Apple has already unveiled the features of macOS Sierra and it will be available for buyers by the end of September. But those who cannot wait till fall can add upcoming features of macOS Sierra in their existing EI Capitan with the help of some third-party apps. Although it is a temporary solution as we cannot expect something from third-party apps that Mac is capable of doing with its operaitng system.

Let’s see what are the macOS Sierra features that you can get in El Capitan now if you are out of patience and want to be ahead of others. If you know any other Sierra features that can be brought in El Capitan now, you can tell us in the comments section below.

1. Making a copy of Siri’s Functionality

The advance version of Siri with better functionality is going to be introduced with Sierra which will increase its efficiency and make it more user-friendly. It would also be available for third-party apps. These features are currently missing in EI Capitan but dictation facility can help you to add voice commands to your existing Mac computer.

Here is the procedure to set up voice command

Go to “System Preferences”

Click on “Dictation & Speech”

You need to on the “Dictation” feature and tick “Use Enhanced Dictation”.

Let the download of approximately 500MB complete.

Once the download is complete, head on to “Accessibility” settings

Click on Dictation to set it up

Though, you can’t expect that it will work just like Siri but it will help you to launch apps or settings window, dictate emails or messages, etc.

Once dictation is enabled, you can search anything with your voice on your Mac as El Capitan supports natural language queries. One of the Siri feature that it will enable is you to drag your search results into Today’s screen and it will automatically update, such as, match scores, weather or currency conversions).

2. Storage Optimization

Sierra will come with a new feature to free up space in your Mac named Optimize Storage. It you don’t use any item very often then it will find that and store them in the cloud after your permission. Those items will appear on your computer after getting stored in the cloud, but will need Internet connection for an access.

We have seen the similar functionality in iCloud Photo Library earlier, which allows you to store your data in the cloud and access when you need.

Optimize Storage also offers listing and deleting applications, there are many free tools available that will help you to do so now such as CCleaner, App Cleaner and Gemini 2 that free tool that cleans the junk from your Mac and recover free space. Gemini 2 can even recognize duplicate files and take them off.

3. Wallpaper

macOS sierra wallpaper is available for small devices, including 4K extraction. You can simply download the new wallpaper from here. The new 4K version of this Wallpaper is being hosted externally, but that’s not going to be an issue for users. Just go ahead and download the wallpaper so that your EI Capitan can look like the new macOS.

4. Photo Management

Sierra is coming with advance photo app which would be able to recognize faces and places from photo library so that you can memorize the scene while looking at the picture. There is a Google based service called Google Photo Uploader for Mac, which is doing the same things from a long time.

However, Sierra features will work locally on your system, but you need to have an active Internet connection to get access to photo uploaded on Google because it is a cloud-based service.

5. Clipboard Sharing

Sierra will come with universal clipboard which will connect your iOS and macOS clipboard seamlessly. A clipboard manager in your existing Mac cannot be as effective as Sierra would be but still they can manage a shared clipboard between your iOS device and Mac.

Scribe is a powerful clipboard manager that will give you the same functionality using Bluetooth that you will enable on both the devices in which you want share your clipboard. Some other paid apps like Command+C need iPhone and Mac in a same network and allows you to paste once which may not be suitable for every situation.

6. iCloud Changes in Sierra

Once you get Sierra, iCloud will get new feature that will help you to share your Desktop and Documents folders with iOS devices remotely. If you can’t wait till its release, you can have the same functionality now.

First, you have to buy iCloud Storage and then enable iCloud Drive by heading to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive. Once you reach this tab, you have to click on the tickbox to “Show on Home Screen” so that you can easily access your Desktop and Document files.

7. How to Unclock your Mac with Watch or Phone

macOS Sierra will allow you to unlock your Mac with Apple Watch or iPhone, you just need to be near the computer, wake it and your Mac system will be unlocked without any password.

However, if you want this functionality now, you can use apps like Knock 2.0 or MacID to unlock your Mac with Apple Watch or iPhone using Bluetooth.

This feature is restricted to only Apple Watch and iPhone in Sierra, but if you have Android Wear you can download Umwelt and unlock your Mac easily.

8. PIP Functionality

PIP functionality is not old in tablets, but you can have the same feature in macOS Sierra once it is released. This feature will allow users to play videos in a small window while you can continue with your other work.

However, if you want this functionality now in El Capitan, you can download a free app named Helium, which will overlay videos on any app you are working with. Some of the features include custom setting of transparency, Safari extensions and regular updates to include new services.

By using these tips and apps you can get the feel of macOS Sierra for some time, but as I wrote Earlier, they are temporary solutions and features of Sierra may prove themselves far better than these apps. If you have any say here, feel free to respond.