Learn 20+ new features on macOS Big Sur

macOS Big Sur  is its next-generation operating system exclusively for Macs. macOS Big Sur is essentially macOS 11, which is said to be the version of the operating system that has been "upgraded" by Apple with many improvements and outstanding features. Let's take a look at these brand new points on macOS Big Sur in the article below!

1. Completely new design

Since the change from mac OS X to macOS, this is probably the biggest design change in Apple's operating system. The new design is modern yet familiar, with a focus on transparency, consistency, and content.

Also at the launch event of this new operating system, Apple said macOS Big Sur has significant changes to be more similar to iOS, with a similar or similar interface on the interface of its other product lines. like iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, .

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1.1 New interface

In the new macOS Big Sur interface, the toolbars and sidebars have been redesigned to blend in with each window. Besides, the toolbar at the top of the applications, separate buttons also disappeared, making the interface more unified and streamlined.

The windows also have a design change, with rounded edges, creating a softer feel. To create a similarity to the interface, the original Apple apps are also rounded, along with small changes in design and color.

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Also in this new interface, you can turn off the background color, your dark mode will be darker.

In addition, the application icons on the toolbar, the sidebar when clicked will be displayed magnified to make it clearer where the click is and what happens when you click on that application. Some apps that share common tasks will also have the same icon for UI consistency.

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The Dock is also refreshed, the application displayed in the Dock will be the same as in the window. The dock will also be dimmer and feature a raised design to blend in with the desktop.

1.2 Menu Bar and Control Center

The menu bar in macOS Big Sur interface has also been refreshed. The background of the bars is dimmer, no longer prominent on the desktop, when not in use you can completely hide. The pull-down menu bars also widen the spacing between lines for easier reading.

The icons in the menu bar and drop-down menus have both been redesigned, the most notable of which is the battery icon. This icon now shows details about the remaining battery power. Besides, Battery usage history and Optimized charging feature are also added to System Preferences.

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Control Center is added to the menu bar, allowing quick access to WiFi, Bluetooth, Volume, Dark mode, Do not disturb mode, . And you can also set up your own features. often use this Control Center.

In addition, this new operating system also lets you drag and drop your favorite menu items to the top of the bar for quick access.

1.3 Sheet

Sheets and small windows that appear when you perform tasks such as printing or saving documents are also refreshed in macOS Big Sur. Their contours have been removed to reduce visual discomfort.

Besides, the sheet is also designed to automatically blur to blend in with the background, and are scaled in the middle of the application.

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1.4 Sound system

The traditional Mac audio icons have all been refreshed, and according to Apple they are designed to "look and hear." Sound on the Mac is also created from snippets of the original sound, giving you both a sense of familiarity and a novelty.

In addition, the classic alarm sound of the Apple house, which has been "killed" by the company since 2016, will also return to this new operating system.

1.5 Notification Center

With macOS Big Sur, the notification center has also been redesigned, including small notification boxes filled with the information you need. These notifications are also associated with related applications, when you need to use you just press and hold on the notification box to operate and do not need to open the application.

Widgets are also newly designed, similar to Widgets introduced on iOS, including 3 different sizes and can be reset according to your wishes.

In addition, Apple also added new Widgets to work with applications such as Notes, Screen Time, .

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1.6 Updates more quickly and safely

Along with a clean, simple interface, macOS Big Sur's software has a feature that allows for faster firmware updates, which saves users time.

Not only that, this feature is also provided by a system that is encrypted, and added a layer of protection against malicious tampering.

Apple's new operating system now also supports APFS Time Machine backup, users can use the APFS disk to back up their Mac in addition to HFS +.

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2. Safari is "transfused"

It's no exaggeration to tell macOS Big Sur that Safari has almost gotten a "blood change", as it's much faster and more energy efficient. It is estimated that the loading speed of websites that you often visit will be 0.5 times faster than Chrome, and support time to use is about 3 hours longer than Chrome and Firefox.

Specifically, the innovations can be mentioned as follows:

2.1 Start page interface

Safari also has significant changes in Apple's brand new operating system. In Safari's interface, you can customize the background and Favorites, Webpages you frequently visit, Siri Suggestions, Reading List, iCloud Tab and Privacy Notifications on the start page. .

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2.2 Privacy Notice

The User Privacy Notice on Safari's start page now has a summary of the number of trackers that have been blocked (in 30 days), and you can see the website with that tracker show up. Parallel to the open web page if click on the shield icon.

Meanwhile, the privacy report will provide more insight into the websites that track your web activity.

2.3 Tabs

Safari Tab with macOS Big Sur has been redesigned, supporting multiple tabs display at the same time. And when you hover over these Tabs, web page previews will also appear, allowing you to quickly see the page content.

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2.4 Extensions

Extensions designed for other browsers like Chrome or Firefox can now also be converted to the same format that works with Safari. This new category on the Mac Appstore helps increase the number of available gadgets, maximizing the user's experience of using Safari.

Besides, History and Bookmarks that you have saved on Chrome will also be able to switch to Safari very easily.

Along with the improvement of extensions, Apple also does not forget to come up with measures to help increase privacy protection. You will receive an alert if an extension is accessing your websites illegally.

