macOS Big Sur

macOS Big Sur refreshes the design of the user interface, described by Apple as the biggest change since the introduction of Mac OS X.[5] Its changes include translucency in various places, a new abstract wallpaper for the first time and a new color palette. All standard apps, as well as the Dock and the Menu Bar, are redesigned and streamlined, and their icons now have rounded-square shapes like iOS and iPadOS apps.[15] Compared to iOS, Big Sur's icons include more shading and highlights to give a three-dimensional appearance. Its aesthetic has been described as "neumorphism", a portmanteau of new and skeuomorphism.[16][17] System sounds are redone as well.

The new OS also brings further integration with Apple's SF Symbols, enabling easier use by third-party developers as UI elements for their applications through AppKit, SwiftUI, and Catalyst, which makes it possible to unify third party applications with the existing Apple-made design language.[18]

An interface with quick toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, screen brightness and system volume has been added to the menu bar.[15] This interface is functionally and visually similar to the Control Center on iOS and iPadOS.

The Notification Center is redesigned, featuring interactive notifications and a transparent user interface. Notification Center also features a new widget system similar to that in iOS 14, displaying more information with more customization than previously available.[5]

macOS Big Sur is the first release of macOS for Macs powered by Apple-designed ARM64-based processors, a key part of the transition from Intel x86-64-based processors.[19] The chip mentioned in demo videos, and used in the Developer Transition Kit, is the A12Z Bionic. On November 10, 2020, Apple announced the first Mac Apple silicon chip, the Apple M1, in the Late 2020 Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.[20] Apple has said that it will support Intel Macs "for years to come",[19][21] and most software that has not been ported to run on ARM Macs can use Rosetta 2, an update of a compatibility mechanism originally developed for the PowerPC-to-Intel x86 transition. Likewise, Apple also introduced an updated universal binary format, Universal 2, which allows developers to package their applications so that they can run natively on both ARM64 and x86-64 processors.[22]

On Macs based on Apple silicon, macOS Big Sur can run iOS and iPadOS applications natively and without any modifications needed from developers, aside from allowing the app to be available on the Mac App Store.[19] The first Macs with this capability are those that use the Apple M1 SoC (system on a chip).

Time Machine, the backup mechanism introduced back in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, has been overhauled to utilize the APFS file system (introduced in MacOS High Sierra) instead of the outdated HFS+. Specifically, the new version of Time Machine makes use of APFS's snapshot technology.[23][24][25] According to Apple, this enables "faster, more compact, and more reliable backups" than were possible previously with HFS+-formatted backup destinations.[23][26] An independent evaluation of this claim found that Time Machine on macOS 11 in conjunction with APFS was 2.75-fold faster upon initial local backup and 4-fold faster upon subsequent backups relative to macOS 10.15's Time Machine implementation using HFS+.[26] A more modest yet nevertheless significant advantage was noted as well for backups to network-attached disks.[26]

New local (i.e. USB- or Thunderbolt-connected) and network-connected Time Machine backup destinations are formatted as APFS by default, though Time Machine can continue backing up to existing HFS+ backup volumes.[23] There is no option to convert existing, HFS+-based backups to APFS; instead, users who want to benefit from the advantages of the new, APFS-based implementation of Time Machine need to start with a fresh volume.[26]

In the new version of Time Machine, encryption appears to be required (instead of merely optional) for local disks, but it remains elective for networked volumes.[26]

It is no longer possible to restore the whole system using a Time Machine backup, as the signed system volume is not backed up. Non-core applications and user data can be restored in full using Migration Assistant, preceded by a system reinstall if necessary.

