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Archive of May 24th to 28th, 2021 News (later items first) Go to Current News Page

Mac Upgrades/Mods | Storage | Video | Audio/Home Theater | Tips/OS Updates/WiFi
= Recent Articles/Updates =

Carbon Copy Cloner 6.0.1 Update
See CCC 6.0.1 release notes long list of fixes/improvements.
(More info on Carbon Copy Cloner 6 (including free 30 day trial) at bombich.com.)
 
Safari Technology Preview 125
See the release notes for a complete list of improvements & bug fixes.
A download was available for macOS Big Sur and Catalina.
(If a previous version is installed, use software update in System Prefs.)

BTW: A Catalina user said every time he runs Safari Technology Preview 125 a popup says:

This version of macOS no longer receives updates to Safari Technology Preview.

To continue testing with the latest WebKit features and enhancements, upgrade to macOS Big Sur in the App Store.
(with "Not Now" and "Open App Store" buttons)

The next version (126) won't support macOS Catalina.
 
Security Updates for macOS Catalina & Mojave (June 2nd downloads)
The original May 24 updates broke Kerberos, but on June 2nd Apple posted Download Pages.
(Hopefully the updates have been revised to fix the problems.) You can check for user feedback in Apple's Mojave and Catalina forums.
Both forums had user posts on Kerberos problems with the May 24th updates.
(The same advice about updates mentioned earlier applies.)
 
macOS Big Sur 11.4 (build 20F71) released
Released via software update. Info from What's new in macOS Big Sur 11.4:
"macOS 11.4 adds Apple Podcasts subscriptions & channels and includes important bug fixes.

Podcasts
- Apple Podcasts subscriptions available for purchase via monthly & annual subscriptions.
- Channels group together collections of shows from podcast creators.

This release also fixes the following issues:
- Safari Bookmarks may get reordered or moved into a folder that can appear hidden.
- Certain websites may not display correctly after your Mac wakes from sleep.
- Keywords may not be included when exporting a photo from the Photos app.
- Preview may become unresponsive when searching PDF documents.
- 16-inch MacBook may become unresponsive when playing Civilization VI. "

Here's info on What's new for enterprise in macOS Big Sur 11.4:
  • Using MDM to install software updates works more reliably on Macs with Apple silicon.
  • Fixes issue where first login with a mobile account does not create a login keychain.
  • Setup Assistant no longer skips Location Services when account creation is skipped by MDM.
  • App installations from MDM are no longer canceled during setup when the country is changed.
  • Fixes issue where DNS lookups may fail when using an authenticated proxy or a proxy configured with a PAC file.
  • Fixes issue where the Kerberos SSO extension may fail to renew credentials.
  • Fixes issue where iCloud Keychain sync could not be restricted by MDM.
  • Fixes issue where StorNext volumes from fsforeignservers file would not mount automatically.
Here's the article on security fixes in macOS Big Sur 11.4 (very long list).
(Make sure you have a backup before updating. I reboot and update with no apps running. If using any 3rd party Security software, disable or remove it before updating, and make sure you have adequate free space on the volume. (Apple doesn't list required space for Big Sur updates, but lists 35GB or more for upgrades from previous macOS.) If you have trouble installing the update, try updating from Safe Mode. If all else fails, try downloading the full macOS install from the App store.)

Check for feedback in Apple's Big Sur forum. (Replies may be in previous problem threads.)
And for M1 Mac owners, also check the Mac Mini, MacBook Pro, & MacBook Air forums.

Safari 14.1.1, iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, tvOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5 (with security fixes)
HomePod Software Update 14.6
Apple finally updated about HomePod Software Updates for version 14.6. It simply says 14.6 includes "general performance and stability improvements", the same note as the 14.5 update. (The update was released May 24th, but the article didn't add 14.6 until June 11th.)
 
DisplayLink Manager macOS App v1.3.1 (for macOS Big Sur & Catalina)
(FYI: On June 2nd they posted version 1.4 of the app.)
The DisplayLink macOS USB Software page has DisplayLink Manager Graphics Connectivity v1.3.1 macOS app. Here's change info from the v1.3.1 release notes:
"This is DisplayLink macOS AppStore app v1.3.0 release.
This version supports macOS versions 10.15.x and 11.2. (note 11.3 info in changes below.)

Changes in 1.3.1 release
- Sometimes when closing the lid, DisplayLink Manager would be terminated.
- Re-added 4k mode on Apple M1 macBooks missing after macOS 11.3 update.
- Some DL-4xxx displays remain black after update, requiring power cycling.
- DL-4xxx devices may temporarily go black or freeze after 5-10 minutes while playing video.

Classic DisplayLink driver 5.2.5 stays available for macOS 10.14 Mojave and macOS 10.15 Catalina. Visit www.displaylink.com/mac to download the fully featured current classic driver package."

(I don't use DisplayLink so can't confirm if this works in Big Sur 11.4.)
Read the full 1.3.1 release notes (text file download) for more details.
(Previous DisplayLink software for macOS is under "Legacy Releases" on the macOS page.)
 
Apple/Products related News, Updates, Tips, PR (later first)
This Week's Apple Support/How-To/Troubleshooting Article Updates
Page of How-To, Troubleshooting & Tips for Mac/OS X/iOS Users from Airplay to Thunderbolt.
 
Other News, Software and Firmware Updates (later first)
Recent Updates, Tips, DIY Upgrades and Repairs:
List of Updates, DIY Upgrades, Repair Articles, Tips and more you may have missed. (Topics range from OS/software/driver updates and troubleshooting, to hardware upgrades and repairs.)
Previous News Archives:
For links to older news pages, see the Archives.
  

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