macOS Sonoma Preview: Features, Updates, and Release Date

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Apple’s macOS Sonoma, the next major software update for Mac, is now available through the company’s public beta program. This means that anyone with a MacBook or compatible Mac desktop can download and install the unfinished software, though you should probably wait until Apple finalizes it before taking the leap.

I’ve been testing macOS Sonoma since shortly after it was released to developers in early June, and there are plenty of new features worth waiting for when Sonoma officially launches later this year.

Until then, here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect once Sonoma is released.

One of the key features coming to macOS Sonoma is a complete overhaul of how you use and interact with widgets on a Mac. Widgets offer visible and now interactive information about an app or service. And in Sonoma, you can put widgets right on your Mac desktop. Previously, widgets were hidden in the Mac’s Notification Center.

You can also place widgets from apps you have installed on your iPhone on your Mac’s desktop. Your iPhone must be on the same Wi-Fi network or close to your Mac for widgets to show as an available option and to work.

If you already have widgets in your Mac’s Notification Center, you can simply drag and drop them onto your desktop to enter editing mode. Otherwise, you can right-click anywhere on the empty desktop and select Edit Widgets. You’ll then see a new widget picker, which has a list of available apps on the left side of the window. Select an app to view the available widget types and sizes, then drag and drop them to the desktop.

I was skeptical that my iPhone widgets would appear and work on the Mac, but the first time I launched the widget chooser, I immediately saw the A Better Route Planner app in the options list, along with all of its widgets , ready to show me information about my car and my travels. Mind. Puffed.

All files and folders will automatically move, making room for the widget.

There are two things I love about the new widgets. The first is that you can quickly view them at any time by simply clicking on an empty space on your desktop. This will immediately move all open apps and windows and the widgets will be displayed in color. The moment you click an app again, the widgets act like a chameleon and adjust some of the background colors.

MacOS Sonoma widgets

Second is the fact that every time you click on a widget that has been updated for Sonoma (currently limited to Apple widgets), you no longer have to launch the app to complete an action. For example, if I want to check off a task from the Reminders app, I can now do it directly from the widget on my desktop. Before Sonoma, clicking the checkbox opened the Reminders app, which then made you click the checkbox again.

I’m looking forward to seeing what third-party developers do with interactive widgets, and I’m really looking forward to tailoring my desktop to my workflow. I wish, however, that I could have a different set of widgets on each desktop.

Apple’s macOS Sonoma includes several improvements for video calling, whether in apps like Zoom or Apple’s FaceTime. More specifically, there are several new reactions that use predefined hand gestures to show animations during a video call.

For example, if you’re on a call and give the camera a thumbs-up gesture, your Mac’s camera will recognize this and show an animated thumbs-up image on the screen. The same goes for making a heart shape with your hands, resulting in hearts floating out of your hands. A peace sign will show balloons rising through the frame around you. Two thumbs up? This triggers the same fireworks effect that iOS has had for years, only your surroundings go dark and the fireworks appear to be in your room. A thumbs down will make your room look cloudy and like it’s starting to rain.

In addition to the fun if not useful effects for those moments when you don’t feel like muting, Apple has also added features designed for when you have no choice but to be in front of the camera and give a presentation in the form of a Presenter Overlay. .

When it’s your time to shine, you can turn on the Presenter Overlay and customize your video feed. You can separate yourself from the background, showing your desktop and presentation as a floating window behind you, or yourself inside a small circle similar to a profile picture, letting the presentation take over the rest of the feed.

Plus, you can now choose to share specific windows on your Mac through your video conferencing app, like Zoom. This will surely eliminate the brief moment when you share your desktop and everyone quickly scans your browser tabs or desktop shortcuts.

To control any of the new video calling features, there’s a new green icon appearing in your Mac’s menu bar that gives you a drop-down menu for enabling or disabling things like Reactions or Presenter Mode, as well as using the enhancements of Studio Light.

Zoom isn’t currently updated for macOS Sonoma, so I haven’t been able to test the presenter features, but I look forward to Zoom, Webex, and other video apps being updated to support Sonoma.

As soon as you start typing after upgrading to macOS Sonoma, you’ll definitely notice that the AutoCorrect experience is different. Instead of trying to finish the word you’re typing, you’ll occasionally see the rest of your sentence appear faintly as you type. If you pause and press the space bar, the sentence will automatically complete. It’s like macOS Sonoma reads your mind sometimes.

The same autocomplete improvements that are coming to iPhone and iPad in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, respectively, will also be coming to Mac. With more time spent learning how the new autocomplete works and macOS learning how I think, I’m sure it will make typing long emails or text messages faster.

There’s also a host of new Mac screensavers that are more than just screensavers. If you own an Apple TV and have ever let the screensaver play on your TV, the new Mac screensavers will look very familiar. Once you select one of the new images, you’ll see what looks like a city or landscape photo. But after waking up your Mac, you will see the scenery slowly move and come to life. It’s subtle, but it also makes you feel like you’re briefly flying through various parts of our world. It’s pretty cool and a fun way to get your Mac to greet you every time it wakes it up.

Should you install the public preview? With the launch of the public beta, there’s a natural temptation to mash that activate button and install macOS Sonoma before it’s finalized.

My advice? Don’t install it. There are still bugs being fixed, and that will probably be the case until the official launch this fall. If you plan on installing an initial build, wait until mid-September when Apple is finalizing the update instead of still figuring out how all the parts and pieces fit together.

If not, I suggest waiting for the official release of macOS Sonoma. Last year, macOS Ventura launched in late October. That may very well be the case this year.

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