WWDC 2023: Apple introduces macOS Sonoma with interactive widgets, new accessibility features, more

At WWDC 2023, Apple introduced a bunch of new laptops and desktops including a new Mac Studio, a new Mac Pro and a 15-inch MacBook Air. In addition to this, the company also introduced its next generation macOS, dubbed as macOS Sonoma. The macOS Sonoma succeeds last year’s macOS Monterey and it includes a host of new features including new ways to personalise with widgets, new screen savers, significant updates to Safari and video conferencing, and a better gaming experience among other things.

In addition to this, macOS Sonoma also brings updates to Apple PCs’ remote working features. “macOS is the heart of the Mac, and with Sonoma, we’re making it even more delightful and productive to use,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, said on the occasion.

What’s new in macOS Sonoma?

Here are the top features that will be available to Apple PC users with macOS Sonoma later this year:

More widgets

— Apple has introduced Interactive Widgets with macOS Sonoma. With this, users can place widgets on the desktop and access the widget gallery to find the ones they want to users. Apple says that with macOS Sonoma, Widgets blend seamlessly with the wallpaper while users work in apps, so they can stay focused on the task at hand.

— Using a feature called Continuity, users can also access their iPhone widgets on their Mac. A”nd widgets become interactive, allowing users to check off reminders, play or pause media, access home controls, and perform various tasks from their Mac, all directly from the desktop,” the company added.

Video conferencing experience

— macOS Sonoma also enhances the video conferencing experience on Apple’s PCs. The new OS will enable users to present and share their work more effectively within any video conferencing app including Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Cisco’s Webex.

— The company has also introduced Presenter Overlay, which is a new video effect, that will elevate a user’s presence by displaying them on top of the content they are sharing.

— The company has introduced Reactions to enable users to share how they feel by seamlessly adding balloons, confetti, hearts, and more into the video, which can also be triggered with a hand gesture.

— Furthermore, Apple has improved the Screen Sharing picker to simplify the process of sharing apps during video calls. Apple says that users can simply click the green button in the top-left corner of an app and choose to share it in the call, allowing for easy content sharing from their currently open windows.

Safari updates

— Apple has also improved the Private Browsing functionality in Safari, which will provide greater protection during browsing both from trackers and from people who might have access to the user’s device.

— Apple has introduced Advanced tracking and fingerprinting protections in Private Browsing experience in Safari, which will help prevent websites from tracking or identifying the user.

— Furthermore, Private Browsing windows will lock when users are not using them, allowing them to keep tabs open even when they step away from their device.

— Apple has improved profiles as a way to separate browsing between topics, while also keeping cookies, history, extensions, Tab Groups, and Favorites separate. “Users can sign in to the same site with both work and personal accounts — and quickly switch between them — ensuring a smooth browsing experience,” Apple added.

— Also, the company says that Safari has been updated to enable the creation of web apps that behave like normal apps.

Better gaming experience

— macOS Sonoma introduces Game Mode to Apple PCs, which will give players an edge when performance is measured in precious milliseconds. Apple says that the new Game Mode ‘delivers an optimised gaming experience with smoother and more consistent frame rates, by ensuring games get the highest priority on the CPU and GPU’.

— Game Mode will also lower audio latency with AirPods, and significantly reducing input latency with popular game controllers like those for Xbox and PlayStation by doubling the Bluetooth sampling rate. Game Mode works with any game, including all of the recent and upcoming Mac games.

Better Screen Sharing app

— macOS Sonoma brings a new high-performance mode to the Screen Sharing app, which will help in delivering low-latency audio, high frame rates, and support for up to two virtual displays.

— The new high-performance mode will enable users to securely access their content creation workflows remotely. “And with support for reference colour, it also enables remote color workflows that traditionally could not be performed without dedicated hardware and specialised software,” Apple added.

More accessibility features

— Apple says that customers with hearing disabilities, will be able to connect their Made for iPhone hearing devices to their Mac for calls and media consumption.

— Apple device users who are nonspeaking can use Live Speech to type and vocalise their thoughts during calls and conversations.

— Apple also says that users with physical and motor disabilities will get access to phonetic suggestions, which will appear when dictating and editing text with Voice Control on Mac.

— Apple says tgar animated images like GIFs can be automatically paused in Messages and Safari to help users with cognitive disabilities.

— Users who are blind or have low vision will be able to customise text size across Mac apps, and utilise Xcode with VoiceOver, Apple’s industry-leading screen reader.

More features

— Enhanced PDF functionality has been included to allow users for quick form-filling with AutoFill, and smart recipient recommendations.

— Apple says that Notes now displays PDFs and document scans in full width, and with linked notes, users can quickly connect related notes like recipes or homework.

— Users now have the ability to simply say “Siri” to activate Siri.

— Users can now create a group to share a set of passwords. Everyone in a group can add and edit passwords to keep them up to date, and since sharing is through iCloud Keychain, it’s end-to-end encrypted.

— The one-time verification codes received in Mail will now autofill in Safari, making it easy to securely log in without leaving the browser.

— Users will be able to connect with those closest to them with an all-new stickers experience, enhancements to features like search, reply, groups, and syncing with Messages in iCloud.

— Intelligent grocery lists in Reminders will help users streamline weekly trips to the store. Additionally, users will be able to organise lists into sections and arrange them horizontally using a new column view.

macOS Sonoma availability

Apple will start rolling out macOS Sonoma starting this fall to users with 2019 iMac or later, 2019 Mac Pro or later, 2017 iMac Pro or later, 2022 Mac Studio or later, 2018 MacBook Pro or later, 2018 Mac Mini or later, and 2018 MacBook Pro or later.