What's new in macOS Sonoma? Here's everything you need to know

macOS Sonoma is coming. And you’re probably curious to know what’s new. Although this version is not a game changer compared to previous versions, it offers a number of key new features that could radically change the way you interact with the desktop, the Safari web browser and much more.

Let’s find out what’s new so as not to be caught off guard when Sonoma is released on September 26, 2023.

All about widgets

The biggest change you will find in Sonoma is about widgets. Like iOS, you will now be able to add widgets to your macOS desktop. These widgets will come from a gallery that offers a number of possible options, such as a podcast player, lighting and home automation controllers, or media players. These widgets are interactive, and others will also be informative, such as calendars and to-do lists.

When you add a widget, it is automatically placed in a free space on your desktop and grouped with other widgets. These widgets also adapt to the appearance of your desktop, depending on the color of what is behind them, while maintaining a high level of readability. The widgets also fade into the background when you focus on something else on your desktop. You can choose to set the color preferences of your widgets, in case you don’t like the way they look, based on the current desktop wallpaper.

macOS Sonoma will also allow you to access the widgets of your iPhone directly from your Mac. Thanks to this feature, you will be able to add the same widgets to your desktop as on your iPhone.

Videoconferencing

A number of improvements will allow you to optimize your video conferences. The most important change concerns the new presenter overlay function, which puts you in the foreground when you share your screen. So instead of conference attendees only seeing your screen, they will see your screen and a smaller or larger version of you. The effect more accurately reproduces the feeling of a live presentation and allows you to better personalize the conference experience.

The small overlay places you in a floating bubble above the split screen. You can move the bubble to a specific place, so as not to interfere with access to important information.

There is also a new screen sharing selector that allows you to easily share an application (or several applications) during a video call.

The new video conferencing application also allows you to better control the composition of your video. This works if you use a Studio Display or an iPhone as a camera and allows you to adjust the frame using zoom or pan controls, or even to keep yourself automatically centered in the frame.

Safari gets profiles

If Safari is your favorite browser, Apple has planned a very interesting feature with Sonoma. The next version allows you to create profiles for specific topics. For example, you can create a profile titled “Work” and another “Personal”. Each profile will exist separately, which means that bookmarks, history, extensions, tab groups, cookies and favorites will not mix.

You can also easily switch from one profile to another while you are working, so you will never have to worry about the interaction between your work and your personal browsing.

Searching in Safari is also much faster and more user-friendly in Sonoma. And for those who like to use web applications, you will be able to add them to your macOS dock.

The new version of Safari also includes enhanced security in incognito mode. When you are not using a private window, Safari locks it. In addition, the new version of Safari completely blocks the loading of known trackers on pages and even removes all tracking information added to URLs when browsing.

Password sharing

The ability to create a group and choose a password (or a set of passwords) to share is another feature that many users will find useful. Each password will always remain up to date for the group, so you won’t have to worry about informing them of the update.

Thanks to this feature, you can create a family group and share all the necessary passwords with each member of the group.

Messages

The next version of the Messages application will make it easier for you to find what you are looking for. Thanks to the ability to combine search filters, you will be able to more easily narrow your search parameters, which will greatly help those who have a large number of messages to search.

A new catch-up arrow allows you to immediately jump to the first message of a conversation that you have not yet viewed. The application also allows you to swipe right on any message to reply to it.

The new version of the Message app also makes it easier for you to share your location directly from the Plus button. And when a contact shares their location with you, you can display it directly in the conversation.

The other novelties of macOS Sonoma

Here is a list of other upcoming features in macOS Sonoma.

Full-width PDF display, directly from the Notes application. You can also link related notes together.

Start in Notes and end in Pages by sending a note to Pages via the Share button.

More accurate automatic correction.

Game Mode automatically gives games the highest priority at the CPU and GPU level for better performance and to reduce latency with wireless devices.

Communication Safety includes protection for sensitive videos and photos.

The sensitive content warning allows you to blur sensitive photos and videos before viewing them.

The extended locking mode makes it possible to protect against the most sophisticated cyber attacks.

The Higher Performance mode in screen sharing uses the advanced multimedia engine of Apple chips to improve performance on high-bandwidth connections.