5 exciting macOS Sonoma features to look out for

Apple, amongst a host of software and hardware upgrades and updates, also announced the latest version of its desktop and laptop OS – macOS, which it is calling macOS Sonoma.

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Sonoma brings with it a host of new features which look to elevate macOS’ already fluid user experience. The developer beta of macOS Sonoma has already been made available through the Apple Developer Program, and a public beta version will be rolled out next month. The release of the final public version is scheduled for this fall.

While we wait to get our hands on the latest macOS Sonoma, here’s a list of five exciting features to look out for.

1. Game Mode

The built-in Game Mode delivers an optimised gaming experience with consistent frame rates. It also lowers audio latency when connected to AirPods, and reduces input latency when connected to external controllers and joysticks by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate. In addition to this, Apple Silicon adds to the graphics performance on every Mac.

Developers can take advantage of Metal 3 and bring a multitude of graphics-intensive titles to Mac. These include Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Stray, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Resident Evil Village: Winters’ Expansion, SnowRunner, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and more.

2. Updates to Safari

Apple also introduced a host of features on Safari with major updates to Private Browsing. It now offers users with greater protection while browsing the web from both – trackers and from people who may have access to the user’s device. Advanced tracking in private browsing also helps prevent websites from identifying the user or tracking them.

With Sonoma, Safari also helps users stay organised by allowing them to keep sperate profiles for work and personal purposes. Safari also allows users to sign into the same site with two different accounts – work and personal accounts, as well as quickly switch between them. Additionally, it also allows for the creation of web apps which behave like normal apps on a Mac.

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3. Interactive Widgets

Widgets, which were earlier accessible only through the notifications tab, can now be placed right on the desktop. They blend with the wallpaper in the background while users work so there’s no distraction. Using the Continuity feature, users can also place iPhone widgets on their Mac. Furthermore, Mac widgets will be interactive, allowing you to do things such as check off reminders, play or pause media, access controls to their home devices, amongst others.

4. Video conferencing

Apple also introduced enhanced video conferencing features enabling users to present and share their work more effectively. This works on FaceTime as well as other third-party apps like Teams, Zoom or Webex. One such feature is Presenter Overlay, an effect which super-imposes a user’s picture on top of the content they are sharing.

Additionally, reaction features now allow users to better share their opinions and views by adding effects such as balloons, confetti, hearts, and more into the video itself, as reactions, which can also be triggered using a hand gesture. The Screen Sharing picker is now improved, as it simplifies the process of sharing entire apps during calls. Users can now just click the green button in the top-left corner of an app and share it in the call, allowing for easy sharing of content from their windows and tabs.

5. Accessibility Features

macOS Sonoma brings in a whole range of accessibility features, making it all the more customisable for users. For instance, those with hearing impairments can connect their hearing devices to their Mac for calls as well as watching movies and TV shows. Users with speech impairments, on the other hand, can use Live Speech to type and voice their thoughts during conversations. Similarly, for those with motor disabilities, phonetic suggestions appear while dictating and editing text with Voice Control. Users with vision impairments can easily modify text size across apps now.