macOS 27 Practical Features Checklist: Turn These On First

After WWDC, macOS 27 (Golden Gate) has entered public beta. It has a nice name and plenty of features. The ones that really affect daily use come down to a few areas: AI that gets things done, a more pleasant interface, and new tools for developers.

If you're already on Apple silicon (M1 and later), here’s what’s worth paying attention to in Golden Gate:

1. Siri AI in Spotlight (search files + ask questions + perform cross-app actions)
2. Liquid Glass transparency slider (finally able to adjust readability yourself)
3. Practical AI features in Safari / Photos / Shortcuts
4. Xcode Device Hub and Foundation Models on the developer side

The official release is expected in fall. For your main machine, it’s recommended to wait for the stable version; if you want to try it early, use a secondary machine or a separate APFS volume.

1. Spotlight + Siri AI: "Search or Ask" on Mac

Spotlight used to be mainly for searching. Golden Gate turns it into Search or Ask:

• Search local files, emails, photos, messages
• Ask open-ended questions directly, with multi-turn conversations possible
• Perform cross-app actions using personal context
• Has a standalone Siri app to save conversations