Blog - Archived Entries

April 28, 2023:
Apple has officially withdrawn version 96 of the XProtect Payload package due to undocumented issues. The latest version has been reset to

Apple XProtect Payloads version 95 (Update Product ID: 032-65029)

again. Macs should automatically downgrade in the background if possible.

April 27, 2023:
Apple releases new software via macOS Software Update:

Apple XProtect Payloads version 96 (Update Product ID: 032-78557)

XProtect is part of the built-in antivirus software of macOS. The package does not appear in the Software Update section of System Preferences (or App Store in older versions of the operating system). macOS is updating the software automatically in the background if you have granted the system permission to download system data files and security-related files.

April 25, 2023:
Apple releases software via macOS Software Update:

Allow List for Macintosh firmware security checks (“EFI Check”), version 137 (Update Product ID: 032-63283)

Security-related packages do not appear in the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS is updating the software automatically in the background if you have granted the system permission to download system data files and security-related files.

April 20, 2023:
We are releasing TinkerTool 8 version 8.7:

Due to a defect in macOS 11 and 12, Apple's user preference to disable the animation for opening windows can have unexpected side effects when trying to rename documents via the title bars of windows. For this reason, TinkerTool 8 will now only support re-enabling the animation, but no longer switching it off.
Fixes a possible issue with the layout of the Dock pane if a user has Dock tiles with very long labels.

TinkerTool 8 is an application variant of the TinkerTool product series that gives you access to additional preference settings Apple has built into macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey. It allows to activate hidden features in the operating system and in some of the applications delivered with the system.

April 19, 2023:
We are releasing TinkerTool System 8 version 8.5:

Due to new limitations in macOS developer tools, the internal architecture of the application has changed. Users who like to use TinkerTool from within TinkerTool System have to update to TinkerTool 9.3 or later for technical reasons.
Support for the new architecture of macOS 13 to control privileged operations has been reinstated. Due to limitations of macOS 13, some operating system versions may require a restart of the computer during the very first launch of TinkerTool System.
Support for cleaning outdated installations of automatically starting jobs has been reinstated.
Main categories in the application sidebar are now emphasized more clearly.
Added new feature to show system XPC services, application-embedded daemons and application-embedded agents in the list of automatically starting jobs.
Added new feature to show the build numbers of available macOS versions when presenting the list of installer applications offered by Apple for download.
Added new feature to detect if the size specifications advertised by Apple in the list of installer applications available for download are plausible. If not, the storage size will automatically be corrected.
Added new feature to detect why the creation of installation media may be refused by Macs with Apple Silicon.
Added new feature to detect if volumes are handled by Apple’s LIFS technology (Live File Provider File System) to indicate that they are not compatible with the macOS volume exclusion tables shown on the System pane.
Several small changes and clarifications in the GUI and the reference manual.
Fixed a problem where the repaired version of the macOS 10.12 installer was rejected as invalid software when creating install media.

TinkerTool System 8 is a collection of system utility features helping you in performing advanced administration tasks on Apple Macintosh computers.

April 19, 2023:
We are releasing TinkerTool System 7 version 7.95:

Added new feature to show the build numbers of available macOS versions when presenting the list of installer applications offered by Apple for download. This feature is only available for macOS 12, not for macOS 11.
Added new feature to detect if the size specifications advertised by Apple in the list of installer applications available for download are plausible. If not, the storage size will automatically be corrected.
Added new feature to detect if volumes are handled by Apple’s LIFS technology (Live File Provider File System) to indicate that they are not compatible with the macOS volume exclusion tables shown on the System pane.

TinkerTool System 7 is a collection of system utility features helping you in performing advanced administration tasks on Apple Macintosh computers running macOS 11 or 12.

April 19, 2023:
We are releasing TinkerTool version 9.3:

Due to new limitations in macOS developer tools, the internal architecture of the application has changed. Users who like to use TinkerTool from within TinkerTool System 8.5 or later have to update to TinkerTool 9.3 or later for technical reasons.
Due to a defect in macOS 13, Apple's user preference to disable the animation for opening windows can have unexpected side effects when trying to rename documents via the title bars of windows. For this reason, TinkerTool will now only support re-enabling the animation, but no longer switching it off.

TinkerTool is an application that gives you access to additional preference settings Apple has built into macOS. This allows to activate hidden features in the operating system and in some of the applications delivered with the system.

April 10, 2023:
Apple releases new software via macOS Software Update:

macOS 11.7.6 Big Sur (Update Product ID: 032-71551)
macOS 12.6.5 Monterey (Update Product ID: 032-71575)

The updates address product defects and security issues in Safari and macOS.

April 7, 2023:
Apple releases new software via macOS Software Update:

macOS 13.3.1 Ventura
macOS 13.3.1 Ventura Update for macOS 10.12 and later (Update Product ID: 032-66588)
BridgeOS Customer Update 13.3.1 (Update Product ID: 032-66591)
Safari 16.4.1 for macOS Big Sur (Update Product ID: 032-72735)

The updates address product defects and security issues in Safari and macOS Ventura.

April 5, 2023:
Apple will shut down important online services for older versions of macOS in the next months

The support for the last operating system with the 10 (formerly X) in its name, macOS 10.15 Catalina, had ended in October 2022 with the advent of macOS 13. Only the antivirus scanners built into these macOS versions still receive updates. As recently announced by Apple, important online services, such as the App Store, Siri, and Maps are planned to become inaccessible for older macOS versions in the foreseeable future as well. The exact version limits are not known yet, but Apple recommends updates to higher versions for all users of macOS 10.

5. April 2023:
Apple wird wichtige Internet-Dienste für ältere Versionen von macOS in den nächsten Monaten abschalten

Die Unterstützung für das letzte Betriebssystem mit einer 10 (früher X) in seinem Namen, macOS 10.15 Catalina, war im Oktober 2022 mit der Ankunft von macOS 13 beendet worden. Nur die Antivirus-Scanner in diesen Systemversionen erhalten im Moment noch Updates. Wie vor kurzem von Apple angekündigt, ist es in der nächsten Zukunft geplant, wichtige Online-Dienste, wie den App Store, Siri und Karten ebenso für ältere macOS-Versionen unzugänglich zu machen. Die genauen Versionsgrenzen sind noch nicht bekannt, aber Apple empfiehlt die Aktualisierung auf höhere Versionen für alle Nutzer von macOS 10.

April 5, 2023:
We are releasing TinkerTool version 9.2:

This is a maintenance update which fixes a possible issue with the layout of the Dock pane if a user has Dock tiles with very long labels.

TinkerTool is an application that gives you access to additional preference settings Apple has built into macOS. This allows to activate hidden features in the operating system and in some of the applications delivered with the system.

April 4, 2023:
We are releasing Autostarter version 1.3 through the Mac App Store:

Added new optional feature to show Autostarter activity at login item, helping to indicate the exact period when macOS allows the App to become active.
Added new optional feature to show the status of each automatically started application at login time. If desired, the status display can be kept open for diagnostic purposes.
Added new feature to create an optional log report for diagnostic purposes. The report can be saved to a text file if necessary.
Added new, innovative assistant that can help to detect why a specific application may not have performed an automatic start correctly.
When adding new startup items, the application now warns if it detects Web App technologies that are not fully compatible with macOS.
The required operating system is now macOS 13.3 or later.

Autostarter is a small app that makes it possible to launch applications automatically during login without letting the applications show windows, even with macOS Ventura or later.

Blog - Archived Entries - April 2023