Installing the next macOS 11.3 software update on a Mac M1 may result in the removal of Rosetta 2 in one or more regions around the world.
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In the third beta of macOS 11.3 distributed to developers for testing today, MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered new strings in the beta code, indicating that “Rosetta will be removed after installing this update.” Another new string says “Rosetta is no longer available in this region. Applications that require Rosetta will no longer be run.”
Apple did not specify in which regions Rosetta 2 “would no longer be available” and no additional details are known at this time.
Apple is removing Rosetta from Macs during updates in some countries on Mac 11.3 beta 3. Perhaps this is due to legal issues? “Rosetta will be removed after installing this update” “Rosetta is no longer available in your region. Applications that require Rosetta will no longer work ” pic.twitter.com/NmsjXOwPvP
– Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) March 3, 2021
Rosetta 2 allows Macs with Apple silicon, such as the M1 chip, to run x86 applications developed for an Intel-based Mac. The translation layer works in the background when a user opens a compiled application only for Intel-based Mac computers and automatically translates the application for use with Apple silicon the first time the application is run.
It is not clear why macOS 11.3 can remove Rosetta 2 on Macs M1 in some regions, but there may be legal or copyright reasons involved. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment, but we will provide an update if we hear back.
The third beta of macOS 11.3 also adds some new image settings to map the game controller buttons to keyboard layouts, according to Moser’s code-level findings, but we’re not sure what that entails.