14 DAY TRIAL // Apple this week began pushing its OS X 10.9.2 update more aggressively, signaling a potential security hazard if customers leave their Macs running an older version of the Mavericks operating system.
Users who postponed the 10.9.2 update deployed late last month are getting a constant nag from Cupertino to download and install the update, as it contains important security fixes.
Apple tells customers that 10.9.2 is a “Critical Security Update” that needs to be applied as soon as possible: “OS X 10.9.2 has critical security fixes. Click update to continue,” reads the notification from Apple.
The notification banner has two buttons, one that reveals the Details behind the 10.9.2 release, the other to Update.
Deployed on February 25, OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 was recommended to all OS X Mavericks users, with Apple noting that “It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.”
10.9.2 adds the ability to make and receive FaceTime audio calls, call waiting for FaceTime audio and video calls, options to block incoming iMessages from individual senders, improves AutoFill compatibility in Safari, makes the Mail application more stable, improves Mail’s accuracy of unread counts, and resolves an issue that prevented Mail from receiving new messages.
The update further fixes an issue that may cause audio distortion on some Macs, improves reliability when connecting to a file server using SMB2, and fixes a VPN connection issue.
VoiceOver navigation is improved in Mail and Finder, and VoiceOver is more reliable when navigating websites now.
10.9.2 also improves compatibility with Gmail Archive mailboxes and includes improvements to Gmail labels, enhances Safari browsing and Software Update installation, fixes a Mac App Store issue that offered updates for apps that didn’t require one, resolves a Safe Boot issue, improves ExpressCard compatibility, fixes a Keychain bug, and more.
According to Support document HT6114, customers should back up their systems before installing OS X 10.9.2. “To do this you can use Time Machine,” Apple says. Alternately, you can use your preferred backup solution with an external drive, cloud service, or even a different partition on the same hard drive that your OS installation lives on (though this is the least recommended solution).
“Do not interrupt the installation process once you have started to update your system,” adds the Mac maker. You can download OS X 10.9.2 from Softpedia, or you can simply launch the Mac App Store and hit the Updates tab to find it there.