Latest issue 25 Sep 2026

420: The Beat Goes On

More betas and minor updates to releases and documentation.

iMazing Business: tools and automations to backup, supervise, enroll, and configure fleets of Apple devices from both Mac and PC.

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The Beat Goes On

In the week after the big release of the 27 platforms, we got a first minor update for watchOS, a second beta for 27.2 and an Xcode 27.1beta, which means there are two different Xcode 27 betas right now.

Also, Jamf Nation User Conference was this week. Looks like you all had a blast and I would have major FOMO if I weren’t going to MacSysAdmin in Gothenburgnext week!

See you all there!

There is one opening left for sponsoring this news summary this year. If you are interested, please reply to get in touch.

📰 News and Opinion

Jamf in the age of agentic IT: An interview with CEO Beth Tschida

Jonny Evans, Computerworld:

How the Apple device management platform is automating support, tackling shadow AI, and helping control runaway inferencing costs.

Locked Down Passkey and Keychain Backups

Michael Tsai:

I remain unhappy with Apple’s passkey backup story. […] I don’t think I had written it all in one place before. The new bad news is that, as of macOS 26.4, these problems now affect regular passwords, not just passkeys.

⚙️ Apple Updates

Apple Platform Deployment: Welcome, Revision history
- What’s new in Apple platform deployment
watchOS 27.0.1: About, no security notes
Safari 27: WebKit Features
Xcode: 27.1beta release notes, 27.2 beta release notes
Apple Support: How to start up from iOS Recovery

App Settings declarative management may block unsigned apps on macOS Golden Gate

Rich Trouton:

When creating an App Settings configuration to allow or deny specified apps or binaries, there is something to keep in mind.

What might it mean when developers announce ‘Support for macOS Nueva Nombre’?

Fraser Hess:

The phrase ‘Support for macOS Golden Gate’ might even mean different things for different software products from the same vendor.

Digital Car Keys May Not Transfer When You Upgrade Your iPhone

Adam Engst, TidBITS:

If you use a digital car key on your iPhone, don’t assume it will transfer automatically when you switch to a new iPhone.

🔐 Security and Privacy

Muse, Meta's extraordinarily privileged AI assistant, has a serious 0-day

Dan Goodin, Ars Technica:

A zero-day vulnerability that gives locally run apps and terminal commands complete control of the agent raises serious doubts.

PamStealer adapts again: a move to Swift with a server-side decryption chain

Thijs Xhaflaire, Jamf Threat Labs:

Where earlier variants embedded their payload key material directly in the JXA source, it now fetches a purpose-built decryption utility and completes a key exchange with the server before the payload can be unwrapped.

Apple Intelligence Takes Up a Lot of Space on Macs, iPhones, and iPads

Kirkville:

Siri is like someone who crashes your party, lolls on a couch, and won’t leave. On my M4 MacBook Air, where I’m writing this, Apple Intelligence takes up more than 33.85 GB

🔨 Support and Tutorials

Apple Charging Guide Updated

Rands in Repose:

I’ve updated the Apple Charging Guide to account for all of the new hardware announced at the September Apple event.

I wasn’t aware of this guide before but will definitely keep the link around for reference.

Managing a Suite of Mac Admin Tools with Jamf Pro

Fraser Hess, macadmin.fraserhess.com:

my Mac admin tools are properly managed applications.

🤖 Scripting and Automation

Using Siri for programmatic creation of Music app playlists

Elliot Jordan:

I decided to see whether Siri would be newly useful for creating playlists in the Music app. What I discovered surprised me: when pushed beyond the basic smart playlist capabilities, Siri was able to generate a working Python script for playlist generation.

♻️ Updates and Releases

📺 Watch

Jamf Nation User Conference 2026

🎧 Listen

Punk Rock Mac Lab

Mac Admins Podcast:

Richard Glaser has been a Mac Admin for a long, long time, and we’ve got him on this week to talk about what it’s like managing Macs for a whole university library system, the state of lab computing in 2026, and what’s changed in more than 35 years of managing Macs at work!

Phishing simulations for the AI era

Apple @ Work:

Samantha Schwartz and Jack Hirsch from Sublime Security join the show to talk about Tailored Phishing Simulations

Haircuts, Apple Upgrades, and UniFi Networking Lessons

Command Control Power:

Joe and Jerry chat about haircuts, travel plans to Yosemite via Reno and Lake Tahoe amid fires and crowds, and recent wildlife encounters. They discuss upgrading iPhones and frustrations about promised Apple Intelligence features

Doctor Strangeprofile with Bryce Carlson

Mac Admins Podcast:

Today’s guest is here to talk to us about how he learned how to stop worrying and learned to love the legacy profile.

The AI plot to scan and destroy books

Lock and Code, Malwarebytes:

we speak with Maiberg about Amazon’s VGT3 operation and the likely commonplace practice of AI companies purchasing, scanning, and destroying books in an effort to build “frontier” models.

🎈 Just For Fun

Apple Copland D11E4 Emulator in Your Browser

Michael Steil:

Apple’s ill-fated Copland operating system is notoriously hard to run on real hardware, and has not previously been available in emulation. Here is the last build, D11E4 from June 1996, in an improved DingusPPC.

Announcing FruitMenu Redux 1.0 and Xounds Redux 1.0!

These utilities re-create beloved features that Apple provided in Mac OS 8 through Mac OS 9.2.2

I don’t even really care about the customizable Apple menu, but just seeing the six-colored Apple icon in the menu bar makes me smile.

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