Finally, macOS Sequoia fixes an infuriating storage problem with App Store downloads

MacOS Sequoia is one of the most anticipated updates for Apple’s desktop operating system in recent history, adding some pretty cool AI features, iPhone mirroring and so much more.

But a lesser-known change is also in the pipeline with Sequoia – one that’ll fix an annoying storage problem with Mac App Store downloads.

The good news is that macOS 15 will no longer require double the amount of storage to be able to download an application from the App Store. As you may have noticed with macOS in its current form, whenever you grab any app from the store, you need to have double the amount of storage it actually requires (temporarily) to download it – which can be an annoyance if you’re short on drive space (or downloading a huge application, or indeed both of the above).

Size me up

With the new change for Sequoia, the free space requirement will now actually match the file size of the app you’re trying to download – as you’d expect really. So that’ll help those downloading particularly hefty apps, such as creative software or even games. Apple has made a significant push to allow for gaming on Macs and MacBooks, and squashing this odd drive space requirement is great news for prospective Mac gamers (who right now could be looking at ensuring they have tens of Gigabytes of additional free space for no good reason).

According to MacRumors, the macOS 15 beta 2 currently requires just enough space for a game’s final size and a small buffer, in a bid to match free space requirements with the actual game (or app) installation size.

Overall, this change will be warmly welcomed with the macOS Sequoia refresh due later this year, and it removes substantial frustration in some cases with the Mac operating system. 

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YouTube Music’s web app now gives you offline downloads for travel tunes

YouTube Music’s browser app is giving Premium subscribers the ability to download songs for offline listening.

Details of this upcoming change originate from a Reddit user who posted multiple screenshots of the altered service. There’s not much to go off at the moment. The images show there will be a new blue Download button in between Save to Library and the three-dot expandable menu above an album’s tracklist. Clicking it causes a Downloading window to pop up in the bottom left-hand corner denoting progress. 

Downloads on Web App from r/YoutubeMusic

Once finished, you can head on over to the new Downloads tab on the Library page to find the song. A line of text underneath states music will stay on your device indefinitely so long as it connects to the internet “once every 30 days.” 9To5Google in their report states the feature will have filters allowing users to sort content by “Playlists, Podcasts, Songs, and Albums.”

Limited roll out

It’s important to mention that offline downloading may only be available to a handful of people. We happened to be one of the lucky few to have received the update on our YouTube Premium subscription (YouTube hasn't made any official announcement). If you look closely at our screenshot, the Download button is actually white instead of blue.

YouTube Premium with Offline downloading

(Image credit: Future)

Some online reports claim people are unable to download podcasts. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case because we were able to grab a couple of episodes. All you have to do is click the three-dot menu to the right of the play button and select Download. The podcast will show up in your Library soon after. This is a big deal as Google Podcasts will be shutting down this April in the United States, forcing listeners over to YouTube Music. It looks like the platform is preparing for the inevitable flood of new people migrating over.

Downloading podcast off YouTube Music

(Image credit: Future)

It’s unknown when this feature will officially roll out, although judging by its recent appearance, a release may be happening soon. YouTube Music users seem to be looking forward to getting the patch. On another Reddit post talking about the update, you’ll see multiple comments talking about how excited they are that offline downloading is just over the horizon.

In our opinion, you can't listen to music without a good pair of headphones. For recommendations, check out TechRadar's list of the best headphones for 2024.

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