Apple has had a really busy fall. The corporate has launched a slew of latest options and merchandise, masking every part from a flurry of Apple {hardware} and software program upgrades to brand-new Apple Watches, iPhones and Apple Pencils. Most not too long ago, the tech big unveiled its brand-new M3 chip, the brand new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professionals and a refreshed model of the iMac at its “Scary Quick” occasion held on the finish of October.
MacOS Sonoma’s smaller updates did not get the pomp and circumstance they deserved earlier this yr, however the a number of brand-new Macs hitting the scene this fall will shake issues up. Should you’re planning to improve to a brand new Mac and a brand new iPhone concurrently, you may need to ensure they work in concord.
Fortunately for many who plan on upgrading each their pc and their cellphone, MacOS Sonoma’s replace brings options that iPhone customers have loved for a number of years and a few brand-new ones that iPhone customers first noticed in iOS 17.
Try these new Mac options that I feel make my cellphone and pc work higher collectively. For extra, try the way to repair essentially the most annoying iOS 17 options and the Mac keyboard shortcuts you might want to know.
Widgets come to your desktop
Widgets have lastly arrived in your desktop.
Screenshot by Mary-Elisabeth Combs/CNET
Whereas widgets aren’t an earth-shattering productiveness characteristic, and even new to Apple followers, having them in your desktop is fairly useful. For example, a few of my co-workers work on the West Coast whereas I work on the East Coast, so I’ve a clock widget that shows the present time in Pacific Customary Time, which makes coordinating with my coworkers a bit less complicated.
The widgets are additionally tremendous easy to make use of; all you need to do is right-click along with your mouse or double-click your trackpad in your desktop and a menu will come out. You’ll be able to choose Edit Widgets and a widget menu will seem the place you’ll be able to select from small, medium or massive widgets for a wide range of purposes. If you wish to take away a widget, you’ll be able to both right-click or use two fingers to click on your trackpad and choose Take away Widget, or you’ll be able to click on the small purple button that seems after choosing Edit Widget to take away your widget.
You’ll be able to choose all types of widgets so as to add to your desktop.
Screenshot by Mary-Elisabeth Combs/CNET
It’s also possible to drag and drop widgets out of your Notification Middle to your desktop. If you wish to add widgets to your notification heart, all you might want to do is scroll to the underside of your notification heart and click on Edit Widgets. You take away widgets out of your notification heart in the identical method you’ll out of your desktop.
It’s also possible to add your iPhone widgets to your Mac’s desktop, even when you do not have the widget’s corresponding app downloaded to your pc. To allow this, you will have to go to System Settings, then scroll right down to Desktop and Dock and from there scroll to the Widgets part. As soon as within the widgets part, merely toggle the Use iPhone Widgets choice on. Your iPhone widgets can be out there from the widget browser that seems when choosing Edit Widget in your desktop or notification heart.
Auto-sorting grocery lists
I am a fairly organized particular person, however to be trustworthy, I’ve by no means turned to Apple’s Reminders app for assist with this. The app did not make a lot sense to me and I historically have opted for third-party group apps. Whereas these new reminder options aren’t sufficient to sway me away from my most well-liked group apps, some additions assist me make higher use of the app.
You’ll be able to create auto-sorting grocery lists with Sonoma, however the characteristic might be difficult to make use of.
Screenshot by Mary-Elisabeth Combs/CNET
The adjustments to reminders are fairly simple to make the most of. Probably the most main replace is the auto-sorting grocery checklist characteristic. To utilize this characteristic, click on the Add Listing button on the backside of the reminders web page. Give your checklist a reputation (and alter the colour of the checklist and the icon if you would like). Then, underneath the Listing Sort drop-down menu, choose Groceries.
As soon as within the checklist, create the classes you need to your checklist. For instance, my checklist had three classes: meats, produce and miscellaneous. After you create your classes, it is best to have the ability to begin placing your checklist collectively, and the gadgets you add must be robotically sorted. Be warned — this characteristic appears to be a bit buggy. My finest recommendation is to maintain making an attempt the characteristic, and you may at all times drag and drop your gadgets to their right class if nothing else works.
Messages that mirror your cellphone
Considered one of my favourite issues about having an Apple household of merchandise is that I can textual content from my pc. This sounds small, however this has confirmed super-helpful in my day-to-day life. After I’m engaged on my pc, I can put my cellphone fully away so I can focus, nevertheless it’s good to nonetheless have the ability to be reached.
One factor that has at all times annoyed me about iMessage on my pc is that it feels years behind my cellphone. For the longest time, I could not use tap-back reactions and even reply to messages like I might once I would textual content on my cellphone. Sonoma has modified this for the higher — there’s lastly parity between telephones and computer systems in the case of the iMessage expertise.
The reply operate, which may also help set up textual content threads, lastly makes its method onto Macs
Screenshot by Mary-Elisabeth Combs/CNET
The most important characteristic that I had been lacking was the reply operate. Primarily, this operate permits you to swipe throughout a message and reply on to that particular message. I’ve discovered this characteristic significantly useful when making sophisticated plans or in noisy group chats.
All you need to do to make use of the reply operate is swipe two fingers to the proper till you’ll be able to reply to the message. Should you do not need to swipe, you’ll be able to click on the message you want to reply to with two fingers and choose Reply from the drop-down menu.
For extra, this is the perfect MacBook of 2023.