Apple has unveiled macOS Tahoe 26, the latest version of its desktop operating system, offering a visually reworked interface, improved cross-device continuity features, deeper Spotlight functionality, and broader integration of Apple Intelligence—its privacy-first, on-device AI system. While the update is not radically transformational, it signals Apple’s continued push toward making the Mac feel more context-aware, customizable, and tightly integrated with the broader Apple ecosystem.
A New Visual Language: Liquid Glass Comes to macOS
One of the most immediate changes in macOS Tahoe is a system-wide redesign built around Liquid Glass, a translucent UI layer that subtly reflects and refracts surroundings. The new visual approach enhances classic macOS elements—like the Dock, toolbars, sidebars, and the menu bar—while keeping navigation familiar. The menu bar is now fully transparent, visually extending screen real estate and de-emphasizing interface chrome in favor of content.
Users can personalize the desktop environment more extensively. App icons now support both light and dark appearances and include color tinting options. Folders can be color-coded or marked with custom emojis or symbols, and Control Center has been redesigned for better layout control. These adjustments—along with custom wallpapers and theme colors—allow users to make the system visually reflect their preferences in a way macOS has not previously supported.
Continuity Expands: Phone App and Live Activities on Mac
Continuity, Apple’s cross-device framework, grows stronger with Tahoe. A full version of the Phone app comes to Mac, allowing users to access recents, favorites, contacts, voicemails, and call features like Call Screening and Hold Assist—features first introduced on iOS.
- Call Screening answers unknown calls and requests caller info before alerting the user.
- Hold Assist lets users stay in queue for live agents without being glued to the call screen, a quality-of-life improvement for customer support situations.
Also new is Live Activities support, allowing the Mac to surface real-time updates from iPhone—like flights, rideshares, or sports scores—directly in the menu bar. Clicking a Live Activity opens iPhone Mirroring, offering full access to app controls without needing to pick up the phone.
Spotlight Reimagined: Context, Actions, and Automation
The Spotlight search tool gets what Apple calls its “biggest update ever”—a shift from basic indexing to a more dynamic system for executing actions and discovering content.
Users can now:
- Take hundreds of actions directly from Spotlight, like sending messages, creating notes, or playing media—without opening separate apps.
- Run Shortcuts or developer-defined actions via the App Intents API.
- Browse through filtered content views like clipboard history, apps, or document types.
Spotlight now ranks results using relevance-based learning and introduces quick keys, enabling fast navigation to commonly used functions. The redesign signals Spotlight’s move from static search tool to functional launcher, designed for keyboard-focused workflows.
Apple Intelligence on Mac: Translation, Automation, and Expression
Apple continues integrating its Apple Intelligence system into macOS, allowing for more nuanced AI-powered experiences that remain privacy-focused.
- Live Translation works across Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, translating audio and text in real time—all processed on-device or via Private Cloud Compute with user consent.
- Shortcuts now support intelligent actions tied to Apple’s models—such as summarizing documents or comparing transcribed audio with personal notes.
- Genmoji and Image Playground enable users to create expressive visual elements from text prompts or modify existing emoji with stylistic control.
Apple Intelligence also helps extract tasks from emails or documents to auto-create Reminders, and suggests categorized to-do lists based on content. For developers, access to these features is possible through new APIs, and users can optionally link workflows to ChatGPT for broader knowledge access.
New Games App and Metal 4 Integration
macOS Tahoe debuts a standalone Apple Games app, serving as a unified hub for managing games, tracking updates, and launching titles. It includes a Game Overlay feature that allows players to access system tools, chat with friends, or activate low-power mode during play without exiting the game.
Developers gain access to Metal 4, which introduces MetalFX Frame Interpolation and Denoising for smoother visuals and real-time rendering enhancements. Upcoming Mac games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Crimson Desert, and InZOI will take advantage of these tools, along with ray tracing and Apple’s latest M3/M4 chips.
Additional Notable Updates in macOS Tahoe
- Safari features a rounded-tab interface, sidebar redesign, and full-time fingerprinting protection. It also promises better battery life and page load speeds compared to Chrome.
- Messages adds Backgrounds, Polls, typing indicators in group chats, and an overhauled details view for shared content.
- Journal, previously iOS-only, arrives on Mac with support for maps, long-form entries, and multiple synced journals.
- Photos gets a refreshed UI with Liquid Glass accents, improved sorting/filtering, and customizable tile sizes for Collections.
- FaceTime adopts a new layout with Contact Posters, repositioned controls, and quicker access to features like SharePlay or Live Translation.
- Notes now supports Markdown export/import and includes automatic transcriptions of recorded phone calls.
- Accessibility features expand with Magnifier using Continuity Camera, Accessibility Reader, and a redesigned Braille Access experience. Motion sickness mitigation is also introduced via Vehicle Motion Cues.
Availability
macOS Tahoe 26 is available today via the Apple Developer Program. A public beta will launch next month, with the final release expected this fall as a free update. Apple Intelligence features require Macs with M1 or later, and users must set Siri and system language to one of the supported languages at launch. Broader language support is planned by year-end.
