6 new MacOS 26 features to look forward to

MacOS 26 Tahoe finally arrives. Apple’s large operating system obtains its new name -based name program. But it is not a question of naming – the new operating system also obtains a series of features which make it more uniform with the other Apple operating systems, and more useful in general.

All these changes meet in a new operating system that could be the biggest change for MacOS for many years. While some of them get used to it, the majority of changes to the operating system are really useful. So what’s new with MacOS 26? I have been using the MacOS 26 Tahoe Beta for some time now to discover it.

A brand new design language

Credit: Christian de Looper

Like the rest of the Apple software range, MacOS 26 obtains the liquid design treatment, essentially giving the software of objects and glass layers. But the appearance of liquid glass on macOS is slightly different from that of other Apple operating systems. For example, it is obvious in services like Spotlight, in the menus and in the platform. Of course, it also appears in areas like Control Center, just like on iOS and iPados. And, as on other platforms, the pimples appear in the layers in layers.

There are also other design changes in MacOS 26. In particular, the windows have more rounded corners, and there are more diaper designs for things like side bars in applications like Finder. This definitely gives the operating system a new look, and although not everyone is delighted, I can say that you get used to the design fairly quickly.

A better projector

Credit: Christian de Looper

A particular macOS functionality which has obtained a large update is the spotlights. Apple’s goal with Spotlight was to make it more powerful, and indeed, the Mac’s universal search bar is now much more universal.

From now on, Spotlight can look for the entire operating system, including individual files, folders, applications and even messages. Speaking of applications, Spotlight now replaces the Applications Library in MacOS – and Apple has completely removed the Application Lancer Grille. There is always an icon for the list of applications in the platform, but pressing it will take you instead.

Spotlight actually obtains even more powerful features which make it a replacement for certain third -party applications of Spotlight. In particular, Spotlight can now filter research, only find the specific areas of your Mac and use application actions, such as those you can find in Siri shortcuts. This means that you can control certain aspects of applications without ever having to open the application. If you are ready to learn to use these features, it makes the projectors much more powerful. I count on projectors to find applications, files and more – and I even started using it for application actions with this new feature. It is in particular a feature that can be as advanced as you wish. Fortunately, if you don’t want to use it at all, Spotlight will still work as well as it has always done.

Telephone application for Mac

Credit: Apple

To date, making phone calls using continuity with your phone has been a bit complicated – but it changes with MacOS 26. Now MacOS has a new phone application that looks like and acts a lot as the telephone application on the iPhone, although widening. You can make calls to favorite contacts, compose phone numbers and search for contacts, all without ever having to open the Facetime application. It works well, and even if everyone will not need it, it’s good to have for those who do not want to have their phone every time they want to make a call while using their Mac.

Live activities

Live activities have been available on the iPhone for some time now, but now these same live activities will also appear on your Mac. You will see live activities in the menu bar of your Mac, allowing you to easily follow things like sports scores, Uber progress, etc. The data is drawn directly from your connected iPhone, and it looks and is very similar to live activities on the dynamic island on iOS. Click on live activity in the menu bar, and you will see widened information – again, just as you would on the dynamic island.

The shortcuts are now fed by AI

Credit: Christian de Looper

Nerds like me love Apple shortcuts for the automation of activities through operating systems – and it becomes much more powerful in MacOS 26. How? By the power of AI, of course. Now, in Siri shortcuts, you can take advantage of Apple intelligence for all kinds of different tasks, using the real model of Apple intelligence for things like the summary of the text, giving you a morning summary with meteorological and calendar events, etc. Have this type of access in shortcuts unlocks all kinds of options for those who also want to tinker, because you can use Apple Intelligence as a stage of a series of steps in a shortcut. I personally use the shortcuts all the time, and be able to use an LLM in the flow of a shortcut makes it much more powerful.

Game application

Credit: Christian de Looper

Apple apparently has a greater push in games, and in this effort, has launched a new game application on many of its main operating systems. The Games app is relatively well designed and mainly works as a launcher to bring you back to the games you have played. He also offers suggestions for the new games you might like, depending on the games you have played in the past. Given the fact that in recent years, we have started to see ports of more AAA games on Apple devices, this could be useful – especially if the developers continue to take advantage of Apple Silicone’s graphic performance.

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