These 3 key iOS features are still missing from the Mac

In recent years, iOS and macOS have been closer to functional parity than ever before. Today, macOS releases mostly bring features first introduced on iPhone and iPad, with the occasional new twist added. However, despite equivalent functionality, there are still some gaps, mostly related to customization.

Lock screen customization

In iOS 16 (and subsequently iPadOS 17), Apple introduced lock screen customization on iPhone and iPad, allowing users to add custom widgets to the lock screen, customize fonts, and more. It’s beautiful, but this level of customization has never been available on the Mac.

In macOS Sonoma, Apple did slightly redesign the lock screen on macOS, but not to the same extent as on the iPhone and iPad. There are no widgets and no font customization. It lacks the pizzazz of the aforementioned lock screen redesign.

So if Apple is looking for ideas for next year’s macOS, it would be nice to see true Lock screen customization, just like the rest of the ecosystem.

Application icon customization

In iOS and iPadOS 18, Apple introduced dark mode and application icon coloring options to allow users to theme the iPhone home screen. While some users don’t necessarily like colored icons, I do – and it’s just an option.

However, that’s not the whole story. Even before iOS 18, app developers have always been able to allow users to change the default app icon on iOS completely natively – no shortcut hacking required. macOS does allow for typical app icon customization, but it’s not as common as it is on iOS and iPadOS.

App icon customization on macOS isn’t likely to be as prominent as it is on iOS, but it’s cool to see a feature like this coming to the Mac.

Control center customization

In Apple’s latest versions, iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, we’ve overhauled Control Center, allowing third-party apps to add toggles to Control Center and allowing users to rearrange Control Center to their liking.

And, like everything else on this list, macOS lacks the same level of customization. Apple did introduce Control Center on macOS with macOS Big Sur, but it has remained largely untouched since its release more than four years ago.

I don’t expect the same level of rearrangement as on iOS, but some third-party integration would be nice.

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