The best new MacOS Monterey features Apple just announced

There’s a lot to be excited about with Apple’s announcement of a developer preview of MacOS Monterey at WWDC 2021. Apple has your back with its new operating system if you’re heavily involved in the Apple ecosystem of gadgets.

The most recent macOS update includes a slew of new features aimed at making your iPad and Mac work together seamlessly. Here’s a rundown of the top new Mac OS Monterey features to try out when the public beta launches next month — or the developer preview, which launched yesterday.

Universal Control

When Apple released MacOS Catalina in 2019, it included the new “Sidecar” feature, which allows you to use an iPad as a secondary display for your Mac. With the advent of Universal Control in MacOS Monterey a few years later, Apple is once again promoting compatibility.

Universal Control enhances the functionality of your iPad and later MacOS devices. Rather than connecting in numerous keyboards or utilizing a mouse or keyboard that allows you to couple various devices, productivity power is now in your hands.

You can instantly switch between a Mac and an iPad with just a single mouse and keyboard, no dongles or extra setup necessary. You’ll be able to drag content between devices as well, eliminating the need for email, DropBox, or even Apple’s own iCloud.

AirPlay to Mac

AirPlay to Mac is another major feature of MacOS Monterey, in addition to Universal Control. You know how tough it may be to cast a movie or music to your MacBook if you’ve ever tried. To handle the connection, you’ll need to use an AirPlay server in between your devices.

Finally, Airplay to Mac solves the problem. You may send content from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac laptop with a single click (as long as your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network).

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It could be a movie or you wish to share your screen. It’s now fairly simple.

Then there’s the AirPlay to Mac audio aspect. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on a speaker. You may send your audio to a new MacBook or iMac with high-fidelity speakers without the use of cords if you have one. Your Mac can serve as an additional speaker for your iPhone!

A revamped Safari

Last year’s WWDC saw the debut of a redesigned Safari, and things are only getting better this year. While Google and Microsoft have consistently improved Chrome and Edge over the last year, Safari has lagged behind in terms of visuals. Safari, on the other hand, is catching up with a few new capabilities in MacOS Monterey.

The first is a brand-new tab design. Safari now prioritizes the webpage over the tab, similar to what Mozilla did with Firefox version 89. The color of the tab bar is determined by the color of the webpage you’re on, and it combines the toolbar and the search field into a more compact design. It’s a simple and straightforward experience that keeps you focused on what matters most.

The new tab style isn’t the only change. Safari has a new way of following you around, similar to Microsoft’s “Collections” function in Edge. It’s called “Tab Groups.” You’ll be able to keep and manage your tabs across Mac, iPhone, and iPad using Tab Groups. You don’t have to be concerned about emailing or bookmarking sites any longer. It’s just the way things are.

Using shortcuts

Shortcuts is the last item on the list. This is a feature that iOS and iPadOS users are familiar with, but it is now available on MacOS as well. Apple is promoting Shortcuts as a replacement for the Automater software, and it may be worthwhile.

The Shortcuts app for MacOS, according to Apple, will help you “achieve optimum productivity.” You may use the program to perform pre-built operations such as transferring files, creating GIFs, converting files, and much more. Because it is integrated across the Finder, in Spotlight, and interacts with Siri, you can even change the shortcuts for your personal workflow. But don’t worry, it will also allow you to import from Automator.

Other  features

We only touched on the highlights; there are many more things in MacOS Monterey worth exploring. Lower Power mode, spatial audio and voice isolation support in FaceTime, additional privacy capabilities in the Mail app, and Live Text detection in images are just a few of the new features. There’s also the developer side of things to consider. These include the addition of TestFlight to MacOS, which allows developers to more easily beta test programs with the general public.

If you’re a developer, you can get MacOS Monterey right now by visiting Apple’s developer page. Meanwhile, the general public will be allowed to begin testing Monterey next month, with a full rollout expected in the fall.