The macOS Mojave beta is available for developers and the public. You might be tempted to try out the new macOS Mojave features on your Mac, but there are some very good reasons to wait before you install this beta. Yes, there are more reasons to install the macOS Mojave beta, but you definitely need to proceed with caution even this late in the beta cycle.
This guide will walk you through the biggest reasons to install the macOS Mojave update early, and the very important reasons to skip the macOS 10.14 beta and wait for the public release date before you install this new software on your Mac.
Users can install the macOS Mojave update now as a developer or a member of the public. If you are thinking of installing macOS Mojave through either of these programs, this is what you need to consider before installing.
macOS Mojave Beta: Should You Install?
The macOS Mojave beta is not final software. There will be some problems that you run into. You can fix some macOS Mojave beta problems, but others may remain until the final release. Now that we are late into the game that is another reason not to install the beta.
We’ve been testing the beta for months and are on the macOS Mojave beta 9 for developers and on the seventh public macOS Mojave beta it may be the right time for many of you to install the beta and test it out. Many issues are fixed, and software is working better. You may even be able to download a beta of your favorite app to try out on the macOS Mojave beta as well.
Here’s what you need to consider before you install the macOS Mojave beta on your Mac.
Install macOS Mojave Beta to Improve macOS
Do you want to make macOS Mojave better for the public release later this year by finding problems and bugs and telling Apple about them? If you do, this is a great opportunity to make sure that the things you use and the programs you require work on macOS 10.14.
This is on e of the best reasons to install the macOS Mojave beta on your Mac. This will also help you test to see if the new update works better with multiple displays and in other settings.
You can file bug reports with Apple as part of the developer beta and the public beta. This will help Apple learn about problems and test fixes during the beta process. This is the exact reason that Apple offers a public macOS Mojave beta.
Install for macOS Mojave Dark Mode |
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| One of the major new macOS Mojave features is Dark Mode. This turns the whole macOS black and gray instead of white and silver. It is a major system shock at first, but it grows on you.
This is perfect if you use your Mac at night or in dark situations a lot. This is something you will see a prompt to turn on as soon as you start using macOS Mojave, but you can also switch back and forth between Dark Mode and the normal mode. Stock Apple apps on macOS Mojave support Dark Mode already, so the new Mac App Store, Mail, Messages, Maps, Calendar, Photos and many others also work with this so you aren’t jarred into the light when you open an app. Developers will be able to add in support for Dark Mode, but during the beta, expect to see most of the focus on Apple’s stock apps. |
Install for Desktop Upgrades |
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| There are an array of macOS Mojave desktop and finder upgrades that could be what pushes you over the edge to try the beta.
One of the biggest upgrades is the new Stacks feature on your desktop. This keeps all of your desktop documents organized better. This is an even bigger deal if you use iCloud to sync your desktop between devices. When enabled, Stacks keep your documents grouped by type, dates or tags so that your desktop is cleaner and you can easily find the documents you are looking for. Another cool feature is the dynamic desktop that changes over time, showing the sun or moon crossing over the Mojave dunes while you use your Mac. Finder now includes a new Gallery View so you can sort through photos faster. Quick Actions lets you password protect PDFs or run Automator Actions. Quick Look shows you a full size preview of a file and lets you edit images and pdfs as well as trim audio and video files. |
Install for New macOS Apps |
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Apple is bringing four popular iPhone apps to the Mac with macOS Mojave. You can now use Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home on your Mac. If you rely on these apps on your iPhone, you may want to install the beta to try them out on your Mac.
This is just the start, as Apple announced they are working on ways to bring more iPhone apps to the Mac down the road. |
Install if Your Testing the iOS 12 Beta |
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| Are you testing the iOS 12 beta on your iPhone? If so you might want to install the macOS Mojave beta on your Mac to test out the new features side by side.
If you want to get full use out of the new syncing features in Apple’s apps and use iOS 12 to the fullest, you will need macOS Mojave installed. Right now Group FaceTime isn’t available on the Mac, but it will likely come to a future beta and when it does you will be able to test out that feature. You can already use the Continuity feature in macOS Mojave to take a picture or scan a document with your iPhone that automatically appears in an app on your Mac. |
Install if You’re Testing macOS Mojave for Work |
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| Are you an IT manager? Or are you at least the go to tech person in your company or section of the office? If so you may want to install the macOS Mojave beta on a spare computer to make sure it works with the apps and processes that you use.
This will be a bigger issue closer to the release, and it’s especially important if users supply their own computers and are able to upgrade without running it past IT first. In addition to software, you can use this to check with specialized hardware like printers and accessories so that you can contact the manufacturer if you need them to work on a fix. |
Don’t Install macOS Mojave if You Only Have One Mac |
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| Don’t install the macOS Mojave beta on your Mac if you only have one device. This is a beta that will have problems. There is a good chance that something you do every day will not work as good as on macOS High Sierra, and that there will be battery life problems during the early beta.
This could prevent you from getting work done or even using your computer. Specifically you should not use this on production hardware at work or at home. The best thing you can do is install the macOS Mojave beta on a spare Mac, even if it is an older model that you don’t use every day. This allows you to test the new features and test Mojave without worrying about your data and computer. Another option is to make a second partition and install the macOS Mojave beta so that you can dual boot between macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave. You need to have enough space on your drive to do this. |
Don’t Install the macOS 10.14 Beta if You Can’t Handle Problems |
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| There are macOS Mojave problems including some features being disabled in the first beta and other issues will appear as users test the new release more and more.
Some macOS Mojave problems include crashing on login, being stuck on the login screen and there are apps that aren’t working on the new software yet. Some users also report not being able to connect to the App Store, and even one user reports that his mac was basically wiped clean when installing macOS Mojave. So far we’ve not heard about any showstopping macOS 10.14 beta problems, but if you don’t want to deal with issues it’s a good idea to skip the beta until much later in the process or until the final release. |
Don’t Install if You Aren’t Prepared |
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| Make sure you are prepared before you install the macOS Mojave beta. If you don’t spend time planning, you may find yourself missing files, photos and losing loads of time to an issue.
As I mentioned, macOS 10.14 problems are to be expected, and if you don’t prepare your Mac and yourself there is a bigger chance that you will run into issues. Specifically, you need to make sure you have a good backup before you install macOS Mojave. This is the best way to protect your files and the easiest way to downgrade from macOS Mojave to macOS High Sierra if you have problems. We’ll share a full list of things you should do before you install the macOS Mojave beta soon, which will help you prepare if you are thinking about using the public beta. |
Don’t Install Because the Release is Close
There is a very good chance that macOS Mojave will arrive alongside iOS 12 in September. With the final version available potentially within two or three weeks, you will be testing near final software, but also dealing with the hassles of installing the beta and then switching to the final version.
Even if you go through the trouble of making a spare partition to install it to, this is a lot of work for minimal payoff if you are a normal user. If you have yet to install the macOS Mojave beta on your Mac, it’s a good idea to simply wait for the gold master or the final release at this stage.
We expect to see Apple announce the event date anytime now, and with loads of new Macs expected at the event a fast macOS Mojave release date is likely.
(gottabemobile.com, http://bit.ly/2LCy9BQ)