Apple’s macOS updates have been so boring currently, essentially the most fascinating a part of final 12 months’s macOS Sonoma ended up being widgets. Widgets! Fortunately, macOS Sequoia has much more occurring — or at the least it can, as soon as Apple Intelligence rolls out over the subsequent few months. For now, although, Sequoia delivers a number of useful options like iPhone Mirroring, a full-fledged Passwords app and computerized transcription within the Notes app. On the very least, it is obtained much more occurring than widgets.
iPhone mirroring adjustments all the things for Macs
Heading into WWDC earlier this 12 months, I hoped that Apple would let Imaginative and prescient Professional customers mirror their iPhones simply as simply as they will mirror their Macs. Properly, we did not get that, however iPhone Mirroring on macOS Sequoia is near what I would need on the Imaginative and prescient Professional. As soon as you’ve got obtained a Mac (with an Apple Silicon chip, or one of many final Intel fashions with a T2 safety chip) operating the brand new OS, in addition to an iPhone operating iOS 18, you’ll be able to simply pair the 2 utilizing the iPhone Mirroring app.
As soon as that connection is made, you will see a whole replication of your telephone inside the app. It took me a couple of minutes to get used to navigating iOS with a trackpad and keyboard (there are a number of new hotkeys value studying), however as soon as I did, I had no hassle opening my standard iPhone apps and video games. For those who’re spoiled by the 120Hz ProMotion display screen from an iPhone Professional, you will discover that the mirrored connection does not look practically as clean, however from my testing it held a gradual 60fps all through video games and movies. I did not discover any annoying audio or video lag both.
Whereas it is good to have the ability to launch my iPhone from my Mac, I used to be stunned at what ended up being essentially the most helpful facet of this function: Notifications. As soon as you’ve got related your telephone, its alerts pop up in your Mac’s Notification Heart, and it takes only one click on to launch the app it is tied to. That is helpful for alerts from Instagram, DoorDash and different common apps that don’t have any actual Mac choices, apart from launching their web sites in a browser.
iPhone Mirroring can also be a sneaky approach to get in a number of rounds of Vampire Survivors throughout interminably lengthy conferences or courses. (Not that I might ever do such a factor.) Whereas many cellular video games have made their approach over to the Mac App Retailer, there are nonetheless hundreds that have not, so it is good to have a approach to entry them on a bigger display screen. Not each recreation works effectively on Macs — it is simply robust to duplicate a handheld touchscreen expertise with a big trackpad — however mirroring is an honest choice for slower-paced titles. I did not encounter any unusual framerate or lagging points, and sound carried over flawlessly as effectively.
I usually all the time have my telephone inside attain, even once I’m working at a desk. However selecting it up would inevitably disrupt my workflow — it is simply far too straightforward to get a notification and end up scrolling TikTok or Instagram, with no reminiscence of how you bought there. With iPhone Mirroring, I can simply carry on engaged on my Mac with out lacking any updates from my telephone. It is also been helpful when my iPhone is related to a wi-fi charger and I desperately want extra energy earlier than I run out the home.
For those who’re the type of one who leaves your telephone round your house, I would guess mirroring would even be useful. The function requires having each Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, and the connection vary is round 50 toes, or what I would anticipate from Bluetooth. Thick partitions and different obstructions may also cut back that vary considerably. In my testing, I might go away my iPhone in my yard and nonetheless be capable to mirror it in my front room 40 toes away. Naturally, the additional you get, the choppier the expertise.
Positive, Apple is not the primary firm to deliver smartphone mirroring to PCs. Samsung and different Android telephone makers have been providing it for years, and Microsoft additionally has the “Phone Link” app (previously Your Telephone) for mirroring and file syncing. However these implementations differ dramatically relying on the smartphone you are utilizing, they do not seamlessly combine notifications and easily put, they’d usually fail to attach. When you arrange iPhone Mirroring, moving into your telephone takes just some seconds. It simply works. And after testing the function for weeks, I have not run into any main connection points.
Higher window tiling, lastly!
It is 2024 and Apple has lastly made it simpler to place Mac home windows round your monitor. Now you’ll be able to drag apps to the perimeters or corners of your display screen, and so they’ll mechanically modify themselves. It is allowed me to shortly place a browser I am utilizing for analysis alongside an Evernote window or Google Doc. Much like Stage Supervisor in macOS Ventura, the tiling shortcuts are a major shift for Mac window administration.
And, in fact, they’re additionally clearly much like Home windows 10 and 11’s snapping function. Provided that a lot of Apple’s UI focus is on iOS, iPadOS and VisionOS nowadays, it is simple to really feel just like the Mac has been left behind a bit. I do not blame Apple for cribbing Microsoft’s UI improvements, particularly when it makes life simpler for Mac customers.
Slick video conferencing background alternative
Apple has supplied lighting changes and portrait background blurring in video chats for years, and now it is utilizing that very same machine studying know-how to utterly change your backgrounds. Admittedly, this is not a really new or thrilling function. However it’s value highlighting as a result of it really works throughout each video chat app in your Mac, and because it’s counting on Apple’s Neural Engine, it appears a lot better than software-based background replacements.
Apple’s know-how does a greater job of preserving your hair and garments inside focus, however nonetheless separated from synthetic backgrounds. And better of all, it does not appear like an affordable inexperienced display screen impact. You may select from a number of coloration gradients, photographs of Apple Park or your personal footage or movies.
Different highlights of macOS Sequoia
Listed here are a number of different upgrades I appreciated:
-
The Passwords app does an honest job of amassing your saved passwords, but it surely’s clearly only a first try. It is not practically as sensible about plugging in my passwords into browser fields as apps like 1Password and LastPass.
-
The Notes app now allows you to report voice notes and mechanically transcribes them. You may also proceed to jot down textual content throughout a voice recording, making it a helpful approach to maintain monitor of interviews and lectures. I am hoping future updates add options like multi-speaker detection.
-
Having the ability to jot down math equations in Notes is cool, but it surely’s not one thing I depend on day by day. I am positive it’s going to be very helpful to highschool and faculty youngsters taking superior math programs, although.
-
Messages lastly will get wealthy textual content formatting and a ship later choice. Huzzah!
Lastly, a macOS replace value getting enthusiastic about
You’d be forgiven for utterly ignoring the final batch of macOS updates, particularly if you happen to haven’t been enthusiastic about Stage Supervisor or, sigh, widgets. However if you happen to’re a Mac and iPhone proprietor, Sequoia is value a direct improve. Having the ability to mirror your iPhone and its notifications is genuinely helpful, and it’s filled with different useful options. And naturally, if you wish to get some Apple Intelligence motion subsequent month, you’ll don’t have any alternative however to improve. (We’ll have additional impressions on all of Apple’s AI options as they launch.)
Positive, it’s a bit ironic that Apple’s getting old desktop OS is getting a shot of life by way of its cellular platform, however truthfully, one of the best current Mac options have been immediately lifted from iOS and iPadOS. It’s clear that Apple is prioritizing the gadgets that get up to date much more steadily than laptops and desktops. I can’t blame the corporate for being reasonable – for now, I’m simply glad it’s thoughtfully making an attempt to make its gadgets play good collectively. (And significantly, simply deliver iPhone mirroring to the Imaginative and prescient Professional already.)