I thought MacOS 15.4.1 was a minor update until it made my iMac better in 4 big ways

I woke up this morning to see that little indication in my Apple iMac menu that an update was available. The update was for MacOS Sequoia 15.4.1. This update was actually released on April 16, and I had already run it on my MacBook (completely ignoring my iMac). Well, this morning I shrugged off the night’s sleep and noticed the alert on the iMac, so I approved the installation.

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Keep in mind, this is a point release (also known as a maintenance release), which means there is nothing major to be found. However, point releases are important because they almost always fix issues and improve performance. Who doesn’t want that?

I immediately ran the upgrade on the iMac I use for video editing. As my iMac was updating, I realized I should let everyone know about this latest release, even if it is almost two weeks old (which is like two years in the digital age).

What’s new in MacOS 15.4.1?

Although this maintenance release does not include any showstopping features, there are plenty of improvements, fixes, and enhancements. Let’s take a look at some of the more important changes.

1. Critical security fixes

It might not be exciting, but security fixes are probably the most important change for any operating system update. Given how crucial security has become, any opportunity to update and improve your chances of not being hacked or having your privacy invaded should be seen as a must.

With Sequoia 15.4.1, two zero-day vulnerabilities were patched:

• CoreAudio (CVE-2025-31200): Fixed a memory corruption issue that could allow code execution via malicious audio files.
• RPAC (CVE-2025-31201): Patched a flaw allowing attackers to bypass Pointer Authentication, which is a critical security safeguard.

Other security patches were added to Safari and the MacOS kernel to close exploits that would allow for unauthorized access to data and/or tracking.

Also: 8 simple ways Mac users can better protect their privacy

Finally, the privacy controls for microphone and camera access, and an issue with the menu bar privacy indicator, were patched.

2. Performance

This is probably one of the first things you will notice with 15.4.1. I certainly did.

App launch times on Apple Silicon Macs have been cut down by 15%. My iMac is a shabby Intel-based machine, but I can attest (thanks to my aging M1 MacBook) that apps start faster. Although 15% might seem negligible, it is actually noticeable. Even non-Apple apps launch more quickly. I noticed this when I started LibreOffice on my MacBook. That is a nice addition, given how LibreOffice has typically been slow to launch on MacOS.

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To go along with the performance improvements, battery life for MacBooks has also been improved, which happened by way of background process optimizations. This is another change I noticed pretty quickly. My old M1 MacBook Pro battery is starting to show signs of age, but after using 15.4.1 for nearly two weeks, I have noticed the battery does have a bit of extra “life” to it.

3. Mail categorization

If you have ever used Gmail, then you know how it prioritizes and categorizes your inbox. For some, this is a great feature because it ensures only important emails are shown in the default Primary folder.

Also: How to undo Apple Mail’s latest update and get your old inbox back

Guess what? Apple Mail now has a similar feature, which breaks the inbox into the following categories: Primary, Transaction (receipts, orders, and deliveries), Updates (news, subscriptions, and social), Promotions (special offers, deals, and more), and All Mail. When I first saw the feature, I thought it would wind up as bothersome as Gmail’s version, but it is slowly winning me over. Although I mostly leave it on All Mail, when I need to search for a particular email, I will move to a related category for faster searching.

4. Connectivity

There are a few improvements in the connectivity area that are pretty important, such as:

• Better stability with Bluetooth connections
• Improved Wi-Fi and mesh network handling
• Faster iCloud syncing

Although I do not use Apple Intelligence, many will be happy to find out that Apple has improved ChatGPT integration with Siri, and the writing tools are faster and work with more third-party apps. Also, Image Playground has received some attention by way of better stability, faster image creation, and new style offerings.

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All of this comes together to make the MacOS experience even better. This might not be a major upgrade or a change in the MacOS user interface, but it is still an important upgrade you should apply as soon as possible.

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