Installing the upcoming MacOS 11.3 software update on a Mac M1 can remove Rosetta 2 in one or more regions around the world.
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In the third beta of macOS 11.3 released today to developers for testing, MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered new strings in the beta code, stating that “Rosetta will be removed when this update is installed.” Another new line says: “Rosetta is no longer available in this region. Applications that require Rosetta will no longer run. ”
Apple has not specified which regions where Rosetta 2 will no longer be available and no other details are known at this time.
Apple removes Rosetta from Mac during upgrades in some countries to Mac 11.3 beta 3. Maybe this is due to legal issues? “Rosetta will be removed when you install this update” “Rosetta is no longer available in your area. Applications that require Rosetta will no longer run” pic.twitter.com/NmsjXOwPvP
– Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) March 3, 2021
Rosetta 2 allows Apple silicon-powered Macs, such as the M1 chip, to run x86 applications built for an Intel-based Mac. The translation layer works in the background when a user opens a compiled application only for Mac computers with an Intel processor and automatically translates the application for use with Apple silicon the first time you run the application.
It’s unclear why macOS 11.3 could remove Rosetta 2 on M1 Macs in some regions, but there may be legal or copyright reasons. 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 for mapping game controller buttons to keyboard layouts, in line with Moser’s code-level findings, but we’re not entirely sure what that entails.