macOS Sonoma Issues, Features, Bugs, Problems & More (14.0)

macOS Sonoma 14 build number 23A344 is a major software update released by Apple. It brings a considerable amount of new features, changes and improvements as well as its fair share of issues, bugs and problems!

macOS Sonoma Issues

Before updating to the new macOS 14 you might want to check bugs reported by early macOS Sonoma Release Candidate adopters:

• 1. Command + Tab shortcut for switching between apps not working. Opening apps from Dock requires a double-click instead of the usual single click. More details here.
• 2. Web WhatsApp not loading in Safari on Mac!
  Fix: You need to remove data in Settings as shown here.
• 3. Desktop icons missing and interface is unresponsive after update for this Reddit user.
• 4. External hard disk not showing up is a macOS Sonoma issue reported by several users including aphexetwine.
• 5. QuickTime player only exports audio in macOS 14.0. Reported by this Reddit user.
• 6. Messages chats not scrolling until the end, making it impossible to read all texts from a conversation.
  Workaround: Exit thread and return.
• 7. macOS Sonoma wallpaper keeps resetting to default. Reported by this Reddit user.
  Fix: Open Mission Control, add a new space and delete the default one. Credits peterfreeby on X (former Twitter).
• 8. Screensaver turns off display after two minutes although it’s set to never. Reported by this Reddit user.
• 9. Battery draining too fast after macOS 14.0 update for Goldenti.
• 10. Finder crashing several times a day for some users.
• 11. Notes crashing frequently on M2 Max MacBook Pro for dee1337.
• 12. To be updated! (Contribute in the comments!)

macOS Sonoma Features

The release notes highlight the most important changes and improvements:

Screen savers

• 1. Stunning screen savers of locations from around the word seamlessly become your desktop wallpaper when you log-in.
• 2. Shuffle settings for rotating through screensavers by theme including Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth.

Widgets

• 3. Widgets can be placed anywhere on the desktop and adapt to the color of your wallpaper while working in apps.
• 4. iPhone widgets can be added to your Mac when your iPhone is nearby or on the same Wi-Fi network.
• 5. Interactive widgets let you take actions directly from the widget such as running a shortcut, pausing media, and more.

Video Conferencing

• 6. Presenter Overlay keeps you front and center while sharing your screen in FaceTime or third-party video conferencing apps (Mac with Apple silicon).
• 7. Reactions layer 3D effects like hearts, balloons, confetti, and more around you in video calls and can be triggered with gestures (Mac with Apple silicon, continuity camera with iPhone 12 and later).

Safari and Passwords

• 8. Profiles keep your browsing separate for topics like work and personal, separating your history, cookies, extensions, Tab Groups, and favorites.
• 9. Web apps let you use any website like an app, complete with an icon in the Dock for faster access and a simplified toolbar for easier browsing.
• 10. Enhanced Private Browsing locks your private browsing windows when you’re not using them, blocks known trackers from loading, and removes tracking that identifies you from URLs.
• 11. Password and passkey sharing allows you to easily share accounts with trusted contacts.

Messages

• 12. Live Stickers sync from iOS and iPadOS to macOS, giving you access to the Live Stickers you create on your iPhone and iPad.
• 13. Search filters for people, keywords, and content types like photos or links help you more easily find what you are looking for.
• 14. Swipe to reply inline on anv iMessage bubble.

Gaming

• 15. Game Mode gives games the highest priority on the CPU and GPU. delivering more consistent frame rates and lower latency to wireless controllers and AirPods Mac with Apple silicon.

Keyboard

• 16. Improved autocorrect accuracy makes typing even easier by leveraging a more powerful transformer-based language model.
• 17. Inline predictive text shows single- and multi-word predictions that you can add by pressing the space bar.
• 18. Improved Dictation experience supports using your voice and keyboard together to enter and edit text.

AirPods

• 19. Adaptive Audio delivers a new listening mode that dynamically blends Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency to tailor the noise control experience based on the conditions of your environment. (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with the latest firmware).
• 20. Personalized Volume adjusts the volume of your media in response to your environment and listening preferences over time (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with the latest firmware).
• 21. Conversation Awareness lowers vour media volume and enhances the voices of the people in front of the user, all while reducing background noise (AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with the latest firmware).
• 22. Press to mute and unmute your microphone by pressing the
  AirPods stem or the Digital Crown on AirPods Max when on a call (AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation), or
  AirPods Max with the latest firmware).
• 23. Improved AirPods automatic switching now detects Mac up to 2X faster (AirPods (2nd and 3rd generation), AirPods Pro (1st and 2nd generation). AirPods Max with the latest firmware.

Privacy

• 24. Sensitive Content Warnings can be enabled to help prevent users from unexpectedly viewing sensitive images in Messages.
• 25. Expanded Communication Safety protections for children now detect videos containing nudity in addition to photos shared through Messages and the system Photos picker.
• 26. Improved sharing permissions let you choose which photos to share and add calendar events without providing access to vour entire photo library and calendar.

Accessibility

• 27. Live Speech lets you type what you want to say and reads it aloud in Facetime calls or in-person conversations.
• 28. Personal Voice helps users at risk of speech loss create a voice that sounds like them in a private and secure way using on-device machine learning.
• 29. Made for iPhone compatible hearing devices can be paired and used with Mac (MacBook Pro (2021), Mac Studio (2022), and Mac computers with M2 chip).

More macOS Sonoma features

• 30. One-Time verification code AutoFill from Mail helps you quickly sign into sites in Safari, without leaving the browser.
• 31. Inline PDFs and document scans in Notes are presented full-width making them easy to view.
• 32. Grocery Lists in Reminders automatically group related items into sections as you add them.
• 33. Visual Look Up for recipes helps you find similar dishes from photo.
• 34. Visual Look Up in video helps you learn about objects that appear in paused video frames.
• 35. Pets in the People album in Photos surfaces individual pets just like friends or family members.
• 36. “Siri” in addition to “Hey Siri” now works for a more natural way to activate Siri (Mac with Apple silicon, AirPods Pro (2nd generation)).
• 37. High performance mode in Screen Sharing supports color workflows and improves responsiveness while remotely accessing a Mac (Mac with Apple silicon).
• 38. Item sharing in Find My allows you to share an AirTag with up to five other people.
• 39. Activity History in Home displays a recent history of events for door locks, garage doors, security systems, and contact sensors.
• 40. Battery health management updated on 13-inch MacBook Air with M2 chip to better optimize long term battery health.

For even more macOS Sonoma new features and improvements check Apple’s full list.

macOS 14 Security Fixes

Vulnerabilities patched by this update are listed here:

• 1. To be updated! (Contribute in the comments!)

macOS Sonoma 14 Download

This update is available over-the-air:

• 1. Open System Settings and go for General -> Software Update.
• 2. macOS Sonoma 14 should show up.
• 4. Click Update Now or Install Now.
• 5. Type Mac password and be patient until the new version is requested, downloaded and prepared.

Fact: macOS Sonoma update only shows up on compatible Macs. Check out the list with compatible devices!

macOS Sonoma Not Available?

Close System Setting and reopen to force your Mac to search for the update once again!

Tip: If you already installed the Release Candidate 2, the public Sonoma 14.0 won’t show up because it’s the identical release!

Have you installed macOS Sonoma 14? Which is your favorite new feature? Are you facing any other issues? Do you have questions? Share your feedback in the comments!

Related: Apple has also released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 (21A329), watchOS 10.0.1, tvOS 17 (21J354), HomePod 17 and AirPods 6A300.