The next version of the Mac operating system , macOS 15 Sequoia , arrive on Monday , September 16 , bringing some tempting new features , building on those insert in macOS 14 Sonoma .
Unfortunately , there will be some who could run Sonoma who wo n’t be able-bodied to update to Sequoia . The compatibility tilt of Macs that are able-bodied to run Sequoia is a little smaller than that of macOS Sonoma , with a duet of 13 - inch MacBook Air models from 2018 and 2019 that wo n’t be capable to deploy the 2024 macOS . In addition , only Macs with an M1 , M2 , or M3 - serial chip will support the unexampled AI features name to as “ Apple Intelligence ” .
You may be wonder if it is worth updating your Mac so you could run Sequoia , or if stick to with Sonoma will be sufficient . instead , your Mac may not be able to run Sequoia , or it might update , but not be able to offer the Apple Intelligence features . If the latter is true then you may be wondering whether it ’s deserving refresh your Mac so you could go Sequoia and the AI features , for help discover a new Mac read our guidebook to theBest Mac .
Here ’s a quick pathfinder to what macOS Sonoma and macOS Sequoia offering and how they compare .
You might like to read about the differences betweeniOS 17 and iOS 18 .
Features in macOS 14 Sonoma
When macOS Sonoma arrived in September 2023 , it did so with a number of cool climb to make life gentle on the Mac . Here ’s our pick of the highlighting features , some of which you might not even have find yet !
Desktop Widgets
interactional thingmajig can be placed on your background in Sonoma , allowing you to manipulate podcasts , view the atmospheric condition , set up or fulfill reminders , manipulate impertinent devices around your home , lend a quick note , and stack of other utilitarian capabilities . The whatchamacallit gallery ( which opens when you press the time and date section at the top of the screen ) is habitation to all the available widgets , all you need to do is trail them onto the Desktop and you ’re safe to go .
Foundry
Thanks to persistence , you may also interact with your iPhone gizmo on your Mac desktop without even having to install those apps .
If you ’re worried about clutter , then Apple has recall of that too , as the widgets fade in the scope when you apply other apps . As they ’re cobwebby in this mode , they ’ll also fit in with any coloring system on your wallpaper .
Screensavers
Speaking of the Desktop , in Sonoma , Apple also better the screensaver and wallpaper selection , proffer high - definition images of gorgeous locations from around the world . These images slowly trip across the landscape painting until settling into a still ikon when you unfold the screen background . A simple addition , but a pretty one .
Video conferencing upgrades
If your telecasting cry and meetings lack pizazz , then the new Presenter Overlay will spark thing up . It is trammel to M1 - powered ( or later ) Macs though , so digest that in mind . If you have the required hardware though , you could opt from two modes – gravid and belittled – with the former cause you in the center of the screen , with any slides you make exhibit behind you , but still in purview . If you want more focus on the selective information , then the small option make you a floating head that can be moved around to ensure the data you ’re show is readable by the other player .
If they like what you ’re doing , then they can utilise a hand gesture to trigger confetti , give you a thumbs - up , or select from a reach of other celebratory liveliness .
Safari upgrades
Safari advance some additional features in macOS Sonoma ( although strictly mouth , new Safari features can be enjoyed on the current and premature two interlingual rendition of macOS because Apple makes the Safari update more widely available ) . The main Safari update was Profiles , which allows you to ready up consecrate environs , say oeuvre and home base , which have unlike extensions , hunting history , Tab Groups , cookie and favourite .
The rendering of Safari that arrive with macOS Sonoma also allowed you to add any website to the dockage so that it works as a vane app . This saves you from having to open Safari and go to the site . To add a web page to the Dock just chatter the webpage and then tap the Share ikon and take Add to Dock . Just click the ikon in the Dock and you ’ll be there in a flash .
PDFs and the Notes app
An AutoFill for PDFs feature makes fill in PDFs even easy as it suggests information from your Contacts , such as your destination and phone act . you may also view PDFs in Notes , in fact , you may stash away multiple PDFs in a note and navigate through them page by page .
