Apple macOS Catalina 10.15.5: Everything New In Latest Mac Update

Apple has finally released macOS Catalina 10.15.5, the fifth update to Catalina since it was released last year in October. It comes after four beta periods, and arrives two months after Apple introduced Screen Time Communication Limits with macOS 10.15.4.

The new macOS version brings some helpful features that Mac and MacBook users will appreciate, as well as some fixes meant to deal with some issues affecting various aspects of the Mac experience. Here's a quick look at the release notes, as per MacRumors.

Battery Health Management

The macOS 10.15.5 finally brings the new Battery Health Management feature. This feature is designed to help extend the MacBook battery's lifespan, and help the user know if the component needs servicing.

As previously reported, the Battery Health Management feature serves its purpose by doing two things: first, it monitors the user's battery charging habits, taking into consideration factors such as charging frequency, battery levels whenever the charger is plugged, and overall battery temperature.

Next, it will then control charging depending on the user's habits. This includes preventing the battery from getting fully charged, slowing down charging speeds, and so on. This is done to prevent the battery from chemically aging faster than it should, which in turn results to longer battery lifespan.

Users can, of course, disable the feature if they don't want it messing with their battery charging habits, or if they just want to get the battery topped-up to 100% before going out.

Calibration Fine-Tuning for Pro Display XDR

The macOS 10.15.5 also gives Pro Display XDR users controls to fine-tune the built-in calibration of their $5,000 monitor by adjusting the white point and luminance. This will allow users to precisely calibrate their Pro Display XDRs to their preferences.

FaceTime Prominence Preference

The new macOS update also allows users to control automatic prominence on Group FaceTime calls. Automatic prominence changes tile sizes whenever a FaceTime call participant speaks. This option will prevent tiles from changing sizes, effectively making calls more manageable to see.

Bug fixes

The macOS 10.15.5 also includes the bug fixes for a slew of issues including issues with Reminders, System Preferences, the built-in camera, and more.