Apple"s official keynote for WWDC 2026 was a bit different this time. The iPhone-maker prioritized Siri AI and new Apple Intelligence features so much that the keynote didn"t have dedicated sections for macOS 27 and other software updates.
That said, macOS 27 Golden Gate is coming later this year. The freshly-baked update is now available in developer beta for the following Mac models:
- MacBook Pro (2020 and later)
- MacBook Air (2020 and later)
- MacBook Neo (2026)
- iMac (2021 and later)
- Mac mini (2020 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac Pro (2023)
It"s interesting to note that macOS 27 Golden Gate has dropped support for Intel-based Macs altogether. All of the supported Mac models in the list are powered by different Apple Silicon chips. MacBook Neo, which is the most repairable MacBook in years, is the latest of them and draws its power from an iPhone chip.
Apple supported some Intel-based Macs on last year"s macOS 26, but noted that not all features were available on these devices. The list of devices not getting the latest update includes the Mac Pro (2019), 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019), 27-inch iMac (2020), and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020).
To get the developer beta on your supported Mac, go to Settings > General > Software Updates. Here, click on the "i" button next to Beta Updates, then select "macOS Golden Gate 27 Developer Beta" from the drop-down menu. Make sure that you back up your data before starting the update, just in case things go south.
Also, it goes without saying that you know what you"re doing because developer betas can be unstable and behave in unexpected ways. Apple will release the public beta sometime next month, which will be comparatively stable.
If you have an appetite for unstable test builds, you can try out the new features Apple has been baking for macOS 27. For starters, an upgraded version of Siri, with a dedicated Siri AI app coming later this year, enables cross-platform AI chat within the Apple ecosystem.
Apple"s changes to the Liquid Glass design language have trickled down to macOS as well. Now, there is a slider to change the intensity from ultra-clear to fully tinted. The system animations are smoother, content loads faster, and the window corner radius is now the same across all apps.
In addition to macOS 27, you can try the developer beta versions of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and HomePod software 27 on your supported devices.