macOS Big Sur new features

Iskander Fathallah
4 min readJun 23, 2020

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With the early WWDC2020 session, Apple has introduced its most recent version of the macOS named “Big Sur” with a refined and a beautiful design.
And here are the most important new features regarding the new OS.

macOS Big Sur

New Experience, New Design

Navigation Side-Bar

To ease navigation and permit direct access to different content , Apple has added full height side-bars and refreshed toolbars to many of its native apps like Photos, Maps …

macOS Big Sur Preview

Floating Dock

A freshly tuned bottom dock has been updated with a new floating appearance with brand new bordered-side icons just like iphone icons.

Control Center for Mac

Just like iOS and iPad OS, Apple has added a new fully customisable control access which makes access to controls like wi-fi, dark-mode, display brightness … instant

Control Center Preview

A fresh new Safari

A new look for Safari

Customizable Landing Page

Now it’s possible to set a custom background image for Apple’s own web browser and decide what data should appear on its start like Favorite Web Sites, Privacy report, Siri Suggestions …

Safari extensions

Just like Google Chrome, Safari has added an extensions feature that could improve your user’s experience while surfing the web. It’s also possible for developers to migrate their existing extensions to the AppStore and make them available for Safari users.
Apple has also brought a new translation extension that makes it easier to understand websites with foreign languages.

A better tabs design

Tabs in Safari got their share of the new design with a new elegant look that makes more tabs visible at once with a preview feature for every tab and easy access between them.

Password Monitoring

Using advanced cryptographic techniques, Safari keeps track of passwords that have been risked with a data-breach and helps user upgrade them.

Privacy Report

Safari provides a periodic report to its users to let them know of trackers related to visited sites and prevent them from being profiled.

Better Performance, Better Power Efficiency

Being the fastest web browser in the world, Safari is even faster with +50% more speed at loading frequently visited websites.
Also, one could do more with Safari in a single charge than most web browsers with up to 3 hours more streaming videos and up to 1 hour more browsing time than Chrome and Firefox.

Messages

New Messages Preview

“Big Sur” benefits of a fresh new design for Messages App with brand new functionalities just like iOS 14 and iPad OS 14.

And here are some of the most important highlights regarding Messages on Mac :

  • pin an important conversation
  • adding new choices to custom a Memoji and new Memoji stickers
  • Inline replies (like most messaging apps, now one can reply to a specific message in a group conversation)
  • Mention someone in a group conversation
  • setting a group conversation photo
  • Message effects for more meaningful messages

Maps

Maps New Design Preview

New Look, Better Guidance

A redesigned new Maps application is featured to make the most of big displays that allow fast and easy trip planning.
A list of some of the must-visit places are smartly picked for you with the most known guides like yelp and trip advisor.

EVRouting

In addition to that, Maps is being more and more environment friendly routing with EVRouting (Electric Vehicle Routing) that plans trips with compatible charging stops along the way.

Cycling Routes

This mode has been added specifically for cyclers so they could get anywhere they wish via their bicycles (this mode features only some cities in USA and China ).

3D Look Around

Maps makes it easier to explore new visited locations and cities by offering an immersive and a smooth 3D experience for a better discovery.

Indoor Maps

Browsing airport interiors and enormous shopping centers offer a better user experience to visit these locations without being lost in them.

And more and more new features are available on the new macOS Big Sur. For more details please visit Apple’s list of new features.
Note : this article is based on the WWDC2020 and screenshots are taken for Apple’s website.

About news regarding iOS 14, please check this link
And Stay tuned for more news about iPad OS 14, Watch OS 7, Apple Silicon …

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Iskander Fathallah
Iskander Fathallah

Written by Iskander Fathallah

Fund of IT technologies, fan of football, photography and Aspirig to be a FilmMaker, acting as an Agilist and a Product Owner.

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