Apple released an updated build of macOS 10.15.4 and watchOS 6.2.1

macOS has long been considered an adult operating system even against the backdrop of iOS, which turns 13 years old this year. Therefore, during the year, mostly minor updates are released for the desktop platform, which either carry a minimum of new features or do not carry them at all, being aimed at fixing bugs and vulnerabilities. But even this does not make it ideal, because from time to time, Apple developers still make mistakes, which then have to be fixed. And in order not to attract a lot of attention to this event, the company, as a rule, simply restarts the already released version of the OS, updating only the build number.

Apple doesn't really like updating macOS, so it often just changes the build number, but not the OS number

Tonight, Apple released an updated build of macOS 10.15.4. It is intended for those Mac users who have installed the previous one and have encountered a number of errors that impede the comfortable use of compatible devices. Fortunately, the developers of the company in time discovered all the flaws and brought the operating system into working form.

What's new in macOS 10.15.4

If you can’t reach FaceTime for users of old devices, just upgrade

Fixed a bug due to which Mac computers with macOS Catalina 10.15.4 could not get through FaceTime to users of devices with iOS 9.3.6 and OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and earlier.
Fixed a bug due to which users could repeatedly receive consecutive requests for a password for an Office 365 account.
The problem that caused the MacBook Air Retina to hang in 2020 in the Setup Assistant, as well as when disconnecting and reconnecting external monitors with a resolution of 4K and 5K, was resolved.
We fixed an issue where the USB-C port on some models of Mac computers might stop responding spontaneously.
MacOS stability and performance have been improved for some Mac models compatible with macOS 10.15.4.

As you can see, the problem with FaceTime calls to old devices, which we took for Apple’s informed decision, which was forced to take this measure to reduce server load, was the most common system bug that the company fixed quite quickly. The same applies to the remaining shortcomings of the operating system, which many could mistake for hardware problems that require direct intervention by service center specialists. At the same time, it is very strange that they did not say anything about spontaneous reboots in the new Macs in Cupertino.

FaceTime does not work. What to do

Apple Watch also had a problem with FaceTime. Now she solved

Following the updated build of macOS 10.15.4, Apple released watchOS 6.2.1. Judging by the description of the update, it contains only one fix aimed at fixing outages in FaceTime. After all, as it turned out, after the release of watchOS 6.2, users of compatible Apple Watch models, like all other Apple devices, found that they could no longer get through FaceTime audio communication to users of smartphones, tablets and computers running iOS 9.3.6 and OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and older versions of the OS. After installing the update, this problem is no longer observed, so do not neglect it.

On iOS and iPadOS, a problem with FaceTime was fixed two days earlier. Last Tuesday, Apple released iOS 13.4.1 and iPad 13.4.1, containing the necessary fixes. Their release was a big surprise for users who hoped that the next update after iOS 13.4 would be iOS 13.4.5, whose tests in Cupertino began last week. However, as it turned out, Apple did not just jump over five OS versions at once, leaving itself a small space for maneuver in case of various bugs and vulnerabilities.