MacOS Sonoma: Bridging the Gap Between Your Mac and iPhone

Apple has recently unveiled a host of new features and products, including upgrades to both their hardware and software, new Apple Watches, iPhones, Apple Pencils, and updates to their flagship software. While the focus has primarily been on these new releases, one noteworthy update that may have been overlooked is MacOS Sonoma.

MacOS Sonoma brings a range of exciting features to your Mac, many of which have been enjoyed by iPhone users for some time, as well as some brand-new additions seen in iOS 17.

Widgets on Your Desktop

While widgets aren’t a groundbreaking productivity feature, having them accessible on your desktop can be incredibly convenient. For example, having a clock widget displaying the current time in a different time zone can be helpful for coordinating with co-workers in other parts of the world.

Adding and removing widgets on your desktop is a breeze. Right-clicking or double-clicking your trackpad will bring up a menu that allows you to edit widgets. You can choose from small, medium, or large widgets for a variety of applications. You can also drag and drop widgets from your Notification Center to your desktop. Additionally, you have the option to add your iPhone widgets to your Mac’s desktop, even if you don’t have the corresponding app downloaded on your computer.

Auto-Sorting Grocery Lists

One of the updates to the Reminders app is an auto-sorting grocery list feature. Creating a grocery list is simple, just click the ‘Add List’ button on the reminders page. Give your list a name and select ‘Groceries’ under the List Type dropdown menu. Then, create categories for your list (e.g., meats, produce, miscellaneous). Items added to the list will be automatically sorted into their respective categories.

Please note that this feature may be a bit buggy, but you can always manually drag and drop items if needed.

Messages that Mirror Your Phone

One of the advantages of having an Apple ecosystem is the ability to send and receive messages on your Mac. In the past, the iMessage experience on the computer was lacking compared to the phone. MacOS Sonoma has changed that by bringing greater parity between the two.

The most significant addition to the messages experience is the reply function. You can now swipe across a message to reply directly to it, making it easier to respond to specific messages in complicated plans or busy group chats. You can also click a message with two fingers and select Reply from the drop-down menu if you prefer not to swipe.

With these updates, MacOS Sonoma brings your Mac even closer to your iPhone, allowing for a more seamless and interconnected user experience. The Mac is no longer playing catch-up; it’s finally bridging the gap.

Source: Sonoma (Finally) Catches Your Mac Up to Your iPhone – CNET