Every year Apple's macOS desktop operating system undergoes a major California-geography-named update. In the past, we've had big updates like Sierra and less-showy ones like High Sierra. This time, Apple abandoned its naming convention, moving from the (Mojave) desert to the Pacific island of Catalina. That's a good thing: Otherwise, we might have ended up with macOS Death Valley, the only well-known subset of Mojave.
The now-available island update is less extensive than its predecessor, but it introduces some welcome changes. Maybe more important than any new features are developer tools Apple is releasing in order to make converting iOS apps to Mac apps a cinch. At WWDC 2019, Apple showed versions of GameLoft's Asphalt 9 Legends and Atlassian Jira ported from their respective iOS versions, with all the desktop options like keyboard shortcuts and drag-and-drop included.
To install the new OS on your own Mac, read our How to Get macOS Catalina, and be sure to read our full review of macOS Catalina.
Photos App Redesigned
As on iOS, the Mac Photos app has been redesigned with a new home screen, video autoplay, and new organization of views that bring out the best by Day, Month, and Year. The update also removes duplicates and clutter such as screenshots, and uses AI to determine your best shots and important events like birthdays and trips.
Find My
The very useful Find Friends and Find My iPhone apps are now joined into a single Find My app. A new benefit will be that you can find a device even if it's offline, based on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals. Apple states that the info used to locate the device is anonymous and encrypted end-to-end. Nothing new about the Find My Friend part of the app was shown at WWDC, but it’s a great utility. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Sidecar
This capability had been possible through third-party apps, but it’s never worked as seamlessly. Sidecar lets you use your iPad as an external monitor and use an Apple Pencil for markup and drawing. It also adds a Touch Bar to Macs that don't have one. Sidecar works either wired or wireless, and in either extended or mirrored desktop views. Compatible sidecar apps for drawing include Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Cinema 4D, and ZBrush.
No More iTunes
At WWDC, Apple’s Craig Federighi joked that people wanted more functions in iTunes, while in truth the media application has long been criticized for its feature bloat. With Catalina, Apple cuts the cord, completely removing iTunes as a standalone app. Instead, all its music functions will be covered by the Music app and all its video apps by the Apple TV app. Podcasts gets its own app, just as it has on iOS, but the new Mac app will be able to index spoken words in podcasts to help in searching.
Screen Time
This is another feature that makes the move from iOS to the Mac with Catalina. Having Screen Time on all your devices will enable a full picture of your tech use. Set communication limits for offspring, schedule offline time, and see which apps and websites are occupying you and your family. A a new "One more minute" feature lets you add work time to finish up before breaks, and Family Sharing offers new child monitoring options.
Notes App
Notes has a new gallery view, shared folders, and more powerful search. The latter means you can now search for text in scanned documents and objects in photos. It also suggests search terms as soon as you click into the search box. New checklist options let you reorder items with drag and drop, and reuse old checklists.
Safari Updates
Apple’s default web browser has a new start page with suggested content based on your browsing history and even links from Messages. The browser now warns you about weak passwords, and lets you switch to picture-in-picture view from the tab audio button.
Accessibility and Voice Control
Voice control of computers has been around for over a decade, but with Catalina, Apple beefs it up with Siri AI smarts in the new Voice Control app. It works for both computer control and voice dictation, and offers a Hover Text zoomed-in window for easier text input. You can add custom words, or see suggested words or emoji.
Reminders Gets a Major Update
Reminders gets an overhaul, with cleaner design and more one-click conveniences. It now integrates with Messages and presents organized lists of your tasks, based on categories like Today, Flagged, Scheduled, or All. Use Siri with more-natural language to create entries, and add attachments to items in your lists.
New Security and Privacy Features
Several new protections are included in the OS update. Here, you see a setting for allowing applications to record your screen. Catalina's Gatekeeper checks whether apps you install pass security muster, and the system software now runs in a separate disk volume from your data.
The Coolest Features in iOS 13
Catalina's sister OS for mobile devices, iOS, has also undergone a recent update to version 13. Check out the most interesting and useful new additions to Apple's iOS experience, from Dark Mode and video editing to privacy-focused features like Sign In with Apple. Of course, we can't leave out iOS 13's updates to Memoji (see video above.)