You’ve probably seen the notification badge staring at you from System Settings. Again. If you’re running a Mac with Apple Silicon—basically anything with an M1 chip or newer—the latest macOS Sequoia update news isn't just about boring "stability improvements." It’s actually about Apple finally making good on that massive AI promise they made last year.
Apple just dropped macOS Sequoia 15.7.3, and while the version number looks like a minor "maintenance" patch, the context around it is huge. We are officially in the era where your Mac creates its own emoji and writes your awkward emails for you.
Honestly, it's a lot to keep track of.
The "Secret" Security Logic in 15.7.3
Let’s talk about the most recent update first. macOS Sequoia 15.7.3 hit machines in mid-December 2025 and is still the current stable gold standard as of January 2026.
It’s a "quiet" release. No new icons. No fancy wallpapers. But it patches some genuinely scary holes in things like Accounts, FaceTime, and the App Sandbox. Apple usually stays pretty tight-lipped about these until they’re sure everyone has patched, but the documentation shows they fixed a bug where your password fields could actually be seen by someone else during a FaceTime screen share.
Yeah. Not great.
If you haven't clicked "Update Now," you really should. Especially since macOS Tahoe (version 26) is already out there in beta testing, making Sequoia the "stable old reliable" for people who actually need to get work done without their computer crashing every twenty minutes.
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The Big Apple Intelligence Rollout
The real meat of the macOS Sequoia update news over the last few months has been the phased rollout of Apple Intelligence. If you’re on 15.2 or 15.3, you’ve likely noticed the new glowing light around the edge of your screen when you summon Siri.
It isn't just a glow-up.
- Genmoji is finally here: You can literally type "T-Rex wearing a tuxedo" into the Messages app, and it generates a custom emoji. It’s silly, sure, but it’s a massive flex of the local Neural Engine.
- Writing Tools everywhere: Highlight a messy paragraph in Mail or Notes, and you can tell your Mac to make it "Professional" or "Concise." It’s basically built-in ChatGPT without the copy-pasting.
- The Clean Up Tool: In the Photos app, you can now circle that random tourist in the background of your vacation photo and watch them vanish. It’s not quite Photoshop-level perfect yet, but for a quick Instagram post, it’s magic.
Apple Intelligence is enabled by default now on M-series Macs starting with the 15.3 update. If you have an Intel Mac, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re mostly getting the security patches and the new Passwords app. The AI stuff stays on the silicon.
Why Version 15.7.3 is the "Safety" Harbor
Right now, the tech world is looking toward macOS Tahoe. But here’s the thing: Tahoe is currently a bit of a mess for some users.
Early 2026 reports from places like OS X Daily and MacRumors suggest that a lot of people are sticking with Sequoia because Tahoe has some weird Wi-Fi bugs and interface legibility issues. By staying on the latest Sequoia branch (15.7.x), you’re getting the "Background Security Improvement" tech that Apple is testing.
This is a new feature that lets Apple push tiny security fixes to Safari and WebKit without making you restart your whole computer. It’s a huge win for productivity.
How to Handle the Update Without Breaking Your Mac
Look, we've all been there. You update, and suddenly your printer doesn't work or your favorite logic plugin won't load.
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First, check your storage. Sequoia updates are chunky—often requiring 12GB to 15GB of free space just to dance around and install. If you're low on space, the installer might hang, and that’s a headache nobody wants on a Monday morning.
Secondly, if you're using a Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra, the 15.4 and 15.5 updates actually increased the maximum memory limit for the GPU. If you’re a video editor or a 3D artist, that’s a massive performance boost that's basically "free" speed.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Sequoia"
There’s a common myth that Sequoia is "the AI update" and nothing else. That's just wrong.
The iPhone Mirroring feature is arguably more useful than Genmoji for 90% of people. You can leave your phone in your pocket, open an "iPhone" window on your Mac, and respond to Instagram DMs or use apps that don't have a desktop version.
Except if you're in the EU. Thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple has had to hold back iPhone Mirroring in Europe, which is a massive bummer for our friends across the pond.
Actionable Next Steps for Mac Users
If you want to make sure you're getting the most out of the latest macOS Sequoia update news, do these three things right now:
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- Check for 15.7.3: Go to System Settings > General > Software Update. If you aren't on 15.7.3, you're vulnerable to that FaceTime password bug.
- Toggle "Background Security Improvements": Look under the Privacy & Security tab. Turning this on ensures your browser stays patched even if you ignore the big OS updates for a few weeks.
- Try Writing Tools in Mail: Next time you have to write a "per my last email" message, highlight your text and use the Writing Tools menu to "Rewrite." It's surprisingly good at making you sound less annoyed than you actually are.
The Sequoia cycle is nearing its end as the industry shifts toward Tahoe, but for now, it is the most stable, feature-rich version of macOS ever released. Keep it updated, keep it clean, and actually use those M-series chips for something other than 40 open Chrome tabs.