Version RecordIndependent release archive
Menu

Release appearance

macOS 10.12 Public

Full article
Public release

Recorded context

About this appearance

macOS Sierra 10.12 reached the public channel on September 20, 2016 with voice assistance, continuity, identity, payments, media, productivity, storage, compatibility, and security changes.

Date
Sep 20, 2016
Availability
available
Revision
No

Release notes

What changed

Original editorial synthesis. Linked references appear with the claims they support and in the source ledger.

Public release

Apple made macOS Sierra available as a free Mac App Store update on September 20, 2016. The companion security advisory carries the same release date.[1][2]

Documented scope

The structured entries synthesize Apple's launch announcement and detailed security advisory. They do not include later Sierra point-release work, inferred build numbers, or undocumented behavior.[3][4]

Source ledger

References

Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.

  1. About the security content of macOS Sierra 10.12

    Apple Support · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Released September 20, 2016

    Back to text ↑
  2. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · September 20, 2016; Availability

    Back to text ↑
  3. About the security content of macOS Sierra 10.12

    Apple Support · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · macOS Sierra 10.12 security content

    Back to text ↑
  4. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Siri through Availability

    Back to text ↑
  5. About the security content of macOS Sierra 10.12

    Apple Support · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · apache through WebKit security content; Released September 20, 2016

  6. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Apple Pay on the web

  7. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Auto Unlock

  8. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Availability

  9. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · iCloud Desktop and Documents

  10. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Other great new features — Apple Music

  11. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Other great new features — Messages

  12. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Other great new features — Optimized Storage

  13. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Other great new features — Picture in Picture

  14. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Other great new features — Tabs

  15. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Photos; Memories; Brilliance

  16. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Siri Comes to Mac; Siri on the Mac

  17. macOS Sierra now available as a free update

    Apple Newsroom · Apple · 2016-09-20T00:00:00.000Z · Universal Clipboard

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

security · fixed

Sierra 10.12 security repairs

documentedconfirmed

Apple's advisory records a broad platform security baseline, including memory-safety, privilege, information-disclosure, validation, and code-execution remediations.

  1. [1] About the security content of macOS Sierra 10.12 · apache through WebKit security content; Released September 20, 2016

enhancement · changed

Photos Memories, visual search, and Brilliance

documentedconfirmed

The app could assemble occasion-based collections, identify people, objects, and scenes for search, and rebalance dark areas and highlights with a new editing tool.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Photos; Memories; Brilliance

feature · introduced

Apple Pay on the web

documentedconfirmed

Participating websites gained an Apple Pay path that handed purchase authorization to a nearby supported device while keeping card details from merchants.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Apple Pay on the web

enhancement · changed

Updated Apple Music in iTunes

documentedconfirmed

The music service's Mac interface received a clearer discovery-oriented presentation within iTunes.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Other great new features — Apple Music

feature · introduced

Universal Clipboard

documentedconfirmed

The release added a continuity workflow for moving copied content between nearby supported Apple devices without a separate transfer step.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Universal Clipboard

enhancement · changed

Richer Messages conversations

documentedconfirmed

Sierra made linked content playable in place and added lightweight reactions and more prominent emoji presentation.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Other great new features — Messages

feature · introduced

Tabs across multiwindow apps

documentedconfirmed

Maps, Mail, iWork apps, TextEdit, and compatible third-party software could consolidate related windows into a tabbed interface.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Other great new features — Tabs

feature · introduced

Picture in Picture video

documentedconfirmed

The system added a persistent small-player workflow for watching supported video while working in other applications.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Other great new features — Picture in Picture

feature · introduced

iCloud Desktop and Documents

documentedconfirmed

Sierra expanded iCloud Drive into the Mac's two common file locations so their contents could follow a user across supported devices.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · iCloud Desktop and Documents

feature · introduced

Optimized Storage

documentedconfirmed

Sierra added system storage-management tools intended to reclaim local capacity when a Mac began running low on space.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Other great new features — Optimized Storage

compatibility · changed

Late-2009-and-newer Mac baseline

documentedconfirmed

The launch announcement defined the broad hardware generation boundary for the free update while noting that individual features could vary.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Availability

feature · introduced

Siri on Mac

documentedconfirmed

Users could ask Siri to send messages or email, locate documents and photos, retrieve information, change settings, and place results into documents or the Today view.

  1. [1] macOS Sierra now available as a free update · Siri Comes to Mac; Siri on the Mac