The next macOS installment, macOS 16 / macOS 26, is likely to be one of the main attractions at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025), which kicks off on June 9, 2025.
Excitement is already building for this year’s macOS update thanks to rumors of a major design overhaul for the Mac operating system – plus there’s talk of a new name – macOS 26. This is everything we’ve heard so far about the next macOS update.
Latest macOS 16 / macOS 26 news
- June 8: Gurman says Apple will introduce “new interface elements…called Liquid Glass, and they have the sheen and see-through visuals of a glassy surface”
- June 6: Apple tipster Mark Gurman reveals comprehensive list of what he expects Apple to announce at WWDC
Will macOS 16 actually be macOS 26?
You may have already read the reports, Apple is apparently prepping an overhaul of the numbering system it uses for its major software platforms to bring them all in line with the same numerical moniker.
Apple tipster Mark Gurman says the version numbers will be ditched in favor of the year – although it looks like Apple will use the upcoming full year, rather than the one the new operating systems are announced in.
It means that for this year’s updates we’ll be looking at 2026 for the naming convention, so macOS 26 could very well break cover at WWDC 2025, rather than macOS 16.
Unlike iOS and iPadOS though, macOS also gets a friendly name alongside the functional number – and that’s likely to continue this time around.
When will macOS 16 / macOS 26 launch?
In recent years, Apple has developed a neat little schedule for WWDC, announcements, and product releases. As we now know that WWDC will take place on June 9, it’s highly likely that macOS 16 / macOS 26 will be announced on that day.
The keynote will introduce all of the biggest new features, updates, and products, making it the most exciting part of the conference for most of us.
You can follow our WWDC 2025 live blog for all the latest on the from the keynote presentation, and if you want to keep a closer eye on proceedings, here’s how to watch the WWDC 2025 keynote.
From there, Apple will likely announce a fall release date — keeping things purposefully vague so they have some room to maneuver. As usual, the first public release will most likely happen around the time Apple launches its next iPhone and iOS version. Judging by past trends, this is likely to happen sometime in September.
While Apple may announce all planned features for macOS 16 / macOS 26 at WWDC, that doesn’t mean they will all come with the initial release. Apple Intelligence features, for example, will probably be part of a “slow rollout” just as they have been for macOS Sequoia.
If you can’t wait until September to try out macOS 16 / macOS 26, there will probably be beta versions released between WWDC and the full September release. A developer beta is usually launched during WWDC alongside the initial announcement, and a public beta should come a month or so after.
It’s a lot easier to join in on the beta fun now than it used to be — just head to the Apple Beta Software Program website and use your usual Apple ID to sign up. The only thing to keep in mind is potential bugs and problems — it’s normal and expected for a few things to go wrong during beta testing, so it’s best practice to install the new software on a secondary device rather than the Mac you use every day.
What will macOS 16 / macOS 26 be called?
Apple has always treated macOS a little differently from its other operating systems, bestowing each iteration with a special name rather than referring to it by its number like we are now.
The current OS version (macOS 18) is named Sequoia, after the giant tree native to California. Before Sequoia was Sonoma, named for the wine region in Sonoma County, California. And before that, we had Monterey, named after Monterey Bay in California. As you can see, there’s a clear trend with macOS names — but that doesn’t make it easy to guess the next one.
The rumors we’ve heard so far for the macOS 16 / macOS 26 name are based on trademarked names that have been registered by a company some people believe to be connected to Apple. Examples include California, Grizzly, Miramar, and Redwood. We’ve also seen reports suggested Apple may opt for ‘Tahoe’ for its next macOS version.
What the rumors say about macOS 16 / macOS 26
Apple has been working on its next round of OS versions for a while now but it wasn’t until recently that we got our first big rumor. Revealed by the notorious Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, we now expect macOS 16 / macOS 26 to bring some of the biggest design changes we’ve seen in years.
This big revamp will occur across all of the newest operating systems, not just macOS16 / macOS 26. The details are pretty light for now but it’s expected that icons, apps, menus, windows, and system buttons will all see a refresh.
Rumors also suggest that the new design will be loosely based on visionOS, the operating system for the Apple Vision Pro. If this is true, it means our app icons could go circular — and as silly as it might seem, that would be huge!
Translucency is also a big thing in visionOS, with see-through menus and windows aiming to create more cohesive interactions. For the Vision Pro, translucency means being able to see more of the world around you, but for macOS 16 / macOS 26, it would probably just mean seeing more of your wallpaper. It will be interesting to see if and how that could be implemented.
With design overhauls coming to all of the operating systems at the same time, people are expecting to see more visual consistency between the three. iOS and iPadOS usually look pretty similar anyway, but it looks like macOS might adjust to match the others more than it does now.
As for features, the main topic of conversation is Apple Intelligence and Siri. The road toward AI-powered Apple software has been a bit of a bumpy ride so far, with an extremely slow rollout, EU regulatory problems, and now even legal trouble surrounding Apple’s advertisements for yet-unreleased Siri features.
More recent rumors suggest that the Siri updates we’ve been promised could be delayed until 2026 or even 2027 — so it’s unsure whether Apple will mention them at WWDC this year.
The legal suit against Apple right now claims that Apple engaged in false advertising by pushing Siri Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone 16 and then delaying them. As a result of the ads, consumers may have upgraded mainly for these new features and then never received them.
If we really do need to wait until 2026 or 2027 for the features to finally come, Apple could fall into the exact same legal trap if it promises the new and improved Siri will come with the iPhone 17 and the new operating systems.
Which Macs will be compatible with macOS 16 / macOS 26?
Whenever a new macOS comes out, a few older Mac models fall off the compatibility list. Sequoia works with all M-series Macs and the very last generation of Intel-powered Macs — which suggests macOS 16 / macOS 26 might be limited to Apple Silicon Macs only.
This isn’t a guarantee, but it is likely that the oldest generation compatible with Sequoia will be dropped for macOS 16 / macOS 26. We’re now five-ish years into the Apple Silicon era and it has made a huge difference to what Macs can do — so it doesn’t seem too unreasonable to drop support for Intel Macs right about now.
However, according to a recent report from Apple Insider it appears some Intel powered Macs will continue to receive the new macOS update. Citing sources “familiar with the matter”, the article says the following Macs will get the macOS 16 / macOS 26 update;
- MacBook Pro 2019 or later
- MacBook Air M1 or later
- iMac 2020 or later
- Mac Pro 2019 or later
- Mac mini M1 or later
- Mac Studio — All models
