MacOS – How to block updates to Mac OS X Catalina

auto updatecatalinamacossoftware-update

Mac OS X Catalina will be released in a few days, so how can I block updates to that OS so it doesn't get downloaded and, ideally, I don't even get prompts to upgrade.

I have 32-bit software I intend to keep on using, so I can't update since this version of OS X will support 64-bit apps only.

Best Answer

No way to solve the problem via the terminal using:

sudo softwareupdate --ignore "macOS Catalina"

The reminder reappears after few days.

It seems that I solved by removing the SoftwareUpdateNotificationManager launcher.

Namely, from /System/Library/LaunchAgents, move com.apple.SoftwareUpdateNotificationManager.plist to /System/Library/LaunchAgentsIgnored.

Additionally (but it is not clear to me if really needed), I changed the notification configurations in /System/Library/UserNotifications/Bundles/com.apple.SoftwareUpdateNotification.bundle/Contents/Info.plist.

Namely I changed the flags in

<dict>
    <key>UNDaemonShouldReceiveBackgroundResponses</key>
    <true/>
    <key>UNDefaultSettings</key>
    <dict>
        <key>UNSettingAlerts</key>
        <true/>
        <key>UNSettingAlwaysShowPreviews</key>
        <true/>
        <key>UNSettingBadges</key>
        <true/>
        <key>UNSettingModalAlertStyle</key>
        <true/>
        <key>UNSettingSounds</key>
        <true/>
    </dict>
    <key>UNHideSettings</key>
    <true/>
    <key>UNNotificationIcons</key>
    <dict/>
    <key>UNSuppressUserAuthorization</key>
    <true/>

Namely the UNSuppressUserAuthorization flag. However the effect of these flags should be investigated.

A more drastic solution could be to remove the SoftwareUpdateNotification Manager from the core services.

Note that, in order to make these changes, you must boot from another disk, otherwise System is read only.

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