Release appearance

macOS 26.7 RC 2

Full article
Release candidate

Recorded context

About this appearance

Apple seeded macOS Tahoe 26.7 RC 2 on August 24, 2026 as build 25G224, seven days after build 25G220. One outlet reports that the second candidate removed the unannounced-product references and media found in RC 1. Apple has not documented that cleanup, and Version Record records it as reported rather than confirmed.

Date
Aug 24, 2026
Availability
available
Revision
Yes
Build
25G224

Release notes

What changed

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

macOS Tahoe 26.7 RC 2 arrived on August 24, 2026 as build 25G224, one week after RC build 25G220. The numeric part of the build advanced by four, matching the movement from 24H16 to 24H20 in the macOS Sequoia 15.8 candidate released beside it.[1][2]

The second candidate followed the unusually broad leak in RC 1, where reporters found unannounced-device references and a camera-equipped AirPods demonstration video. Tech Times reports that RC 2 removed those references, media assets, and staging code.[3][4]

Apple has not published a change note confirming that cleanup, and Version Record has not independently compared the two binaries. The removal is therefore an attributed report, not a confirmed Apple changelog item. The existence of artifacts in RC 1 also remains separate from whether any referenced product will ship.[5][6]

Source ledger

References

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

  1. Apple rolls out macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8 RCs

    9to5Mac · 2026-08-17T00:00:00Z · First-candidate build numbers 25G220 and 24H16

    Back to text ↑
  2. Second Release Candidates for macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8 now available

    9to5Mac · 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z · RC 2 build numbers 25G224 and 24H20; one week after the first candidates

    Back to text ↑
  3. Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action

    MacRumors · 2026-08-17T00:00:00Z · AirPods demonstration video and B790 code string found in RC 1

    Back to text ↑
  4. Apple Erases Its Own Leak: macOS 26.7 RC2 Scrubs Foldable iPhone, Camera AirPods from Code

    Tech Times · 2026-08-25T00:00:00Z · Article reporting that RC 2 removed internal hardware references, media assets, and staging code

    Back to text ↑
  5. How Apple Leaked Itself

    MacRumors · 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z · Analysis distinguishing build artifacts, reported explanation, and expected cleanup

    Back to text ↑
  6. Second Release Candidates for macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8 now available

    9to5Mac · 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z · RC 2 release report listing builds without an Apple cleanup note

    Back to text ↑
  7. Apple Erases Its Own Leak: macOS 26.7 RC2 Scrubs Foldable iPhone, Camera AirPods from Code

    Tech Times · 2026-08-25T00:00:00Z · Article reporting removal of internal hardware references, media assets, and staging code in build 25G224

  8. Second Release Candidates for macOS Tahoe 26.7 and macOS Sequoia 15.8 now available

    9to5Mac · 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z · macOS Tahoe 26.7 RC 2, build 25G224, August 24, 2026

  9. Apple Erases Its Own Leak: macOS 26.7 RC2 Scrubs Foldable iPhone, Camera AirPods from Code

    Tech Times · 2026-08-25T00:00:00Z · Reported cleanup in RC 2

Release changes

Changed in this release

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

other · removed

Shipped builds reference unannounced camera-equipped AirPods (B790)

undocumentedreported

Tech Times reports that macOS Tahoe 26.7 RC 2 removed the unannounced-product references, media assets, and staging code found in RC 1, including the camera-equipped AirPods material. Apple has not documented the cleanup, and Version Record has not independently compared the binaries, so this occurrence remains reported rather than confirmed.

  1. [1] Apple Erases Its Own Leak: macOS 26.7 RC2 Scrubs Foldable iPhone, Camera AirPods from Code · Article reporting removal of internal hardware references, media assets, and staging code in build 25G224