Apple today released macOS 15 Sequoia to the public. Apple’s latest and greatest version of macOS brings several long-awaited new features, including iPhone mirroring, improved gaming, new features in the Messages app, and more. Apple Intelligence hasn’t yet made the scene, it will come in a future macOS Sequoia update.
iPhone Mirroring
macOS Sequoia brings impressive improvements to Continuity with iPhone Mirroring. The new feature allows users to fully access and control their iPhone directly from their Mac.
A user’s custom wallpaper and icons appear just like on their iPhone, and they can swipe between pages on their Home Screen, or launch and browse any of their favorite apps. The keyboard, trackpad, and mouse on Mac also let a user interact with their iPhone, and audio even comes through. Users can seamlessly drag and drop between iPhone and Mac, and a user’s iPhone remains locked, so nobody else can access or see what the user is doing. It also works great with StandBy, which stays visible, so users can get information at a glance. Additionally, users can review and respond to iPhone notifications directly from their Mac.
Safari
Safari now offers Highlights, which Apple says is an “even easier way to discover information on the web, such as directions, summaries, or quick links to learn more about people, music, movies, and TV shows.” A redesigned Reader allows users to enjoy articles without distractions and provides a streamlined view of the article a user is reading, as well as a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles. If Safari detects a video on the page, Viewer puts it front and center, providing full access to system playback controls.
Improved Gaming
Several highly-anticipated games will be making an appearance on the Mac in the near future. Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Assassin’s Creed Shadows are on the way, and Capcom will offer RESIDENT EVIL 7 biohazard and RESIDENT EVIL 2. The next major expansion of World of Warcraft: The War Within is on the way later this year. Frostpunk 2, Palworld, Sniper Elite 4, and RoboCop: Rogue City, will all leverage software technologies like MetalFX. And Control Ultimate Edition and Wuthering Waves are coming soon, taking advantage of the latest M3 family of chips to deliver breathtaking visuals with ray tracing.
Personalized Spatial Audio will provide significantly reduced audio latency with 2nd generation AirPods Pro, providing improved responsiveness. Game Mode improvements bring smoother frame rates, while advanced power management features boost performance across the Mac lineup.
Game Porting Toolkit 2 makes it easier to bring advanced games to Mac, as well as iPhone and iPad.
New Passwords App
Built on the foundation of Keychain, which has been around for more than 25 years, macOS Sequoia’s new Passwords app makes it easier to access passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and other credentials all in one spot. The app will use iCloud syncing, which is protected by secure end-to-end encryption. The Passwords app seamlessly syncs password information between Apple devices and Windows devices with the iCloud for Windows app.
Apple’s full release notes for macOS 15 Sequoia are as follows.
macOS Sequoia introduces new features to help you be more productive and creative on Mac. With the latest Continuity feature, iPhone Mirroring, you can access your entire iPhone on Mac. It’s easy to tile windows to quickly create your ideal workspace, and you can even see what you’re about to share while presenting with Presenter Overlay. A big update to Safari features Distraction Control, Highlights, and a redesigned Reader, making it easy to get things done while you browse the web. macOS Sequoia also brings text effects and emoji Tapbacks to Messages, Math Notes to Calculator, the ability to plan a hike in Maps, and so much more.
