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macOS Golden Gate Public Beta: 10 Features to Try First

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macOS 27 Golden Gate is available to public beta testers as of this week, which means you can try out Siri AI and the other changes coming in the update before it launches this fall.


We don't recommend betas for devices that serve a critical function, and it's always best to test on a secondary device. macOS Golden Gate is a stable beta compared to past releases, but it's still in development and there can be some bugs to contend with. Before installing the update, make sure to create a Time Machine backup so you can go back to macOS Tahoe if you need to.

Liquid Glass

Apple added a Liquid Glass slider in macOS 27, and you can adjust the transparency level. You can select a clearer version of Liquid Glass that lets some of the background show through, or a more opaque version for improved legibility. Since it's a slider, you can also pick something in between.

Apple also tweaked the overall opacity of Liquid Glass, and it better diffuses complex content behind navigation bars and buttons. Darkened edges and brighter specular highlights add more depth and separation for different UI elements.

Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows

Uniform toolbars in apps make text headings and groups of controls more legible, and Apple has cut back on the number of icons that are used in menu interfaces. Windows have the same corner radius for more consistency, and you'll notice that app corners are not as dramatically rounded.

Changes to window shadows and the Liquid Glass updates make it a lot easier to tell which window is active when you have several apps open.

Sidebars no longer float and are edge-to-edge, which is a less distracting design. Sidebar icons once again use color, too.

Siri AI

Siri AI is the biggest change in macOS Golden Gate. Siri is smarter, more capable, and functions like a chatbot. On the Mac, you can ask Siri anything using the Spotlight interface that comes up with Command + Space. Spotlight is now a unified "Search or Ask" bar where you can search for files, apps, and other content, or ask Siri to complete tasks or answer queries.

You can also interact with Siri using the dedicated Siri app, which is where you can view past conversations and start new conversations. Siri conversations sync across all of your devices, and the Siri app is cross-platform.

Siri can see what's on your screen and access your personal information like emails, messages, and photos to answer questions. Siri can also search the web and complete tasks in apps for you. It's a huge change from the prior version of Siri, and Siri can handle far more than it could before.

We have more on some of the tasks you can complete with Siri in our Siri AI guide.

Visual Intelligence

Apple brought the iPhone's Visual Intelligence feature to the Mac in macOS 27. You can ask Siri questions about what's on your screen with Visual Intelligence, choosing the entire screen or just a portion.

Visual Intelligence on the Mac works when you press Command + Shift + Space or Command + Shift + 6 to capture one area of the display. If you press Command + Shift + 5 (also used for recording your display and capturing screenshots), you can click on the Visual Intelligence icon to get an adjustable selection square for selecting an area of the screen.

Siri can search for images, summarize, translate, identify objects, add information from the screen to apps like Calendar or Reminders, answer questions about what you're looking at, and more. Visual Intelligence on Mac has all of the same features as Visual Intelligence on iPhone, and it includes the new Visual Intelligence features like telling you nutritional information for food or splitting out a bill.

Write with Siri

There is a system-wide Write with Siri feature that goes beyond the Apple Intelligence Writing Tools available in macOS Tahoe. Siri can compose entire emails or messages for you, give you feedback on your writing, change out words, and complete other editing tasks.

To use Write with Siri on Mac, right-click in an app and choose the Ask Siri option. If you select text before the right-click, you can ask Siri for editing help. If you have a blank document, you can ask Siri to generate something for you. When drafting emails or messages, Siri can analyze your past communications and generate something in your own writing style.

Apple also expanded spell correction in macOS Golden Gate, and your Mac will now also give you grammar suggestions and fixes.

iPhone Mirroring

You can resize the iPhone Mirroring window in macOS Golden Gate, dragging at the corner to make a window larger or smaller. Depending on the app, you may be limited to a portrait iPhone aspect ratio, but other apps support iPad or landscape layouts.

Shortcuts

It's easier for anyone to create a Shortcut in just a few minutes in macOS Golden Gate. The Shortcuts app on Mac opens to an interface that lets you describe what you want a shortcut to do using natural language.

AI creates the shortcut for you, and you can refine it with further natural language commands or manually edit it. You can activate your shortcuts through the app or with Siri commands.

Safari Extensions

Safari has a customizable extension feature in macOS Golden Gate, and you can use the Describe Extension option to type in what you want an extension to do. The extension is created using AI and is available to use right away.

To use it, click on the settings icon on the right side of the URL bar and choose the Describe Extension option. Some Apple examples:
  • Display a reading time estimate as a badge on the extension
  • Close duplicate tabs pointing to the same URL when I click the extension
  • Highlight this word
  • Create a 3-minute focus timer for the page
  • Set the minimum font size to 14pt
  • Every time I open a new tab, draw me a flower
  • Highlight and show the dimensions of webpage elements when I click them
  • Enter design mode for a website so that I can edit the contents
  • Save this recipe
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications

Safari also has an intelligent tab grouping feature. Tabs in related categories are automatically grouped together in the tab view.

You can also set Safari to monitor a webpage for updates, with Hourly, Daily, Weekly, and Mon... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: macOS Golden Gate Public Beta: 10 Features to Try First
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/macos-golden-gate-10-features/
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Reactions: Z-4195 and August West
Resizable phone mirroring option is good. Also want to try out the new Siri and various other AI integrations across the OS. Think I will wait a bit more and don't think will be installing the beta.
 
