Apple will unveil its latest software platforms during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and one of them will be macOS 27 for the Mac.
The first developer beta of macOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users in September.
macOS 26 is known as macOS Tahoe, but the name of macOS 27 has yet to leak.
Below, we recap what to expect from macOS 27.
Siri Upgrades
macOS 27 will reportedly include a dedicated Siri app with conversation history. This would make Siri more like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
macOS 27 should also include 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.
"We look forward to bringing a more personalized Siri to users coming this year," said Apple's CEO Tim Cook, on an earnings call this week.
More Apple Intelligence Features
Earlier this year, 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 reported that Apple is preparing a touch-optimized version of macOS for the rumored MacBook Pro or "MacBook Ultra" with a touchscreen.
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 a MacBook Pro or MacBook Ultra with a touchscreen to be released by early 2027, so these touch optimizations will presumably arrive in macOS 27. However, the changes might be hidden until the laptop 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.
