iOS 27 was the star of the rumors we heard ahead of Apple’s WWDC 2026 event, but there was also some information about the next version of macOS, macOS 27. We don’t know as much about macOS 27 as we do about iOS 27, so there will be a few surprises in store.
Liquid Glass Review
Hate Liquid Glass on Mac? This isn’t going anywhere, but Apple is planning a “slight redesign.”
Liquid Glass’s transparency and shadows don’t work as well on Mac as they do on iPhone, and Apple has some revisions in mind. Don’t expect Apple to return to the pre-Tahoe design, but minor improvements are likely.
Siri
Most people probably never use Siri on Mac, but that could change with macOS 27. The smarter, better version of Siri we keep hearing about isn’t just for iOS. Siri is also coming to macOS, with a new Siri interface planned and, presumably, a standalone Siri app for Mac.
We don’t know as much about the macOS 27 Siri interface as we do the iOS 27 interface, but it will likely parallel what’s coming in iOS. On iPhone, Siri will be integrated into Dynamic Island. Will Apple somehow transfer this to the Mac notch? Who knows, but it’s possible. Siri on iOS has a dark interface that is hinted at in the WWDC graphics, and we might get the same style in macOS 27.
If you want to learn more about the upcoming changes for Siri, check out our iOS 27 summary.
App and AI feature updates
Most of these rumors are about iOS 27, but much of what’s available on iOS is also available on macOS.
- Photos – The Photos app will include new Expand and Crop options. Extend generates image content beyond the photo’s original frame, and Reframe allows users to change the perspective of an image after it is captured. There’s also a natural language photo editing tool, but it may not be ready to use when macOS 27 launches.
- Picture Playground – Apple is testing new models that produce more realistic images, and updates may be made to the app interface.
- Wallpaper – iOS 27 benefits from a wallpaper generation feature that uses Image Playground, so it makes sense that it would also be available in macOS 27.
- Shortcuts – The Shortcuts app will allow users to ask Siri to generate a shortcut in natural language. With a brief statement about what a shortcut should do, the AI will create it and add it to the app. This will make the shortcuts much easier to use for the average person.
- Writing tools – In addition to spell check, there will be a grammar check function. The writing tools will also support extensive rewriting and text generation capabilities.
- Safari – Safari is getting a feature to automatically organize browser tabs into groups, which will be useful for tab addicts who like to see how many tabs their Mac can handle before it starts to feel slow.
Bug fixes and performance improvements
Bug fixes and performance improvements will be the focus in iOS 27 and macOS 27. Actually, BloombergMark Gurman of said that Apple was working on a “Snow Leopard-style update” for iOS 27 and macOS 27.
Apple wants to improve the underlying quality and performance of macOS.
Touchscreen support
There is a MacBook Pro with a touchscreen OLED display that will arrive at some point during the macOS 27 release cycle, so there could be hidden touch tweaks. This isn’t a device we’re expecting until late 2026 at the earliest (and 2027 is more likely), but researchers who like to dig deeper into macOS code might find some clues about touchscreen support.
No more Intel Macs
It’s the end of the road for Intel Macs. If you’re still using a Mac with an Intel chip, you won’t be able to upgrade to macOS 27. macOS Tahoe is the latest version of macOS that runs on Intel Macs, and macOS 27 will require an Apple M1 silicon chip or later.
Apple has been phasing out all Intel Macs and stopping selling the last Mac with an Intel chip in 2023.
Speaking of phasing out, Apple is ending support for Rosetta 2 after macOS 27. Rosetta will still be available in macOS 27, but not in macOS 28. If you still use an app that relies on Rosetta, it will need an Apple Silicon update by fall 2027, otherwise it will no longer work.
macOS name
A detail that rarely leaks before WWDC is the name given by Apple for the next version of macOS. Apple uses California landmarks for its Mac software, and there are still plenty to choose from. “Project Big Bear” is the name of the hashmoji file that Apple shared on X, so macOS Big Bear is a possibility. If macOS 27 focuses on bugs and is a “Snow Leopard” update, Apple could choose macOS Emerald after Emerald Bay.
Emerald Bay is a small bay off the coast of Lake Tahoe, and it would be a suitable choice. “Snow Leopard” followed “Leopard,” and using the same type of related name would be a strong signal of Apple’s commitment to performance improvements in the macOS 27 update.
Launch date
macOS 27 will be available to developers after the WWDC main event on June 8. A public beta will follow in July and the software will launch publicly in the fall.
