Apple has released macOS 27 Golden Gate Developer Beta 2 to developers today, June 22, 2026, with the update carrying build number 26A5368g. The release arrives two weeks after Beta 1 (build 26A5353q), which Apple seeded on June 8 immediately following the WWDC26 keynote. It lands alongside Beta 2 updates for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and HomePod 27, though watchOS 27 did not receive a beta 2 today so far.
The beta is available now through System Settings. Developers can grab it by going to System Settings > General > Software Update with Beta Updates enabled. A free developer account is sufficient, the paid $99 per year membership is not required. For a full walkthrough, see how to install macOS 27 Golden Gate developer beta free.
What’s new in macOS 27 Golden Gate beta 2
macOS Golden Gate was framed at WWDC26 as a performance and refinement release, drawing comparisons to Mac OS X Snow Leopard in 2009, and the beta cycle is reflecting that focus. The most visible work in the early betas centers on Liquid Glass, Apple’s translucency design system, which received readability complaints after its debut. We will cover the beta 2 features in detail once we have installed the updates, but for now, here are the updates from beta 1:
- A Liquid Glass transparency slider lets users choose between maximum translucency or a more opaque, tinted appearance for better legibility
- Liquid Glass opacity has been updated to diffuse complex backgrounds more effectively, with a darkened edge and brighter highlights adding depth and separation
- Window shadow changes make it easier to distinguish active windows from inactive ones
- Super-rounded corners from macOS 26 Tahoe are gone, and sidebars now extend edge-to-edge rather than floating
- Colored sidebar icons have returned, and apps feature more uniform toolbars with fewer menu bar icons
- Siri has been redesigned as Siri AI, a chatbot-style assistant drawing on general knowledge, personal data, and onscreen context, powered by third-generation Apple Foundation Models
- Performance improvements cover AirDrop transfers, network file browsing, Messages syncing, and Spotlight search suggestions, if you notice heavier resource usage during the beta, see these macOS 27 Golden Gate battery drain fixes
One notable detail for European users: unlike on iPhone and iPad, Siri AI is available on the Mac in the European Union. Mac users in the EU will not face the Digital Markets Act delay that is holding back the feature on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. If you want to get ahead of the queue, there is also a way to bypass the Siri AI waitlist on macOS 27 beta.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is the first macOS release limited exclusively to Apple silicon, meaning any Mac running an Intel processor will not be able to upgrade. As 9to5Mac has noted, Golden Gate is also the last version of macOS to fully support Rosetta 2, the translation layer that allows Intel-compiled apps to run on Apple silicon. If Rosetta 2 was previously installed under macOS 26 Tahoe, macOS Golden Gate will automatically uninstall it, marking the end of Apple’s Intel-to-Apple silicon transition period. Intel Mac owners looking for clarity on their options should note that no patcher can bring macOS Golden Gate to Intel hardware.
For developers with Intel Macs, this beta cycle serves as a practical deadline. Any app that still relies on an Intel binary and has not been recompiled for Apple silicon will stop functioning on macOS once Rosetta 2 support ends.
Apple is expected to open a public beta program for macOS Golden Gate in July 2026 through beta.apple.com, giving non-developers a lower-risk way to try the software. The final public release is expected in September 2026, consistent with Apple’s typical fall Mac update schedule.
The pace of Liquid Glass refinements across just the first two betas suggests Apple is taking the design criticism from Tahoe seriously, and the changes in Golden Gate are more substantive than typical incremental beta fixes. Whether the final release fully resolves legibility concerns will depend on how the remaining summer betas shape up.
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