macOS 16 Tahoe is imminent – here’s what to expect from Apple’s next desktop OS | TechRadar

Jun 09, 2025

Including a whole new look for macOS 16 (or should that be macOS 26)?

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Apple’s WWDC 25 event happens later today and a new version of the desktop operating system for Macs is expected to be revealed, rumored to be called macOS Tahoe.

While this should be macOS 16 Tahoe going by logical progression, there’s another theory that Apple may hit fast-forward, and it could be macOS 26.

Whatever the next incarnation of macOS ends up being called, you may well have questions about it. When will the OS be out? What features can you expect? And which Macs will be compatible with macOS Tahoe? Let’s dive into all those details.

macOS Tahoe hasn’t been officially revealed or talked about yet, but as mentioned, we’re expecting to see it announced at WWDC 2025 in just a matter of hours now.

A potential release date also hasn’t been aired. However, Apple typically deploys its new version of macOS in September or October, so we can likely expect the refreshed desktop OS to roll out to Macs around that time.

Before that, we will see the release of a developer beta (which should be imminent), and later, a public beta, for testing macOS Tahoe as the year rolls onwards. Remember, though, that pre-release software is often a rollercoaster ride of glitches and potentially show-stopping bugs, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. Most folks will want to wait for the full release of macOS Tahoe.

If you were wondering whether your Mac will be eligible for macOS Tahoe, there are already rumors about which hardware could be compatible with the new operating system.

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There have actually been two leaks on this topic, and going by the first one (obviously season all this appropriately), here’s a list of the Macs that’ll be able to run macOS Tahoe:

However, a last-minute rumor has popped up claiming that Apple might actually leave a few more MacBook Pro models in the lurch. This speculation tentatively claims that you’ll need a MacBook Pro (2020, four port model) or later to run macOS Tahoe.

Essentially, this means the entry-level MacBook Pro with Intel CPU from 2020 that only has two ports won’t get support for macOS Tahoe, and in that case, it’s logical the MacBook Pro 2019 models won’t, either. That would be quite a blow to these relatively modern laptops, but as the leaker isn’t fully confident in their assertion, take this theory with even more seasoning.

If you’ve been getting a bit bored with the look of macOS, which hasn’t changed much as this decade has progressed, here’s some potentially good news – one of the major changes rumored for Tahoe is a revamped look.

While not much in the way of detail has been provided, the rumor that the interface is due for a big overhaul comes from Mark Gurman (again). In theory, this is part of a plan to align the design language and appearance of Apple’s software across iOS, macOS, and iPadOS (as well as other platforms). So, it’ll be of even greater benefit to those with multiple Apple devices to have similar-looking icons or menus.

The rumor is that this revamp of the macOS interface will include translucent elements, and given that the WWDC 2025 invite sports a frosted glass effect – while also taking into account hints dropped by Apple’s SVP of Marketing, Greg Joswiak – this is what we might get with Tahoe (and other Apple platforms).

If Gurman is correct, this visual makeover will be dubbed ‘Liquid Glass’ and boast the “sheen and see-through visuals of a glassy surface” with transparency and shine effects aplenty. Gurman also believes we can expect floating menus and more rounded parts of the interface in the next-gen take on macOS.

Apple recently announced a raft of new accessibility functionality across its various devices including Macs, and some of these will surely debut in macOS Tahoe.

That includes Personal Voice, which can capture the voice of someone who is losing their ability to talk, and Magnifier for Mac. The latter leverages your iPhone (or a USB camera) to be able to zoom in to, say, a distant whiteboard, and present the writing on the board to the user on their Mac’s screen – seriously nifty stuff for those who are vision-impaired.

In a similar vein, Accessibility Reader can take images of book pages and show them on the Mac display, allowing for zooming, or changing fonts or colors to make things clearer.

This is a feature that’s coming to iOS 19, according to Gurman, but logically it must also apply to macOS Tahoe (and other Apple platforms besides), because it’s all about unifying public Wi-Fi logins across multiple Apple devices for convenience.

As it stands, when you’re in a hotel, gym, or other place with public Wi-Fi, you may have to fill out a form before you can connect to the network and go online. Doing this on multiple devices is even more of a pain, but with this new feature, you’ll only have to complete said form once, and all your other Apple devices will automatically use those details.

So, for example, tackle the form on your MacBook, and you’ll also be good to go on your iPhone or iPad – neat.

Apple seemingly has plans for a new gaming app which spans across all its platforms, including macOS.

Details are thin on this, as it’s a very recent rumor to surface. What we do know is that it’ll theoretically be built to tie together Apple’s gaming properties as you might imagine, including Apple Arcade, and games downloaded from the App Store. However, on Macs, it’s expected to incorporate games grabbed from other third-party sources.

We couldn’t have a new flavor of macOS without seeing some fresh AI functionality injected into the mix. But what?

Well, that’s a very good question, and this is something of an odd one, because rumors abound that Apple has put the brakes on with its big AI plans, putting back the grand vision of an AI-powered Siri to a later date. We won’t see this at WWDC 25 on Mac, iOS, or anywhere else, we’re firmly told via the rumor mill.

At the same time, the most recent rumors from respected leaker Ming-Chi Kuo indicate that Apple will still be putting its AI strategy center stage at the imminent event. While no major breakthroughs with AI tech are expected to debut at WWDC 25, Apple will seemingly be doing a lot of clarifying its strategy, explaining how AI features will work, and sharing a development timeline so we’re more informed about when these capabilities should arrive.

We will likely see some new AI features for macOS, even if they’re relatively modest in scope. For example, we’ve heard that there’s a possibility that Apple is going to give AI powers to the Shortcuts app with macOS Tahoe. This would allow Mac users to give AI voice commands to concoct shortcuts, making these timesavers more easily usable by the less tech-savvy folks out there.

Also, we’re expecting AI to be drafted in to extend battery life on iPhones, and if that’s the case, that’d surely mean MacBooks, too? It’d seem silly not to leverage the tech for laptops.

Furthermore, there have been hints regarding Google Gemini integration for iOS, and how it might be built right into Apple Intelligence by the middle of 2025. That aligns with a WWDC announcement, of course, and if it’s happening with the iPhone, again, it seems likely that this will go ahead with macOS Tahoe as well.

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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