macOS Sonoma Adds Desktop Widgets and Game Mode

macOS Sonoma arrives

Apple released macOS Sonoma on September 26, 2023 as a free software update. Apple framed it around personalization, big updates to Safari and video conferencing, and optimized gaming, making 'work and play even more powerful' on the Mac.

Desktop widgets and screen savers

macOS Sonoma let users place widgets directly on the desktop, where they blend with the wallpaper while other windows are open and become interactive, so users can complete reminders, control media and access home controls in place. Through Continuity, iPhone widgets can also appear on the Mac. A new set of slow-motion screen savers of locations worldwide seamlessly transition into the desktop wallpaper after login.

Game Mode and Safari

Game Mode improves the gaming experience by providing more consistent frame rates and dramatically reducing input and audio latency with wireless game controllers and AirPods, working with any game. In Safari, profiles keep browsing separate across topics like work and school, Private Browsing added stronger tracker protection and locking of idle windows, and any website can be added to the Dock as a web app.

Video calls and app updates

New video conferencing features work in any app: Presenter Overlay displays the user in front of the content they are sharing, and Reactions trigger frame-filling 3D effects like balloons and confetti with hand gestures. Additional updates included group password sharing via iCloud Keychain, Live Stickers in Messages, intelligent grocery lists in Reminders, and a transformer-language-model autocorrect for the keyboard.

Related on Skillo

See also: macOS Ventura and Stage Manager, macOS Sequoia and iPhone Mirroring.

Sources

• macOS Sonoma is available today (apple.com)

Published date reflects the original event date (2023-09-26). This article is original Skillo editorial written from the sources above; facts were verified in September 2026.