One of the big changes in Notes is that you may import Federal Reserve note into Pages to edit them , if you require to flesh a note out into a full text file .
To cut a note in Pages spread out the preeminence in the Notes app , chatter on the share picture and choose Open in Pages .
Game Mode
ForMac gamers , the Game Mode that arrive in Sonoma ensured that the Mac give the secret plan CPU and GPU usage priority to ensure carrying into action is as good as it can be . There ’s also massively reduced latent period for Bluetooth controllers and AirPods audio .
Other features
Apple also brought improvements and additional features to Messages , password share-out , autocorrect , security and more .
New features arriving in macOS 15 Sequoia
With all of the above already construct into macOS , the following feature will be added to your Mac when youinstall macOS Sequoia .
Use your iPhone on your Mac
orchard apple tree
One of the standout feature of macOS Sequoia , for Macs with M1 or later chips ( or T2 - equipped intel Macs ) , is iPhone Mirroring . This is the ability to go your iPhone directly from the Mac desktop . Using the potentiality of Continuity ( a feature article , first introduced with Yosemite in 2014 , that links all your Apple devices ) , you ’ll be capable to open apps , check notifications , and transfer files between Mac and iPhone without having to plunk up your iPhone at all . You will be able-bodied to interact with your iPhone even if you ’re sit at your Mac in the next room .
Windows tiling
Tired of having to manually resize window when you ’re working with multiple apps clear ? macOS Sequoia to the rescue with its new window tiling feature . Now , when you drag a window to a side on the screen it will offer to mechanically adjust its dimensions to crack into a quarter or one-half of the display . you’re able to also achieve the same organisational feat using keyboard shortcuts . Look forrard to having a neater Desktop . This might just be the feature we are most looking forward to !
Video conferencing improvements
Where macOS Sonoma add Presenter Overlay , macOS Sequoia brings Presenter Preview . This shows the presenter what will be shared with others on a call before they can see it .
There are also raw background knowledge replacements that can hide the land of your room . Apple enunciate that its modern layering system should make the blend of the paradigm somewhat seamless , so you do n’t get all the fuzzy edges and artifacts that can often be watch on Zoom calls .
These characteristic are n’t specify to FaceTime , you will be able to take advantage of them in other video conferencing apps .
Safari updates
Apple ’s web browser app continues to better . establish alongside macOS Sequoia will be a newfangled Highlights feature that pulls up the most important and relevant info on a webpage when you come ( although you need to have it do to U.S. English ) . Reader mode also gets a boost with a summary displayed at the top of the page , alongside a table of mental object you could use to navigate through the page .
Plus , a consecrate Video Viewer will let you take dominance of videos on web page .
As usual , the update to Safari will be available for the old two versions of macOS , so Sonoma user will still be able to enjoy them .
Passwords app
As with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 , macOS Sequoia introduces a newpassword manager appthat lets you engineer your logins , master , code , and Wi - Fi details , all from a single interface on your Mac . They all firmly synchronize with your other devices , so you ’ll always have the detail you demand wherever you are .
Apple has long helped customers manage all their parole and login entropy in iCloud Keychain , but 2024 is the class that all this information will become more or less more approachable in an app .
Gaming
build on the foundations of the Game Mode introduced in macOS Sonoma , for those with Apple Silicon - powered Macs , Apple is promising the reaching of young AAA titles that can be play on the Mac . Assassin ’s Creed Shadows , Control , Sniper Elite 4 , and Prince of Persia : The Lost Crown are among the headline biz that will be uncommitted in the Mac App Store in the add up months .
Messages
As with Io 18 and iPadOS 18 , in macOS Sequoia you ’ll have more chance to format text in Messages – including tot various playfulness animations , additional Tapback update – let in the ability to react with any sticker or emoji , and the ability to schedule subject matter to go out at a later prison term or date .
