Apple has released macOS Monterey update for all supported. The major software update that was first announced at WWDC 2021 packs a bunch of new features and improvements.
With macOS Monterey Apple has greatly improved the FaceTime feature on the Mac. Now Mac users can enjoy features like Spatial Audio in FaceTime calls, that makes the voices sound like they are coming from where the person on the other end is positioned on the screen. FaceTime calls on the Mac now have two new microphone modes including Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum.
FaceTime now offers new Portrait mode feature that focuses on the screen while blurring the background. Group FaceTime call screen has been redesigned and the grid view now shows all participants in same size tiles.
Just like iOS 15, macOS Monterey is bringing SharePlay feature to the Mac. With SharePlay users can listen to the same song, watch a movie or TV show together with their family or friends. SharePlay syncs the playback on all participating devices and play/pause and forward/reverses on all devices in real time.
One of the most impressive features that have been introduced in macOS Monterey is Universal Control. This feature allows users to work with a single mouse and keyboard and move across different Macs and even iPads like they are on a single device. Users are able to place multiple Macs and iPads next to each other and instantly move the cursor from one device to another without any prior setup.
Users are also able to move their Apple Pencil illustrations from their iPad right into apps running on the Mac.
AirPlay has also been brought to the Mac, as now users to play music and videos from their iPhone or iPad on their Mac. With this feature you can use speakers of your Mac to play songs from your iPhone, which is pretty convenient. In addition to music and videos users can also share movies, games, presentations to Mac’s larger display with AirPlay.
Familiar iOS 15 features such as Live Text and Visual Lookup have been brought to the Mac with this release. Now Users can detect text in photos and easily copy it. They can even make a phone call or open a website directly from an image.
The Visual Lookup feature on the other hands makes it easier for users to discover and learn about different buildings, animals, plants etc from their photos.
Focus feature has been added to the Mac as well. It now includes various built-in profiles that you can activate based on what you are doing. You can also create custom Focus modes that suit your personal needs better.
Notes app now includes Quick Note feature that allows users to quickly take notes while using other apps. Tags feature and Tags browser has also been added to Mac’s Notes app that allows users to add hashtags to apps and later find all notes that have a particular hashtag in one place.
Safari has received a new design, new Tab Groups feature, Compact tab bar design that users can switch to if they want, support for Quick Note and more.
Shortcuts app has finally been added to macOS that gives users to access to pre-built Shortcuts that make performing frequent actions easy. Users can also create new notes that match their workflow with Shortcuts editor.
Other features added in macOS Monterey include Share with You feature, iCloud+ features including Hide My Email, iCloud Private Relay and expanded HomeKit Secure Video support.
Spatial Audio, Mail Privacy Protection and new Accessibility features have also been added in macOS Monterey.
Download macOS Monterey
You can download macOS Monterey by clicking on the Apple logo from the menu bar and then going to System Preferences.
From there click on Software Update icon and then click on Upgrade Now. macOS Monterey is available as a free update for all supported Macs.
