• Get Big Sur Public Beta
• Macos Big Sur Public Beta

MacOS Big Sur was announced on June 22nd at Apple's WWDC Developer Conference. A developer beta is available now, public beta in July, with the general release in the fall. Apple has provided a new fourth build of its macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta to participants in its developer testing program. The latest betas and configuration profiles can be downloaded from the Apple.

Apple has seeded macOS 11.3 beta 5 to developers and public testers today. The update comes a week after beta 4 arrived. macOS 11.3 comes with new sorting options in Reminders, expanded support for Xbox/PlayStation controllers, autoplay in Apple Music, and more.

macOS 11.3 beta 5 is available and the OTA should be showing up in System Preferences > Software Update if you’re enrolled in the developer or public beta program (keep checking back if you don’t see it yet). You can also head to Apple’s Developer site to download it manually.

Apple issues fifth developer beta for macOS Big Sur 11.3. Apple is on to its fifth beta build of macOS Big Sur 11.3, with developers able to try out a new build of the Mac operating system ahead. (Note: Apple does not always release InstallAssistant.pkgs for the beta tracks, this means you might be unable to get certian betas.) 5. Then, you can select whether you want to update macOS from Catalina to Big Sur (or Big Sur to Big Sur if you are switching from a different patcher) or do a clean install of Big Sur (currently unavailable).

One of the interesting discoveries we’ve made is references to upcoming Apple Silicon iMacs in beta 5:

We saw the most changes with the first macOS 11.3 beta including a sizable list of new features. We got new sorting options in Reminders, the ability to set audio output to Stereo HomePods as default, support for the latest Xbox/Playstation controllers.

11.3 beta 2 brought some more minor changes including a new warranty feature under the About This Mac section and a new Autoplay feature in Apple Music that previously debuted in iOS 14, and some tweaks to the Touch Alternatives menu.

Beta 5 has build number 20E217a, and we’ll be looking to see if any changes or new features might come with the latest build. Spot anything? Share in the comments or on Twitter @9to5Mac.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.

After over a decade of availability, Apple has finally added support for Google's WebM video codec in Safari on macOS Big Sur 11.3.

Google's video format WebM has existed since 2010 but for reasons unknown, Apple is only just adding support to macOS Safari now. WebM files will only play on desktop Safari when running the macOS 11.3 beta 2, and does not work on mobile Safari as of yet.

The 8-Bitreports that WebM is a niche video codec that isn't widely used today. Most other browsers supported WebM already with Apple being among the last to add support.

All browsers on iOS do not support WebM since browsers like Chrome and Firefox must use Apple's Safari web engine. There is no current indication of Apple bringing support to iOS, in beta, or otherwise.

Get Big Sur Public Beta

Steve Jobs originally dismissed the WebM format, calling it 'a mess' that 'wasn't ready for prime time.' Over a decade later, Apple apparently believes it is.

Apple may be bringing WebM support as an alternative to Flash since it was officially deprecated in 2021. Apple has also been working with Google to bring support for 4K YouTube video playback which relies on VP9, and WebM support may be a side-effect of that.

Macos Big Sur Public Beta

AppleInsider has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content.