macOS 15.4.1

Commenting on this post because the iOS one doesn't address this and this post does....

I run two different macOS versions on two different Macbooks Pros... and both 14.7.5 and 15.4.1 didn't interfere with my Setting to disable automatic updates like you. BUT...

I also updated my to iPhones to 18.4.1 and my iPad mini to 18.4.1. Somehow I was "alerted" that my iPhone would update later this evening (it was last Friday IIRC), which alerted *me* to check my Settings. Instead of "Security Updates Only" all three were turned on! But not on my other development iPhone nor my iPad.

The updates went well, except for one thing -- I turned off ALL updates on that one iPhone *before* doing the update. (Didn't reboot however, that might be important.) Updated and... ALL updates were turned back on. WTF?

I turned all updates off, and checked things yesterday and today. All is well. (Except for my trust that Apple doesn't just "automagically" turn beck on Siri, Apple Intelligence and who knows what else.)

I really do wonder what the reason is for these minor updates changing user's settings. I do think Apple is doing it intentionally, though with them these days it's easy to chalk it up to incompetence.

It's hard for me to figure out what's in it for them. With Bluetooth and Wi-Fi switching on, the only thing that makes sense to me is that it allows Apple to better track their users and harvest data. That seems plausible -- the days of Apple being a company you could actually trust to maintain your privacy is long gone. I honestly can't think of anything else good. It does allows features that require Location Services to start working again, but the user already turned that off intentionally, so it makes no sense for it to be for the user's benefit, and why would anyone expect installing an update to switch that stuff back on again?

And for the updates, again I can only think of the cynical reason, which is that it tricks more people into keeping their Macs fully up to date, which means they get all of the new restrictions and control mechanisms that Apple keeps slowly introducing with each update. The only other thing I can think of is that more users will get the latest security updates, but it's not like Apple has a serious problem with users constantly being infected with malware like Windows from twenty years ago.

@Dave and in general,

I used to tell people that their computers don't just do things behind their backs. If something changed, someone did it.

That hasn't been true for a long time. Now I tell people I can't make them any promises. I set it the way they need it, I install updates, I get it all just right. But it's only a matter of time, absolutely guaranteed, until Microsoft or Apple or Google decides to alter the agreement.

It doesn't matter what you want, it doesn't matter if it's working. Just that the aggregate numbers management wants to see are going in the prescribed direction this quarter.

To paraphrase, one user's frustration is a tragedy. A million frustrated users is a statistic.

"I really do wonder what the reason is for these minor updates changing user's settings"

I'm pretty sure they don't test for this. I'm going to guess that 95% of people never turn off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, so when an update accidentally enables them, nobody notices until it's out in the wild.

“macOS 15.4.1 does not fix the issue that prevents users with home directories that are not on the boot volume from logging in when System Integrity Protection (SIP) is enabled.”

I can log on to my user with a home directory on an external drive. SIP is enabled.
Maybe the difference in my setup is that I have another user on the boot volume, but I recommend having an internal admin user on the internal SSD anyway.

There was an issue I had on two different MBPs with M1 - the update would crash mid way. Maybe that got fixed.

> I really do wonder what the reason is for these minor updates changing user's settings. I do think Apple is doing it intentionally, though with them these days it's easy to chalk it up to incompetence.

I'm pretty sure it is incompetence. On my wife's iPhone 18.4.1 changed Siri from an US voice to a UK voice. But no such thing happened on my iPhone.

Similarly, it seems to be a crapshoot whether an y in x.y.z versions lets you go through the onboarding screen again that is part of the installer. On the four Macs in our household it's different every time per machine.

@Daniël Not sure what’s going on with the Siri voices. My displayed setting isn’t changing, but the same device responds using different voices at different times.

I simply assumed the auto enabling of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as a means to help AirTags. AirTags require an internet connected Mac, iPhone or iPad to be able to rely their location.
I believe the same for the removal of the disable Bluetooth on sleep option on the macOS. Which causes some frustration for some people.