Apple’s next big update over Big Sur is macOS Monterey. While the update isn’t as huge as its predecessor, it comes with significant feature improvements. Keep reading to know everything about macOS 12.
When is macOS Monterey releasing?
Apple hasn’t announced an official release date for macOS Monterey. The tech giant has only said that Monterey is coming this fall.
Typically, macOS updates arrive in October, so Monterey will likely be released in that time frame. Since Apple hasn’t confirmed the release date, you’ll have to wait and watch. However, if you are a registered public beta tester or a registered developer, you can get the Monterey beta version right away. The public beta has been available since July.
It is important to note here that the public beta is far from perfect, and you may experience a few issues like apps crashing or your Mac freezing after you’ve installed it. If you wish to downgrade from Monterey, here’s a guide https://setapp.com/how-to/downgrade-from-macos-monterey.
But if you don’t want to disrupt your workflow and enjoy working on Big Sur, you can wait for the official release of Monterey.
Why is it called ‘Monterey’?
Apple named macOS 12 ‘Monterey’ because it is a part of Big Sur by the Californian coast.
Which Macs are eligible for Monterey?
The broadest lineup of Macs is supported by Monterey, including MacBook Air, the latest iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and even Intel-based Macs. Here’s a list of devices that can run macOS 12:
- Mac Pro (2013 and later)
- Mac mini (2014 and later)
- iMac (2015 and later)
- MacBook Pro (2015 and later)
- MacBook Air (2015 and later)
- iMac Pro (2017 and later)
macOS Monterey improvements and features
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Enhancements to FaceTime
Monterey brings the much-needed upgrade to FaceTime, and you can now invite anyone on the web, including Windows and Android users, to join in with a FaceTime call. Thanks to the new SharePlay feature, you can share your audio or video streams while in a FaceTime call with your friends. So, watching movies with other people just became easier.
There’s also a new portrait mode that focuses on you and blurs the background. But this feature is limited to Apple M1 devices.
Besides these, spatial audio adds an immersive experience in video calls. To make use of it, you need audio equipment that supports spatial audio.
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Shortcuts on macOS
The Shortcuts app comes to macOS, and it promises to streamline your workflow. You can automate certain tasks and save a lot of time. Moreover, you can add a series of actions as shortcuts and access it through Siri or the Dock. You can even re-arrange and customize the order of shortcuts to suit your workflow.
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Shared with You in Messages
It is not easy to track all the photos, files, links, and other content shared with you through messages. A new ‘Shared with You’ section is added to all the supported apps so that organizing and catching up with shared content is hassle-free.
The shared photos can be found in the Photos app, the shared links in your Safari browser, and so on. So, there’s no need to open up the messenger and scroll through conversations anymore.
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Revamped Safari
While Safari is known for its privacy and user experience, it proves to be more powerful and useful with the Monterey update. Now, privacy-conscious users can hide their emails by generating random email addresses that forward things to the primary inbox.
An integrated smart search field and a redesigned tab bar are some of the other noteworthy improvements. Furthermore, Safari brings a Tab Group feature, which allows you to group and organize your tab.
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Focus Mode
Users have the Do Not Disturb mode enabled with a typical focus mode, and the notifications are disabled. The Monterey update takes the focus mode a notch higher. You can now have multiple focus modes and even add different filters to them. For example, you can enable a focus mode for work, only allowing notifications from relevant applications. Similarly, you can enable a focus mode for driving, sleeping, and so on.
Furthermore, the focus mode you’ve set on your Mac gets synced automatically with your other Apple devices. So, it becomes incredibly easy to switch from working on your Mac to using it for personal tasks.
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Improved Maps
With the macOS Monterey update, Apple’s maps get a new 3D experience and even come with an interactive globe to explore. More information and transit features have also been added to help users keep up with their commute.
Conclusion
macOS 12 is a minor release compared to Big Sur, but it comes with several useful and amazing features. The new update should help improve your workflow, let you organize things better, and enjoy a unified experience across Apple devices. Go ahead and install the public beta version or wait for the release of the official macOS update.
