Apple today released the first beta of an upcoming macOS Sequoia update to its public beta testing group, giving the general public a chance to try out the new operating system's features ahead of its fall launch. The first public beta includes the same content as the third developer beta.
Public beta testers can download macOS Sequoia from the Software Update section of the System Settings app after signing up on Apple's beta testing website and opting into the public beta under the Beta Updates section.
macOS Sequoia's biggest feature is iPhone Mirroring, which is designed to let you control your iPhone from your Mac using your keyboard and mouse. You can see notifications and use your iPhone apps even when your iPhone is tucked away and locked, and later this year, you'll be able to use the feature to drag and drop apps from your Mac to your iPhone and vice versa.
Window tiling has been improved to make it easier to get multiple windows on your Mac in a way that works for you, Safari can summarize websites and show you highlights, and the Messages app supports scheduling messages and using the Tapback feature with any emoji.
There's a new Passwords app for managing your passwords, logins, and passkeys, the Photos app has a new design, the Notes app supports audio transcription and summarization, and you can also type in any equation and get it solved automatically.
macOS Sequoia supports all of the new Apple Intelligence features that are also coming to iOS 18, offering all kinds of quality of life improvements. Writing tools help you proofread and polish your writing across apps, you can create unique images with Image Playground, and make up your own emoji with Genmoji. Photos includes a Clean Up tool for removing unwanted images, and Siri will use AI for better language understanding and contextual relevance. Siri will even be able to consult ChatGPT for complicated queries.
There are a long list of additional features coming to macOS Sequoia, with more information available in our dedicated roundup.
