Tech —

macOS 10.12.2 includes graphics fixes for the new MacBook Pros and more

It fixes lots of problems, but don't expect it to save your battery.

10.12.2 fixes some MacBook Pro-specific issues along with its more general fixes.
Enlarge / 10.12.2 fixes some MacBook Pro-specific issues along with its more general fixes.
Andrew Cunningham

Apple has released the final version of the macOS 10.12.2 update to the public today, the second major update to macOS Sierra since its September launch. Like yesterday’s iOS 10.2 update, 10.12.2 includes support for new and redesigned emoji, but unlike the iOS update it focuses almost entirely on fixes and under-the-hood improvements instead of big, user-visible features.

Let’s cover the general improvements first. For those 2013-and-later models that support unlocking via the Apple Watch, setting up and using the feature has been made more reliable. It could sometimes take a try or two to make the feature work, but this inconsistency should be minimized or eliminated post-update.

Apple also tells us it has tweaked the setup and notifications for the iCloud Desktop and Documents feature, something we complained about a bit in our Sierra review. In many cases, it was hard to know what exactly the feature was doing to your stuff, especially when enabling it on multiple Macs with existing files and folders on their desktops and in their Documents folders. Alerts for the related Optimized Storage feature, which deletes local files that are safely backed up to iCloud when you’re running low on local disk space, have also been tweaked.

Status messages like this one have been added to 10.12.2.
Enlarge / Status messages like this one have been added to 10.12.2.
Andrew Cunningham

Another now-fixed problem we commented on in our review is Siri’s audio quality when used with Bluetooth headphones. Previously, Siri’s audio quality when used with a Bluetooth headset was notably fuzzier than with built-in speakers and microphone or a wired headset, which notably muffled both Siri’s responses and your voice input. This could increase the potential for misunderstood commands. Now both Siri (and FaceTime) should sound better over Bluetooth.

Other bugs that have been fixed: the Photos app should now be more stable when assembling and ordering printed books of photos; Microsoft Exchange accounts should deliver incoming messages more reliably in the Mail app; Safari extensions downloaded from sources other than the Safari Extensions Gallery should install properly; and new Windows 7 and Windows 8 installations on supported (mostly older) Macs will now be possible under Sierra.

10.12.2 and the new MacBook Pros

Stories about users experiencing poorer-than-expected battery life in the new Pros—particularly in the Touch Bar models, which have smaller batteries and more power-hungry components than the non-Touch Bar model—have gotten some traction since the laptops were released. According to most of the complaints, the laptops fall far short of Apple’s 10-hour estimates in real-world use, though some of those complaints are being derived from the “time remaining” estimate you see when you click the battery indicator in the menu bar.

Apple tells us that according to all its testing and user data, the batteries in the new MacBook Pros are performing normally—there’s no bug that’s sapping your battery, and your real-world battery life is still going to be influenced strongly by your workload. The only battery life-related fix in 10.12.2 is the removal of the “time remaining” estimate from the operating system. Apple says this is because modern components switch power states so frequently and quickly that it’s hard to correctly estimate remaining battery life based on current activity.

To be clear, this won’t actually fix any battery problems you’re having with your new MacBook Pro; it’s primarily intended to keep people from assuming the worst just because the time estimate looks low. But if, say, you’re on a 15-inch model running apps that use the dedicated GPU, don’t expect to see any real-world battery improvements.

Otherwise, the changes and fixes made specifically for the new Pros should be more universally helpful. Palm rejection for the new trackpads, something I complained about in our review of the 13-inch models in particular, has been tweaked. Graphical tearing and corruption problems visible on all models should be fixed. The update “fixes an issue where System Integrity Protection was disabled” on some models, presumably by re-enabling the feature—though if you’re really worried about SIP exploits, it would still be a good idea to re-install macOS, since re-enabling SIP won’t get rid of malicious files that are already stored in the folders it protects.

There have been some Touch Bar-specific changes, too. Hitting Cmd-Shift-6 (similar to the existing screenshot commands) will take a screenshot of the Touch Bar’s current contents and put it on the desktop; the GUI-driven Grab app in the Utilities folder can also be used to take Touch Bar screenshots. A button to enable handwriting on the trackpad has been added to the Control Strip for Chinese users. And a bug that could cause the Touch Bar’s emoji picker to be shown on the main display instead of on the Touch Bar itself has also been fixed.

The 10.12.2 update can be downloaded in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store; new copies of the Sierra installer downloaded after today should already include the update, and users who need delta or combo update files to install on multiple Macs should be able to find them on Apple's download page soon.

Channel Ars Technica