MacOS High Sierra 10.13.4 Beta 7 Released for Testing

Apple has released the seventh beta version of macOS 10.13.4 to users enrolled in the Mac OS High Sierra beta testing programs.

Users participating in the Mac OS beta programs can find the macOS 10.13.4 High Sierra beta 7 build available now from the Software Update mechanism of the Mac App Store.

It’s assumed that macOS 10.13.4 will focus on minor enhancements and bug fixes, as no significant new features are expected to arrive in the new MacOS High Sierra build. The beta builds do include support for iMessages in iCloud and a blue cloud wallpaper however. MacOS 10.13.4 will also start alerting Mac users when they are using 32-bit apps, which are being transitioned out in favor of 64-bit applications. You can find what apps are 32-bit on your Mac with these instructions if you’re concerned about this eventually impacting you and your application usage.

Release notes accompanying beta builds of macOS 10.13.4 are as follows, courtesy of MacRumors:

– Adds support for Business Chat in Messages in the U.S. and Canada

– Adds support for external graphics processors (eGPU)

– Fixes a graphical corruption issue affecting some iMac Pro apps

– Adds a keyboard shortcut for moving to the rightmost open tab in Safari by pressing Command +9

– Adds a feature for sorting Safari bookmarks by name or URL

– Fixes a bug that could prevent links from appearing in Messages

– Improves protection of confidential data by filling usernames and password fields in Safari only when selected

– Displays new warnings in the Safari Smart Search Field when interacting with forms that require credit card data or passwords on unencrypted web pages

– Displays more information on how personal data is used by certain features

The seventh beta release is currently limited to macOS 10.13.4, as iOS beta is currently still at iOS 11.3 beta 6.

There was some speculation that Apple would release the final versions of iOS 11.3 and macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 today during an education-themed event, but that came to pass with no software updates becoming available. Apple did release a minor spec bumped entry level iPad, however.

Apple typically releases a variety of beta versions before a public version becomes available, and with seven beta releases for macOS 10.13.4 it’s quite likely the final version will debut in the near future, alongside updates to iOS 11.3, watchOS, and tvOS.