macOS Golden Gate removes DVD support (but there’s a free solution)

macOS Golden Gate is the next software update for all Apple Silicon Macs that will be available later this fall. While the company told users in 2025 that macOS 26 would be the last update for Intel computers, Apple now says it will phase out more than just Intel Macs, as the latest Beta 4 drops support for the DVDPlayback framework, meaning you won’t be able to use Apple’s solutions to watch a DVD on your Mac, although you can still take advantage of third-party solutions.

Although the phrase “watch a DVD on your Mac” may sound strange, Apple offered Macs with a CD/DVD drive until the 13-inch MacBook Pro in mid-2012. Apple has offered it as an entry-level option for the Pro line for a bit longer. After that, Apple continued to offer support for its USB SuperDrive, which was eventually discontinued.

Although you can still watch a DVD on your Mac if you want to connect an external drive, Apple is removing its native DVD player app and the system framework behind it, meaning the company will no longer maintain the software engine that decodes DVD videos. For this reason, you will have to turn to third-party solutions to view your DVDs.

Once you connect an external DVD drive to your Mac, you will need to open third-party software like VLC or IINA. Both software are free, open source, and do not offer in-app purchases, paid upgrade levels, or ads. They come from the good old days of the Internet, when a group of people came together to come up with cutting-edge technology that everyone could benefit from.

For VLC, you can download it here. It supports older versions of Intel Mac up to the latest software. Once you’re done installing it, you can select File > Open Disc and select the accessory that will play your DVD. Since VLC brings its own playback and decoding engines, it completely bypasses Apple’s outdated framework, playing the DVD seamlessly with the menu, additional content, and whatever else it might contain. For IINA, you can download it here and then follow the same steps to enjoy your old DVDs.

Finally, users should be aware of the software running Rosetta 2, an application developed by Apple to help users move from Intel to Apple Silicon. Apple says that by macOS 28 it will remove Rosetta 2, finally completing the Intel transition by neither offering nor supporting its hardware or associated software.

macOS Golden Gate is like a new beginning for Mac. While macOS Tahoe gives Intel Macs a glimpse into the future of the company’s computers, macOS 27 is all about Apple’s latest devices. With this generation of software, Apple is removing existing code and improving the efficiency of its computers and features by making AirDrop, photo editing, opening apps and much more.

In addition to bringing software improvements, bug fixes, and security patches, macOS Golden Gate mainly focuses on Siri AI. Apple’s personal assistant now has a Gemini model to power it, bringing several features you’d expect from an AI in 2026: deeply knowing you, mining information in Apple apps, generating images, answering world knowledge questions, and even performing tasks for you. Apple says everything is done privately, even when it goes through the company’s cloud.

While Apple Intelligence is obviously a big part of macOS Golden Gate, it appears Apple is bringing most of its AI-related changes to Siri, as the personal assistant is responsible for overhauling writing and AI tools, image generation and next-generation Genmoji, as well as contextual information via visual intelligence. macOS Golden Gate is expected to release later this fall alongside iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and more.