Apple Releases macOS Catalina With Find My, Screen Time, and No More iTunes

Apple today released the newest version of its operating system for Macs, macOS Catalina, to the public. macOS Catalina comes after several rounds of beta testing and months of refinements.

macOS Catalina can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free, and it is available to anyone who has a compatible Mac.

macos catalina wallpaper
macOS Catalina brings some major changes to the Mac, eliminating the iTunes app in favor of new Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. The three apps offer similar functionality to iTunes, but are split up by feature.

iOS device management is still available on the Mac, but it's done through the Finder instead of iTunes, and accessing your Apple ID is now done through the new profile setting in System Preferences.

macos catalina apple music
The TV app offers up access to TV and movies with support for 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos, the Music app offers access to Apple Music and your iTunes library, and the Podcasts app offers up the Podcasts library with features for browsing, viewing top charts, and more.

A new Sidecar feature lets you turn your iPad into a secondary display for your Mac with just the click of a button, and you can even use your Apple Pencil to turn the ‌iPad‌ into a drawing tablet when using apps like Photoshop and Illustrator.

sidecarmacoscatalina
With macOS Catalina, the Apple Watch can be used to approve security prompts for passwords, and Macs with a T2 chip now support Activation Lock, making them more secure.

A new Find My app is available on the Mac for the first time, and it lets you track your devices even when they're offline, or in the case of notebooks, closed.

findmymacoscatalina
Screen Time is available on the Mac in addition to iPhones and iPads in macOS Catalina, so you can track your device usage across all of your devices for a better picture of how you're spending your time.

macoscatalinascreentime
Project Catalyst, a new Apple initiative, is designed to let developers easily port their ‌iPad‌ apps over to the Mac to increase the number of Mac apps available.

A new Photos interface surfaces your best photos organized by day, month, or year, there's a new start page in Safari, Mail has new tools for muting email threads and blocking senders, and the Reminders app has been overhauled.

macoscatalinaphotos
Security has been enhanced in macOS Catalina and Gatekeeper, Apple's security protocol, checks all of your apps for known security issues. New data protections require apps to get your permission before accessing your documents.

The update also supports Apple Arcade, Apple's new subscription-based gaming service that first began rolling out on the Mac last week. With macOS Catalina, Mac users can access ‌Apple Arcade‌ games on their Mac, as well as on iOS devices and the Apple TV.

apple arcade catalina
Prior to installing macOS Catalina, Mac users should be aware that 32-bit apps no longer work, so some older apps may no longer work after installing the update.

For more on what's new in macOS Catalina, make sure to check out our macOS Catalina roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Catalina

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone Car Key WWDC 2025

Apple Announces 13 Automakers Planning to Offer iPhone Car Keys

Friday June 27, 2025 11:42 am PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. During its WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple said that 13...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
anker power bank recall

PSA: Anker Recalls Multiple Power Banks Due to Fire Risk

Friday June 27, 2025 4:16 pm PDT by
Popular accessory maker Anker this month launched two separate recalls for its power banks, some of which may be a fire risk. The first recall affects Anker PowerCore 10000 Power Banks sold between June 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022 in the United States. Anker says that these power banks have a "potential issue" with the battery inside, which can lead to overheating, melting of plastic...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Pepe4life Avatar
75 months ago
Given how horrible the betas were, I’m not touching this.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
75 months ago
Remember kids, 32-bit apps are NOT supported on Catalina.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lucasrant Avatar
75 months ago

is there any way to check if there are 32bit apps on the system?
Yes.
Go to About this mac -> System Report -> Under Software, select Applications and there you can order the list based on 64bit apps.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
petvas Avatar
75 months ago

so what are the odds that there will come a patch which will allow for 32bit apps to be used?
Zero..
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StellarVixen Avatar
75 months ago
And here come countless “it’s horrible” comments...
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrisdazzo Avatar
75 months ago
GM seed build 19A582a (03 Oct 2019).
Release build 19A583 (07 Oct 2019).
Thanks @mikeboss!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)