William Gallagher
Apple has released macOS Sonoma 14.5, but it comes with very few visible updates.
Following a round of beta test releases, which began in early April 2024, Apple has now publicly released macOS 14.5. AppleInsider always recommends waiting at least a few days before updating, to give time for other users to discover bugs — as they did with macOS 14.4.
After that, it's best to install the new version in order to be sure of having the latest security updates.
As with that last macOS 14.4 update, though, there are close to no visible differences in the new version. While macOS Sonoma 14.4 added new emoji, Apple has said only that this macOS 14.5 has bug fixes.
Specifically, certain FaceTime users have been unable to answer or reject a call. It was to do with notifications not displaying the Accept or Decline buttons, and this has been fixed.
It's not known how many users were affected by that FaceTime bug, but it wasn't enough or sufficiently widespread to have been independently reported. Even so, the second bug fixed in macOS 14.5 unquestionably affected fewer users still.
Those users have to have been iPadOS developers electing to make a Mac version of their app. Under certain circumstances that Apple does not detail, when a user double-clicked to launch what's known as a "Mac (Designed for iPad) app," it could open the wrong app.
This, too, has reportedly been fixed in the new release.
Apple's free macOS Sonoma 14.5 update is now rolling out across the world, and will generally come pre-installed on new Macs. Existing Mac users will be prompted to update at some point, but can also elect to initiate the download sooner by going to System Settings, General, and Software Update.
Alongside the macOS Sonoma update are updates for Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma. Monterey gets an update to version 12.7.5, Ventura has been updated to 13.6.7, and Sonoma is now version 14.5.
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11 Comments
2.5GB update for only "bug fixes?"
I am happy to have only bug fixes...at this pint in the lifecycle of 14.x..
I miss my Mac Plus - 1.44k floppies , yes two. One for the OS and one for the Apps !
I like bug fixes, especially when they don't introduce new bugs. They need to maintain a good balance between pushing out new features versus improving the stability and robustness of what is already out there.
I personally think Apple has been pushing a bit too hard on the new features front, as evidenced by the last few major macOS releases going out the door with a number of Big-Wow WWDC features being missing from the initial release. Some end up straggling along to nearly the halfway point of the major release cycle, or longer. Pre announcing a bunch of new features and having some of them delayed for a long time puts a lot of pressure on the development team to work on those features that have already been promised at a time when they're starting to get feedback and bug reports from the release that did go out the door.
Not setting expectations appropriately sucks for everyone involved, from the development team, to partners, and to end customers who are sometimes waiting not so patiently for what was promised and didn't get delivered. I've never been a fan of "Coming Soon" promises. I'd actually prefer that the features that are in danger of not making the first cut be held back from announcement. When they do get finished, surprise me with an unexpected bonus in mid-cycle. But that's not the hype-based model that marketing and project management seems incapable of leaving behind, along with its trail of disappointed customers and burned out developers.