Apple’s macOS Sonoma, the next major software update for Mac, is now available via the company’s public beta program. That means anyone with a compatible MacBook or Mac desktop can download and install the unfinished software, although you should probably wait until Apple finalizes it before you take the leap.
I’ve been testing macOS Sonoma since shortly after it was released to developers in early June, and there are a lot of new features worth looking forward to when Sonoma officially launches later this year.
Until then, here’s a preview of what you can expect once Sonoma is released.
Widgets come to the desktop
One of the headlining features coming to macOS Sonoma is a complete overhaul of how you use and interact with widgets on a Mac. Widgets offer glanceable — and now interactive — bits of information about an app or service. And in Sonoma, you can put widgets directly on your Mac’s desktop. Previously, widgets were hidden in the Mac’s Notification Center.
What’s more, you can place widgets from apps you have installed on your iPhone on your Mac’s desktop. Your iPhone needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network or near your Mac in order for the widgets to show up as an available option and work.
If you already have widgets in the Mac’s Notification Center, you can just drag and drop them onto your desktop to enter edit mode. Otherwise, you can right-click on any blank spot on your 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 onto the desktop.
I was skeptical that my iPhone’s widgets would just show up and work on the Mac, but the first time I launched the widget picker, I immediately saw the A Better Route Planner app in the list of options, along with all of its widgets, ready to show me information about my car and drives. Mind. Blown.
Any files and folders will automatically move around, making room for the widget.
There are two things I love about the new widgets. First is that you can quickly view them at any time simply by clicking on a blank space on your desktop. Doing so will instantly move all open apps and windows out of the way, and the widgets will show up in full color. The moment you click back into an app, the widgets act like a chameleon and adapt some of the colors of your wallpaper.
MacOS Sonoma widgets
Second is the fact that whenever you click on a widget that’s been updated for Sonoma (currently that’s limited to Apple’s widgets), you no longer have to launch the app to complete an action. For instance, if I want to check off a task from the Reminders app, I can do that directly from the widget on my desktop now. Prior to Sonoma, clicking on the checkbox would open the Reminders app, which would then make you click on the checkbox again.
I can’t wait to see what third-party developers do with interactive widgets, and I’m really looking forward to tailoring my desktop to my workflow. I do wish, however, that I could have a different set of widgets on each desktop instead.
Video conferencing is about to get a whole lot better
Apple’s macOS Sonoma includes several enhancements for video calls, be it in apps like Zoom or Apple’s own FaceTime. More specifically, there are several new Reactions that use predefined hand gestures to show animations on a video call.
For example, if you’re on a call and give a thumbs-up gesture to the camera, your Mac’s camera will recognize it and show an animated thumbs-up image on your screen. The same goes for making a heart shape with your hands, resulting in hearts floating up from your hands. A peace sign will show balloons rising up through the frame all around you. Two thumbs-up? That triggers the same fireworks effect that iOS has had for years, only your surroundings darken and the fireworks appear to be in your room. A thumbs-down will make your room appear overcast and as if it’s starting to rain.
In addition to fun, if not useful effects for those times when you just don’t feel like going off mute, Apple also added features that are designed for when you have no choice but to be on camera and give a presentation in the form of Presenter Overlay.
When it’s your time to shine, you can turn on 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 profile picture-like circle, leaving the slideshow to take up the rest of the feed.
Furthermore, you can now select to have specific windows on your Mac shared via your video conferencing app, such as Zoom. This is sure to eliminate the brief moment when you share your desktop and everyone is quickly scanning your browser tabs or desktop shortcuts.
To control any of the new video calling features, there’s a new green icon that shows up in your Mac’s menu bar that gives you a dropdown menu to enable or disable things like Reactions or Presenter Mode, along with using the Studio Light enhancements.
Zoom isn’t currently updated for macOS Sonoma, so I couldn’t test the presenter features, but I’m looking forward to when Zoom, Webex and other video apps are updated to support Sonoma.
Plenty of small changes add up to a big improvement
As soon as you start typing after updating to macOS Sonoma, you’ll surely notice the autocorrect experience is different. Instead of trying to finish the word you’re typing, you’ll sporadically see the rest of your sentence faintly show up as you type. If you pause and press the space bar, the sentence will autocomplete. It’s as if macOS Sonoma is reading your mind at times.
The same autocomplete improvements that are coming to the iPhone and iPad in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, respectively, are also coming to the Mac. With more time spent learning how the new autocomplete works, and macOS learning how I think, I’m sure it’ll make typing long emails or text messages quicker.
There’s also a series of new screensavers for the Mac that are more than just simple screensavers. If you have an Apple TV and you’ve ever let the screensaver play on your TV, the new Mac screensavers will feel very familiar. After selecting one of the new images, you’ll see what looks like a photo of a city or landscape. But after you wake your Mac, you’ll see the scenery slowly move and come to life. It’s subtle, but it also makes you feel as if you’re briefly flying through various parts of our world. It’s pretty cool and a fun way to be greeted by your Mac every time you wake it up.
Bottom line
Should you install the public preview? With the launch of the public beta, there’s a natural temptation to mash that opt-in button and install macOS Sonoma before it’s finalized.
My advice? Don’t install it. There are still bugs being ironed out, and that’ll likely be the case until the official launch later this fall. If you’re set on installing an early build, wait until closer to mid-September, when Apple is polishing the update instead of still figuring out how all the parts and pieces fit together.
Otherwise, I suggest waiting for the official release of macOS Sonoma. Last year, macOS Ventura launched near the end of October. That could very well be the case this year.
