macOS 27 Golden Gate has finally arrived with Siri AI as the headline feature. Apple’s release notes lay out a broad update that brings the company’s generative AI stack into Spotlight, the Mac’s system-wide search layer.
The new Siri is a full rewrite running on Apple Intelligence. It is embedded in Spotlight, can pull context from Messages, Mail, and Photos, and can take actions across apps on request. Past conversations live in a dedicated Siri app, syncing across Apple devices through iCloud. The feature is rolling out gradually; users will need to enable it manually in Settings.
Visual Intelligence adds an on-screen action layer, summoned via the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-Space. Users can highlight a portion of the screen and ask Siri to add a calendar event, identify an object, or run other tasks. Photos also gain Spatial Reframing for re-framing shots after the fact, an Extend tool for expanding the frame, and a sharper Clean Up that delivers more realistic infill on complex scenes.
Safari gets automatic tab grouping by topic, a Notify Me feature that watches pages for price drops or restocks, and Describe an Extension, which turns natural-language requests into custom browser extensions. Shortcuts adds a similar natural-language entry point, letting users describe a routine and have the steps assembled automatically.
The Liquid Glass interface gains readability refinements and a new slider that controls transparency, from nearly clear to heavily tinted. Toolbars, sidebars, and app icons are getting edge-to-edge and detail upgrades.
On the safety side, new parental controls let children request permission before visiting a new Safari site via Ask to Browse, expand Communication Safety protections, and add Time Allowances and Schedules for managing app access throughout the day. Spotlight search, Mail search, AirDrop transfers, and network file browsing all get unspecified performance and reliability improvements.
Apple warns that usage limits may apply to some Apple Intelligence features, including the new photo-editing tools, Image Playground, AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts, and Siri AI.
Expect the update to be available in the next few hours.