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Mac just keeps getting better with each M-series chip release. It's about time other companies started looking at Mac the way CD Projekt Red and Bloober Team have.
 
Features to try first when you are in the EU:

Liquid Glass ✅
Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows ✅
Siri AI ❌
Visual Intelligence ❌
Write with Siri ❌
iPhone Mirroring ❌
Shortcuts ❌
Safari Extensions ❌
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications ❌

❌ = not available in the EU
 
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wilhelmer said:
Features to try first when you are in the EU:

Liquid Glass ✅
Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows ✅
Siri AI ❌
Visual Intelligence ❌
Write with Siri ❌
iPhone Mirroring ❌
Shortcuts ❌
Safari Extensions ❌
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications ❌

❌ = not available in the EU
Click to expand...
From what I understand this is true on iOS/ iPadOS: no AI features. However macOS should have all the AI stuff.
 
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wilhelmer said:
Features to try first when you are in the EU:

Liquid Glass ✅
Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows ✅
Siri AI ❌
Visual Intelligence ❌
Write with Siri ❌
iPhone Mirroring ❌
Shortcuts ❌
Safari Extensions ❌
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications ❌

❌ = not available in the EU
Click to expand...

Safari tab grouping isn’t even available!?
 
bg1419 said:
What specific steps do I take after installing to “try” Liquid Glass? Or “Toolbars sidebars and windows” ?
Click to expand...
Honestly these were the main reason I installed the public beta. Tahoe was just so friggin' ugly. Wish they would fix the icons better though. The drive icon is just a total disaster. Haven't their icon designers heard of a vanishing point?
 
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I'm guessing that one reason Apple increased the radii of window corners may have been to make it easier for people using the upcoming Macbook Ultra's touch interface to see and tap-grab/drag them with the tip of a finger to resize windows. If so, it'll be interesting to see how well touchscreen users can still do this with the now smaller corner radii.
 
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bg1419 said:
What specific steps do I take after installing to “try” Liquid Glass? Or “Toolbars sidebars and windows” ?
Click to expand...
You try them with your eyes, to see if you like what you see depending on what settings you use for transparency, contrast, etc. Open the System Settings app, and in the Appearance prefpane, you'll find the slider for setting Liquid Glass's transparency, and at Accessibility > Display, you'll find an on/off control for reducing transparency even further, as well as an on/off control for increasing contrast.
 
wilhelmer said:
Features to try first when you are in the EU:

Liquid Glass ✅
Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows ✅
Siri AI ❌
Visual Intelligence ❌
Write with Siri ❌
iPhone Mirroring ❌
Shortcuts ❌
Safari Extensions ❌
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications ❌

❌ = not available in the EU
Click to expand...
Except this is largely untrue. All available in EU except iPhone mirroring.
 
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svish said:
Think I will wait a bit more and don't think will be installing the beta.
Click to expand...
Same. I’m looking forward to trying some of these new things, but I can wait for the final version. I am encouraged by the many positive reviews for the beta versions. I’m interested to see what the new Siri AI can do. I tried Gemini awhile back for about three weeks and I wasn’t at all impressed particularly not for what you pay for it.

The main thing will be seeing how it works on my M3 iMac with 15/512 and my M2 iPad Air 13. I won’t get much out of it on my still solid iPhone 14, but I’m weighing whether to upgrade to iPhone 17e or 17 or wait for 18e or 18.
 
LTX-LadyAnna said:
And add the games to the AppStore too
Click to expand...
I think the games should also be in other stores such as Steam, Epic and GOG for the same price as the PC/Windows version to be able to compete more with that market.

On the App Store they should also have their own section with ”proper” full scale games. Right now they feel mixed up with the rest of the half-baked stuff on the Mac App Store. I think Apple should update their store front when it comes to these ”console quality” games (or whatever a good name for them is).
 
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I can confirm EU accounts can get Siri AI on Mac OS. On Mac OS there is no gatekeeper blablablabla EU-****.
 
They should bring back differential coloring for sidebars and window title/tool bars. Having the top window go white everywhere, including tool buttons, makes it difficult to know where one can grab a window to drag it. Likewise, they need to fix "Drag windows to menu bar to fill screen". It is very annoying to move a window to the top of the screen only to have it expand and hide everything else on the screen. When you are using a large display, it results in a LOT of unused white space.
 

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wilhelmer said:
Features to try first when you are in the EU:

Liquid Glass ✅
Toolbars, Sidebars, and Windows ✅
Siri AI ❌
Visual Intelligence ❌
Write with Siri ❌
iPhone Mirroring ❌
Shortcuts ❌
Safari Extensions ❌
Safari Tab Grouping and Notifications ❌

❌ = not available in the EU
Click to expand...
Blame the unelected Eurocrats.
Not that any of that is of much interest to me, but this is one good thing about not being in the E.U, unless our stupid government follows suit.
 
Ad47uk said:
Blame the unelected Eurocrats.
Not that any of that is of much interest to me, but this is one good thing about not being in the E.U, unless our stupid government follows suit.
Click to expand...
Again, except this is largely untrue. And except that MEP are elected by the citizens of the member states.
 
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