As you are already aware, Apple has released a plethora of BETA updates of their Operating Systems that you can try out on your secondary devices if you have them. These include iOS 18, iPadOS 18, WatchOS 18, MacOS Sequoia, HomePod Software 18 along with the addition of Apple Intelligence that will be coming soon. I have been using these for well over a week and this is what I think.
iPhone Mirroring on MacOS Sequoia
This definitely takes the top spot of all the features that are getting rolled out. I mean, I would put Apple Intelligence up here, but since it’s still not available at the time of writing this article, the iPhone Mirroring is probably the best integration Apple has done so far.
For starters, I’m sure you are already well aware of how gracefully the MacOS on Macbook handles wake up from sleep. Shut the lid when done using and lift it up when ready to use it again. There’s no waiting time and its always ready to work. This is the essence of what makes iPhone Mirroring a bliss to have. I don’t have to take out my iPhone from my pocket or bag, and it’s just there for a quick glance, ready to be used with the physical keyboard and trackpad on the MacOS. Productivity takes a whole new level by using this and since the display is not being used on the iPhone, I actually managed to save about 30%-35% of battery at the end of the day.
However, there are a few things that I do wish gets improved here. Bear in mind, since I have been using BETA, these might just be quirks waiting to be ironed out in the final rollout.
The iPhone Mirroring only has only three viewport sizes, smaller, actual and larger. There is no resizer that allows me to resize it in a ratio to whatever size that I want it to be. Especially when I am used to organizing my apps in the proportions that I want them to use in the real estate that I have on my Macbook’s display. I dont think this will be eternal though since there are no apps that I use that do not allow me to resize their viewports on the MacOS so far.
Next, there is no way to force landscape mode unless the app (or game) itself requires landscape mode. This, combined with the resizer might just bring about some rather useful experiences on apps like messaging and emails. You might be wondering, why don’t I just use the Mail app on the Macbook since I’m already on the machine? Well, let’s just say, I like to segregate what I do on my Macbook and iPhone based on the environments that I am on.
One nuisance that has been bugging me since I’ve been testing out the BETA is the fact that iPhone Mirroring gets “Connection Interrupted” at which, I have to click “Try Again” to reconnect. There is no specific pattern to this occurrence as it may happen randomly after 5 minutes or even 1 hour. Again, this might just be a BETA caveat.
Drag & Drop is something that is still non-existent on the iPhone Mirroring. I think this is something that is naturally expected in mirroring mode. For the most part, outside of iPhone Mirroring, since I’m already logged in to the same iCloud, I can just copy something on my iPhone and just Cmd + V to paste it on my Macbook, along with Airdrop that allows me to seamlessly move files between the systems. So drag & drop only makes more sense with iPhone Mirroring.
The Control Centre is also missing in the iPhone Mirroring. This one is a bit tricky because adjusting the brightness for example is not something that you would be doing while mirroring the iPhone, but there are some quick shortcuts like the “Home” app, focus mode selection, and network controls that I would want to manage from the mirrored iPhone instead. I suppose the functions that are not usable in mirroring mode could be greyed out indicating they’re not usable here.
Uninstalling apps is also not possible from the iPhone Mirroring. So I actually have to go back to my iPhone to do that. I can’t think of a reason why this is not possible, but being able to manage apps from the mirrored iPhone would be quite a useful feature. That said, the whole wobbling apps feature is not possible which means, I also am unable to rearrange them while I’m in the iPhone Mirroring mode.
Calculator App on MacOS Sequioa
This is probably the longest waited update. The Calculator app finally does some of the very important things that I have been expecting from it. It will also be available on the iPadOS 18 onwards so I no longer have to use a 3rd party app for something as simple.
First, the history is a gifted feature here. When I’m using the calculator app, most of the time I have to do multiple calculations, because why would I otherwise need a calculator in the first place? With the mix of various calculations that I’m doing, sometimes I need to revisit the previous calculated values and this has never been possible on the native Calculator app. Now, I can even recall the previous calculations when I need them for further expansion. I had always wondered, for a company that makes super complex apps, how is it that the Calculator has been missing some of the very basic features like this and finally, it’s coming to us.
Secondly, there is now a converter on the app. Whether you need to convert measurement values or currency, it’s all here. I definitely can see myself using the Calculator app a lot more now. On the iPadOS, there’s an equation solver that lets me write equations down and solve it in a way that it resembles my writing. This co-exists between the Calculator and Notes app so this is something I really appreciate. I have been using Goodnotes app for this exact feature all this while.
Passwords App on MacOS Sequioa
The Passwords app adds a new way of managing passwords and this first version itself is already rather impressive. While it’s built on the foundation of passwords management feature that has been around for the longest time, having a dedicated app to do this changes everything.
My favourite feature in the Passwords app is the fact that I can group passwords into different categories and share them with my family members so I can help them remember their passwords too. Finally I can make it easier to share the Netflix password with my family members now.
There is a small issue here though. The Passwords app is widely available across the entire Apple ecosystem and even browser extensions on other OS, but its not available on Android OS. I use Bitwarden for my passwords management and the vault is synced across all my devices regardless of the OS that I’m using, making it extremely convenient to use everywhere. See, there is a possibility that a user might be using MacOS but not an iPhone so it might be a little dumbfounding to manage two separate password apps.
Window Tiling on MacOS Sequoia
I think this is self explanatory and probably will be rejoiced mostly by existing Windows users who might port to the MacOS. Snapping an app window around the MacOS now is as simple as dragging it to the sides or corners. There are ways to do this with shortcut keys too, but to me, having this feature in the first place is a huge plus point.
Customisations on the iOS 18
With the iOS 18, I can now move the app icons and widgets wherever I want them to, so no longer would they interrupt the wallpaper that I spent donkey years finding that perfect one. I can even set them to light mode or dark, or even add a tint to match the wallpaper by selecting the color right from the wallpaper itself.
Above all, probably the best customisation that can be done on the iOS 18 is on the Control Centre. I can add multiple pages to the Control Centre and add or remove different shortcuts and action items around it. These can even be accessed from the lock screen so a lot can be done quickly and easily. Now, on this subject, I do have one request though. I would love to be able to customise different Control Centre layouts that I could activate with different Focus modes. This way, I can have different Control Centre for when I’m at Home, or at Work, or when I’m in Entertainment mood.
Photos App on the iOS 18
This is the largest update ever on the Photos app and changes a lot of things. The entire layout is customisable with collections that automatically organise the library. It can detect duplicates and simplify the look and feel by hiding the duplicates, so the photos library doesn’t look repetitive with similar photos. The search feature also makes it easier to find people or pets or search by location among others. It does take a little getting used to the new layout, but once I got a hang of it, it becomes pretty neat!
Pokdepinion: Of course, there are a lot more additions that Apple has brought to the new updates, but these are the ones that I personally found worth sharing. I also only covered the iOS 18 and the MacOS Sequioa while there are other devices that are getting updates but I plan to wait for their official rollout instead. All I can say is, what is coming up is definitely a game changer for Apple devices and for the most part, these will support quite a number of existing devices to a certain extend. I also believe that the actual prowess of this update will be elevated by the Apple Intelligence when it gets pushed officially.
