7 Basic Features macOS is STILL Missing (Seriously, Apple?)

macOS is great. I love it, I’ve used it for over 20 years, and I’m still a huge fan. But let’s be real—there are some reallybasic features missing that just don’t make sense. Some of these have existed in other apps or platforms for years, yet Apple still refuses to add them.

So, here’s my open letter to Apple (and fellow Mac users) calling out the most obvious features that should already be in macOS. And mark my words—we’ll see at least some of these added in a future update. Let’s get into it.

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1. Message Reminders—Why Isn’t This a Thing Yet?

Ever opened a message, thought “I’ll reply later,” and then completely forgot? Yeah, me too. That’s why apps like Slack let you set a reminder for a message so you don’t lose track of it. Imagine how much easier life would be if Apple added this to the Messages app across macOS and iOS.

Come on, Apple—this is a no-brainer.

2. Face ID on Mac—The Notch Is Right There!

MacBooks have a big notch at the top of the screen. You know what else is in that notch? A camera. So tell me—why can’t we unlock our Macs with Face ID? Sure, Touch ID is nice, but Face ID is faster and would make logging in effortless. If my iPhone can do it, my Mac should too.

3. Where Are Health, Fitness, and Journal Apps for Mac?

If you have an Apple Watch, you know how much Health and Fitness data is stored in Apple’s apps. So why are we still stuck analyzing all of it on a tiny iPhone screen?

And don’t even get me started on the Journal app—who actually wants to type out long journal entries on a phone? These apps NEED macOS support.

4. Customizable Lock Screen Widgets

iOS lets you add widgets to your lock screen. macOS? Not so much. Right now, you can only add a tiny message above your user account.

Why not allow widgets here? Calendar events, weather, battery life—whatever users want. The widgets already exist on the desktop, so it seems like an easy win.

5. Bring Back Dashboard!

Remember Dashboard from macOS Tiger (2004)? A simple overlay with all your important widgets, accessible with a single key or hot corner. It was removed in 2019 with macOS Catalina, and widgets haven’t been the same since.

Apple, if you’re going to give us widgets, at least bring back the best version of them.

6. A Built-in Sleep Timer

I’ll buy a beer and a burrito for the Apple engineer who can explain why macOS removed the sleep timer and why it still hasn’t returned after almost three years. Seriously—why? It’s one of those simple features that should be standard, yet we still don’t have it.

Meanwhile, Apple is out here designing new emojis instead. Priorities, right?

7. Fix System Data Storage Management

Ever checked your Mac’s storage and seen “System Data” taking up hundreds of gigabytes? And when you try to find out what exactly is eating up all that space, macOS just shrugs and says, “Good luck.”

This is one of the biggest frustrations for Mac users, and it’s something Apple needs to fix. If you’re dealing with this right now, I actually made a tutorial on how to clear System Data—check it out here. But really, this should be something macOS manages on its own.

Bonus: Turn Your iPad into a Trackpad

Why can’t we use an iPad (or even an iPhone) as a trackpad for a Mac? If your Bluetooth mouse dies, it would be amazing to just whip out an iPad and start using it as a giant trackpad. There are third-party apps that sort of do this, but Apple should just make it a native feature.

Final Thoughts

These are just a few missing features that make no sense in 2025. Apple is all about the seamless ecosystem, so it’s wild that we’re still waiting for some of these.

What’s missing from macOS that drives you crazy? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe for more tech content!

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