Apple's macOS 13 could get a big update to one of its most important apps

iCloud (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple is expected to announce macOS 13 during its WWDC22 opening keynote on June 6.
A new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests an updated Settings app is in the works.
The new update is likely to be made available to everyone in or around September..

Apple could be about to give one of the Mac's most important apps a refresh when macOS 13 is announced during next week's big WWDC opening keynote, according to a new report.

Writing for Bloomberg's Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman says that Apple is getting ready to revamp the macOS 13 Settings app to make it more closely mirror that of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. That means that we can expect new options on a per-app basis, making it easier for people to gain granular control over what individual apps can do.

[...] the Mac will get some redesigned apps and a much-needed overhaul to System Preferences to make them more in line with Settings on iOS. That includes organizing settings by app.

The Mac's Settings app has seen minor tweaks in recent macOS revisions but it sounds increasingly likely that we should expect this upcoming release to change things more thoroughly. Apple is expected to announce the successor to macOS Monterey during a June 6 stream that will also mark the beginning of this year's WWDC22 event.

During that same stream, we expect Apple to announce iOS 16, an update that could well add support for an always-on lock screen in preparation for the big iPhone 14 announcement later this year. Apple's current best iPhone, iPhone 13 Pro, was rumored to get the same feature last year but ultimately didn't.

Which WWDC 22 software release are you most excited for?

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.