macOS 27 Golden Gate has been released to public beta testers this week. Siri AI and a long list of design changes can now be tried out ahead of the official launch this fall. The update is described as a stable beta compared to past releases, but bugs are still expected. A Time Machine backup should be made before installation, so that a return to macOS Tahoe stays possible if something goes wrong.
Ten macOS 27 features are highlighted below. Each one can be tested as soon as the beta is installed.
In This Blog Post:
What Are macOS Golden Gate Features Worth Trying?
- Liquid Glass
- Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows
- Siri AI on Mac
- Visual Intelligence on Mac
- Write with Siri Feature
- iPhone Mirroring
- Shortcuts
- Safari Extensions
- Safari Intelligent Tab Grouping
- Performance Improvements
How Do You Install macOS Golden Gate Public Beta?
Should You Install macOS 27 Golden Gate?
What Are macOS Golden Gate Features Worth Trying?
1. Liquid Glass
Liquid Glass has been given a new transparency slider in macOS 27. Transparency can be adjusted with it, and a clearer or a more opaque version of the interface can be selected. Overall opacity has also been tweaked, and complex content behind navigation bars and buttons is diffused more effectively now.
Darkened edges and brighter specular highlights have been added as well, creating more depth between interface elements.
2. Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows
Toolbars, sidebars, and windows have been redesigned as well. Uniform toolbars are used across apps, which makes headings and groups of controls easier to read. Fewer icons appear in menus than before.
Window corners now share the same radius, resulting in a more consistent look throughout the system, and they are not rounded as dramatically as they once were. Shadows have been changed too, making it easier to tell which window is active when several apps are open at once. Sidebars are no longer set apart from the edge of the window, and color has been brought back to sidebar icons.
3. Siri AI on Mac
Siri AI is considered the biggest change in macOS Golden Gate. A chatbot-like experience is now offered, and Siri can be reached through Spotlight with Command + Space. Spotlight has been turned into a unified “Search or Ask” bar, where files, apps, and other content can be searched for, or where Siri can be asked to complete a task.
| Feature | Previous Siri versions | Siri AI (macOS 27 Golden Gate) |
| Interface | Voice/command-based, no dedicated app | Dedicated Siri app with a conversation history |
| Conversation history | Not saved or reviewable | Past conversations can be reviewed anytime |
| Sync across devices | Limited | Fully synced, since the app works across Apple’s whole ecosystem |
| Screen awareness | Not supported | Can see what’s on the screen |
| Access to personal data | Very limited | Can access emails, messages, and photos to answer questions |
| Web search | Not built in | Can search the web directly |
| Task handling | Basic system commands only | Can complete tasks inside apps |
| Overall scope | Narrow, command-driven | Considerable expansion into a chatbot-like assistant |
4. Visual Intelligence on Mac
Apple has brought Visual Intelligence to the Mac from the iPhone. Users can ask questions about anything shown on screen, and they can select either the whole screen or just a portion of it. You can trigger the feature with Command + Shift + Space, Command + Shift + 6, or through the icon found in the Command + Shift + 5 capture tool.
Visual intelligence can:
- search for images
- summarize or translate content
- identify objects
- add information directly to apps like Calendar or Reminders.
It also shows nutritional information and splits bills, matching the tools already found in Visual Intelligence on iPhone.
5. Write with Siri Feature
A system-wide Write with Siri feature is included too, and it goes further than the Writing Tools already available in macOS Tahoe.
Siri now can:
- compose entire emails and messages
- give feedback on existing writing
- swap out words or phrases
Users access the feature by right-clicking in an app and choosing Ask Siri. If they’ve selected text beforehand, they can request editing help. If a document is blank, they can ask Siri to generate content from scratch.
Siri analyzes past communications when it drafts messages, so it can match a personal writing style. Apple has also expanded spell correction, and the system now offers grammar suggestions throughout.
6. iPhone Mirroring
iPhone Mirroring has been made more flexible. iPhone Mirroring can now resize the window. Depending on the app, a portrait aspect ratio might still be required, while other apps support landscape or iPad-style layouts.
7. Shortcuts
Apple has made Shortcuts far easier to build. Users can describe a shortcut in plain language, and AI will create it automatically within the Shortcuts app. They can use further natural-language commands to refine it. They can also make manual edits afterward.
Users can trigger shortcuts through the app itself or with a Siri command.
8. Safari Extensions
Safari extensions can now be created directly inside the browser. A Describe Extension option is available from the settings icon in the URL bar, and a plain-language description is enough to generate a working extension right away. Reading-time badges, tab-closing, word highlighting, focus timers, and font-size adjustments are among the examples Apple has provided.
9. Safari Intelligent Tab Grouping
Tabs in Safari are now grouped automatically based on related categories, too. Safari can also monitor webpages for updates, with hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly checks available, and it sends a notification whenever it detects a change.
10. Performance Improvements
Performance has been improved across the system.
| Area | Improvement |
| Underlying code | Cleaned up across the system |
| Animations | Feel faster and smoother, especially when scrolling Safari or using Mission Control and Spaces |
| AirDrop | Transfers complete more quickly |
| Network file browsing | Finder browses network files faster |
| External displays | Windows stay more stable when positioned |
| Messages sync | Faster and more reliable |
| Spotlight, Photos, Mail, Messages search | Rebuilt, with quicker indexing |
| Recent items | More likely to appear right away in search results |
| New ranking system surfaces the most relevant emails faster |
How Do You Install macOS Golden Gate Public Beta?
To install the beta, Apple’s beta testing website can be used to sign up first.
- Go to Apple’s beta testing website and sign up.
- Open System Settings.
- Click General.
- Click Software Update.
- Under Beta Updates, click the “i” icon.
- Select macOS 27 Golden Gate Public Beta.
- Install the update like any other software update.
System Requirements:
- M1 chip or later (or the A18 Pro chip in the MacBook Neo)
- Intel Macs are not supported
- Apple Intelligence and Siri AI: supported on all compatible Macs
- Natural voice option and upgraded dictation: require an M3 chip or later
- Siri AI: not available in the European Union or China
Should You Install macOS 27 Golden Gate?
Overall, Apple is positioning the update as a turning point in how people use the Mac day-to-day. Users notice design changes immediately. Whether these changes prove useful in daily work will likely depend on how reliably Siri performs outside of Apple’s own demonstrations. Only real-world testing over the coming weeks can show that. For now, Apple is giving public beta testers an early, if imperfect, view of that future.
