Apple seeds third public beta of macOS 11 Big Sur to public beta testers

Apple is preparing to launch a major update to macOS soon, so it continues to tweak the formula with beta seeds.

Today, Apple seeded the third public beta of macOS 11 Big Sur to public beta testers. While it’s available for public beta testers, it’s still potentially rough prerelease software. It should still probably not be installed on your daily driver. That being said, if you aren’t registered and want to be, head to Apple’s Beta Software Program site to register.

Here’s what’s new, in brief

macOS 11 Big Sur is a major update for the desktop operating system. While it will look instantly recognizable to macOS users, Apple implemented a new color palette for the software, is introducing new icons, and making even more tweaks to the software to give it a fresh new approach.

There are new features, too. For instance, Control Center is making the leap from iOS to macOS with Big Sur. This will give users even faster access to things like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, screen brightness, and more. What’s more, Notification Center is getting tweaked, with redesigned widgets that are reminiscent to iOS 14 and notifications will now be grouped by app.

Safari is getting new features, including a built-in translation tool, more security and privacy features, and a new customizable home page.

Messages on macOS is getting a big overhaul, bringing it more in line with what you would expect to find on iOS. It will let users pin conversations, take advantage of the new mention feature, new Message effects, and much more. The Maps app is also getting redesigned in macOS 11 Big Sur, adding support for the Look Around feature, indoor maps, and much more.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the more noteworthy changes coming to Apple’s desktop OS later this year:

macOS 11 Big Sur is set to launch to the public sometime this fall. It will be a free upgrade when it arrives.

Are you trying out the public betas of macOS 11 Big Sur? Let us know how it’s going in the comments below.