macOS 13.4 just fixed its own content filter bug
Everything should work again.
The recent macOS 13.4 Release Candidate (RC) update appears to have fixed an issue that an earlier macOS 13.4 beta introduced -- and that's good news for the impending release to the public.
Apple has been testing macOS 13.4 with beta testers for a few weeks now, and an earlier release saw a bug introduced that would make the network connections in some Macs become unreliable. The issue appeared to be impacting those who had content-filtering apps installed like Little Snitch and Radio Silence.
The new macOS 13.4 RC has been reported to work just fine with those apps, however, suggesting that Apple has fixed the issue for good. And that's a positive outcome with the next macOS Ventura update likely to arrive as soon as next week.
That's what betas are for
Content filtering apps are designed to allow people to limit what data can be transmitted and received over their network connections. That can include preventing specific apps from working over the network, for example, but the previous macOS 13.4 bug meant that all apps were affected — some reported that their connections would work for a few seconds and then fail over and over again.
Now, MacRumors notes that the bug has been fixed. It isn't clear what was afoot and the macOS 13.4 RC release notes don't mention anything at the time of writing.
The macOS 13.4 update is just around the corner but it isn't yet known whether that's what will come pre-installed on the 15-inch MacBook Air. That laptop is expected to debut at WWDC23 next month and will no doubt be the best Mac for people who want a portable Mac with a bigger display.
That same event is expected to see the arrival of the Reality Pro AR/VR headset as well as new software for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.
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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.