Apple’s macOS updates have been pretty boring lately, the most interesting part last year’s macOS Sonoma turned into widgets. Widgets! Thankfully, there’s more to macOS Sequoia — or at least there will be once Apple Intelligence rolls out in the next few months. For now, Sequoia offers a few useful features like iPhone Mirroring, a full-fledged Passwords app, and automatic transcription in the Notes app. At least there’s more to it than widgets.
iPhone mirroring changes everything for Mac
Introduced at WWDC earlier this year, I was hoping Apple will allow Vision Pro users to mirror their iPhones as easily as they can mirror their Macs. We didn’t get it, but iPhone Mirroring on macOS Sequoia is close to what I want in Vision Pro. Once you have a Mac running a new OS (an Apple Silicon chip or one of the latest Intel models with a T2 security chip) and an iPhone running iOS 18, you can easily pair the two using your iPhone. Mirroring software.
Once this connection is established, you will see a complete copy of your phone within the app. Trackpad and keyboard on iOS (var a few new hot buttons worth learning), but once I did, I had no trouble opening my usual iPhone apps and games. If you’re spoiled by the iPhone Pro’s 120Hz ProMotion display, you’ll notice that the mirrored connection doesn’t look nearly as smooth, but from my tests it held a steady 60fps in games and videos. I also didn’t notice any annoying audio or video lag.
While it’s nice to be able to launch an iPhone from a Mac, I was surprised by the most useful aspect of this feature, the notifications. Once you connect your phone, its notifications pop up in your Mac’s Notification Center, and it only takes one click to launch the app it’s connected to. This is useful for alerts from Instagram, DoorDash, and other popular apps that don’t have any real Mac options aside from launching their websites in a browser.
iPhone Mirroring is also a sneaky way to get through multiple rounds Vampire survivors during long uninterrupted meetings or classes. (I would never do that.) While many mobile games make it to the Mac App Store, there aren’t thousands of them yet, so it’s nice to find a way to access them on a bigger screen. . Not every game works well on a Mac — it’s hard to replicate the handheld touchscreen experience with a large trackpad — but mirroring is a decent option for slower-paced titles. I didn’t experience any weird frame rate or lag issues, and the audio is also rendered flawlessly.
I usually always have my phone handy even when I’m working at my desk. But taking it off inevitably disrupts my workflow — it’s all too easy to get a notification and find yourself scrolling through TikTok or Instagram without remembering how you got there. With iPhone Mirroring, I can continue working on my Mac without missing any updates from my phone. It also came in handy when my iPhone was connected to a wireless charger and I needed more power before I left the house.
If you’re someone who leaves your phone around the house, a mirror is also useful. This feature requires both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to be enabled, and the connection range is about 50 feet, or what I’d expect from Bluetooth. Thick walls and other obstacles can also significantly reduce this range. In my tests, I was able to leave the iPhone in my backyard and still get reflections in my living room 40 feet away. Of course, the further you go, the more intense the experience.
Of course, Apple is not the first company to bring smartphone mirroring to computers. Samsung and other Android phone manufacturers have been offering this for years and Microsoft also has a “Telephone Connect” app (before Your Phone) for mirroring and file synchronization. But these apps vary dramatically depending on the smartphone you’re using, they don’t integrate notifications perfectly, and they simply don’t connect often. After you set up iPhone Mirroring, it takes a few seconds to access your phone. It just works. And after weeks of testing the feature, I didn’t experience any major connectivity issues.
Finally, a better window sill!
It’s 2024, and Apple has finally made it easy to fit Mac windows around your monitor. Now you can drag apps to the edges or corners of your screen and they will adjust themselves automatically. It allowed me to quickly place the browser I use for research next to an Evernote window or Google Docs. similar Stage Manager in macOS VenturaTile shortcuts are a significant change to Mac window management.
And, of course, they are clearly similar The snapping feature of Windows 10 and 11. Given that most of Apple’s UI focus these days is on iOS, iPadOS, and VisionOS, it’s easy to feel like the Mac is a bit behind. I don’t blame Apple for letting Microsoft’s UI innovations make life easier, especially for Mac users.
Slick video conference background replacement
Apple has been offering lighting adjustments and portrait background blur in video chats for years, and now it’s using that machine learning technology to completely replace your backgrounds. Admittedly, this isn’t a very new or exciting feature. But it’s worth highlighting because it works in every video chat app on the Mac, and because it relies on Apple’s Neural Engine, it looks better than app-based background replacements.
Apple’s technology does a better job of keeping your hair and clothes in focus, but still separates from artificial backgrounds. And best of all, it doesn’t look like a cheap green screen effect. You can choose from several color gradients, footage of Apple Park, or your own photos or videos.
Other highlights of macOS Sequoia
A few other improvements I appreciate are:
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The Passwords app does a decent job of collecting your saved passwords, but this is obviously a first attempt. Entering my passwords into browser fields isn’t as smart as apps like 1Password and LastPass.
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The Notes app now lets you record voice notes and automatically transcribe them. You can also continue to record text while recording, which is a useful way to follow interviews and lectures. Hopefully future updates will add features like multi-dynamic detection.
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Being able to jot down math equations in notes is nice, but it’s not something I rely on on a daily basis. I’m sure it will be very useful for high school and college kids taking advanced math courses.
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Messages finally get a rich text format and then a send option. Huzzah!
Finally, a macOS update worth getting excited about
You’d be forgiven for ignoring the latest batch of macOS updates, especially if you weren’t excited about Stage Manager or, to sighwidgets. But if you own a Mac and an iPhone, Sequoia is worth an immediate upgrade. Being able to mirror your iPhone and its notifications is really useful, and it’s packed with other useful features. And of course, if you want to get some Apple Intelligence action next month, you’ll have no choice but to upgrade. (We’ll have more impressions when all of Apple’s AI features are rolled out.)
Sure, it’s a bit ironic that Apple’s outdated desktop OS is getting a glimpse of life through its mobile platform, but honestly, the best Mac features were lifted straight from iOS and iPadOS. It’s clear that Apple favors devices that are updated more frequently than laptops and desktops. I can’t fault the company for being realistic—yet I’m glad it’s thoughtfully trying to make its devices play nicely together. (And seriously, just bring your iPhone mirror to Vision Pro.)
