macOS Tahoe with Liquid Glass design, phone app and live translation is here
Apple announced macOS Tahoe 26 at WWDC 2025. It features a striking visual redesign, along with enhanced Apple Intelligence capabilities and new Continuity features that further integrate workflows in and between Mac and iPhone.
The macOS Tahoe 26 update introduces a “stunning new design” made of Liquid Glass, a translucent material that reflects surrounding elements. The dock, sidebars, and toolbars have been redesigned to highlight content, while a completely transparent menu bar makes the displays appear larger. Users receive extensive customization options, including colorful app icons, customizable folder colors with emoji icons, and improved Control Center layouts.
Continuity receives significant improvements with the introduction of the Phone app on the Mac, which offers familiar iPhone features like Recents, Contacts, and Voicemails. New features include call filtering, which automatically answers unknown calls and captures caller information, and the call hold feature, which allows users to maintain their position in the phone queue while continuing to work on their Mac.
Live activity from iPhone now appears in the Mac menu bar, showing real-time updates for flights, rideshares, and sports scores. Clicking on these activities opens iPhone mirroring for more details and actions.
Spotlight receives its most comprehensive update yet with macOS Tahoe. All search results are displayed together, and filtering options for specific file types are introduced. Users can now perform hundreds of actions directly from Spotlight—sending emails, creating notes, or playing podcasts—without having to switch between apps. The feature learns user routines and displays personalized actions. Shortcut keys are also being introduced for quick access to frequently used tasks.
Apple Intelligence is being enhanced with live translation for messages, FaceTime, and phone calls. Conversations are automatically translated in real time, while privacy is maintained through on-device processing. Keyboard shortcuts become even more powerful for complex automation with Smart Actions that directly access Apple Intelligence models.
Genmoji and Image Playground receive improvements that allow users to modify existing emojis and access new creative styles, including oil paintings and vector graphics, through ChatGPT integration. Apple Intelligence can also identify action items from emails and websites and automatically organize reminders into clear categories.
macOS Tahoe with new Apple Games app
The new Apple Games app centralizes the gaming experience with personalized recommendations and social features. The Game Overlay provides quick access to system settings and interactions with friends without leaving the game, while Low Power Mode extends battery life.
Other macOS Tahoe 26 updates include 50% faster Safari loading times and four hours more battery life when streaming video compared to Chrome. The Journal app is now available on Mac with cross-device syncing, News offers backgrounds and polls, and accessibility improvements include improvements to Magnifier and Braille.
macOS Tahoe 26 launches in developer beta today, the public beta is available next month, and the general release is planned for fall 2025.
