Janet Ingber
In late October, Apple released macOS Monterey, its new operating system for the Mac. Monterey offers a number of VoiceOver additions and mainstream features. Many of the new features can be accessed through your Mac and other iOS devices.
Apple has put together a list of Macs that can run macOS Monterey. For this article, I used an M1 MacBook Air running macOS Monterey 12.1.
VoiceOver
In Monterey, VoiceOver has received a few updates.
More information in VoiceOver Cursor
VoiceOver will indicate if more information is available than just in the VoiceOver cursor. If there is more information, type VO-Command-/ to hear it. If you do not want this feature enabled, go to the VoiceOver Utility (VO-F8) and select the Verbosity category. Go to the Hints tab. When you get to the pop-up menu for when an item has more content, open the menu and choose Do Nothing.
VO-F Command
When you search for a particular word or phrase with the VO-F command, VoiceOver reads only the text entered in the search box. To read surrounding text, you now need to use arrow keys or Option-Right Arrow or Option-Left Arrow.
Markup
Markup can be used to label images. For example, if you write a description for an image in Preview, you can hear the description by typing VO-Shift-L. You can also use Markup to label different signatures. To create a signature, select the description menu and choose an option.
Languages
If you choose to download additional languages into the Voices pane in the VoiceOver Utility, it will enable VoiceOver to switch between languages while reading. In other words, if a document starts out in English and then switches to Spanish, VoiceOver will make the transition.
Voice Control
Some new languages are now available in Voice Control. They include Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and French.
Audio Graphs
VoiceOver now supports audio graphs, which use tones and pitch to create an audio representation of trends and data. Find an audio graph by using the web rotor. If an audio graph is on the page, there will be an audio graph option.
VoiceOver Rotor
There have been some changes for navigating web pages with the VoiceOver rotor. Web Spots and Images are no longer in the Rotor by default. Frames have been added to the default items. Customize the rotor by going to the Web category in the VoiceOver Utility. Then make a selection in the Web Rotor tab.
VoiceOver automatically creates window spots, such as toolbars or sidebars, for additional items in app windows.
Braille
According to Apple’s Monterey support documentation, “When you use a braille display with VoiceOver, you can select text by pressing and holding the Shift key on the keyboard at the same time you press router keys above the text you want to select. You can also assign a VoiceOver command to use the Shift key on a braille display.”
Alternative to Function Keys
If you prefer not to use the Function keys, use VO-FN-the number key for the corresponding function key. For example, if you want to access the VoiceOver Utility, you can now use VO-FN-8. The standard key command is VO-F8.
Low Vision
Monterey now has customizable mouse pointers. The outline and inside colors can be changed as well.
Mainstream Features
Apple has added many mainstream features for the Mac. Apps such as Notification and Focus can be shared with your other Apple devices.
Notifications & Focus
There is a new pane in System Preferences called Notifications and Focus. Use the Notifications tab to give permission for an app to send you notifications and for you to choose their alert style. From the Notifications tab, VO-Right-Arrow to the Applications table. After choosing an app, Vo-Right Arrow to find a list of notification options.
Use the Focus tab to choose when you do not want to be disturbed and who can contact you even when you have a focus activated. The first option is a list of only two items: Do Not Disturb and Driving. If you VO-Right Arrow a few times, you will hear a button labeled Add Focus. Selecting this button offers additional options including Custom, Mindfulness, and Personal.
After you select your focus, it will be in the Focus list. From there, VO-Right Arrow through the various options and make your selections.
If you have Notifications and Focus set up on your iPhone and iPad, check the Share Across Devices button and those settings will also apply to your Mac. Conversely, if you set up Notifications and Focus on your Mac, check the same button on the Mac and your choices will be on your iOS or iPadOS device.
Voice Memos
You can now change playback speeds and skip silences in Voice Memos recordings. Open the Voice Memos app and go to the Library table. Select your recording. Tab to the Playback Settings button and select it.
The first control is the Playback speed slider. Speed options range from 0.50 to 2.0. Next is a Skip Silence switch, which is off by default. The final control is an Enhance Recording switch, which is off by default.
iCloud+
When you have iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. iCloud+ offers premium features. such as Hide My Email and Private Relay. A list of pricing plans are available.
iCloud+ offers some new services such as Hide My Email and Private Relay. Go to System Preferences and select your Apple ID. Next, go to the iCloud Services table.
Hide My Email tells Apple to generate a random email address that forwards to your designated iCloud email. Therefore, the sender cannot see your real email address. Select Hide My Email from the Services table. There is information about Hide My Email plus a list of previous random email addresses created by Apple, for example, those created when you used Sign In With Apple. Make sure the feature is turned on. You can reuse a previous Hide My Email email address or create a new one.
You can also use Hide My Email through your email app. Tab to the From section of the email. In Apple Mail, it is the last option before the body of the message. Choose Hide My Email from the pop-up menu. If you have more than one email account, make sure to choose the email server related to your Apple ID.
Private Relay is also in the iCloud+ Services table. It encrypts your web browsing so your IP address and browsing are not visible. Private Relay lets you decide whether you want your IP address to display your general location or just your country and time zone.
Passwords
Passwords now has its own pane in System Preferences. It is located after the Internet Accounts tab. The interface has not changed.
FaceTime
FaceTime calls now have Spatial audio. If you are on a call with more than one person, you will hear participants’ voices coming from different locations.
When you open the FaceTime app, VoiceOver will say, “Create link.” Because of this new Create Link feature, people using Windows computers and Android devices can now participate in FaceTime calls. Share the newly created link with anyone you want on the call.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts were previously only available on iOS devices. With Monterey, they are now also available on the Mac. Shortcuts combine tasks to make it easier to get things done. If you have Shortcuts on your iOS device and both your iOS device and the Mac are signed into the same iCloud account, your iOS Shortcuts will also be on your Mac. Be aware that not all iOS Shortcuts will run on the Mac.
The Mac’s Shortcuts app is in the Applications folder by default. You can put it on the dock with Control-Shift-Command-T. Once the app is opened, you can tab to where you can set the view to Icon or List. On my Mac, Icon was the default, so I switched it to List.
The first table you encounter has a list of the shortcuts you created on your iOS device and then a gallery of pre-made shortcuts. In the gallery list is a section called Starter Shortcuts. Exploring these shortcuts will give you an idea about how shortcuts are laid out on the Mac. Selecting an item from the table will bring you to the Actions table. Information about the shortcut is in this table. After you hear the Shortcut’s name, VoiceOver will say, “Play button.” Activate the shortcut with VO-Spacebar. You can also create your own shortcuts for the Mac.
Apple Music Voice Plan
This plan gives you access to Apple Music’s extensive library via SIRI. The cost is $4.99 per month. You cannot create your own playlist and your songs will not have Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio. You do have access to all of Apple Music’s many playlists. Apple Music will be available across all your Apple devices.
Mac Rumors has an excellent explanation of this new Apple Music offering. Go to: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-music-voice-plan/
Conclusion
MacOS Monterey has both new features and security updates. Not to mention, Apple has included updates to accessibility features as well. I personally have found the update definitely worth installing.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
