Apple today seeded the fifth beta of macOS Big Sur 11.3 to developers for testing purposes. The new beta comes one week after the release of the fourth beta.
The new developer build can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center and once the correct profile is installed, succeeding betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences.
macOS Big Sur 11.3 brings new customization options for Safari. It also includes a new iPhone and iPad apps preference pane for keyboard touch alternatives for the apps.
New sorting options are now available in the Reminders app along with options to print. Apple Music has been updated with a “Made for You” shortcut and now includes a live events option in the “Listen Now” section. Apple News includes an updated News+ tab that includes a “For You” section, as well as an improved browsing feature.
An updated “Support” interface is available in “About This Mac.” The new design includes warranty details and it allows for starting a repair right from the Mac.
Apple has added game controller emulation for M1 Macs, allowing owners to use a keyboard or a keyboard and mouse combo to function as a game controller.
Controller Emulation maps common game controller buttons to keyboard keys and mouse buttons. For example, the X button is mapped to Q, the “controller pad” is mapped to the WASD keys, and so on.
The feature allows iOS games that have built-in controller support to be controlled using the M1 Mac’s keyboard and/or mouse.
Users can also use real game controllers on their M1 Mac, with multiple brands of controller working well with the Mac. The beta also adds support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox One X controllers.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on their daily driver Mac, instead only install betas on a Mac set aside for testing purposes.
