Sonoma is Apple’s latest effort to make Macs even more powerful and easier to use, and Joe Kissell is back with a complete guide to the upgrade process, as well as an in-depth look at what’s new. People participating in video calls or sharing their screens via FaceTime, Zoom, and similar apps have some helpful new tools at their disposal. Widgets can now live on your desktop. Messages adds usability features, Safari offers greater privacy and flexibility, and Notes includes hyperlinks and better PDF support. Take Control of Sonoma walks you through all these changes and many more.
This book teaches you things like:
- How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Sonoma
- Steps you should take before upgrading
- How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup
- What’s new in the System Settings app
- Using new Safari 17 features, such as profiles that separate your Safari data into multiple contexts, turning any website into a standalone app, sharing passwords and passkeys securely, and browsing the web with greater privacy
- How to put widgets on your desktop
- Navigating long, multi-person Messages conversations more easily, using filters to narrow down searches, sharing your location (or requesting someone else’s) within Messages, and more easily working with stickers
- Creating categories in Reminders to organize your lists, and getting alerts before a scheduled task is supposed to occur
- Viewing complete PDFs within Notes and easily creating link that take you from one note to another
- Improving your privacy and security by securely sharing passwords and passkeys and using information from your keychain in apps besides Safari
- Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as accessibility improvements, a less-annoying Autocorrect feature (plus inline typing predictions), AutoFill for PDFs, and new capabilities for AirPods, dictation, screen savers, wallpaper, your lock screen, and screen sharing (among other features)
- Improvements to bundled apps, including FaceTime, Find My, Home, Mail, Music, Photos, and Siri
Joe Kissell is the author of more than 75 books about technology. In 2017, he also became the publisher of Take Control Books, when alt concepts—the company he runs with his wife, Morgen Jahnke—acquired the Take Control imprint from TidBITS Publishing Inc.’s owners, Adam and Tonya Engst. Before he began writing full-time in 2003, Joe managed software development, a totally normal profession for someone with degrees in philosophy and linguistics.
In his rare non-work hours, Joe likes to walk, cook, read, and teach tai chi. He lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, with Morgen and their sons. You can follow him on Mastodon (@joekissell) or Bluesky (@joekissell.com), or visit his personal website, JoeKissell.com.
What’s New in Version 1.2
Version 1.2 of this book updates it to cover changes in macOS 14.2, 14.3, and 14.4. The biggest changes in the book were:
- Added a sidebar, “Avoiding Dropbox Complications,” about extra steps you should take in certain circumstances when upgrading your Mac if you also have Dropbox installed (and several references to that sidebar at appropriate points in the book)
- Updated descriptions of a few minor features with details that were unavailable when the previous version of this book was published
- In “Do More with Messages,” mentioned several additional features, such as removing tracking codes from links and the option to Verify Contact Identities
- Updated the sidebar “Favicons (and Emoji) on the Favorites Bar” to reflect small interface changes in Safari
- Revamped and expanded “Use Keychain in Other Browsers” to include details about using both passwords and passkeys from your keychain in non-Safari browsers
- Added detail about how PDF AutoFill works in 14.2 or later
- Expanded “Screen Sharing” with more information about options for screen sharing between two M-series Macs
- Covered newly added features in the Clock, Mail, Music, Podcasts, and Weather apps
What Was New in Version 1.1
The version 1.1 update reflected changes that occurred during the late part of the beta testing process. It was up to date with the features available on Sonoma’s release date, although some features still appeared incomplete or missing, necessitating a future update. The most significant changes were:
- Removed references to the betas that are no longer applicable
- Added a direct link to the Sonoma installer in the App Store; see “Obtain the Installer”
- Added the topic “Search and Navigation Improvements” to discuss getting around within System Settings
- In “Accessibility Settings,” included more information about Spoken Content, Switch Control, Voice Control, and Zoom
- In “Enhance Video Conferencing,” switched to Apple’s new terminology for the Video menu bar icon and explained how to share a window or app right from within that app
- Described new methods you can use to improve audio recordings in Messages; see “Improve Your Audio Messages”
- Included instructions for more granular control of Safari extensions; see “Control Extensions Per Site”
- Mentioned new styles in Notes; see “Use New Styles”
- Explained a previously mysterious setting in Notes; see “Suggested Reminders”
- Added information about new systemwide features involving AirPods, Apple ID, Copy Subject, Family Sharing, Emoji, Insertion Point, and Live Text
- Described updates to the Clock, Contacts, Freeform, Mail, Photos, Wallet, and Weather apps
Posted by Joe Kissell on September 19, 2023
Joe Kissell joined host Chuck Joiner on MacVoices to talk about Take Control of Sonoma.
In part one, Joe talks about the upgrade process (and how to decide whether to upgrade) and some of the new features in Sonoma.
In part two, Joe complains says more about Sonoma’s new features.
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