3 weeks ago
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Apple has released MacOS Sequoia 15.1, the first major update to MacOS Sequoia that includes Apple Intelligence features. The Sequoia 15.1 update also includes a few bug fixes, and brings drag and drop support to the popular iPhone Mirroring feature.
Separately, Apple has also released iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence, along with watchOS 11.1, tvOS 18.1, and visionOS 2.1.
Mac users who are not running Sequoia can MacOS Sonoma 14.7.1 and MacOS Ventura 13.7.1 with security patches for those releases.
How to Download & Install MacOS Sequoia 15.1 Update
You’ll want to backup your Mac with Time Machine before beginning. Once that is finished, installing the update is simple:
- From the Apple menu, select “System Settings”
- Go to “General”, and then go to “Software Update”
- You will see “macOS Sequoia 15.1” available as an update, choose “Update Now” to begin the process of downloading and installing
You will have to restart to finish installation.
Apple Intelligence System Requirements for Mac
It’s important to remember that Apple Intelligence has very strict system requirements. For Mac users, that means you must have an Apple Silicon M1 chip or better to have access to the Apple Intelligence features.
If you do not have an Apple Silicon Mac, you can still use many AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and others, through the web and various clients.
Direct Download macOS Sequoia 15.1 Installer & IPSW File
The links below point to Apple CDN servers to download macOS Sequoia 15.1 as a PKG installer or IPSW file:
Full installers can be used for making bootable install disks, installing on multiple Macs, and many other purposes. The IPSW file can be used for restoring Apple Silicon Macs, and easily creating Sequoia virtual machines.
MacOS Sequoia 15.1 Release Notes
Release notes accompanying the download as shown for some users are the generic MacOS Sequoia 15.0 release notes, but the specific release notes for MacOS Seqouia 15.1 are as follows:
This update introduces the first set of features powered by Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that unlocks powerful new ways to communicate, work, and express yourself, all while protecting your data with an extraordinary step forward for privacy in AI. This release also includes drag and drop support for iPhone Mirroring and other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your Mac.
Apple Intelligence (Mac with M1 and later)
Writing Tools
– Writing Tools are available nearly everywhere you type, allowing you to rewrite, proofread, and summarize text right in the app you’re working in
– Rewrite suggests different versions of your text so you can choose which combination of flow and wording you like best
– Proofread lets you view suggested improvements to what you’re writing, like grammar fixes and language refinements
– Summarize allows you to select text wherever you’re writing and generate a high-quality summary
Siri
– A new look and feel includes a glowing light that wraps around the edge of your screen, animates responsively to the sound of your voice, and lets you keep scrolling or typing while you talk to Siri
– Type to Siri when you don’t want to speak a request out loud
– Richer language understanding enables Siri to follow along if you stumble over your words or change your mind mid-sentence
– Conversational context is maintained over the course of a session, so you can refer more naturally to something you said in a recent request or something Siri mentioned in a recent response
– Product knowledge helps you get answers to thousands of questions about the features and settings on your Apple products
– Voice enhancements make Siri sound more natural, expressive, and clear
Photos
– Memory movies can be created by describing the story you want to see
– Photos search lets you find photos and videos simply by describing what you’re looking for
– Clean Up removes distractions in your photos
Notifications
– Notification summaries make it easy to catch up on your notifications with a glanceable summary of the most important information
– Reduce Interruptions is a new Focus that ensures the most urgent notifications get through to you while silencing potential distractions
Additional Features
– Smart Reply in Mail and Messages help you quickly respond to messages with suggested responses
– Transcription summaries in Notes give you an intelligently created summary of the transcript from your audio recording
iPhone Mirroring
– Drag and drop support lets you seamlessly move files, photos, videos, and more between your Mac and iPhone
AirPods
– Hearing Protection feature helps users minimize exposure to loud environmental noise across listening modes (available in the United States and Canada)
– Features require AirPods Pro 2 with firmware version 7B19 or later. All features may not be available for all countries or regions, for more information visit: https://apple.com/airpods-pro/feature-availability/
This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
– Option to automatically download and install games and apps to an external disk drive
– Game Center friend invites can be sent directly from the Contacts app and Friend Suggestions and receivers can see the invites in the inbox in Settings
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices.
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
Separately, updates are available for just about every other Apple device, so don’t forget to update your iPhone, iPad, older Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.
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