WWDC 2024: Apple announces macOS Sequoia with iPhone Mirroring, Highlights in Safari and more

macOS Sequoia

The next version of macOS will be called macOS Sequoia and brings a host of new features for Mac users. macOS Sequoia also introduces Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system for Mac, iPhone, and iPad that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s useful and relevant.

Apple had introduced Continuity Camera which allowed users to make the iPhone camera the webcam for Mac. Now, Apple is expanding on the Continuity functionality with iPhone Mirroring, which allows users to fully access and engage with their iPhone straight from their Mac. How does it work, you may be wondering? Apple demoed it and showed that a user’s custom wallpaper and icons appear just like on their iPhone, and they can swipe between pages on their Home Screen, or launch and browse any of their favourite apps. The keyboard, trackpad, and mouse on Mac also let a user interact with their iPhone, and audio even comes through. Users can drag and drop between iPhone and Mac, and interestingly, a user’s iPhone remains locked, so no one can access the iPhone.

Safari gets Highlights feature which allows users to access information on the web, such as directions, summaries, or quick links to learn more about people, music, movies, and TV shows. There’s also the redesigned Reader includes even more ways to enjoy articles without distractions, featuring a streamlined view of the article a user is reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles. Viewer on Safari — when a video is detected — helps users put it front and centre, while still giving them full access to system playback controls, including Picture in Picture.

With macOS Sequoia, users can stay organised with new ways to arrange windows into a layout that works best for them. When a user drags a window to the edge of the screen, macOS Sequoia automatically suggests a tiled position on their desktop. There are new keyboard and menu shortcuts help users organise tiles even faster.

There are new systemwide Writing Tools built into macOS Sequoia, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarise text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.