TestFlight 4.3.1 restores recent-first beta sorting on the Mac (September 4, 2026)
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TL;DR
The Mac fix dated September 4, 2026 is in an app rather than in macOS: Apple shipped TestFlight 4.3.1 to undo a regression that had been sorting the beta app list alphabetically instead of showing recent betas first, according to MacRumors on September 4, 2026. The behaviour arrived in TestFlight 4.3 in July 2026, the release that added a search field. Version 4.3.1 was available in the App Store on September 4, 2026 and restores recent betas as the default order while keeping the search field, and MacRumors is careful to say that "it is not entirely clear if this was a bug or an intentional change, but many users did not like it".
- TestFlight 4.3.1 was available in the App Store on September 4, 2026 and restores recent betas as the default order.
- The alphabetical ordering began in July 2026 with TestFlight 4.3, the release that added the search field.
- The only thing a tester could do in the meantime was use the search field added in 4.3, which meant typing an app name instead of glancing at the top of the list.
- Apple never characterised the original change publicly, so whether it was a defect or a decision is still unstated.
- No macOS release shipped in this window: Apple's security releases page lists nothing for macOS in September 2026 as of this date.
What TestFlight 4.3.1 changes
One thing, and it is the right thing. The list of beta apps defaults again to recent betas, so a build you were sent an hour ago is at the top where it used to be. The search field that arrived in 4.3 stays, so nothing was traded away to get the ordering back.
The version number is the detail to act on: 4.3.1, in the App Store. There is no setting involved, nothing to reset and no preference to change, because the ordering was never exposed as an option.
Apple did not describe the original change when it happened and has not described it now. That is why the honest framing is a restored default rather than an acknowledged bug fix.
What the alphabetical list actually cost
For a tester carrying a handful of betas, alphabetical ordering is a minor annoyance. For a tester carrying dozens, it changes the job: a new build no longer announces itself at the top of the list, and finding it means scrolling or typing its name every time.
The absence of sortable column headers is what made it stick. TestFlight offers no sort control, so there was no way to put recency back yourself between July 2026 and September 4, 2026. The only available workaround was the new search field, which costs typing the app name at every visit instead of glancing at one screen.
None of this is destructive and none of it loses a build. It is a tool that stopped putting the thing you want where you look for it.
Why an app fix is the Mac story of the day
I would rather say a day is thin than manufacture an outage. September 4, 2026 produced no operating-system-level macOS defect reporting: no point release, no known-issue entry, no security update and no acknowledged regression in macOS itself.
Apple's own Apple Support security releases page supports that. The page carries no publication date of its own because it is updated in place, and as of September 4, 2026 it listed no macOS entry anywhere in September 2026. The newest macOS row is macOS Tahoe 26.6.2, released August 17, 2026, followed by Safari 26.6.1 for macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia on August 18, 2026.
So the useful thing to report for this date is the fix that actually shipped and that a Mac user can install in a minute. That is TestFlight 4.3.1.
| Release | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| TestFlight 4.3 | July 2026 | Added the search field and changed the default order to alphabetical |
| TestFlight 4.3.1 | September 4, 2026 | Restores recent betas as the default order, keeps search |
| macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 | August 17, 2026 | Newest macOS row on Apple's security releases page |
| Safari 26.6.1 for macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia | August 18, 2026 | Last Apple security release touching the Mac in this window |
What you can do today
1. Open the App Store on the Mac, go to Updates, and install TestFlight 4.3.1. It is a normal app update and it needs no restart.
2. Open TestFlight afterwards and confirm the order. Recent betas should be at the top again, and the search field should still be there.
3. If the list is still alphabetical, check the version you actually have rather than hunting for a setting. There is no sort control in TestFlight, so the version number is the only thing that decides the ordering.
4. Do not wait for a macOS update to change this. TestFlight comes from the App Store and updates on its own schedule, and as of September 4, 2026 Apple had shipped no macOS release since August 17, 2026.
5. If you do not use TestFlight, there is nothing to install on the Mac today. That is a plain result, and it is better than a fabricated one.
Frequently asked questions
Was the alphabetical order a bug or a deliberate change?
That is still unstated. MacRumors wrote on September 4, 2026 that "it is not entirely clear if this was a bug or an intentional change, but many users did not like it", and Apple never characterised the original change publicly.
Did macOS get an update on September 4, 2026?
No. Apple's security releases page listed no macOS entry anywhere in September 2026 as of that date. The newest macOS row was macOS Tahoe 26.6.2 from August 17, 2026, with Safari 26.6.1 for macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia on August 18, 2026.