iPhone Mirroring
– iPhone Mirroring lets you access and control your iPhone on Mac, giving you a convenient way to browse your Home Screen, launch iPhone apps, and interact with them on Mac
– Keyboard and trackpad support enables you to type and use Multi-Touch gestures to swipe through apps on your Home Screen, pinch to zoom, and scroll in apps
– iPhone Notifications on Mac allow you to view and take action on notifications from iPhone right on your MacEasier window tiling
– Tiled window enhancements make it easier to arrange windows by dragging them to the screen’s edge to place them side-by-side or in corners on your desktop
– Keyboard and menu shortcuts can be used to arrange windows into tiled positions even fasterSafari
– Distraction Control helps you hide items on a webpage that you find disruptive to your browsing
– Highlights surface key information from the webpage you’re visiting with summaries, locations, and more
– Redesigned Reader offers even more ways to enjoy articles with a streamlined view of the article you’re reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles
– Viewer lets you watch videos without distractions, and automatically moves videos into Picture-in-Picture when you click away from the pagePasswords
– Passwords app lets you see all your credentials for websites and apps in one place, making it even easier to access your passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes
– Verification codes can be set up right in Passwords so you can easily copy them or autofill them into Safari without even having to open the app
– Secure syncing ensures your accounts saved in Passwords sync seamlessly with iCloud with end-to-end encryption so you can access them on your other devices
– Windows support through the iCloud Passwords app so you can access your passwords on Windows devicesVideo Conferencing
– Presenter Overlay lets you preview your screen before sharing it in video calls
– Play preview gives you a preview of where your content and presenter notes will be when you click Play in Keynote
– Background replacement allows you to upload your own photo or choose from several built-in options to use as your video call backgroundMessages
– Text effects bring your conversations to life by visually amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji in iMessage with dynamic, animated effects like explode, ripple, and nod
– Text formatting lets you add bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough to any letter, word, or phrase in iMessage
– Emoji and sticker Tapbacks let you react to a message using any emoji or sticker, giving you access to the Tapbacks you and your friends send the most with just a swipe
– Send Later lets you compose a message now and schedule it to send laterMaps
– Topographic maps display features like trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest
– Hikes are available across all U.S. national parks and can be saved to your device to access while offline
– Custom walking and hiking routes can be created for hikes in the park, regular exercise routines in your neighborhood, walking tours while on vacation, and more
– Places Library combines all your saved places, guides, and hiking routes into one location for easy accessNotes
– Audio recordings can be started right from inside a note, and kept with related comments, checklists, and documents
– Live transcriptions show as you record audio, and transcripts are fully searchable so you can always find what you need
– Math in Notes let you enter expressions in your note to have them solve instantly
– Collapsible sections help you simplify and hide text in long notes; just click next to a section header to lighten up your most text-heavy notes
– Highlight text in your note with a choice of five colors allows you to make your text standoutPhotos
– Collections automatically organize your library by helpful topics in the sidebar, like Days, Trips, People & Pets, and Featured Photos
– Groups in People & Pets include photos of your favorite people or pets who frequently appear together
– Video speed control lets you slow down high frame rate video content with in and out points
– Utilities includes additional helpful collections like Documents, Receipts, and more, and items you’ve recently edited, viewed, and shared
– Recovered album in Utilities surfaces images that are on your device but were not previously visible due to database corruption in a locked albumApple TV app
– Subtitles automatically appear at just the right times, like when the content language doesn’t match your device language, when you mute the audio, or when you skip back while watching a programAirPods
– Hands-free Siri Interactions let you respond to Siri announcements with AirPods by simply nodding your head ‘yes’ or shaking your head ‘no’
– Voice Isolation on AirPods Pro provides clearer call quality for those you are speaking with, even in windy conditions or places with loud background noise
– Personalized Spatial Audio for gaming with AirPods puts you in the middle of the action with sound that surrounds you combined with a new API for developers that makes it easier than ever to enableThis release also includes other features and improvements:
– Updated basic and scientific calculators in Calculator app can now solve expressions, convert units, and access a history of past calculations
– Reminders in Calendar lets you create, view, edit and complete reminders alongside your meetings and appointments
– Recently Deleted list in Reminders lets you view and retrieve deleted reminders
– Scenes in Freeform allow you to organize your content into sections, then save, label and order them as you like
– Feels Like temperature in Weather app is displayed prominently near the actual temperature when they differ significantly
– Guest access in Home app lets you provide visitors with date and time- based access to locks, garage doors, and alarm systems
– Electricity usage and rate plan information in Home app are displayed for eligible customers when connecting their utility account, starting with Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California
– Accessibility Vocal Shortcuts help people with severe atypical speech record custom utterances that trigger specific actions on MacSome features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices.
For more information, please visit this website: https://www.apple.com/macos/macos-sequoia
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
The macOS Sequoia update is a free download on all compatible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings.
The following Mac models are compatible with macOS Sequoia:
- iMac 2019 and later
- Mac Pro 2019 and later
- iMac Pro 2017
- Mac Studio 2022 and later
- MacBook Air 2018 and later
- Mac mini 2018 and later
- MacBook Pro 2018 and later
