Skip to main content

Apple just Sherlocked another beloved Mac app

Apple's Craig Federighi introduces window tiling in macOS Sequoia at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in 2024.
Apple
Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.
This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

AI was undoubtedly the focus of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) yesterday, but it wasn’t all about machine learning and Apple Intelligence. That’s because Apple also revealed sizable updates to all of its operating systems, with some fascinating new features that could make them the biggest upgrades in years.

Tucked away among the announcements was a piece of news you might have entirely missed: Finally, years after Windows implemented it and far later than it should ever have taken to arrive, macOS Sequoia will let you drag windows to snap them to the sides of your screen.

Recommended Videos

But this new feature is very similar to what’s on offer in a range of beloved Mac apps, from Magnet and Moom to Rectangle and BetterTouchTool. That raises an interesting question: Has Apple just Sherlocked these apps? Or if you’re not familiar with that term, has Apple copied the key feature of a third-party app, risking to put it out of business?

Window tiling in macOS

Three app windows arranged on a screen using window tiling in macOS Sequoia.
Digital Trends

Before we get into that, let’s take a quick look at how window tiling will work in macOS Sequoia. Much like in Windows, all you need to do is drag a window toward one side of your screen. When you do that, you’ll see an outline of the space your window will fill — just release it and it will snap into place.

You’ll be able to move windows using keyboard shortcuts, Apple says (although I couldn’t find them in the beta), and you can see the tiling options by hovering over the green button in an app’s top bar.

It’s much quicker than the old system. Instead of hovering over the green button, waiting for options to appear, then clicking one and seeing how it looks, you can simply move an app to where you want it to be.

I’ve found that things get even easier if you hold the Option key while moving a window. That brings up the preview pane before you even get close to the side of your screen, and you can drop a window before reaching the edge and it’ll snap into place. That means there’s no need to awkwardly search for the point at which the preview activates, so you can be a lot less precise.

The dangers of Sherlocking

Three app windows arranged on a screen using window tiling in macOS Sequoia.
Apple

So, about that Sherlocking. Apple’s new system is remarkably similar to what’s offered by small-scale window tiling apps. Sure, they often give many more positioning options than Apple does — including moving windows to a connected display and centering them on your screen — but now that Mac users get a close approximation of these apps’ features for free, they might have to start offering a lot more in order to compete.

BetterTouchTool, however, is absolutely safe because it’s far more extensive and completely changes how you interact with your Mac. Windows tiling is just one aspect of what it can do.

For instance, BetterTouchTool lets you create custom mouse shortcuts, set your own advanced trackpad gestures, assign actions to your Mac’s notch (like dragging a photo over it to convert it to a different file type), and so much more.

Even when we talk about window tiling, BetterTouchTool goes far beyond macOS Sequoia. You can snap windows to more areas, set a delay before windows move, define custom shortcuts, and more. There are even separate settings for window snapping in Stage Manager.

Presenter preview on a MacBook Pro at WWDC 2024.
Apple

I don’t know if I can say the same for apps like Magnet though. The introduction of window tiling in macOS Sequoia is a good illustration of the dangers of Sherlocking, and I’m sure that some developers will be hard at work adding more functionality to their apps because of it. But that doesn’t mean that everyone will be negatively affected.

Apple’s window tiling system will be perfect for most people, and in my brief testing it’s been fast, efficient, and pretty easy to use. Most Mac users will be happy enough for the upgrade. But apps like BetterTouchTool differentiate themselves by adding features for power users and people who want more customization options. And, given how much else this app does, it’s also there for people who aren’t interested in window tiling at all but want to use its other powerful features.

I don’t doubt that future versions of macOS will pinch features from other apps and threaten their continued existence. BetterTouchTool stands out enough to be safe, but not every app can say the same.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
You can finally try out Apple Intelligence on your Mac. Here’s how
macOS Sequoia being introduced by Apple's Craig Federighi at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.

The second developer beta of macOS Sequoia is open for business and it includes Apple Intelligence features. It looks like anyone can try it out as long as you're not in China. That includes people in the EU -- even though the AI features might not launch there right away. The features available for testing include Writing Tools, Siri, Safari and Mail summaries, Smart Replies, Memory Movies, transcription features, Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode, and a few more. If you want to have a look yourself, here's everything you need to do to download the beta and activate Apple Intelligence.

Before you start, make sure you've backed up your Mac with Time Machine so you can restore the previous version if anything goes wrong. You can also use a secondary device if you have another Apple silicon Mac lying around because beta versions can go wrong and you have to download them at your own risk.

Read more
The macOS Sequoia public beta just launched. Here’s how to download it
Apple's Craig Federighi introducing the new window tiling feature in macOS Sequoia at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.

The public beta for macOS Sequoia is here, and that means anyone with a compatible device can install it and try it out -- no paid developer memberships needed. Here's how to get it.

First of all, you'll need a PC that can run macOS Sequoia. This is the list of compatible models:

Read more
The ChatGPT app has changed how I use my Mac in three key ways
The Option+Space shortcut of the macOS ChatGPT app.

After a long wait, OpenAI has launched the ChatGPT app on macOS for everyone to use. I’ve been playing around with it to see how it works and what it’s good at, and I’ve come away pretty impressed so far. It’s got all the power of ChatGPT in a handy desktop package. Better yet, you don’t need to pay to use it, as there’s no cost to download it, and it works with a free OpenAI account (free accounts do have limits placed on their usage, though, as they do on the web).

After seeing what I can get out of it, I’ve found there are three things I really love about the new ChatGPT Mac app. From the way it launches to its impressive capabilities, I think you’ll enjoy these aspects of the app as well.
It launches with a clever shortcut

Read more