6 hidden features in macOS Sequoia you can find in the first beta

Now that we've spent nearly two weeks with Apple's new macOS Sequoia developer beta 1, it's time to bring a few little-known features and changes to light. We're not talking about the flagship features that were publicly showcased at the company's WWDC 2024 showcase last week, like Apple Intelligence or window snapping.

Instead, these are the smaller tidbits that might now have even garnered a mention on Apple's macOS Sequoia preview page. Some of the best upcoming features aren't available in the first developer beta, that's what makes these hidden features so important. You can find and start using them today — as long as you're willing to take the risk of installing beta software on your Mac.

6 iPhone Mirroring

It doesn't work yet, but it's there

One of the bigger features set to hit macOS Sequoia is iPhone Mirroring, which will let you control all the best iPhones from your Mac. It's not fully working in the first developer beta, but you can still see it. Searching iPhone Mirroring in the macOS Finder should bring up the iPhone Mirroring app. If that doesn't work, you can open up the Applications folder and show hidden files to reveal the upcoming app. And if you're familiar enough with macOS Terminal, you might even be able to launched the hidden app before Apple wants you to.

A few clever tinkerers have managed to get iPhone Mirroring running, although it still doesn't completely work at the moment. One of them even shared the process on GitHub, so you can follow along at home. We should warn you that you should only attempt this if you really know what you're doing. Still, it's always cool to get a peek at an unreleased macOS application before it launches, and that's what anyone can do in macOS Sequoia.

5 Apple Account

Apple isn't calling it an Apple ID anymore

A small change throughout Apple operating systems this year is the rebrand of Apple ID to Apple Account. I'll miss the days when it was called Apple ID, even if it makes more sense to call it an Apple Account now. This wasn't something the company specifically mentioned during the WWDC 2024 keynote, but you can spot the tweak right now in the System Settings app in macOS Sequoia. It'll now say Apple Account under your name in the sidebar. The system will also show Apple Account anywhere on macOS where the term Apple ID was previously mentioned.

4 Calculator

macOS Sequoia autocompletes equations in any text field

Jokes aside, it was a big moment when Apple added an overhauled Calculator app to the iPad this year. It's not just any calculator app, because a feature called Math Notes can autocomplete handwritten equations with the correct answers. This has been talked about a lot in the days since WWDC 2024, but you may not know that part of the Math Notes feature works in any text field in macOS Sequoia. For example, if you open up the new Apple Notes app, simply typing in 4+5= will prompt macOS to autofill the correct answers. This is a very simple math problem, but it scales up too. You can try it in Notes, Messages, or really anywhere else you can enter text and use autocomplete on macOS Sequoia.

3 Macintosh wallpaper

There's a new retro-themed macOS wallpaper and screen saver

We always get new wallpapers bundled with macOS upgrades, and macOS Sequoia is no exception. However, there's another new wallpaper separate from the regular macOS Sequoia wallpaper in the first developer beta. It's called Macintosh, and it's a retro-style wallpaper that matches the aesthetic of early Macintoshes and System 7 software. What's really cool is that the Macintosh wallpaper automatically changes over time, and becomes a live wallpaper on the Lock Screen. If you're a fan of old Macs, this wallpaper is a must-try feature in macOS Sequoia developer beta 1.

2 Settings

There are new Privacy & Security toggles, and General is now the default

Apple already overhauled the System Settings app in macOS a few years back, but there are a few small tweaks with macOS Sequoia. For starters, opening the app now brings up the General tab by default, which is a minuscule but useful change that will make finding quick toggles easier. There are also new options on the Privacy & Security page. Keeping in line with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, there are now descriptions at the top of some settings pages that describe what you can do on each page. Of course, there's the new Apple Account branding we mentioned previously as well. For better or for worse, the System Settings app and macOS Sequoia is more like its iOS counterpart than ever this year.

1 Rotating Wi-Fi addresses

macOS Sequoia can swap out MAC addresses automatically for added security

One key privacy and security feature coming to macOS Sequoia that you can start using in developer beta 1 is rotating Wi-Fi addresses. The feature does exactly what it sounds like. macOS can periodically swap out your MAC addresses to help you stay incognito on the web. You've long been able to change your Mac's Wi-Fi address manually through the Terminal, and macOS Sequoia now takes care of that for you. It still won't replace a great VPN, but it's better than nothing. It joins a slew of other internet privacy features on the Mac, like iCloud Private Relay and Limit IP address tracking.

Plus, all the other major features

These are only the under-the-radar features in macOS Sequoia, and more will likely be uncovered as more betas are released. They join the highlights of this year's upgrade, such as window snapping, enhanced video calling features, and a new Apple Passwords app. That's without mentioning the Apple Intelligence features that are slated to appear in macOS Sequoia in beta this fall. All together, macOS Sequoia looks to be a pretty solid upgrade, even if it isn't the flashiest right now.