Apple is back with another round of pre-release software, and this time it's for machines that aren't even running its newest operating system.
On Tuesday, the company rolled out second release candidates for macOS Sequoia 15.8.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.7.2, according to 9to5Mac. It's the second RC for both point updates in roughly a week, and Apple skipped regular public betas altogether before shipping them straight to release-candidate status.
The release notes, so far, say only that both updates include "important security fixes." No further detail on what's being patched. That's standard practice for Apple, which typically publishes a fuller security breakdown a few days after an update actually ships, not before.
What's in the builds
MacOS Sequoia 15.8.2 RC 2 carries build number 24H225. MacOS Tahoe 26.7.2 RC 2 is build 25G325. Both became available to developers first, and Apple added the matching public release candidates later the same day, at 5:56 p.m. ET, per 9to5Mac's update to its report.
The fact that Apple is still maintaining Sequoia, the version of macOS that preceded Tahoe, matters for anyone who hasn't upgraded. Point releases like 15.8.2 are how Apple keeps older-OS users patched against security issues without forcing them onto the newest interface and features. Tahoe 26.7.2 does the same job for people already running the current version.
Neither update appears to add features. These are maintenance releases, the kind that exist to close holes rather than open new menus.
The bigger picture: macOS 27.2
The timing isn't a coincidence. Apple is simultaneously testing macOS 27.2, the next big point update to its current-generation operating system, which is expected to arrive publicly in the coming weeks. Running security patches for Sequoia and Tahoe in parallel with 27.2 beta testing is routine for Apple at this point in a yearly OS cycle, when the company has to keep three macOS branches alive at once.
For most people, the practical move is simple: once Apple finalizes 15.8.2 or 26.7.2 and pushes them through Software Update, install them. Security-only releases rarely come with a reason to wait, and Apple's own notes suggest these two are squarely in that category rather than anything that reshapes how the Mac behaves day to day.
Apple hasn't said when the final, non-candidate versions of either update will ship, though release candidates are typically the last stop before a public rollout, often arriving within a week or two of the RC stage. The company is also expected to detail the specific vulnerabilities being fixed once that happens, as it has with past security-only updates.
CDFiled by The Computing Desk
Laptops, desktops, processors, graphics cards and the operating systems that run on them.
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