Apple today released the fourth beta of the upcoming macOS 14 Sonoma update to developers for testing purposes. The beta comes two weeks after the release of the third beta.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after installing the appropriate profile, with betas available through the Software Update mechanism in System Settings.
macOS Sonoma introduces new Apple TV-like screensavers that also serve as wallpapers after you sign in, plus they bring widgets to your desktop. You can use the new tool gallery to choose from a group of tools, then drag them to your Mac’s desktop.
Widgets can be arranged in any useful way, and when you’re using an app, they’re designed to fade into the background so they’re less distracting. Widgets are more interactive than ever, so you can use them to do things like play music, turn off the lights in your home, and more. With Continuity, your iPhone widgets can also appear on your Mac’s desktop.
Video conferencing has been improved with a new Presenter Overlay view that shows your desktop or project in new ways, plus Safari now supports web apps for the Dock and the option to create profiles so you can separate personal browsing from work browsing.
Other new features include improved search that’s faster and more responsive, password and passkey sharing, a revamped stickers interface for the Messages app, PDF integration in Notes that makes managing PDFs easier than ever, and more.
macOS Sonoma will be in beta testing for several months, with a general release coming this fall.
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