https://tidbits.com/2021/08/11/apple-ships-mysterious-macos-11-5-2-update/ Skip to content TidBITS Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 31 years and the TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals Menu [ ] Enter Search Log In Username or Email Address [ ] Password [ ] Log In Forgot password? * Weekly Issues + #1574: FAQ about Apple's "Expanded Protections for Children," control third-party displays with Lunar, signing group cards during a pandemic + #1573: Apple's record Q3 results, why Apple is "antifragile," watchOS 7.6.1 fixes security vulnerability + #1572: iOS/iPadOS 14.7.1 and macOS 11.5.1, hidden trick for Mac screenshots, BBEdit 14 adds Notes, Siri Remote AirTag sleeves + #1571: iOS 14.7 update, Apple/Beats audio gear buyer's guide, SFTP without passwords, Consumer Reports Internet survey + #1570: Brave Search public beta, Consumer Cellular review, Nitro buys PDFPen from Smile, Global Delight sponsoring TidBITS + All Back Issues * Membership + Benefits + Join TidBITS! + TidBITS Members * Get TidBITS + Email + Apple News + Facebook + Google News + iOS App + RSS + SlackBITS + TidBITS Talk + Twitter + YouTube * Categories + Apple Inc. + Apple TV + Apple Watch + Enterprise + Entertainment + Home Automation + Inside TidBITS + iPhone, iPad, & iOS + Just for Fun + Mac & macOS + Mac App Updates + Media Creation + Networking + Opinion + Problem Solving + Productivity + Security + Tech News + Tip Josh Centers 11 August 2021 15 comments Apple Ships Mysterious macOS 11.5.2 Update Share * Facebook * Twitter * Reddit * Apple has released macOS Big Sur 11.5.2. The release notes mention only "bug fixes." There are no security notes. What does it fix? We don't know! Should you install it sooner or later? We have no idea! If you install it, let us know in the comments if you notice any difference at all. macOS 11.5.2 update release notes Two things that aren't mysterious: the macOS 11.5.1 Big Sur update weighs in at 2.54 GB for a 2020 27-inch iMac, and you can install it in System Preferences > Software Update. Subscribe today so you don't miss any TidBITS articles! Every week you'll get tech tips, in-depth reviews, and insightful news analysis for discerning Apple users. For 29 years, we've published professional, member-supported tech journalism that makes you smarter. [ ] Email Address Subscribe Registration confirmation will be emailed to you. Big Sur Mac & macOS Comments About Apple Ships Mysterious macOS 11.5.2 Update Notable Replies 1. [1180_2] Simon 11 August 2021 [fav]The Eclectic Light Company - 11 Aug 21 [427a827e1b53c708ab0698ed1fa] What has changed in macOS 11.5.2? The surprise update to Big Sur, bringing it to version 11.5.2, is the first that I can recall that has absolutely no release notes at all: none for users, who are merely told that it "include... But to release a 3.45 GB update without explaining what it's supposed to fix is about the most unhelpful thing that Apple could do just over two weeks after the last 3.1 GB update. 2. [464_2] Al Varnell 11 August 2021 Mr.Macintosh tweeted: I put in a ticket with Apple Enterprise Support to find out what the deal is. ... Apple quickly responded. No further details on the Big Sur 11.5.2 update will be released. 3. [6614_2] Josh Centers 12 August 2021 Yeah, this is bizarre behavior from Apple. I'm used to these kinds of notes for tvOS, but this is totally unheard of for macOS. 4. [8440_2] GSStamas 12 August 2021 It does say bug fixes. Perhaps it's something to do with Apple's Expanded Protections for Children. 5. [64] 12 August 2021 To immediately follow up the controversy and firestorm arising from the release of that policy by pushing out an update like this with zero information, opens the door for all sorts of speculation. The kindest interpretation one can put on this is that Apple's PR team has been subject to sudden, collective and comprehensive brain fade. 6. [6600_2] Alan Forkosh 12 August 2021 I have installed 11.5.2 on my MacBookPro and I found a difference in how some web pages display: For example, go to this article using Safari. On 11.5.1, the body font is a light grey on a white page and borderline unreadable. Visiting the page on other browsers (including the Safari Technology Preview) displays a perfectly normal black font. When I accessed the page using the laptop with 11.5.2, it also appeared with black font. 7. [64] Norbert E. Fuchs 12 August 2021 I am using 11.5.1 and don't have this phenomenon, i.e. the font is black, there is no blurring at the borderline. I checked with Firefox which gave the same appearance. 