macOS Monterey: 7 features you may have missed

They might not have been noticed, but these new macOS Monterey features also look exciting and useful.

Today's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote proved Apple had worked hard over the past 12 months to bring new features to various products. For Mac and macOS Monterey those features much of the focus has been on FaceTime, Safari, Shortcuts for Mac, and a few other new or updated features. Then there are these eight features that you might have missed.

Easily save photos

Beginning with macOS Monterey, you can now quickly save photos sent to you by clicking a new save button right in your Messages conversation. Previously, saving a photo on Messages took following a few more steps.

HTTP update

Much of the excitement about the updated Safari web browser on macOS Monterey has centered around the new tab features. The update also adds the ability of Safari to update sites known to support HTTPS from HTTP automatically. This adds another level of security that's always welcomed on web browsers.

Time-sensitive notifications

During the keynote, Apple spent some time talking about Focus and how the new tool makes it possible to control better when you receive or don't receive notifications based on what you're doing at the time. Not mentioned is a new time-sensitive notification feature, which guarantees the most important alerts are never missed. These might include fraud alerts, a reminder about your kids, and more.

No Set-up required

With the new Universal Control in macOS Monterey, you can move between your Mac and iPad using a keyboard, mouse, or trackpad without missing a beat. There's no set-up required for this to happen! Instead, move your input device as you always do, but this time push the cursor from one device to the other. Yes, Apple says it's that simple.

Automator compatibility

No doubt, the new Shortcuts for Mac will eventually replace Automator on macOS. Until then, Apple's making it possible to turn Automator workflows into shortcuts seamlessly. For hard-core Automator users, this should make a transition to Shortcuts even easier.

Recording indicator

In macOS Monterey, Apple's letting you know when apps have access to the mic on your Mac. You can find this information on Control Center or through a new software indicator that uses the camera indicator light.

Advanced fraud protection

With Advanced Fraud Protection, Apple Card uses can now use a security code that changes regularly. The tool makes online Card Number transactions more secure across Apple devices, including Mac.