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macOS Sonoma: Features, compatible Macs, and top stories

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macOS Sonoma

macOS Sonoma, or macOS 14, introduces new features and multiple enhancements. This includes improvements to iMessage, desktop widgets, aerial screensavers, a new Game Mode, and more.

Here’s what’s new with macOS Sonoma

Just like iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, iMessage on macOS Sonoma comes with a bunch of new features.

Perhaps the most notable is the new Lock Screen, which looks similar to what users find on the iPhone and iPad. But that’s not all, as macOS Sonoma comes with over 100 new wallpapers that become screensavers on the Lock Screen. Some of the new wallpapers come from Apple TV’s Aerial screensavers.

With macOS Sonoma, users can also place widgets on the desktop instead of keeping them hidden in the Notification Center. Apple has made it easier to hide all windows and show the desktop with just one click on the wallpaper. Similar to iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, macOS 14 features interactive widgets.

FaceTime users can now react with their hands to show 3D effects in real time during a video call. There are also new effects to show your image floating when sharing your screen with others.

macOS Sonoma Lock Screen and wallpapers

Gamers will find new game-related features in macOS Sonoma, such as a Game Mode for better performance and a new API for porting Windows games to macOS. The Sonoma update also brings some of the features of iOS 17, such as new stickers in iMessage, improved web app support, and a better auto-correct keyboard.

macOS is the heart of the Mac, and with Sonoma, we’re making it even more delightful and productive to use,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “We think users are going to love macOS Sonoma and the new ways it enables them to personalize with widgets and stunning new screen savers, see new levels of gaming performance, and gain powerful productivity for video conferencing and browsing with Safari.

Compatible Macs

These are the Mac computers compatible with macOS Sonoma:

You can check which Mac you have by clicking on the Apple menu and then About This Mac. If you have a compatible Mac, you can update to macOS 14 by going to System Settings > General > Software Update.

macOS Sonoma

Top stories about macOS Sonoma

You may want to disable the new FaceTime reactions before your online therapy session

FaceTime camera reactions iOS macOS

iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma are now available to the public, and they bring many new features to FaceTime – including 3D reactions that appear when users reproduce specific gestures with their hands. However, these effects have been embarrassing users in some situations, such as online therapy sessions – and you might want to turn them off.

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iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma automatically generate Apple ID passkeys

Passkeys

Now that iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma are available, you can forgo entering your password on icloud.com and apple.com domains thanks to newly added passkey support. Any Apple site on the web can rely instead on Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate your login. As part of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma, your Apple ID is automatically assigned a passkey that can be used for iCloud and Apple sites.

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Apple releases first betas for iOS 17.1, watchOS 10.1, tvOS 17.1, and macOS 14.1

iOS 17.

Update: One day later, Apple has released public beta versions as well. The new update brings changes to Apple Music, AirDrop, and more.


Now that iOS 17 is the latest shipping software, Apple is ready to move on to iOS 17.1 for developer beta testers. The first iOS 17.1 beta is now available for iPhones with developer beta updates enabled.

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Here’s how to disable ‘Click wallpaper to reveal desktop’ on macOS Sonoma

macOS Sonoma Desktop

Apple on Tuesday released macOS Sonoma to the public, and the update brings multiple new features – including some minor ones. One thing users have probably noticed after installing the update is the new “Click wallpaper to reveal desktop” option that comes enabled by default, and, as the name suggests, it hides all windows when you click on the wallpaper.

If you’re annoyed by this new feature, don’t worry, there’s a way to turn it off.

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