Last week, Apple seeded the macOS Monterey 12.3 beta build to developers and public beta testers. Now, its release notes have been updated with a cautionary note advising users against installing macOS Monterey 12.3 beta on a storage volume with FileVault enabled.

The warning on Apple’s developer website states that if you are on macOS Catalina and attempt to install macOS Monterey 12.3 beta or macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 beta on a disk with FileVault encryption, your Mac could end up in a boot loop. Specifically, the issue may crop up when you attempt to log back into a previous volume, says Apple.

The issue Apple highlighted in the latest macOS Monterey beta would leave you stuck with the Monterey beta on the volume with FileVault, unable to return to your trusty old macOS Catalina install, although they are on different APFS volumes.

For the unversed, Apple allows macOS installation on a separate APFS volume since macOS High Sierra. This allows you to switch between two different versions of macOS, including beta builds. The feature is a major asset for beta testers since they could dedicate an APFS volume to beta updates while the same Mac’s second disk volume runs a stable software build to serve as a reliable daily driver. You can check out Apple’s support document about this for more information.

Admittedly, the issue may not affect a vast majority of Mac users updating to the latest beta build. Further, we are hopeful Apple will iron out this issue by the time macOS Monterey 12.3 is released as a stable build for the general public.

That said, the best practice when testing beta builds is to install updates on one Mac while a completely separate Mac serves as your daily driver. Testing bug-laden software on your everyday computer could prove to be risky. Did you accidentally fall prey to this issue? Let us know in the comments section.