Back at WWDC, Apple announced all the big updates for 2022 for its major operating systems. Among them are iOS 16, watchOS 9, and of course, macOS Ventura. Also known as macOS 13, Ventura packs all kinds of new features for Mac users like Stage Manager, Continuity Camera, and more.
macOS Ventura: Release date and availability
Developer betas have been available since WWDC, as always. But now, we’re very close to the actual release, which means two things. For one thing, the beta version is available to both developers and the public now. The other is that builds are getting more and more stable as we get closer to getting the release filter.
If you don’t want to be a beta tester, the answer is that macOS 13 Ventura is coming in October. Apple usually releases new iOS and watchOS updates a week after the iPhone launches in September. macOS tends to come out a little late. This year, we expect it to be timed with an event where we’ll see new MacBook Pro updates, along with new iPads. It will be a free update for supported Macs.
Supported Macs include:
| iMac | 2017 and beyond |
| iMac Pro | 2017 |
| MacBook Air | 2018 and beyond |
| MacBook Pro | 2017 and beyond |
| Mac Pro | 2019 and beyond |
| Mac mini | 2018 and beyond |
| MacBook | 2017 and beyond |
| Mac studio | 2022 |
Since all supported Macs must be made in 2017 or later, there are quite a few computers that are no longer supported. With macOS Monterey, support is back in 2015.
What’s new in macOS Ventura
theater manager
Stage Manager is another way to organize the apps you have open. It will take all your open apps and put them in groups on the side of the screen. So now, those will sit on your desktop, and you can easily use them to switch between applications.
Continuity Camera and FaceTime Handoff
macOS Ventura will let you switch between iOS, iPadOS, and macOS in FaceTime calls. Now, if you’re talking to someone on your Mac and want to get up and show something to that person in the other room, you can transfer your call to your iPhone. I think we’ve all wanted to deliver a FaceTime call at one point or another.
That’s not all, because there is a new feature called Continuity Camera, which will actually allow you to use your iPhone as a webcam. This is correct; You’ll be able to link your iPhone to your Mac and use the camera for everything you do, which gives you a huge boost in video quality, at least with most Macs.
It also means that the Center Stage — which allows the camera to move the field of view to focus on you — will be available to all Macs, using the phone you probably already have. In fact, it is not only about the quality of the camera. It also adds portrait mode and studio lighting, and there’s a Desk View feature that acts as an overhead camera.
Freeform is the new whiteboard app
Freeform is a new collaborative app made by Apple, aiming for a new whiteboard experience. You can add text, files, links, images, etc. Naturally, you can collaborate in real time with this.
Mail improvements
As usual, Mail is getting a bunch of new features. There is a better search function, which gives you better results and will give you suggestions as you type. You can now also unsend an email, schedule messages to be sent, and get reminders to go back to a draft. It will also notice when you forget to include an attachment. A lot of these features seem to be inspired by Gmail.
Spotlight improvements
Spotlight is getting a bunch of improvements. If you’re looking for images, you’ll find images from photos, messages, notes, the web, and more, and you can use Live Text to search for text within the image.
You’ll also find new quick actions in Spotlight. You’ll be able to quickly find and start a timer, create an alarm, find the name of a song in Shazam, and more.
Safari improvements
As usual, Safari is undergoing some improvements. Passkeys are a feature that allows you to log into services and are end-to-end encrypted, making them more secure. Furthermore, Apple says it is working on non-Apple devices.
You’ll be able to share tab groups from Safari, and you’ll even be able to start a FaceTime call to collaborate on something. People you collaborate with will be able to add their tabs to the group as well.
Message improvements
It’s official. iMessages get an edit button before Twitter. Yes, you will be able to change a message after sending it, although of course this does not apply to those green SMS messages. You can also mark a message as unread, if you do not have time to respond at the moment and do not want to leave the sender in read mode.
Apple is also working on bringing SharePlay to Messages. This will allow you to chat about things while watching something with friends. In fact, it looks like Apple is preparing Messages as a place where you can text friends while doing things together. In addition to the Freeform app and the Safari features above, there are a wide range of collaboration features you can use. If you have a joint project, there will be a button to chat in Messages or start a FaceTime call.
Photo Enhancements
Apple announced its shared iCloud Photo Library, which is self-explanatory. You can share photos with up to five people at once, and while sharing photos isn’t new, the ability to edit them is. This is a proper collaboration style post, rather than just sending someone an album and letting them download it. Obviously, the edits are synced instantly.
You can choose what’s in the album you share based on things like the people in the photos, so it intelligently detects who’s in the photo. And when you tell Photos what you want in the album, you’ll see more on the Shared Library tab.
We’ll keep updating this page as we learn more, but in the end, macOS Ventura is getting closer to release, so we’re not putting much more to say.
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