Apple Seeds Third OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds Third OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

by

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second OS X 10.11.6 beta and more than a month after the public release of OS X 10.11.5. OS X 10.11.6 has been in testing since May 23.

The OS X 10.11.6 update can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

elcapitanmacbook
OS X 10.11.6, like OS X 10.11.5 and the El Capitan updates that came before it, focuses mainly on performance improvements and bug fixes rather than outward-facing changes. According to Apple's release notes, the update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of Macs.

No obvious changes or bug fixes were found in the first two betas, but we'll update this post should anything new be discovered in the third beta. Apple has also started testing macOS Sierra, the next-generation Mac operating system set to be released this fall.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

Top Rated Comments

navaira Avatar
navaira
131 months ago
OS X 10.11.6, like OS X 10.11.5 and the El Capitan updates that came before it, focuses mainly on performance randomisation and introducing new bugs rather than outward-facing changes.

We wouldn't have it any other way, would we?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BaltimoreMediaBlog Avatar
BaltimoreMediaBlog
131 months ago
This definitely isn't typical Bluetooth behavior in OS X. That your hardware worked and then stopped working some time after you upgraded the operating system is no indication that you are not having a hardware problem. Have you tried running the diagnostic routine on your
computer?
I've read enough of the Bluetooth complaints here and elsewhere to know bluetooth has been an Apple issue for almost 2 years now. System diagnostics shows nothing wrong with my machine. The problem lies with Apple's poor ability to program the older bluetooth chipsets. A Mac Pro doesn't have the same bluetooth chipset as some other 2009 Macs of the same year. I suspect this is the reason Apple has cut off 2009 support. They've never gotten it right for those machines and instead of fixing it, they've decided to just move on and pretend the problem didn't even exist.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BaltimoreMediaBlog Avatar
BaltimoreMediaBlog
131 months ago
Apple keeps sending notices like, "Please check out bluetooth. We think the latest update will solve your bluetooth issues."

Result: EPIC FAIL. Apple still cannot fix bluetooth from crashing in Yosemite or El Captan after all this time! I get random crashes of the entire bluetooth system, sometimes when plugging an iPhone in, and sometimes for no apparent reason. Sometimes plugging an iPhone in repeatedly reboots the bluetooth chip. Other times, a complete system shutdown is necessary. Some times even rebooting doesn't even reset bluetooth. Btw, I didn't have this problem in Mavericks, so it's highly unlikely it's a hardware problem. It started immediately during one of the Yosemite releases.

God help us all when Bluetooth 5.0 is released. Apple still hasn't figured out 4.0! :(
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmeulen Avatar
rmeulen
131 months ago
Have 10.11.6 beta X running on my SSD and experimenting Sierra on SD for the moment. Indeed, with Sierra ready for testing the need to get betas for El Capitan are lowered. Still 10.11.6 is closer to released version so better for day-to-day working environment. So far no issues with the betas on 10.11.6.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacsRgr8 Avatar
MacsRgr8
131 months ago
Now we can play with the macOS Sierra betas, this beta has lost my interest.:D

Of course, I understand the need for true developers!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
Read Full Article • 51 comments
iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Apple Facing One of Its Worst Leaks Since the iPhone 4

Thursday July 2, 2026 9:53 am PDT by
Apple supplier Tata Electronics recently suffered a cyberattack that resulted in thousands of confidential files being published on the dark web, and this reportedly included some photos and documents related to the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. We have elected not to share any of the leaked photos in this story due to the illegal nature in which they were obtained, but they can easily be found...
Read Full Article
American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...
Read Full Article • 15 comments