Apple removes Python 2.7 from macOS 12.3 but does not provide a newer version

In its release notes for macOS 12.3, Apple has announced that it has removed Python 2.7 from the update. The programming language was released back in 2010, and had not received any updates since 2020 when it was officially discontinued.

The current version is Python 3, but Apple has not updated the programming language version in macOS 12.3 but instead suggests that developers should use another programming language themselves.

macOS 12.3 beta does not bundle Python after the removal of version 2.7

Python is a popular open-source scripting language and has been bundled with most Unix-like operating systems, including macOS. It is cross-platform and often used for AI and machine learning, data analytics, web development, financial applications, and more.

Apple made the announcement regarding Python in macOS 12.3 beta 1 release notes:

Deprecations

Python 2.7 was removed from macOS in this update. Developers should use Python 3 or an alternative language instead. (39795874)

The company had given ample time to developers to update their app dependencies to another programming language or runtime. Apple announced back in 2019 with the release of macOS Catalina that Python 2.7 will not be included in future updates. The company kept the programming language until now to ensure compatibility with legacy software.

Apple has still made it relatively easy for developers to download and install Python 3. Running /usr/bin/python3 command in Terminal opens up a prompt for Xcode command line developer tools. Clicking install downloads Python 3, along with other tools like LLVM compiler, linker, Make, and more.

macOS 12.3 beta does not bundle Python after the removal of version 2.7

Deprecations

Imran Hussain