Apple MacOS Sonoma with new screen savers, widgets, Game Mode, and more now available

Apple has started to roll out MacOS Sonoma, its latest version of the desktop operating system for compatible Mac devices. The update brings new features and improvements, such as stunning new screen savers, interactive widgets, Game Mode boosts, Safari profiles, and much more.

Here’s the full changelog of the MacOS Sonoma:

Screen Savers

• Stunning screen savers of locations from around the world seamlessly become your desktop wallpaper when you log in

Widgets

• Widgets can be placed anywhere on the desktop and adapt to the color of your wallpaper while working on apps

• iPhone widgets can be added to your Mac when your iPhone is nearby or on the same Wi-Fi network

• Interactive widgets let you take actions directly from the widget such as running a shortcut, pausing media, and more

Video Conferencing

• Presenter Overlay keeps you front and center while sharing your screen

• Reactions layer 3D effects like hearts, balloons, confetti, and more around you in video calls

Safari and Passwords

• Profiles keep your browsing separate for topics like work and personal

• Web apps let you use any website like an app, complete with an icon in the Dock for faster access and a simplified toolbar for easier browsing

• Enhanced Private Browsing locks your private browsing windows when you’re not using them, blocks known trackers from loading, and removes tracking that identifies you from URLs

• Password and passkey sharing with trusted contacts

Messages

• Live Stickers sync from iOS and iPadOS to macOS, giving you access to the Live Stickers you create on your iPhone and iPad

• Search filters for people, keywords, and content types like photos or links

• Swipe to reply inline on any iMessage bubble

Gaming

• Game Mode gives games the highest priority on the CPU and GPU, delivering more consistent frame rates and lower latency to wireless controllers

Keyboard

• Improved autocorrect accuracy makes typing even easier by leveraging a more powerful transformer-based language model

• Inline predictive text shows single- and multi-word predictions that you can add by pressing the Space bar

• Improved Dictation experience supports using your voice and keyboard together to enter text

AirPods

• Adaptive Audio is a new listening mode that dynamically blends Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency to tailor the noise control experience based on the conditions of your environment

• Press to mute and unmute your microphone when on a call

• Improved AirPods automatic switching now detects Mac up to 2X faster

Privacy

• Sensitive Content Warnings can be enabled to help prevent users from unexpectedly viewing sensitive images in Messages

• Expanded Communication Safety protections for children now detect videos containing nudity in addition to photos shared through Messages and the Photos Picker

Accessibility

• Live Speech lets you type what you want to say and read it aloud in FaceTime calls or in-person conversations

• Personal Voice helps users at risk of speech loss create a voice that sounds like them in a private and secure way using on-device machine learning

• Made for iPhone compatible hearing devices can be paired and used with Mac

This release includes other features and improvements:

• One-time verification code AutoFill from Mail helps you quickly sign into sites in Safari

• Inline PDFs and document scans in Notes are presented full-width making them easy to view

• Grocery Lists in Reminders automatically group related items into sections as you add them

• Option to say “Siri” in addition to “Hey Siri” for a more natural way to activate Siri

• High-performance mode in Screen Sharing improves responsiveness while remotely accessing a Mac with Apple silicon

MacOS Sonoma compatible devices

• iMac2019 and later
• Mac Pro2019 and later
• iMac Pro2017
• Mac Studio2022 and later
• MacBook Air2018 and later
• Mac mini2018 and later
• MacBook Pro2018 and later

How to get the update

MacOS Sonoma is available as a free upgrade for compatible Mac devices. Users can download and install the MacOS Sonoma update by going to System Settings -> Software Update and clicking on Upgrade Now. The update may take several minutes to download and install, and it is also recommended to backup important files before proceeding with the upgrade.