Aside from half a dozen new emoji characters, macOS Sonoma 14.4 lets you view transcripts of your favorite shows in Apple’s Podcasts app.
The Cupertino company launched macOS Sonoma to the public on March 7, 2024, two days following the iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 updates for iPhone and iPad.
There are also updates for older Macs, packed with a myriad of bug fixes and patches. If you’re still running macOS Ventura, download macOS 13.6.5 in Software Update. Folks on macOS Monterey can grab macOS 12.7.4 instead.
To update your Mac, click the Apple menu and choose System Settings, then select General in the sidebar and click Software Update on the right. Follow the onscreen instructions to download and install an over-the-air update.
How about new emoji?
macOS 14.4 brings six new emoji characters: two shaking heads to express approval or disapproval, a phoenix rising from the ashes, a broken chain, an edible brown mushroom and lime. When you message someone with these emoji, they also need to be on macOS Sonoma 14.4. Otherwise, they won’t see these characters.
Apple Podcasts transcripts and bug fixes
macOS Sonoma (and iOS and iPadOS 17.4) also bring transcripts of Apple Podcasts shows, which are machine-generated unless creators provided their own. You can search episode text using keywords or jump to any point to play from there. If you know how to use time-synced lyrics in the Music app, you’ll feel right at home.
Other relevant documents you may want to peruse:
- macOS Sonoma 14.4 release notes
- About the security content of macOS Sonoma 14.4
- About the security content of macOS Ventura 13.6.5
- About the security content of macOS Monterey 12.7.4
- What’s new in the updates for macOS Sonoma
- macOS feature Availability
Other updates released today include watchOS 10.4 which fixes the fake touches bug, HomePod Software 17.4 which enables Siri to learn your preferred media app so you can omit it from voice requests and visionOS 1.1 with various improvements.