macOS Sonoma 14.2 released with enhanced autofill for PDFs, updates to Messages, more

Apple has released macOS Sonoma 14.2 to all users. The update features enhanced autofill for PDFs, updates to Messages, Weather and Clock apps, and more. 

What’s new in macOS Sonoma 14.2?

Final Release

December 11 – Apple has released the final software update. Here is the changelog:

This update introduces enhanced Autofill for PDFs and improvements to Messages and Weather. This release also includes other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.

PDFs
– Enhanced AutoFill identifies fields in PDFs and other forms enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts

Messages
– Catch-up arrow lets you easily jump to your first unread message in a conversation by clicking the arrow visible in the top-right corner
– Add sticker option in the context menu lets you add a sticker directly to a bubble
– Contact Key Verification provides automatic alerts and Contact Verification Codes to help verify people facing extraordinary digital threats are messaging only with the people they intend

Weather
– Precipitation amounts help you stay on top of rain and snow conditions for a given day over the next 10 days
– New widgets let you choose from next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and current conditions such as Air Quality, Feels Like, and wind speed
– Wind map snapshot helps you quickly assess wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to prepare for forecasted wind conditions for the next 24 hours

Clock
– Multiple timers let you run several timers simultaneously and create a name for each timer
– Timer presets help you quickly start a timer with a range of preset options
– Recents makes it easy to restart your recently used timers

This update also includes the following new features:
– Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music lets you quickly get back to the songs you mark as favorites
– Use Listening History in Apple Music can be disabled in a Focus so music you listen to does not appear in Recently Played or influence your recommendations
– Shazam Music Recognition allows you to quickly identify songs playing online or around you, even when wearing AirPods
– New keyboard layouts provide support for 7 additional Sámi languages
– Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices.

For detailed information about the security content of this update, please visit: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Release Candidate

Dec 7 – Apple has rolled out a second release candidate build to developers.

Dec 5 – Apple has seeded the release candidate to developers. Here are the complete release notes from Apple:

Beta 4

Nov 28 – Apple has released the fourth beta to developers.

Beta 3

Nov 14 – Apple has released the third beta to developers.

Beta 2

Nov 9 – Apple has released the second beta to developers.

Beta 1

October 26 – Apple has released the first beta to developers. We will update this post once we find important updates and changes.

Does your Mac support macOS Sonoma 14.2?

This new macOS beta software update is compatible with the following Mac models:

• iMac (2019 and later)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (2019 and later)
• Mac Studio (2022 and later)
• MacBook Air (2018 and later)
• Mac mini (2018 and later)
• MacBook Pro (2018 and later)

How can you update your Mac to macOS Sonoma 14.2?

To install the developer beta update on your Mac, you will need an Apple Developer Account which costs $99/year. If you sign in with the same account on your Mac, you will see the option to switch to the developer beta when you go to System Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates.

If you do not want to spend any money, you can wait for the Public Beta, which you can download and install for free by going to System Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates. At the time of writing, Apple has only released the first developer beta.

Prerequisites

• Make sure your Mac has at least 50% battery life.
• Connect your Mac to a reliable Wi-Fi network.

Steps

1. Open System Settings.
2. Click General.
3. Click Software Update.
4. Go to Beta Updates and select either Developer Beta or Public Beta.
5. Wait for the new release to appear.
6. Click Update Now.
7. Your Mac will download the update.
8. When the update is complete, your Mac will restart.

Stay tuned to our ongoing coverage of the new features and updates in macOS Sonoma:

• Apple updates Game Porting Toolkit for macOS Sonoma with significant improvements
• Apple releases Game Porting Toolkit to run Windows games on macOS
• These macOS Sonoma features will be exclusive to Apple Silicon Macs
• Apple unveils groundbreaking privacy and security features for iPhone, iPad and Mac at WWDC 2023
• macOS Sonoma top 10 features to try after installing on your Mac
• Apple introduces new ways to sign in to your Apple ID, including phone number and proximity sign-in
• macOS Sonoma allows users to restore Macs through Finder