23 Exciting macOS Catalina Features

This is what’s new in macOS Catalina, aka the macOS 10.15 update, that is coming to you Mac in October.

The Mac gets new macOS features as well as gaining some of your favorites from the iPhone and iPad. This year, we also get SideCar, which lets you use your iPad as an external display for your Mac with no special adapters or software to buy.

Apple delivers a major update to your Mac with these new features and it is shaping up to be a significant update that can change how you use your Mac and your iPad.

The macOS Catalina release date is October, possibly this week on October 4th. Apple already released iOS 13, iPadOS 13 and watchOS 6 along with updated.

Here’s a look at the new macOS Catalina features that are coming to your Mac this fall.

1. Cross-Platform Apps – Run iPad apps on your Mac.
2. New Mac Apps – New Music, TV and Podcasts Apps.
3. iPhone in Finder – You now manage your iPhone and iPad in Finder.
4. iPad as an External Display – Use your iPad as a display for your Mac.
5. Voice Control – Total voice control of the Mac.
6. New Find My App – A new Find My iPhone and Friends App Combo and you can find your Mac when it is asleep.
7. Activation Lock – Your mac now has the same Activation lock as your iPhone.
8. Screen Time – Screen Time lets you monitor usage and set limits.
9. iPad Apps – Developers can bring iPad apps to the Mac with Catalyst easily
10. Photos Upgrades – Now you can see your best photos faster and see important memories easier.
11. Notes Updates – You can now easily see Notes previews and better manage checklists.
12. Reminders – New options to keep track of to-do items and Smart Lists.
13. Safari Smart Start – The Safari new tab page now shows you more of what you need, when you need it.
14. Apple Pencil Support with Sidecar – When you use the iPad as an external display, you can use the Apple Pencil as a tool in supported apps.
15. Security and Privacy Upgrades – System-level upgrades to keep your data and privacy secure.
16. Approve with Apple Watch – Double click your Apple Watch button to perform many of the things you can use TouchID for on a Mac.
17. Voice Control – Complete voice control of your Mac.
18. Apple Music Optimized – The Mac is now optimized to work with Apple Music including a new Now Playing miniplayer.
19. Apple TV – The Apple TV app brings channels to your Mac as well as Apple TV+
20. Mail – Block senders, mute threads and unsubscribe from lists faster.
21. Home Upgrades – Homekit Secure video lets you see your security recordings and manage them.
22. International Upgrades – Multilingual setup, new fonts, and dictionaries, plus new Siri voices are just a few of the upgrades.
23. Restore from Snapshot – You can now restore from a snapshot taken right before installing third-party software if you run into a problem.

Apple is holding back at least two features for the first macOS 10.15.1 or similar update. This includes iCloud Drive folder sharing. This lets you share a private folder with someone using a link. They can add to the folder, get updates to the files you store and more. Another feature coming soon is the ability to control who your kid can communicate with on the Mac and when they can.