12 Things You Can Do in macOS Catalina That You Couldn’t Before

We ’ve find out the Apple on - stage demos , andthe beta rendering , and now macOS Catalina ( technically macOS 10.15 ) is here for everyone … well , everyone with a Mac made in the last six or seven year , anyway . These are the newfangled features that you ’re going to want to start play around with straight away .

1) Manage music, movies, and podcasts in separate apps

iTunes is no longer with us — on the Mac , anyway — and in its place you ’ll notice Apple Music , Apple TV and Apple Podcasts , with Finder taking on the role of backing up and restoring wandering devices where necessary . These freestanding apps are n’t staggeringly different to the different components of iTunes they ’re meant to replace , though you should detect everything is hefty and well-heeled to access in macOS Catalina .

The Apple Music app , for example , incorporates both the Apple Music subscription service and the old iTunes library you might have been building up over the yr . Your play list are still present and correct , and you’re able to stillmake smart playliststoo .

2) Use your iPad as a second display

One of the most interesting newfangled macOS Catalina have for iPad owners is Sidecar , which enables you to use an iPad as a secondary exhibit — either join the two devices together with a cable , or make trusted they ’re both on the same wifi connection and then select the iPad from the AirPlay drop - down list on the macOS card bar .

Your desktop programme will utilize the extra cover just like any other conventional lower-ranking display , and you could also use an Apple Pencil to interact with Mac apps on the Sidecar cover . A software simulation of theMac Touch Barappears too , should you ever have any grounds to use it .

3) Put limits on yourself and your kids with Screen Time

Screen Time comes to the Mac , so you could baby your own fun , and that of your offspring , by put limits on how often you could burn down up exceptional apps ( or finicky categories of apps ) . Screen Time appears as a new alternative in System Preferences , and you may practice it to monitor how you ’re using all of your Apple devices , as well as to fix terminus ad quem for how much time you may spend each day with particular categories of apps .

4) Run apps originally made for the iPad

Catalyst is a tool for software system developer insert alongside macOS Catalina , have it soft for apps to be ported from the iPad to the Mac . In terms of how it pretend you , you should see more apps make the startle from Apple ’s tab to Apple ’s laptops and desktops , or at least that ’s the theory — chirrup and TripIt are a duet of the apps that are apparently on the way , though they ’re not live yet .

5) Find your Mac more easily

The new ascertain My app that appears across iOS , iPadOS and macOS Catalina takes charge of receive your iPhones , your Apple Watches , and indeed your MacBooks — and if your electronic computer is offline for whatever intellect , Apple willenlist the helpof other people ’s gadget to try and find it ( anonymously , invisibly and securely , of course ) . Launch the all - new regain My app from the Applications booklet in Finder , or via Spotlight .

6) See the best shots in your Photos

As always , the one-year macOS refresh come with a routine of utilitarian updates for the bundled desktop programs , which in turn equal update add to the equivalent apps on iOS ( and now iPadOS ) . Photos has been given a visual refresh and some extra smartness , which should intend you see more of your best photos , and few screenshots and twin image .

7) Manage your notes more easily

Notes is another app that gets a substantial upgrade in macOS Catalina : There ’s a young veranda view , and a search office that ’s more comprehensive , and a more useful checklist feature . Perhaps most significantly , you could now divvy up entire folders of notes at the same time , making the app more utile in term of collaboration .

8) Manage your reminders more easily

Reminders has even more improvements than Notes , from the revamped interface and layout to the room it can recognize plans you ’re making in Messages and then prompt you to create a reminder about them . Your reminders get automatically shuffled into bright tilt ( flagged items , items due today , and so on ) , and you’re able to now add together attachments to monitor as well .

9) Access your Apple account from macOS

10) Do everything with your voice

One of the more impressive demos back atWWDC 2019showed the whole of the macOS Catalina operating system being operate on with vocalism bid — bright utilitarian for anyone who ca n’t employ their computer normally , or even just citizenry who spend a set of time broil or craft while using their Mac .

spread out up the Apple menu , choose System Preferences , and then plunk Accessibility to find the raw pick . Select Voice Control to verify the characteristic is enabled , and then click Commands to see a list of vocalization command that will work — anything from “ open Siri ” to “ go to slumber ” is suffer .

11) Turn the volume down on your inbox

A small modification , but one that could make a big difference to the racketiness of your inbox : you’re able to now mute threads in Apple Mail on macOS Catalina . Select a thread on screen , then flick the Mute icon ( a line running through a bell ) , and you wo n’t see notice about that conversation until you unmute it again .

12) Access Apple Arcade

Fire up the Mac App Store in macOS Catalina and you ’ll notice a new Arcade tablet on the left — penetrate this to get at the Mac games that are part of Apple Arcade , and to start your month ’s spare trial , if you have n’t done so already . Not every game in the Apple Arcade club runs on macOS , but there are dozens of game to play already , with more to come .

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