8. [6713_2] [email protected] 12 August 2021 Something very bizarre happened, indicative of this mysterious, update being rushed out the door. I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say multiple pages were not displaying corrected in Firefox but looked correct on Chrome. Dark mode was problematic on some pages. When I submitted a bug, someone very quickly pointed out that my High Contrast setting was turned on in Accessibility. The thing is I did not turn it on. I don't even know what it does. Meaning Apple turned it on as part of the 11.5.2 update process. Why would they do that? Just a mistake by a junior programmer writing the installer? Totally mysterious. What is really concerning is Apple's is so totally stonewalling this. I have no choice in the matter, I am sooner or later running whatever Apple wants to put on my device. And we the users really have no choice. We'll either install it now, or what for Monterey, where whatever it was Apple was putting on our machines will be embedded into the Monterey code base... 9. [64] Sebastian Bernhardt 12 August 2021 Alternate release notes: :innocent: We are only testing what share of Mac OS users is willing to install an update based on zero information. Might come in handy when we need to introduce unwanted features. 10. [464_2] Al Varnell 12 August 2021 Based on the changes noted in Howard Oakley's article, there were certainly changes to Safari and related Webkit software, so not surprised that you are seeing differences. Not sure I can explain the differences observed between platforms, perhaps related to graphic/display? 11. [6921_2] ssteiff 12 August 2021 Updated my i9 MBP16. Can't find a difference so far. 12. [4650_2] David C. 12 August 2021 # fogcitynative: When I submitted a bug, someone very quickly pointed out that my High Contrast setting was turned on in Accessibility. The thing is I did not turn it on. I don't even know what it does. Meaning Apple turned it on as part of the 11.5.2 update process. Could be. Could it also be a mis-typed keystroke? If you go to the System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Accessibility, you will see a variety of keystrokes for turning these features on and off. Although it's unlikely that you would accidentally type the contrast-adjust keystrokes (^[?][?]. and ^[?][?], are the defaults on my Catalina system), does this sound like you might have typed at some point? 13. [6619_2] Adam Engst 12 August 2021 # jcenters: I'm used to these kinds of notes for tvOS, but this is totally unheard of for macOS. There have been times in the past when Apple's release notes were similarly bad, but they've been generally decent for the last decade or so. # GSStamas: Perhaps it's something to do with Apple's Expanded Protections for Children. No, that's slated for macOS 12 Monterey. But it does seem particularly tone-deaf at this point in time. # Shamino: Could it also be a mis-typed keystroke? If you go to the System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Accessibility, you will see a variety of keystrokes for turning these features on and off. Although it's unlikely that you would accidentally type the contrast-adjust keystrokes (^[?][?]. and ^[?][?], are the defaults on my Catalina system), does this sound like you might have typed at some point? It may be unlikely, but it's absolutely possible. I ran into it a few years ago. [471]TidBITS - 2 Jan 18 [Washed-out-Accessibility] Solving a Washed-Out Display Problem - TidBITS Faced with a display that was getting whiter and brighter, Adam Engst finally realized that he had been inadvertently increasing the Display Contrast slider in the Accessibility preference pane via a keyboard shortcut. Est. reading time: 2 minutes 14. [6614_2] Josh Centers 12 August 2021 I think if that were the case we would have also seen an accompanying iOS update. 15. [1180_2] Simon 12 August 2021 # alvarnell: Based on the changes noted in Howard Oakley's article, there were certainly changes to Safari and related Webkit software Yep. Ever since I updated my Mac to 11.5.1 iCloud Safari Tabs have been hosed. My iPhone keeps showing a set of tabs I had open on my Mac from just before the Mac updated. When I get around to it later, I'll see if perhaps this 11.5.2 Safari fix does away with that. I use iCloud tabs a lot to continue reading on-the-go or vice versa so to me this bug has been rather annoying. TBH though this isn't the first update that has wrecked iCloud tabs. I really don't get what the problem is. Compared to all the other fancy shmancy stuff Apple has going on, having a list of URLs on iCloud updated by 3-4 devices really doesn't seem like brain surgery. iCloud Safari bookmarks is a very similar system and that appears far more stable despite holding hundreds if not thousands of entries. Join the discussion in the TidBITS Discourse forum Participants # # # # # # # # # # # # TidBITS is copyright (c) 2021 TidBITS Publishing Inc. Reuse governed by Creative Commons License. * About * Advertise * Code of Conduct * Contact * Copyright * Privacy Notice Design by [Close and Accept] Cookies & Privacy: We wish we were talking about chocolate-chip cookies here, but our Web site--like nearly all others--relies on a few minor digital cookies. 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