macOS 27 is still months away, but there are already a handful of rumors about the upcoming software update, as outlined below.
We expect the first beta of macOS 27 to be seeded to developers during WWDC 2026 in June, and a public beta to follow in July. Following beta testing, the update should be released to all users with a compatible Mac in September.
macOS 26 is known as macOS Tahoe, but the name of macOS 27 has yet to leak.
Siri Upgrades
macOS 27 will reportedly include a full-out Siri chatbot that you can have back-and-forth conversations with. This would make Siri more like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Due to delays, macOS 27 might also include at least some of the personalized Siri features that Apple previewed all the way back at WWDC 2024.
For example, Apple showed a user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps. This functionality was previewed on an iPhone, but it will extend to the iPad and Mac.
More Apple Intelligence Features
Last month, Apple and Google announced that Google Gemini will help power future Apple Intelligence features, and that will extend beyond the more personalized version of Siri. However, exactly which features arrive remains to be seen.
Touch Interface
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week reported that Apple is preparing a touch-optimized version of macOS for the rumored MacBook Pro with a touch screen.
For example, if a user touches a button or control on the screen, the report said a relevant set of commands will instantly appear in a menu surrounding their finger. And if a user taps on an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the report said the controls will enlarge so they are easier to select with a finger.
Gurman expects the MacBook Pro with a touch screen to be released in late 2026, so these touch optimizations will presumably arrive in macOS 27. However, the changes might be hidden until the touch-screen MacBook Pro launches.
Improved Stability
macOS 27 will reportedly be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is apparently very focused on improving "quality and underlying performance." Apple is expected to implement many bug fixes and stability improvements, and there may also be some much-needed Liquid Glass design enhancements.
No Intel Macs
Last year, Apple announced that macOS Tahoe would be the final major macOS release for Intel-based Macs, meaning that macOS 27 will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip and newer only. However, Apple will likely continue to release security fixes for some Intel-based Macs for at least a few more years.
No AirPort Time Capsule Support
Starting with macOS 27, Macs will not support the AirPort Time Capsule or any other storage drives that use the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), according to a warning shown by Apple on macOS Tahoe. Time Capsule backups will require a storage drive that supports more current file-sharing protocols like SMBv2 and SMBv3.
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