macOS 10.15 is going to be jam-packed with features, if the rumor mill is any indicator. The latest report suggests that several different iOS features are heading to the desktop operating system this year.
According to a report from 9to5Mac, Apple is planning on several different iOS features to macOS later this year. Specifically, we could see the company add things like Screen Time, Siri Shortcuts, and a new Apple ID management section within System Preferences. These features should be welcomed ones for most users, but there appears to be a bit of a caveat with the Siri Shortcuts feature.
As noted in the original report, only Marzipan apps will be able to take advantage of Siri Shortcuts. With this particular feature, macOS users will be able to set up specific verbal cues to launch apps or get information from those apps. It also appears likely that the dedicated macOS Shortcuts app will be a separate download from the Mac App Store:
“It’s also likely that the Shortcuts app – a result from the acquisition of Workflow – will be available on macOS, the inclusion of system-wide support for Siri Shortcuts on macOS 10.15 strongly suggests it. On iOS, the Shortcuts app is not bundled with the system, users have to download it from the App Store. It’s possible that the same will be true for macOS: users will download a Marzipan version of Shortcuts from the Mac App Store.”
Apple is rumored to announce and launch the SDK for this particular feature at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to take place in early June.
In addition to that, the rumor also suggests that Siri engineers are working to bring the feature on macOS more in line with the iOS version. That means Siri on a Mac will be able to set timers and alarms, as well as ask things like the air quality. These things are missing from the Mac version of Siri, which has been a source of frustration for some users.
Screen Time is reportedly heading to macOS 10.15 as well. This will make it possible for users to set restrictions on apps available on their computer, as well as see how much time they are spending using apps. It will also let users set restrictions on some apps, based on usage time, or categories of apps. This could be a nice addition for parents hoping to set parameters for their kids.
A new focus on Apple ID and Family Sharing is also reportedly on the way:
“Apple is also working on bringing a new Apple ID management panel to System Preferences, including better support for configuring Family Sharing, similar to what’s currently available in the iOS Settings app. Yet another feature from iOS that’s coming to the Mac with macOS 10.15 are the iMessage effects such as confetti, lasers, fireworks and others.”
Expectation is that macOS 10.15 will be unveiled at this year’s WWDC, so we don’t have long to wait to see if all these new features are the real deal. We previously heard that macOS 10.15 will feature external display support for the iPad.
[via 9to5Mac]
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