MacOS Monterey

macOS Monterey, or macOS 12, is the eighteenth major release of macOS that was released on 25 October 2021. It was announced on 7 June 2021 at WWDC. This version drops official support for NVIDIA Kepler GPUs and Intel HD 5300 GPUs. It is the final version of macOS to have support for Intel processors without AVX2.

Similarly to what happened in macOS Big Sur, the version number jumped from 12.0 to 12.0.1 ever since the release candidate builds for unknown reasons.

New features and changes

 * Added the SharePlay feature, which is a screen sharing function for FaceTime.
 * Added Mic Modes within FaceTime, which adjusts how much ambient sound comes through.
 * Added portrait Mode within FaceTime, which adds a blur effect to whatever's behind you.
 * Enhancements to Continuity, which is Apple's technology for seamless integration with macOS and other Apple OSes such as iOS. It can be compared with Super Terminal and Screen Coordination in HarmonyOS 2.0.
 * Added Shared with You, which adds content shared through iMessage within other apps.
 * Multiple photos sent in iMessage will now show up in a stacked view.
 * Compact tab bar and tab grouping within Safari.
 * Added Focus, a utility for filtering notifications.
 * Added Quick Note, an easy way for users to quickly write something down from anywhere within the system.
 * Added Universal Control, which allows users to use a single keyboard and mouse between devices.
 * Added AirPlay to Mac, which allows media to be streamed straight from an iOS device.
 * Added Live Text, an easy way for users to interact with text on an image.
 * The Shortcuts app was imported from iOS. It allows users to create personal shortcuts from their favorite apps.
 * Updated Maps app with detailed cities, new transit features, and an interactive globe.
 * Added recording indicator within Control Center, similar to iOS.
 * Added new privacy measures within Mail.
 * Added Spatial Audio, which is also present in version 11.5 of macOS Big Sur.
 * Added Low Power mode for MacBooks.
 * Added system-wide translation for text.