macOS Catalina's Biggest Changes: What to Check Out After Upgrading

macOS Catalina, which came out on Monday, is the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Mac. Catalina brings some significant changes, including the removal of the iTunes app, a new Sidecar feature, an updated Find My app, and more.

In our latest YouTube video and in the article below, we're going to go over some must-know macOS Catalina features that will be useful to those who have just updated and want to familiarize themselves with the changes.

  • No More iTunes - Apple removed iTunes in macOS Catalina, splitting it up into three new apps: Music, TV, and Podcasts. These three apps offer all of the functionality that was previously in iTunes, so you can still get to your music library, access TV shows and movies you purchased, and listen to your favorite podcasts. You can still make iTunes Store purchases, too.
  • Finder Syncing - Since there's no iTunes app, you won't use iTunes to manage your devices that are plugged in. Instead, when you plug in an iPhone or iPad to your Mac, you'll see it in the left side of the Finder window where you can get to all the same controls you had in iTunes.
  • Apple Watch Password Authentication - You've long been able to unlock a Mac with an Apple Watch, but in macOS Catalina, the Apple Watch can also be used to authenticate passwords or approve app installations when you double tap on the Side button. This is especially handy on Macs that don't have Touch ID. Get to the settings by opening up System Preferences and choosing the Security and Privacy section.
  • Sidecar - ‌Sidecar‌ is a new feature in macOS Catalina that lets you use your ‌iPad‌ as a secondary display. The easiest way to activate ‌Sidecar‌ is to click on the AirPlay icon on the Mac. If you have a Sidecar-compatible ‌iPad‌, it will show up in the list of available devices. ‌Sidecar‌ is limited to newer Macs and on the ‌iPad‌, it only works with iPads that support the Apple Pencil. Make sure to check out our Sidecar guide for more info.
  • iPad Apps for Mac - Apple in macOS Catalina introduced new "Catalyst" developer tools that are designed to make it easier for developers to port their ‌iPad‌ apps to the Mac, which means you can expect some of your favorite iOS apps to be available on the Mac. Catalyst apps are still rolling out, but some high-profile options are already available like GoodNotes 5, Carrot Weather, HabitMinder, and more.
  • Find My - There's a new ‌Find My‌ app on the Mac, which brings a dedicated app for finding friends and devices for the first time. ‌Find My‌ combines ‌Find My‌ Mac and ‌Find My‌ Friends, so it's the one-stop shop for whatever you're looking for. ‌Find My‌ even lets you find your Mac when it's closed and has no WiFi connection by leveraging a Bluetooth connection to other iPhones and Apple devices that are nearby. The new ‌Find My‌ capabilities give you a better chance of finding a lost or stolen device.
  • No More 32-Bit Apps - macOS Catalina does not support 32-bit apps, which means some older apps might not work after upgrading. This mostly only applies to apps that haven't been updated in a long time, but it's still something that may take users by surprise. For more info, make sure to check out our 32-bit Mac app guide.

Many of the apps on the Mac have been overhauled with new features. Reminders, for example, has a whole new look and an easier to use interface, while Photos has a new view that organizes everything by day, month, or year. Notes lets you share folders for the first time, and there's a Picture by Picture option in Safari.

For a full rundown on all of the features that you'll find in macOS Catalina, take a look at our macOS Catalina roundup.

Related Forum: macOS Catalina

Top Rated Comments

57004 Avatar
45 months ago
Pretty meh release from a user experience point of view for me as a power user (and using it for work heavily)... I'm not really interested in dumbed-down iPad apps on my Mac, nor the explosion of iTunes (which I never used) into multiple apps in my dock - though they're easily removed. Screen time is irrelevant to me (I don't get why adults need something that's basically a parental guidance tool to control themselves :)). On the UX side Mojave was much bigger for me with its dark mode and selectable accent colours.

But there's lots of goodness under the hood though! More security with read-only OS partition, single-sign-on plugins that fix the mess that SSO was on Mac (especially when apps start supporting it), managed Apple IDs for work, user enrolment (though it'll need another iteration to be actually useful).

Another negative though is the many added dialog boxes with apps asking for permission to send notifications. You totally get swamped with them after the upgrade (which is a bit stupid considering how Apple made fun of Windows Vista's frequent UAC popups ('//www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuqZ8AqmLPY')). They should have just enabled all of the pre-existing apps by default (as it was under Mojave!) and let the user disable them if needed through the preferences panel. The same with the "<app> wants to access Documents" - if I didn't trust an app I wouldn't install it in the first place :rolleyes:. Really missing a "I know what I'm doing - stop bothering me" option - which incidentally Vista DID have :p
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maverick28 Avatar
45 months ago
My opinion of using Catalina for a couple of hours, compared to Lion, Mavericks and – the newest one I run – High Sierra: it is as beautiful as useless. Finder syncing UI sucks big time: I don't see anything what's on my iPhone unlike I was able to in the "bloated" iTunes. Could go on and on but I stop here. It's not an upgrade, it's a downgrade, so I upgraded by returning to High Sierra and sticking to triple boot with the other two OSes that I still use and that give me more usage benefits than this abomination of software. Real shame on Apple.
I don't give a dime about sidecars, screentime, catalyst crappy apps, Apple Watch link. This is not productivity.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
45 months ago
Possibly the first OS since Lion that I’ve not been excited about. I mean they actually removed features from music, and the new Photos app is a step backwards from what was almost perfect.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oldmacs Avatar
45 months ago

I like how the wallpaper flashes off and on three or four times as my 2012 mini is shutting down. Now that’s classy!
There is no more attention to detail.
I wish MacOS was on a two year release cycle...
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
45 months ago
Surprised that so many people started to love iTunes, Dashboard and all of 32-bit apps since October 7.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Queru Avatar
45 months ago
Best change for me - can’t use my Mac mini, can’t even downgrade properly to Mojave. It’s probably the time to finally jump ship.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

dynamic island

iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models. According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
TMobile Sprint

Apple Stops Allowing Sprint iPhone Activations, Removes Sprint References From Online Store

Thursday March 23, 2023 12:06 pm PDT by
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store. When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
Hero0009

Best Apple Deals of the Week: Samsung's Smart Monitor M8 Gets Massive $250 Discount, Along With Year's Best AirPods Prices

Friday March 24, 2023 10:23 am PDT by
We saw a lot of great deals on Apple products and related accessories this week, including Samsung's iMac-like Smart Monitor M8 for $250 off, a 30 percent off spring sale at Anker, and the year's best prices on numerous AirPods models. All of these deals are still available to purchase right now, so we're recapping them and more below. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these ...
top stories 25mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Design Leak, iOS 16.4 Coming Soon, and More

Saturday March 25, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
We're still almost six months away from the official unveiling of the iPhone 15 lineup, but it seems like every day we're learning more about what to expect from the next-generation models. Notably, this week gave us our clearest look yet at what appear to be some changes for the volume and mute control hardware. iOS 16.4 and associated releases are also right around the corner with some new ...