Here's Everything New in macOS Tahoe Beta 2

by

The second developer beta of macOS Tahoe is now available for testing, and it includes a handful of smaller new features and changes on the Mac.

macos tahoe
Below, we recap everything new that has been found in macOS Tahoe beta 2 so far.

Redesigned Finder App Icon

Fi vs Fi
Crisis averted: Apple has restored the Finder icon's design to its former glory on the second beta.

On the first macOS Tahoe developer beta, the app icon's colors were inverted, with blue appearing on the right side and white appearing on the left side. That change disappointed some people, and Apple has evidently listened to that feedback.

Redesigned Migration Assistant App Icon

Migration Assistant Feature
The second beta also gives a fresh coat of paint to the Migration Assistant app icon.

Menu Bar Background Option

Frosted vs Unfrosted Menu Bar
Apple removed the frosted background from the menu bar by default on macOS Tahoe, as part of the Liquid Glass redesign. If you miss it, though, the second beta adds a "Show menu bar background" option to the System Settings app under Menu Bar.

AirPods Beta Firmware

AirPods Beta Updates Feature
As spotted by Federico Trevisani, the second macOS Tahoe beta lets you enroll in beta testing of AirPods firmware updates directly on a Mac.

First, connect your AirPods to your Mac. Next, open the System Settings app and click on the Bluetooth menu. Then, select the (i) symbol next to your AirPods. On the ensuing page, scroll down to the bottom and click on "AirPods Beta Updates. Finally, there is a toggle to enable beta firmware updates on your AirPods. Firmware updates will be installed when your AirPods are in their charging case and near the Мас.

Apple currently offers AirPods beta firmware updates to developers only. However, that will soon change. Apple plans to start offering public betas of AirPods firmware updates in July for the first time, beginning with the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2.

The latest firmware beta for the ‌AirPods 4‌ and AirPods Pro 2 adds support for improved audio quality for phone calls and video calls, plus studio-quality audio recording for interviews, podcasts, and videos. There is also an option to use AirPods as a camera remote with the Camera app to take photos or start a video recording, and these AirPods models can automatically pause audio if it is detected that you fell asleep.

Other Changes

The first macOS Tahoe public beta will be available in July, and the update will likely be released to the general public in September.

Related Roundup: macOS Tahoe 26
Related Forum: macOS Tahoe

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
Read Full Article • 58 comments
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
Read Full Article • 93 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Read Full Article • 119 comments
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Read Full Article • 62 comments
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
Read Full Article • 133 comments
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday October 31, 2025 8:52 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about Apple's foldable iPhone so far. Ove...
Read Full Article • 76 comments
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...
Read Full Article • 87 comments
iOS 26

Apple This November: iOS 26.2 Beta, Rumored New Products, and More

Thursday October 30, 2025 12:42 pm PDT by
Tomorrow is Halloween, and then November is upon us. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple next month, as the slower holiday season approaches. Apple is expected to kick off November by releasing iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1. With beta testing now wrapped up, the updates will likely be released this Monday, November 3 or Tuesday,...
Read Full Article • 18 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
Read Full Article
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Revamped Siri on Track to Launch Next Year

Thursday October 30, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Apple CEO Tim Cook today said that a more personalized version of Siri remains on track to launch at some point next year, with the new set of features expected to debut on the iPhone as part of iOS 26.4 in March or April. "We're also excited for a more personalized Siri," said Cook, on Apple's earnings call for the third quarter of the 2025 calendar year. "We're making good progress on it,...
Read Full Article • 79 comments

Top Rated Comments

TheDailyApple Avatar
TheDailyApple
19 weeks ago
Reverting the colors back to the original ones was a good move for the finder icon, but I think the border they added is still way too large. I'd prefer it if it looked more like this:



Attachment Image
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HighwaySnowman Avatar
HighwaySnowman
19 weeks ago

Reverting the colors back to the original ones was a good move for the finder icon, but I think the border they added is still way too large. I'd prefer it if it looked more like this:


There's already a much nicer version they could use:



Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnC4 Avatar
JohnC4
19 weeks ago
Sad, the biggest thing to talk about on Apple OS’s is the design language.

Least Apple could do is recognize the existence of ultra wide monitors. The top menu bar for apps is annoying on 49” monitor, always having to look to the top left. Same with ultra wide in Vision Pro. Do they actually use their own software? At a minimum the menu should have an option to center vs pin left. Better, put it on the top bar of the running app, so you don’t have to look away from what you’re doing to select a menu option.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMattPro Avatar
iMattPro
19 weeks ago

I’m unclear what the problem was with their new Finder icon. I liked it. I think it looked cleaner.


Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
orbital~debris
19 weeks ago
Did Apple say anything during WWDC about why app corners are more rounded on macOS (e.g. look at Settings in the screenshots above)?
I know they did for iOS/iPadOS but they have corresponding hardware rounded corners with their Liquid Retina displays. On Mac, there's still a mix of square edged corners and rounded corners.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dark_Omen Avatar
Dark_Omen
19 weeks ago

Sad, the biggest thing to talk about on Apple OS’s is the design language.

Least Apple could do is recognize the existence of ultra wide monitors. The top menu bar for apps is annoying on 49” monitor, always having to look to the top left. Same with ultra wide in Vision Pro. Do they actually use their own software? At a minimum the menu should have an option to center vs pin left. Better, put it on the top bar of the running app, so you don’t have to look away from what you’re doing to select a menu option.
Tim should just tell the board that he's out of ideas (not that any were his anyways) -- maybe I should just say "his C-suite team" is out of ideas, so they can terminate him and move on to someone that knows what they're doing.

He's over his head now that Steve's inventions have matured. The cow has run out of milk.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments