Mac OS Ventura 13.3, What's New?

Apple recently released Mac OS Ventura 13.3, which is now available worldwide to the public on any Mac OS Ventura-supported device. This update, which was released alongside updates for other Apple products like iOS 16.4, takes up a considerable amount of storage, approximately 11.76 GB. The build number is 22e252, which is the same as the release candidate. Thus, if you are a developer or beta tester who is already on the beta version, you will not receive an update.

The new Mac OS Ventura 13.3 update includes several new features and improvements. For instance, Messages now has 21 new emojis that comply with the latest Unicode standard, including a shaking face, a pink heart, a blue heart, a moose, a jellyfish, a blackbird, palms facing up, and more. The keyboard now supports transliteration for Gujarati, Punjabi, and Urdu, as well as new keyboard layouts for Choctaw, Chickasaw, Akan, Hossa, and Yoruba.

Apple has also made some security updates in the new Mac OS Ventura 13.3 update. If you have a MacBook with an SD card slot, SD or SD extended capacity cards will now require user approval before they can communicate throughout Mac OS. This is an extra level of security similar to what is already available for USB accessories.

The Freeform app has also been updated. It now enables users to remove images from their backgrounds quickly, just as they can with Apple Photos. Meanwhile, the Photos app includes a feature that allows duplicates to be scanned across shared photo libraries. Users can then merge these duplicates across different devices.

In terms of accessibility, the new update includes an option for dimming flashing lights, which is particularly useful for video content that depicts repeated flashing or strobing lights. Voice Over, meanwhile, now reads weather app information and maps. Additionally, Siri and Spotlight now offer new voices for Hebrew and Arabic.

The update comes with some Shortcut updates. There are 12 new actions available, such as shut down, auto answer calls, set silence on known callers, set always on display lock screen, intercom, set announce notifications, set night shift, set VPN, set true tone, and set stage manager. These updates carry across devices using iCloud. However, on Mac, changing the icon color is the only option available; to change the icon itself, users need to use the iOS app.

Under Display, there is now an option to dim flashing lights in video content that may cause seizures. Voiceover can now read weather app information and Maps. There are 12 new shortcut actions, such as Shutdown, Auto Answer Calls, and Set VPN.

In the Home app, there is a new option for Home Upgrade available under Software Update that allows you to update your devices with the latest version of iOS or HomePod OS. You can now also manually or automatically update different devices using Matter.

This update resolves several bugs, including a trackpad issue where gestures would occasionally stop responding and a problem with Finder not working with Voiceover. There are also a ton of security updates for this update, and it is important to install them. Additionally, Studio Display firmware was updated.

The next update, Mac OS 13.4 beta 1, is expected to be released soon. However, the most anticipated event is the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June. During this conference, we expect to see the new versions of Mac OS 14, iOS 17, watch OS 10, and possibly a mixed reality headset with reality OS.

As for overall performance, there are no noticeable differences when running this version, and it seems the same on different Macs. Battery life has not been an issue, but we keep our devices plugged in most of the time.