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2.5 Integrated Translation

With the new Safari, an integrated web translator, includes translations available for languages ​​including English, Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Russian, Portuguese and Brazilian , allows you to view web pages in another language without having to install extensions.

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2.6 Password supervision feature

As for passwords saved in iCloud Keychain, Safari will conduct a monitoring to ensure that they have not been compromised during any known data breaches. If the password is exposed, Safari will send an alert so you can change it.

2.7 Support 4K video on Netflix and YouTube

Safari in this new Apple operating system also supports HDR video, is capable of playing 4K HDR and Dolby Vision videos from Netflix and YouTube. Professional cinema experiences have never been so close to you with macOS Big Sur.

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3. Messages are brand new too!

Messages in macOS Big Sur is the Mac Catalyst app, with features similar to the Messages app on iOS devices, however it's supposed to be more suitable for a Mac.

3.1 Pin conversation

Pinned chats appear as a circular icon at the top of the app. With this new operating system you can pin up to 9 chats that matter.

In addition, you will also know when someone is typing a message, when a new message arrives with the input indicators and animated Tapbacks right on the pin.

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3.2 Reply inline (inline message)

Inline reply is a feature that allows you to respond directly to someone's message in a chat box. This feature can work in two-person chats, but is most effective in group chat. With inline replies, you can easily follow up on the conversation and keep the flow of messages more seamless and clear.

And this feature is also one of the very useful features, has been integrated into Messages with macOS Big Sur.

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3.3 Group chat

Group messaging also has changes in this new operating system. These chats can be completely customized with photos or emojis.

If you don't like to be disturbed by group messages but are afraid to ignore important messages in the group, then with this new operating system, you can set a notification every time someone tags your name, the system will notify you even if you have muted the conversation.

3.4 Photos and Emoticons

Messages and photos are also completely refreshed. In addition, you can insert Memoji stickers in messages to increase the vibrancy, these Memoji can be edited manually to your liking.

The popular image search, GIFs and text effects that are available on iOS are now available on Macs with this new operating system.

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3.5 Message Effects

In Messages, you can use more message effects such as bubbles, confetti, lasers, . Besides, Messages also supports setting Messages background and custom effects can be Applicable for chat bubbles.

4. Some other features

4.1 Maps

As with other features, Apple has also improved Maps for Mac, with improvements and additions where Maps on iOS is still limited.

The directions in Maps on this new operating system are more detailed, including additional information such as altitude, stairs, road density, . Users can use reliable directions. or create your own directions and share it with your friends.

Street view has also been added to the app, you can see more details of the street, even explore inside airports or shopping malls just by opening the Maps app.

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4.2 Spotlight Features

Spotlight allows you to search faster and search results are presented in a streamlined and easier to parse list. You can preview documents or web pages and quickly edit them with Quick Look in Spotlight, without having to launch an application.

In the new operating system, Spotlight now supports search for Safari, Pages, Notes and a few other applications.

4.3 App Store

Privacy protection for users is also brought to the App Store, in order to avoid app developers from collecting data from the device. The following user behaviors will be immediately alerted you when you prepare to download the application.

Apple Arcade - Apple's video game subscription service, which includes more in-depth Game Center, you can watch popular, high-rated video games or see your achievements in that game with Game Center records.

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Your game history is also stored so you have the right game recommendations. Also game search filters are now added to the upcoming games section.

With macOS Big Sur, you can conveniently share games purchased in the App Store app between multiple family members.

4.4 Photos

Photos in the new operating system have been enhanced in photo editing tools. You can erase excess details in the image, as well as make photo customizations such as filters, lighting effects, .

And what's more, all of these tools are also usable when editing videos.

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In addition, the "Description" feature - the feature that allows text to be added to images and videos has been renamed "Subtitles" to be similar to the "Subtitles" option in iOS 14.

4.5 Airpods

Similar to iOS 14, with macOS Big Sur, the AirPods will automatically switch between devices using the same iCloud account. Thanks to this feature, you can watch videos on your iPhone, and then switch to your MacBook, and the Airpods will automatically switch to the MacBook without having to reinstall Bluetooth.

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4.6 HomeKit

HomeKit - Apple's software to communicate and control smart home also has many changes on this new operating system.

Smart algorithm can recognize faces and learn from family members from the Photo library, this allows the camera to recognize friends and family members.

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The Activity Zones feature allows you to block certain zones, and adjust for security alerts for these zones. The smart lighting system is also optimized with the ability to change colors to adapt to external environments such as temperature changes during the day and minimizing blue light at night.

In addition, the main toolbar interface of the application is also redesigned so that users can quickly see the status of household appliances.

4.7 Apple Music

The "For you" category on macOS Big Sur will be changed to "Listen now", which includes new music products, artist interviews and personal playlists. In addition, the music search engine on Apple Music also incorporates genres of music that have many similarities, making it easier to find music that matches your taste.

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4.8 Reminder Features

The macOS Big Sur reminder feature is used for lists that you have added to remind, and smart suggestions based on reminders you've previously created are also a highlight of the feature. this.

It's completely free to set emojis for these notifications, and when you create smart notification lists, you'll have even more options. When there are too many notifications, the search engine will help you find the ones you want.

In addition, shortcuts are also added to this feature to navigate the list of notifications or change the notification time.

Micah Soto

Update 12 November 2020