The next version of macOS will be available to download beginning October 25th. Apple shared the release date at its "Unleashed" event today alongside the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips and a redesigned MacBook Pro.
The macOS Monterey update comes with notable improvements to FaceTime, including support for Spatial Audio, and the ability to use SharePlay to listen to music and watch videos with your friends. One of the biggest changes is the addition of Universal Control, which allows users to seamlessly move back and forth between an iPad and a Mac. The feature, which builds one earlier Continuity updates, allows users to drag and drop files between multiple devices and type on an iPad from a MacBook keyboard.
But both SharePlay and Universal Control, which wasn’t available in initial betas of macOS Monterey, will be arriving after the initial update "later this fall," according to Apple.
The release also comes with a major update to Safari that’s at times been controversial due to significant changes to the tab bar and other key features. (The most recent beta brought back the tab bar by default after earlier versions of the update removed it.) Other improvements to look forward to include Live Text, a Google Lens-like feature that allows you to select text within photos, and the addition of Quick Notes. MacOS is also getting some updates that first appeared in iOS 15, including Focus Modes, and support for "Shared with You," which keeps track of content shared within the Messages app.
Apple is bringing two other important iOS features to the Mac with the Shortcuts app and support for AirPlay, as Macs running macOS Monterey will be able to use their devices as an AirPlay speaker.
Follow all of the news from Apple’s Mac event right here.