macOS 27 "Golden Gate" released by Apple will be the last version of macOS to support Intel-based applications through Rosetta 2. This means that in next year's major system update, Apple will completely cancel this translation compatibility layer for Intel applications in macOS.
Golden Gate is also the first macOS version that only supports Apple's self-developed chip Mac, marking the official end of the Intel Mac hardware era at the system level. At the same time, this adjustment will also directly affect Apple chip users who have completed the chip transition.
Rosetta 2 is a dynamic binary translation technology introduced when Apple launched its first M1 chip in late 2020. It allows applications compiled for Intel processors to run on Apple chip Macs without modification. Apple publicly confirmed the life cycle plan of Rosetta 2 as early as the Platforms State of the Union session at WWDC in 2025: Rosetta will continue to provide support in the next two generations of macOS systems until macOS 27, mainly to help developers complete the migration of applications to Apple chips during the transition period. After this, Apple will retain only a small set of Rosetta features for compatibility with older, unmaintained game titles that rely on Intel frameworks.
With macOS 27 Golden Gate currently in beta, this timeline has reached its final juncture. For users still using legacy Intel-only apps on Apple-silicon Macs, this means they only have a buffer period for the last system version after Golden Gate, after which such apps will no longer run on the new version of macOS.
In order to reduce the impact of "discontinued supply", Apple has issued early warnings to users in macOS 26.4 and 26.5: When users launch applications that only support Intel, the system will pop up a prompt to remind that related support will be terminated in future macOS versions. The purpose of these notices is to buy end users and developers time to find or develop alternatives to native Apple silicon versions and avoid disruption to their workflows if Rosetta is completely retired.
In the six years since the transition to Apple chips was announced in 2020, most mainstream applications have completed native adaptation to Apple chips, with operating efficiency and performance optimized. However, those individual developers and institutions that still rely heavily on software that only supports the Intel version need to complete selection and replacement before the launch of macOS 28, either by pushing upstream developers to release the Apple chip version, or by choosing to stay at macOS 27 and not upgrade the system.
It is worth noting that Golden Gate has also made further adjustments to the installation status of Rosetta 2: If the user has previously installed Rosetta 2 in macOS 26 "Lake Tahoe" (Lake Tahoe), the system will automatically uninstall this component after upgrading to Golden Gate. If there is still demand for use, users need to reinstall this feature in the new system to continue running old applications that rely on Rosetta.
Currently, macOS 27 Golden Gate has provided a test version to developers. It is expected that the public beta program will be opened next month. The official version is expected to be pushed to users in September along with the new round of Apple’s autumn new product release nodes. After this update, as Rosetta 2 comes to an end, the macOS ecosystem will more completely complete the transition from Intel to Apple's self-developed chips.