How To Use The New Features In OS X Yosemite

Apple’s new operating system, OS X Yosemite packs a lot of new features in one update. The new interface looks a lot more clean, simple, and modern. Whether you are new to the Mac or a seasoned veteran, you will find something to like in this major upgrade.

The New “Dark Mode”

Dark Mode make the menu bar, dock and Spotlight black. You can enable this feature from:

System Preferences > General

The New Search Bar Feature Called SpotLight

The new search feature called SpotLight can search though “22 kinds of data”. These data types can be changed form:

System Preferences > Spotlight

To use SpotLight, use CMD + Space and start tying your search term. Recent documents, apps, contacts, and many other things can be searched from the SpotLight.

Managing Extensions

This feature is already being offered in iOS 8. Now making its way onto the desktop computers thanks to Yosemite.

There are four kinds of extensions in Yosemite:

• 
  Actions: These extensions can take one app’s data and add it to another app. e.g. adding text from Mail to a task manager.


• 
  Finder: These extensions can go through files in a service e.g. Dropbox.


• 
  Share Menu: These extensions can use data from one app on a different app. e.g. saving links from Pocket to Safari.


• 
  Today: These extensions show data in the Notification Center.

Settings for Extensions can be changed from:

System Preferences > Extensions

Write On PDFs And Images In Mail

This extension lets you annotate (write on) PDFs and images that you may receive in Mail. To use this extension, click the dropdown on the top-right side of an attachment.

Sign Documents On Your Trackpad

Yes, instead of printing a document, signing it, and then scanning it; you can use your trackpad to sign the document.

Look At All Open Tabs In Safari

With Yosemite comes a new version of Safari. This version gives you the ability to look at all open tabs at once by showing you their thumbnails.

To use this feature, press Shift + Command + \ and it will show you all your open tabs. It also lets you close or rearrange tabs. iCloud tabs open on other devices are also shown at the bottom of the screen.

Private And More Secure With DuckDuckGo

Apple seems to care about its user’s privacy, thats why they have provided the option to choose DuckDuckGo as a search engine in Safari. DuckDuckGo does not track your search results, unlike some other search provides.

Access Your iOS Device’s Hotspot With Ease

The mobile hotspot feature has been available for the iPhone for years. Now the Continuity feature makes it easier than ever to manage mobile hotspots in iOS 8 and Yosemite. Your iPhone should support Personal hotspot for this to work. As long as you are logged into the same iCloud account on your iPhone and Mac, the iPhone’s Hotspot should appear in the list of Wi-Fi network devices.

Handoff Lets You Take Your Tasks Anywhere

Handoff is part of many other features being referred to as Continuity. Like other continuity features, Handoff helps you keep your work fluid by seamlessly switching between devices with ease. When an app is updated for Handoff, it gains this ability to keep a seamless flow.

The way this works is that, suppose you are composing an email on your computer using Mail. Now you need to move from one place to another, but you also need to finish writing your email. Handoff enables you to do just that. Your iPhone lockscreen should have the Mail app icon on the bottom. Tapping this icon will take you to were you were at on the Mac. That way you can finish writing your Mail on your iPhone.

You can enable Handoff from:

System Preference > General

Answering iPhone Calls From Your Mac

Another great Continuity feature is that you can answer incoming calls from you Mac. If you iPhone is near your computer, you can also make calls from the Spotlight search app or the Contacts app. When a call comes, you will hear the ring and see the Caller ID on your Mac.

Record Video Of Your iPhone’s Screen

Now you can use Quicktime to record your iPhone’s screen. The iPhone will need to be connected to your Mac via Lightning cable.

Disable Transparent Interface

You will notice that some Yosemite apps are a bit translucent. When using apps like Safari, you will notice that the wallpaper is slightly visible in the background. Transparency can be reduced from:

System Preferences  > Accessibility > check “Reduce transparency”

How To Use The New Features In OS X Yosemite