Apple releases macOS Catalina 10.15.5 beta with battery health monitoring feature

By Mike Wuerthele

A day after issuing new beta builds of iOS 13.4.5, iPadOS 13.4.5, tvOS 13.4.5, and watchOS 6.2.5, Apple has followed suit with a second beta version of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 for developers with a new battery health management feature.

Apple's 2020 MacBook Air

Builds of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 and the other operating systems can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center by those taking part in the testing program, along with the option to perform an over-the-air software update for devices already enrolled into the scheme. A public beta is typically made available shortly after the developer version is distributed, via the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The new build takes over from the first release, which for macOS Catalina 10.15.5 was on March 31.

Apple has still not provided detailed release notes for the beta. But, it has an implementation of the iOS battery health management monitoring for machines that charge with USB-C, that is enabled by default. AppleInsider will be discussing the feature shortly.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly suggest users don't install the betas on to what they could describe as "mission-critical" or primary hardware, as there is the small possibility of data loss or other problems. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to ensure there are sufficient backups of data before updating.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at andrew@AppleInsider.com.