macOS 27 Golden Gate is
available to public beta testers as of this week, which means you can try out
Siri AI and the other changes coming in the update before it launches this fall.
We don't recommend betas for devices that serve a critical function, and it's always best to test on a secondary device.
macOS Golden Gate is a stable beta compared to past releases, but it's still in development and there can be some bugs to contend with. Before installing the update, make sure to create a Time Machine backup so you can go back to
macOS Tahoe if you need to.
Liquid Glass
Apple added a Liquid Glass slider in macOS 27, and you can adjust the transparency level. You can select a clearer version of Liquid Glass that lets some of the background show through, or a more opaque version for improved legibility. Since it's a slider, you can also pick something in between.
Apple also tweaked the overall opacity of Liquid Glass, and it better diffuses complex content behind navigation bars and buttons. Darkened edges and brighter specular highlights add more depth and separation for different UI elements.
Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows
Uniform toolbars in apps make text headings and groups of controls more legible, and Apple has cut back on the number of icons that are used in menu interfaces. Windows have the same corner radius for more consistency, and you'll notice that app corners are not as dramatically rounded.
Changes to window shadows and the Liquid Glass updates make it a lot easier to tell which window is active when you have several apps open.
Sidebars no longer float and are edge-to-edge, which is a less distracting design. Sidebar icons once again use color, too.
Siri AI
βSiriβ AI is the biggest change in βmacOS Golden Gateβ. βSiriβ is smarter, more capable, and functions like a chatbot. On the Mac, you can ask βSiriβ anything using the Spotlight interface that comes up with Command + Space. Spotlight is now a unified "Search or Ask" bar where you can search for files, apps, and other content, or ask βSiriβ to complete tasks or answer queries.
You can also interact with βSiriβ using the dedicated βSiriβ app, which is where you can view past conversations and start new conversations. βSiriβ conversations sync across all of your devices, and the βSiriβ app is cross-platform.
βSiriβ can see what's on your screen and access your personal information like emails, messages, and photos to answer questions. βSiriβ can also search the web and complete tasks in apps for you. It's a huge change from the prior version of βSiriβ, and βSiriβ can handle far more than it could before.
We have more on some of the tasks you can complete with βSiriβ
in our Siri AI guide.
Visual Intelligence
Apple brought the iPhone's
Visual Intelligence feature to the Mac in macOS 27. You can ask βSiriβ questions about what's on your screen with βVisual Intelligenceβ, choosing the entire screen or just a portion.
βVisual Intelligenceβ on the Mac works when you press Command + Shift + Space or Command + Shift + 6 to capture one area of the display. If you press Command + Shift + 5 (also used for recording your display and capturing screenshots), you can click on the βVisual Intelligenceβ icon to get an adjustable selection square for selecting an area of the screen.
βSiriβ can search for images, summarize, translate, identify objects, add information from the screen to apps like Calendar or Reminders, answer questions about what you're looking at, and more. βVisual Intelligenceβ on Mac has all of the
same features as Visual Intelligence on iPhone, and it includes the new βVisual Intelligenceβ features like telling you nutritional information for food or splitting out a bill.
Write with Siri
There is a system-wide Write with βSiriβ feature that goes beyond the
Apple Intelligence Writing Tools available in βmacOS Tahoeβ. βSiriβ can compose entire emails or messages for you, give you feedback on your writing, change out words, and complete other editing tasks.
To use Write with βSiriβ on Mac, right-click in an app and choose the Ask βSiriβ option. If you select text before the right-click, you can ask βSiriβ for editing help. If you have a blank document, you can ask βSiriβ to generate something for you. When drafting emails or messages, βSiriβ can analyze your past communications and generate something in your own writing style.
Apple also expanded spell correction in βmacOS Golden Gateβ, and your Mac will now also give you grammar suggestions and fixes.
iPhone Mirroring
You can resize the iPhone Mirroring window in βmacOS Golden Gateβ, dragging at the corner to make a window larger or smaller. Depending on the app, you may be limited to a portrait iPhone aspect ratio, but other apps support
iPad or landscape layouts.
Shortcuts
It's easier for anyone to create a Shortcut in just a few minutes in βmacOS Golden Gateβ. The Shortcuts app on Mac opens to an interface that lets you describe what you want a shortcut to do using natural language.
AI creates the shortcut for you, and you can refine it with further natural language commands or manually edit it. You can activate your shortcuts through the app or with βSiriβ commands.
Safari Extensions
Safari has a customizable extension feature in βmacOS Golden Gateβ, and you can use the Describe Extension option to type in what you want an extension to do. The extension is created using AI and is available to use right away.
To use it, click on the settings icon on the right side of the URL bar and choose the Describe Extension option. Some Apple examples:
- Display a reading time estimate as a badge on the extension
- Close duplicate tabs pointing to the same URL when I click the extension
- Highlight this word
- Create a 3-minute focus timer for the page
- Set the minimum font size to 14pt
- Every time I open a new tab, draw me a flower
- Highlight and show the dimensions of webpage elements when I click them
- Enter design mode for a website so that I can edit the contents
- Save this recipe
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications
Safari also has an intelligent tab grouping feature. Tabs in related categories are automatically grouped together in the tab view.
You can also set Safari to monitor a webpage for updates, with Hourly, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly checks available. When you set this feature up, you'll get a notification when the content on the webpage changes.
Performance Improvements
In addition to introducing βSiriβ and new βApple Intelligenceβ features, βmacOS Golden Gateβ cleans up underlying code. Apple made multiple refinements to speed up performance.
Animations and interactions are faster and smoother, and you'll notice a difference when scrolling Safari and other apps, opening Mission Control and Spaces, and using other Mac interface elements.
AirDrop transfers complete more quickly, browsing through files on attached network devices is faster, and window positioning is more stable when using external displays. Messages also sync faster and more reliably across devices.
Apple rebuilt its search foundation for Spotlight,
Photos, Mail, and Messages, and indexing is quicker. When you search for something recent, it's more likely to come up right away than before, and in Mail, there's a ranking system that surfaces the emails you're most likely looking for. Mail search indexing is more reliable than before, and Spotlight search suggestions are more relevant.
How to Install
Sign up on
Apple's beta testing website, then open up the System Settings app. From there, click on General > Software Update and under the Beta Updates section, click on the "i" to choose macOS 27 Golden Gate Public Beta.
After that, you can install βmacOS Golden Gateβ like any other software update.
System Requirements
βmacOS Golden Gateβ runs on Macs with an
M1 chip or later, plus the A18 Pro
MacBook Neo. Intel Macs do not support βmacOS Golden Gateβ and won't get the new features.
Every Mac that runs βmacOS Golden Gateβ supports βApple Intelligenceβ and βSiriβ AI, but some on-device βSiriβ processing features for selecting a natural voice and getting upgraded dictation require an M3 or later.
βSiriβ AI is not available in the European Union or China right now, and won't be available when the update launches this fall either.
This article, "
macOS Golden Gate Public Beta: 10 Features to Try First" first appeared on
MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums