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FaceTime for all, Shortcuts, Universal Control, and more features coming to macOS Monterey this Oct. 25

By AYIE LICSI Published Oct 20, 2021 5:31 pm

At its MacBook Pro event, Apple announced that macOS Monterey, the next major update to the Mac operating system, will be available for download by Oct. 25.

Compared to last year's Big Sur update, which brought a major redesign to macOS, Monterey is a low-key release. A lot of the new features that we've seen in iOS 15, like Focus mode, FaceTime for everyone, and Live Text scanning, will be implemented in the upcoming upgrade.

Here are a few of the features in macOS Monterey to watch for.

Universal Control

With Universal Control, users will be able to control their MacBook, Mac, and iPad with a single keyboard and mouse—no setup required. All that's needed is to place the Apple devices near the Mac running on Monterey.

They'll be able to drag and drop content and files back and forth between devices. It will come in handy for someone who's drawing on an iPad then needs it for a Keynote on their Mac.

AirPlay to Mac

Find your iPhone screen to be too small? macOS Monterey will let you cast whatever video you're watching or game you're playing on your iOS and iPad device to your Mac or MacBook via AirPlay.

Shortcuts

This iOS feature finally arrives on the Mac to help users automate everyday tasks and boost their productivity. You can connect your go-to apps and services with the Shortcuts editor and run them from the dock, menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, or with Siri.

Some shortcuts you can create include opening a split screen of two apps you frequently use side by side with a single click, creating subfolders, and organizing your Downloads.

Quick Note

The Notes app is getting more organized as you can now tag notes with keywords and see when someone edits your shared notes. In addition, Apple introduced Quick Note, a feature that lets you jot down ideas no matter where you are or what you're doing on your Mac—no need to launch the Notes app.

Safari gets a major redesign

MacOS Monterey gives Safari a major makeover. The Apple browser will sport a cleaner interface and will let you adopt the color scheme of whatever website you're on, which will shift in real time as you switch between tabs.

The tabs also get a more compact look to take up less space on the page, and they're going to be organizable into groups, too.

FaceTime for everyone

Like in iOS 15, Mac users will be able to create FaceTime links for all users—even if they're using Windows or Android. Apple says the calls will be end-to-end encrypted to ensure that your call is private and secure.

MacOS Monterey will be available on Oct. 25 and will be compatible with the following devices. iMac: Late 2015 and later 

  • Mac Pro: Late 2013 and later 
  • iMac Pro: 2017 and later
  • Mac mini: Late 2014 and later 
  • MacBook Air: Early 2015 and later
  •  MacBook: Early 2016 and later
  • MacBook Pro: Early 2015 and late

Remember to backup your laptop before updating operating systems, and for good measure, wait a week after the release so you won't encounter bugs.