Spotlight, the file system indexing-and-search mechanism introduced in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, is faster and the interface has been refined. Spotlight is now the default search mechanism in Safari, Pages, and Keynote.[27][28]

The system volume containing the core operating system is cryptographically signed. Apple indicates this is a security measure to prevent malicious tampering.[29] This includes adding an SHA-256 hash for every file on the system volume, preventing changes from third-party entities and the end user.[30]

Software updates can begin in the background before a restart, thus requiring less downtime to complete. Because system files are cryptographically signed, the update software can rely on them being in precise locations, thus permitting them to be effectively updated in place.[28]

macOS Big Sur supports encryption at the file level. Earlier versions of macOS (10.15 Catalina and older) supported encryption only at the level of entire volumes.[25] As of June 2020, this capability is known to be compatible with Macs based on Apple silicon; it is unclear whether it is compatible with Intel-based Macs.[25]

• Bilingual dictionaries in French–German, Indonesian–English, Japanese–Simplified Chinese and Polish–English
• Better predictive input for Chinese and Japanese users
• New fonts for Indian users
• The "Now Playing" widget has been moved from the Notification Center to the Menu Bar
• Podcasts "Listen Now" feature
• FaceTime sign language prominence
• Network Utility has been removed
• The macOS startup sound is now enabled by default (it had been disabled by default on some machines released in 2016), and an option in System Preferences was added to enable or disable this functionality.[31]

Big Sur includes Safari 14, which was also released for macOS Catalina and macOS Mojave on September 16, 2020. Safari 14 includes features such as a new home page in which users can customize what features are visible in addition to being able to set a custom wallpaper. It also allows the viewer to preview a page and favicon before visiting it.[32]

Safari 14 also includes built-in web page translations in English, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Chinese and Portuguese as well as support for 4K HDR content from Netflix on Macs with an Apple T2 chip, although none of these were made available for macOS Catalina and Mojave.[32][33]

Privacy features such as iCloud Keychain (which notifies users of compromised passwords), extension privacy management and Privacy Report (which monitors privacy trackers and further increases Safari's security) were added for Safari 14.[34] Users were now also able to import password from Google's Chrome browser in addition to being notified of compromised passwords.

Safari 14 also supports WebExtensions API, the WebP image format as well as VP9 decoding, the latter of which allows for the playback of 4K and HDR content from YouTube. In addition, it allowed for better performance and power efficiency.

Safari 14 ended support for Adobe Flash Player in September, 3 months prior to its end-of-life on December 31, 2020.[34]

The Messages app was rewritten to be based upon Apple's Catalyst technology[35] to enable it to have feature parity with its iOS counterpart. The new version of the app included a refined design as well as the ability to pin up to nine conversations that can sync across iOS, iPadOS and macOS. Users were also now allowed to search for messages and share their names and photos. Photo thumbnails could now also be used for group chats on the app.

In addition, users could mention contacts by putting the @ symbol in front of their name. They were also able to reply to specific messages. Memojis, 3d avatars were also made available on Messages.[36] On Messages, users could now select photos based on parameters.[37]

In India, text message effects were added when users sent certain texts (e.g., texting "Happy Holi" will result in users seeing effects).

The Mac App Store showing the Safari Extensions category

Refinements and new features of the Mac App Store include:

• A new "nutrition label" section dedicated to the data and information an app collects, also featured in the iOS App Store
• A new extensions category for Safari
• Third party Notification Center widgets, similar to those also added in iOS and iPadOS 14.
• The ability to share in-app purchases and subscriptions on the Mac via iCloud Family Sharing

• Collapsible pinned section
• Quick text style and formatting options
• Scanning enhancements

• New editing capabilities
• Improved Retouch tool
• New zooming feature in views

• "Look Around" interactive street-level 360° panoramas, first implemented in the iOS 13 version of Maps, have been incorporated into the macOS version of Maps.
• Availability of directions for cyclists.
• Electric vehicle routing, based on proximity to charging stations and monitoring of battery levels (on selected car models).
• Guides for exploring new places.

• a file structure has been implemented to allow organization of recordings in folders[38]
• recordings can be marked as Favorites for easier subsequent access
• Smart Folders automatically group Apple Watch recordings, recently deleted recordings, and Favorites
• audio can be enhanced to reduce background noise and room reverb