Unlike traditional “tahoe”, this one will destroy your wallet.
Alongside iOS 26, Apple announced the new MacOS version, MacOS 26 “Tahoe”. Just like iOS 26, the new MacOS version is now numbered during the time it would be launched and updated, typically around the midyear. By that logic, in 2026, we would get MacOS 27, iPadOS 27, and so on.
Tahoe brings in new design element changes, including the liquid glass philosophy that is now implemented on iOS 26. The name “Tahoe” is taken from Lake Tahoe in the United States.
Features that were announced on iOS 26, such as Live Translate, Call Screening, and Hold Assist, would also be coming to MacOS 26. As with Microsoft’s Aero-era design during Windows Vista and Windows 7 days, the menu bar of certain programs are now going to be transparent and reflective, mimicking the textures of glass.
Bringing Back that Nostalgia
Apple has been taking notes from Microsoft and is now bringing back the nostalgia of Aero design. Back then, you can customize the colors of your window pane so it matches your personality. This feature called “theme colors” expands the way you customize your Mac. From simple transparent glass all the way to matching the way your room looks for that beautifully linear aesthetic feel.
Keep Things in Track:
As part of Apple’s further integration with its ecosystem, you can now receive and answer calls through your Mac. However, this requires an active iPhone that is seamlessly connected to work. It comes with your bells and whistles the Phone app has on your iPhone, including voicemail, call logs, recents, and favorites. Not to mention, call screening, which allows you to decline or answer a call after an unknown number has called you. Meanwhile, “Hold Assist” is used for customer services wherein a user is allowed to hold the line until a live agent answers the call.
Live Activities, a feature already on the iPhone, will also now be integrated to MacOS Tahoe. So now you don’t have any excuse to miss that Grab, and those 500 missing calls from your mom asking you to go home.
When tapping on a Live Activity notification, it mirrors what the iPhone can see on your Mac so you can quickly take action.
Google—I mean Spotlight Search
It apparently took Apple this long before they managed to implement apps on their Spotlight search, wherein Huawei has already done it when HarmonyOS launched, and even the iPhone has it for quite sometime. Spotlight search is basically Android’s navigation. Here, you can search up queries on the internet or find your favorite app.
Through Spotlight, users can also now do certain actions right there and then, such as creating notes or sending an e-mail. A notable feature of this is that both Apple and 3rd party developers can take advantage of this feature. Not to mention, Spotlight is personalized as it frequently monitors your daily routine so it can suggest search queries or actions that you frequently do and load them up in an instant.
BASIC INTELLIGENCE:
Apple Intelligence features on iOS 26 are coming to MacOS 26 as well. These include Live Translation and Playground, a feature that allows you to make your own filters, emojis, and images through a prompt powered by ChatGPT.
YOU CAN APPARENTLY GAME ON MAC:
Apple Games, the all-new app featured on iOS 26, and basically a revamped Game Center, will be introduced on MacOS 26. Keep track of your games through the app. Apple also says it’s the best way to experience Apple Arcade, the brand’s gaming subscription service.
The app is basically a compilation of all your games installed on the Mac. Keep an eye out, as developers are going full blast on the new M3 and M4 Bionic chipsets.
OTHER FEATURES:
- Messages – As with iOS 26, the Messages app is now much more customizable, including AI-generated backgrounds or backgrounds from your photo album.
- Journal – Previously available for iOS only, is now coming to Mac. It’s essentially a notes app but with expanded features, such as the ability to insert memorable photos. Users can cross-sync their journals through multiple devices.
- Accessibility Features – A built-in magnifier is now coming to Mac and oddly took them this long to introduce something this basic. Users with impaired vision can zoom in to their surroundings through the iPhone’s continuity camera or other supported web cameras. Another feature that was introduced is Braille Access which allows those who are blind to still use their Mac if they have a connected Braille display. Vehicle Motion Cues also lowers your chances of getting motion sickness while in a moving vehicle. We’re not sure how is this going to work on a Mac but on a MacBook this could be useful.
- Passwords – MacOS 26 now comes built-in with a password manager so you can keep track of those awfully long passwords you use on apparently almost every log-in site that ever asked.
MacOS 26 is currently downloadable as a developer beta with a public beta to be expected next month. The full experience will be available around September wherein Apple would announce new iPhones and MacBooks.
As for support, it supports every Mac and MacBook released around 2019 with a T2 Security Chip. These include but are not limited to 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, 2020 MacBook Air, 2020 iMac, and 2022 Mac Studio.
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