Apple announces macOS Sonoma with game mode and support for desktop widgets

By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards.

Apple has just unveiled macOS Sonoma, the latest version of its desktop operating system, onstage at WWDC 2023. The headline features are support for widgets on the desktop, a new game mode, and moving aerial screensavers. Based on Apple's release strategy in previous years, the update — also known as macOS 14 — should be available in developer beta imminently and as a public beta in the coming weeks. General availability is expected later this year.

Widgets can be dragged from your Notification Center to the desktop or can effectively be imported from an iPhone via Continuity if a device is on the same Wi-Fi network. They can be interactive (allowing you to tick items off a to-do list, for example, or control media playback or connected smart home devices), and are designed to fade into the background when you open a window.

There's also a new "Game Mode" for Mac that's designed to prioritize a game's access to CPU and GPU resources, as well as reduce latency for connected AirPods and Xbox and PlayStation controllers. Apple says the mode works with all titles on the operating system. To affirm its commitment to gaming on the Mac, Apple had game developer Hideo Kojima appear during its stream to announce that Death Stranding Director's Cut will be coming to macOS.

Videoconferencing is also getting some improvements, with a Presenter Overlay feature that allows you to show content like slideshows behind you while your face remains on camera. Along with a set of reaction AR effects that can be activated during calls, these features can apparently be used across any videoconferencing app.

Sonoma will also deliver updates for Apple's web browser Safari. Web apps can now function more like regular macOS apps, with support for notifications and the ability to pin them to your dock. There's support for Profiles so you can keep cookies, browsing history, and tab groups separate depending on whether you’re using it for work or in a personal capacity, and private browsing windows are designed to offer more protections against web tracking and lock when you’re not using them. Apple's also aiming to make it easier to securely share passkeys and passwords via iCloud Keychain.

As well as the macOS-specific updates, Apple says that several of the upgrades announced for iOS 17 will also be available for its computer operating system. These include improved autocorrect, the ability to summon Siri without saying the word "hey" first, quicker form-filling in PDFs, and enhanced sticker functionality.

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