Apple Debuts macOS Tahoe 26 With Liquid Glass Design, Phone App, Spotlight Overhaul, and More

Apple today pulled back the curtain on its next major software update for the Mac, macOS Tahoe 26. The new version brings a significant visual redesign to the desktop, deeper integration with the iPhone through a new Phone app and Live Activities, a completely overhauled Spotlight search, and a major expansion of Apple Intelligence capabilities.



Apple is overhauling the look and feel of the Mac with a new design language built around a translucent material called Liquid Glass, which refracts and reflects its surroundings. The Dock, in-app sidebars, and toolbars have been refined, and the menu bar is now fully transparent. Users will gain more personalization options, including new controls for the menu bar and Control Center, colorful tints for app icons, and the ability to add colors and symbols to folders.




Continuity between Mac and iPhone is getting a boost with the arrival of the full Phone app on macOS. It includes familiar features like Recents, Favorites, and Voicemails, but also adds new functionality like Call Screening, which can ask unknown callers for information before you answer, and Hold Assist, which waits on hold for you. Live Activities from a nearby iPhone will also now appear in the Mac's menu bar, providing real-time updates for things like a food delivery or flight status.








Spotlight receives its most significant update ever, transforming it from a search tool into an action hub. Search results are now unified in a single, intelligently ranked list. New filters help narrow down results, and Spotlight can now surface documents from third-party cloud services. Users can also take action directly from the search bar, such as sending an email or creating a note, using App Intents from both Apple and third-party apps. The system will learn user routines to suggest personalized actions and introduces "quick keys" for rapidly launching specific tasks.



Apple Intelligence is expanding its reach across the operating system. Live Translation will allow for real-time translation of text and audio in Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, with conversations processed on-device for privacy. Shortcuts becomes more powerful with new intelligent actions, allowing users to tap directly into Apple Intelligence models to automate complex tasks, like summarizing a lecture transcription and comparing it to notes. Genmoji creation is also getting an update, letting users modify existing emoji with descriptions, while Image Playground gains more control and new styles through ChatGPT integration. In Reminders, Apple Intelligence can now find action items from emails or websites and automatically categorize tasks.





For gamers, macOS Tahoe introduces a new Apple Games app to centralize a user's library and social connections. A new Game Overlay provides quick access to system settings and chat features without leaving a game. For developers, Metal 4 introduces new rendering technologies like MetalFX Frame Interpolation and Denoising. Apple also highlighted upcoming titles for the Mac, including Crimson Desert, InZOI, Cyberpunk 2077, Lies of P: Overture, and HITMAN World of Assassination.



Safari gets a refreshed look with rounded tabs and a redesigned sidebar. Apple claims it's 50 percent faster than Chrome at loading frequently visited sites and offers up to four more hours of battery life when streaming video. The Messages app will add support for Backgrounds, Polls, and group typing indicators. Journal is also coming to the Mac, syncing entries across devices.



Other notable updates include a redesigned Photos app with Liquid Glass elements and pinned collections; a new landing page for FaceTime; markdown import/export for Notes; and new Accessibility features like Magnifier on Mac and Vehicle Motion Cues. The Passwords app will now let users see a history of their changed passwords.





A developer beta of macOS Tahoe 26 is available today, with a public beta scheduled for next month. The final version will be released as a free software update this fall. Apple Intelligence features will require a Mac with an M1 chip or later.

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