Apple issues first developer beta of macOS Monterey 12.4

The beta cycle has been reset with Apple making the first build of macOS Monterey 12.4 available for developer testing.

The latest builds can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center for participants in the Developer Beta program, as well as via an over-the-air update for hardware already used for beta software. Public beta versions of the developer builds are usually issued within a few days of their counterparts, and can be acquired from the Apple Beta Software Program site.

The new round arrives after Apple released macOS 12.3 on March 14. Apple added support for Universal Control and included new emoji in that update, among other smaller alterations.

Universal Control lets a primary Mac control a nearby iPad or another Mac using one mouse and keyboard pairing. The other devices act as a kind of external display, but rather than extending the originating Mac desktop, they retain their operating system, software, and features.

It isn't clear what user-facing features Apple has included with macOS 12.4. There is also the possibility of it being a bug fix and performance-focused update.

The new build number for macOS 12.4 is 21F5048e, up from 21E258.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly recommend users don't install the betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important 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.