Firmware updates with macOS 15.0, 14.7 and 13.7
macOS Sequoia 15.0 and the security updates to Sonoma 14.7 and Ventura 13.7 brought firmware updates to most supported models. Over the weekend I have updated the databases used by SilentKnight, and the relevant articles listing them here, including new information for Macs running Sequoia, published a few minutes ago.
Which Macs get firmware updates?
For many years now, firmware updates have only been supplied in macOS updates and upgrades, and haven’t been offered as separate installations. It therefore follows that the only Macs that can receive firmware updates are those still supported by one of the three supported versions of macOS.
If the most recent version of macOS your Mac can install (without using OCLP) is Monterey, that automatically means that it can’t get any further firmware updates, as the final version of Monterey was 12.7.6, released on 29 July 2024. In practice, though, Apple normally stops revising EFI firmware well before that event, and this year has followed that pattern again.
Macs no longer supported
With the start of the Sequoia cycle, Apple appears to have ceased revising EFI firmware for the following models, all of which were originally released in June 2017:
iMacs introduced in June 2017 – iMac18,1, iMac18,2, iMac18,3
MacBook from June 2017 – MacBook10,1
MacBook Pros from June 2017 with a T1 chip – MacBookPro14,1, MacBookPro14,2, MacBookPro14,3
The last firmware update for those is dated 23 June 2024, and supplied in the Ventura 13.7 security update.
These have occurred slightly earlier than would have been expected, just 7 years after that model’s first release. It was previously more usual to see support extend for 8 or more years after release.
Intel (EFI) model still supported
The only Intel Macs without a T2 chip that are still supported with EFI firmware updates are iMac 2019 models, designated iMac19,1. Not only do they continue to receive firmware updates, but they’re still supported by macOS Sequoia. In theory, that could enable them to continue to receive firmware updates until the summer of 2027, when maintenance of Sequoia is expected to cease. However, I suspect that it’s more likely that firmware support for them will be discontinued in June 2026, 7 years after their release. They’re already the last Intel Mac without a T2 chip to be supported by Sequoia.
Intel Macs with T2 chips
All other Intel Macs still supported by Sequoia have T2 chips, which have a common firmware installer. However, their release dates range from December 2017 (iMac Pro) to August 2020 (iMac Retina 5K 27-inch). Apple has already stopped current macOS support for two T2-equipped MacBook Air models (2018 and 2019), so it’s possible the list of Intel Macs supported by macOS 16 next year will be shorter than that for macOS 15 this year.
In 2026, when support for Sonoma stops, this should mean that, for the first time, some Macs with T2 chips will only be able to run older versions of their firmware, while others will continue to receive updates.
OpenCore Legacy Patcher
Macs that can have OCLP installed so they can run unsupported versions of macOS don’t receive any further firmware updates. They’re stuck with the last version released in their last supported macOS update.
