’s user account. It was only my account where just two of the monitors were detected, which told me the problem was probably an errant file somewhere in my user account library.

I traced the file to library/preferences/byhost/apple.windowserver.displays.
I dragged this file to my desktop and restarted the mac. Upon rebooting, all three monitors successfully appeared.

I did have to reset the parameters of each monitor in the Display Preferences Panel eg arrangement, rotation (one of my monitors is vertical), screen size (eg 3840x2160), etc.
Hope this helps.

 

[gank41]

I've noticed since installing this build that when I put apps into fullscreen mode on my M1 MBP, the curser seems to jump/move to the top left corner and then that triggers the little drop down animation of the fullscreen app's top bar with the close and minimize buttons. Sometimes I'll even see the mouse stay where it was initially and also show in the top left corner (also still triggering the top bar), both flickering back and forth.

I've also still seen issues with the Touch Bar on the MBP where it "works" in that I can touch in the places where the icons should/would be, but nothing's actually displayed. It's hit or miss, sometimes it does work, but usually only after 2-3 reboots. I've tried starting up in Safe Mode and am still seeing the same thing, so I know it's not some app or extension or something installed causing this. I've seen reports of this happening for others, too, and it's happened in a prior beta. Just have to wait and see.

 

[JUMA55]

15.4 Beta 1 tomorrow?

We've had several messages back and forth over the past few weeks. I just wanted to let you know I gave up after working daily since September on Sequoia issues, and I ordered an iMac 24 M5 with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB internal to replace my 2019 iMac 27 i9 with 128GB of RAM and a 2TB internal. I do know it will be faster, but I hate going down in RAM and not being able to get a larger internal than what I've used in the past five and one-half years. But that's the way it is. I just hope Sequoia is much better tamed on a new iMac.