Maps
macOS will advance the same Maps tweak as iOS and iPadOS . For exploiter in the U.S. , this means new topographical maps of 63 interior Rosa Parks – a real blessing for hikers . These include elaborated trail internet and paths so you ’ll be capable to find the best road on your walk adventure . you’re able to also plot your own if you ’d rather impress out in a different direction . No news yet on when other countries will get topographical map for their own park .
Notes
In macOS Sequoia the Notes app will gain the ability to memorialise audio notes and produce a arranging of what ’s being enjoin ( Apple Silicon only ) .
There ’s also a new Math Notes sport that can lick equations and other calculations in tangible time , with automatic adjustment if you shift any of the fictitious character .
highlight finally occur to Notes ( gloriole be ! ) , as does the power to create a collapsible surgical incision that can keep your layout clean-living and manageable .
There are various other tweaks in macOS Sequoia , including improvements for how AirPods interact with your Mac , an update to the Calendar that can care more complex expression , a fresh Scene feature in Freeform that you may use to move through a text file , as well as new sassy collections in the Photos app .
For a exhaustive crack-up of what Apple has dreamed up for Macs , take a look at ourmacOS Sequoia superguide .
What are the Apple Intelligence features in macOS 15 Sequoia?
Apple introduced Apple Intelligence at WWDC , which will fetch a more personalised AI experience to Mac , iPhone , iPad , and Apple Watch . This includes writing tools that can help improve your textbook , rewrite it in other style , and summarise long school text in seconds .
There ’s also the ability to make images using AI , including a agency to produce images based on your contacts , so you’re able to send friends and menage personalized ikon of them dressed as superheroes , enjoying a natal day party , or in other scenarios .
There are also far-flung improvements to Siri , as Apple is work AI advance to its digital helper . These improvements include the incorporation of ChatGPT , although this will be protect by the Modern Private iCloud Compute that will preclude your information from being misused .
It should be noted that due to ironware restriction , only the following M - serial publication Macs will be capable to expend Apple Intelligence :
Which Macs are compatible with macOS Sequoia?
Here ’s the official lean of Macs that will get the Sequoia update :
What’s the difference between macOS 14 and macOS 15?
Obviously , the AI - centric features of Apple Intelligence coming with Sequoia will be a substantial enhancement for Macs , but since they are limited to only the unexampled Mac model , with Intel - powered Macs leave out , they are n’t the sole reason to update . In fact , when the Apple Intelligent lineament launching they will only be in genus Beta , so this is still a engineering in its babyhood .
Luckily , some other impressive features are coming in macOS Sequoia . Where macOS Sonoma brought additions that help personalize the Mac – including screensavers , desktop widgets , and Safari Profiles – macOS Sequoia has a more multi - gimmick focus , with iPhone Mirroring and improved password integration through the Password app , there are also features like Windows tiling for a more tidy desktop and the gambling enhancement that should be a boon forgaming on the Mac .
It ’s simply a spot more and a bit better , although the well stuff is hold for those with the new Macs .
Should I upgrade my Mac to run macOS 15 Sequoia?
It ’s not usually an issue upgrading the software program on a Mac , as Apple make the process sluttish and often painless . If you have an older Mac though , you may need to get a new model to guide Sequoia , or you may be able-bodied to run Sequoia , but not take vantage of all macOS Sequoia ’s standout feature film – such as Apple Intelligence , iPhone Mirroring and audio transcription in Notes – since all necessitate at least an M1 powered gimmick . See : Which Macs can be given Sequoia ?
If you have an M - series Mac , rather than an older Intel - powered mannequin , then macOS Sequoia should establish an impressive upgrade that makes your Mac even more utilitarian than it is already .
If you want to upgrade your Mac to get all the new feature in macOS Sequoia , be sure to check out ourbest Apple dealspage to see if you’re able to pick up a bargain , or take a look at our deals round - ups for each model :
