Officially available for almost two weeks, the new version of macOS is loaded with a myriad of new features. If you are still hesitant to install it, these five new functions should quickly convince you.
On October 25, Apple officially deployed macOS Monterey, the latest version of its operating systems for Mac. After nearly four months of beta testing, Mac users with an eligible machine can now choose to install the new version of macOS on their machine by going directly to System Preferences under the Software Updates menu.
If the more daring have probably already installed this major update of macOS, the wisest perhaps wait to first have feedback from first-time users before deciding to take the plunge.
Because, in addition to the probability that some commonly used applications are not yet functional on the new operating system from Apple, some Mac owners have simply “bricked” their machine after installing macOS Monterey.
What calms some enthusiasm, even if these problems remain quite infrequent in terms of the number of users around the world.
Note, however, that some new features available in the macOS Monterey betas are not yet available in the stable version of the OS. This is the case, for example, with SharePlay, or even the Universal Control function which allows you to use the keyboard and mouse of the Mac on a nearby iPad.
If you’re still one of those hesitant, there are some new features in macOS Monterey that could quickly convince you to cross the line.
Live Text
As iOS 15 does very well, macOS now knows how to find and extract text from your images. With Monterey, you can very easily interact with all the text appearing on images, whether they are stored on your Mac or viewed in the Safari web browser. macOS Monterey indeed automatically recognizes the text displayed on images and allows you to select it to copy it and use it in another application after pasting it.
All you have to do is highlight any text with the mouse, then use the right-click context menu (or the usual keyboard shortcuts command + C and command + V for copy and paste) to interact with it. the text. Even better, when the selected text is a phone number, street address, or email address, macOS directly offers to initiate a call, find the location on a map, or send an email.
ICloud Private Relay
Currently available in beta, as on iOS 15, iCloud Private Relay is a new service set up by Apple to secure your browsing in Safari by hiding your IP address.
All data sent by your Mac is encrypted and travels over independent internet relays, preventing the sites you visit from knowing your IP address, DNS activity, location and web activity to create your advertising profile for the purpose. to send you targeted advertising.
To activate it, go to System Preferences, then in your Apple ID, check the Private relay (beta) option.
Be careful, however, iCloud Private Relay is only available for iCloud + subscribers, that is to say paying iCloud subscribers, having subscribed at least to the offer at 0.99 euros for 50 GB of space. storage on iCloud.
Quick note
Quickly taking a few notes with one click like you would with a small sticky note, without risking losing the contents, is now possible.
With Monterey, Apple is launching a Quick Note function which, as its name suggests, allows you to quickly create a note, which will then be automatically synchronized in the Notes application to ensure that it is saved.
To quickly take a note, hover the mouse cursor in the lower right corner of your Mac screen and click on the small gray square that appears. A new blank note will then open for you to quickly write down everything you need.
Quick Notes are also available under the heading Add to Quick Note from the right-click context menu in Safari, after highlighting some text.
Theoretically, the note then integrates the selected text as well as the URL of the page concerned to which you can add your comment. If this function seems tempting, in reality, it seems, at least for the moment, still a little buggered since we were not able to make it work correctly systematically.
FaceTime
This is one of Apple’s very big projects in macOS Monterey. FaceTime, the audio and video calling app is gaining a plethora of new features.
FaceTime can now be used by anyone, on any device. All you have to do is initiate the call by choosing from the application to Create a link that you will then have to send to your correspondents. They’ll just have to open it in their regular web browser to join your FaceTime call.
AirPlay
With macOS Monterey, your Mac can turn into an AirPlay receiver. Concretely, you can now broadcast your presentations or make video copy from your iPhone to your Mac screen. It is also possible to use it as an AirPlay speaker: launch a song on your iPhone and play it through the speakers built into your Mac.
Be careful, however, AirPlay on Mac is not available on some older machines. To take advantage of it, you must have a 2018 or newer MacBook Pro or Air, a 2019 or newer iMac, a 2017 iMac Pro, a 2019 Mac Pro, or a 2020 or newer Mac mini. As for the iPhone or iPad, you must have an iPhone 7 or higher, an iPad Pro of 2e generation or more, an iPad Air of 3e generation or later, an iPad 6e generation or higher or an iPad mini of 5e generation or more.