Apple Accidentally Released the First Public Beta of macOS Tahoe

by Gamer Feed

 

Apple Accidentally Released the First Public Beta of macOS Tahoe


Did Apple just release macOS Tahoe to the public by mistake? Yes, earlier this week, a number of Mac users enrolled in beta testing unexpectedly found their Macs offering a download for “macOS Tahoe 26 Public Beta Beta 1,” even though the official public beta hadn’t been announced yet.

Who was affected by the mix-up? The accidental rollout only impacted a specific group: users running Apple silicon Macs without Rosetta 2 installed, who were already enrolled in the public or developer beta channel for macOS Sequoia. Instead of receiving the expected Sequoia 15.6 release candidate, their Software Update screen triggered the Tahoe beta.

What did those users experience? For those lucky, or unlucky, enough to grab it, build 25A5316i, the anticipated first public beta of macOS Tahoe, installed smoothly. Some users immediately realized something felt different; others expected the Sequoia update and were surprised to boot into the all-new Tahoe environment.

Did the update remain available? No. Soon after reports showed up online, Apple quietly removed the beta from its servers. Anyone who hadn’t already downloaded it no longer sees it as an option. However, that brief release confirms that the public beta process is ready to launch officially, and likely very soon, possibly within days.

If someone did install it, what should they do now? They have two choices. They can stick with macOS Tahoe and continue testing early features, or they can downgrade back to macOS Sequoia 15.6 using a backup or macOS Recovery. Apple has not issued any special rollback tool, so reverting requires some manual steps or a clean reinstall.

What does this accidental release really mean? It signals that the long-awaited public beta for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS is imminent, expected to arrive before the end of July. Tahoe, featuring a fresh “Liquid Glass” design, redesigned Music app, revamped Notifications, and new Productivity features, is now closer than ever to reaching everyday testers.