hoakley Macs, Technology

What has changed in the Mojave 10.14.2 update?

The update from macOS Mojave 10.14.1 to 10.14.2 isn’t as large as the previous update from 10.14 to 10.14.1, but is still substantial by any reckoning: a download of around 2.8 GB, it installs over 5 GB of updated files. Apple’s brief release notes include the following noticeable improvements:

  • support for RTT (real-time text) Wi-Fi calling,
  • a new menu item in News to open stories in Safari,
  • fixes to bugs playing media from iTunes to third-party speakers,
  • fixes to problems with MacBook Pro 2018 models using external displays when some USB graphics devices are also connected.

Security fixes are also relatively few in number, just ten, but of those half are in the kernel, according to Apple’s detailed listing.

There are EFI firmware updates for MacBookPro13,1, 13,2 and 13,3, and for at least some models with T2 chips (iMac Pro for certain). The standard installer contains a full set of current firmware updaters. I have already updated my list of current firmware versions.

The bulk of the 10.14.2 update consists of replacement apps and software which have new creation dates, unchanged version numbers, and no mention in any release notes. Thus they have changed, but it’s anyone’s guess as to whether anything works differently. For the record, here are the major apps which this update replaces:

  • App Store
  • Automator
  • Books
  • Calculator
  • Calendar
  • Contacts
  • FaceTime
  • FontBook
  • iTunes, which advances to version 12.9.2
  • Mail, which advances to version 12.2 without any record of how that changes
  • Maps
  • Messages
  • News, which advances to version 4.1.1
  • Photos
  • Preview
  • Safari, which advances to version 12.0.2, fixing six vulnerabilities in the app and WebKit
  • Siri
  • TextEdit, which stays at version 1.14 but now supports a form of Dark Mode; I have examined this elsewhere
  • Time Machine
  • Activity Monitor
  • Console
  • Disk Utility
  • Terminal, which is at version 2.9.1
  • Voice Memos, at version 2.0.

A great deal of the command tools and other files in /usr are also replaced, as is a lot of Marzipan iOSSupport.

Most of the apps, tools and components in /System/Library/CoreServices are replaced, as are most extensions, most public and private frameworks, and a lot of Perl 5.18 and Tcl 8.5. Again, Apple does not tell us whether any of these changes result in fixing of existing bugs or new features.

Oddly, the latest version 16.0 of TCC’s AllowApplicationsList.plist is replaced by an older version 15.0 in this update. This is the first time that I can recall a macOS update reverting to an older version of a security data file like this, and I suspect that this may have been an error. Don’t be surprised if in a few days version 16.0 is pushed out again.

APFS has been updated from version 945.220.38 in 10.14.1 to 945.230.6 in 10.14.2.