macOS Tahoe 26.1 RC is Out! - What's New?

macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidate is out, featuring new appearance options, expanded Apple Intelligence language support, and various system improvements, with a public release expected soon.

• macOS Tahoe 26.1 RC is likely the final version before public release.

• New 'Liquid Glass' appearance and expanded Apple Intelligence language support are key features.

• Improved performance, bug fixes, and enhanced communication safety are included in the update.

macOS Tahoe 26.1 RC (Release Candidate) is now available, serving as the likely final build for developers and public beta testers before its general release. This update introduces a new 'Liquid Glass' appearance setting, significantly expands Apple Intelligence and Siri language support, and includes various refinements to applications like Phone, TV, and FaceTime. The update also improves system performance and resolves several bugs, with the public release anticipated for early next week.

macOS Tahoe 26.1 RC Overview

• 00:00:00 Apple has released macOS Tahoe 26.1 RC, which is the final version distributed to developers and public beta testers. If no issues are found, this will be the public release; otherwise, an RC2 or a different build will follow. The update is a significant 14.73 gigabytes on an M4 Max MacBook Pro, indicating a near-complete reinstallation of the operating system, and its build number is 25B77.

New Appearance and App Features

• 00:01:06 The update introduces a new 'Liquid Glass' appearance option in settings, allowing users to choose between clear or tinted effects that carry across various applications like Music. The Apps section now displays up to seven apps from left to right, providing more visibility at once. Additionally, the TV app icon has been updated to reflect the new 'Apple TV' branding, moving away from 'Apple TV+'.

Expanded Language Support & Safety

• 00:03:34 Apple Intelligence and Siri now support numerous additional languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and more, making the features accessible to a wider global audience. Communication Safety is now enabled by default for existing child accounts aged 13-17, varying by country or region, though it can be manually disabled. FaceTime audio quality has also been improved under low bandwidth conditions.

Performance and Release Schedule

• 00:05:24 Overall performance of macOS Tahoe 26.1 RC is noted as smooth and fast, with previous stutters and slowness largely eliminated, making it a recommended update for those on earlier versions experiencing issues. The public release of macOS 26.1, along with iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1, is expected around Monday, the third, based on Apple's historical release patterns.