macOS Golden Gate 27 Beta 1 Megathread

It's downloading over here. I'll keep you all updated for anything I might discover while testing.

Let's see what they've done for us.

There are now shortcuts for ask about immage, ask about current screen, skip back, skip forward and a few more in the voice over shortcuts menu and assignable. None of them seem to do anything though.

In web areas, voice over speaks junk atributes when ever a text block is incountered. This can for example be seen in applevis comments.

For at least three years now I've been waiting to see if apple will finally fix the quick nav bug in Safari.
My hopes are not high sadly.

Well, triggering scripts using the option modifier is completelly broken and causes crashes.

Is VO+Shift+L any different or is it still useless for anything except OCR?

I'm not even going to ask about the navigate by headings bug.

In my limited testing, the image description command now gives you a much more detailed description of an image as long as you haven't enabled the option in VoiceOver Utility under the recognition category to not send images to a server. If you have, it appears to continue using the old behavior where descriptions aren't nearly as detailed. There are also two other commands. VO-Shift-p lets you ask questions about an image by typing them and pressing enter, and VO-Shift-e lets you explore an image and ask questions about it.

No, I am not burned out :) . I simply am not able to update my mac after 4 attempts, a couple of reboots and for once a proper time machine backup.
I get the message Failed to prepare the software update. Please try again. An error occurred while downloading the selected updates. Please check your internet connection and try again.. Of course voiceover for some reason is unable to see anything beyond dialog empty no matter how down I go in the interaction levels so I have to use VOCR.
Any tip? My mac has been plugged all the time.
I'll try over wire as my connection never actually drops.
I'm able to download it actually, I think it crashes after this
Preparing macOS 27 Beta…, About 35 minutes remaining 60% progress indicator
Yeah, same thing again
Failed to prepare the software update. Please try again.
An error occurred while downloading the selected updates. Please check your internet connection and try again.

Either use the softwareupdate CLI tool to grab the full installer (once beta update is enabled in Settings, use the --fetch-full-installer switch), or (much easier and faster) just grab it direct from Apple, here.

Install the package and it drops the installer in your Applications folder just as though you'd got it from the Mac App Store. You can now run the app to install it on the current system volume or a different one (APFS container or a completely different slice, which isn't usually supported by Software Update). You might find it easier to test from a separate volume/partition, anyway, albeit there's nothing quite like trying to use the latest beta with your production data to really see if it's working …

Be careful with beta software, as ever.

I am literally not doing anything critical with my mac nowadays. I have a full backup in any case I am just too lazy to micro manage two partitions.
I didn't even know there was a cli tool for software update but I should have known better as I've read some apple mdm / configurator doc so... Thanks! I'll let you all know if it works or it doesn't.

Thanks, Chris - I'm looking forward to giving that a go. If the server responses are coming from the Apple private cloud thing then I hope this will be something I could use for work images that I prefer not to throw out into the world if I can help it.

Does it still manage OCR OK if you use the cloud option? That's about the only thing VO+Shift+L currently does a good enough job of.

I'm sure I remember a number of MacOs versions ago they added an option where you could select text in an image with the mouse and copy/paste it. (These were the days when my eyes worked a bit) think I only ever got that to work once though, but I always felt I should be able to interact with images in VoiceOver and do something similar.

Anyway this sounds like exactly what I need on my Mac, so this alone has got me excited for the new version. Now I just hope that it's not a horrible buggy mess so I can actually upgrade to it.

Hey everyone, in the first beta version of macOS 27, it’s now possible to record system audio natively. I tested it, and it works really well.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering installing macOS 27 Beta 1 on my primary M4 MacBook Pro, but before I take the plunge I'd be interested in hearing some more general impressions from those of you already running it.

Most of the comments so far have focused on specific issues or features, which is very helpful, but I'm curious about the bigger picture:

- Are there any major VoiceOver showstoppers you've encountered?
- Is anyone else seeing the issue where VoiceOver reads junk attributes in web content, particularly in Safari?
- How are Finder, Settings, Mail, Safari, and general system navigation holding up?
- Does the beta feel stable enough for daily use, assuming you're an experienced beta tester and willing to tolerate the usual rough edges?

I'm not expecting perfection from a first developer beta. A few bugs here and there are part of the experience, and I've been running developer betas for years. What I'm really trying to determine is whether there are any issues that would make me regret installing it before Beta 2 arrives.

So far, the reports seem surprisingly positive, but I'd love to hear more overall impressions from VoiceOver users who have spent some time with it.

Thanks!

Hi,

oh really? what app did you test it with? also can you record both system audio and mic at once? it would be cool if you can.

Cool for system audio, it will make VO bug reporting way easier even if this was a solved problem since day 0 anyway.
It's currently installing on my mac.
As suspected and thank you @Sebby for your input, my bug was just an internet problem. In fact even over wire it didn't work with the system settings update I used the command and opened the installer in /Applications.
I'll report my findings here.
PS: not to be negative, but to say it bluntly, apple really doesn't care about macos accessibility. They can ship non deterministic AI image description but still no native screen recognition on macos to bypass the black magic limitations VOCR has to do? No thank you. I'll believe any serious bug patch when I see one, a real one.

I am really unable to install the update after download even after freeing 80gb of storage. I am too lazy to reinstall the whole thing again though. M2 pro base model 14 inch upgrading from 26.5.1.

It's gotta be an Internet issue, I can't imagine your system is unable to support the beta. 🫤

Hi! I started recording system audio using the Command + Shift + 5 shortcut, but I believe you can also do it via QuickTime. This way, I can record both my voice and the system audio at the same time.

Hi,

In This MacRumors Article, there is a section about accessibility and it says "Easier reading and editing of PDFs using VoiceOver." Did enny one try reading a Pdf Documant on Preview, is there any difference? This is important for me as I read my books in Pdf format on Preview.

Thanks in advance.

As I worried, the new Siri ai app is difficult to navigate. Input window in one place and the output in another. It's very similar to the ChatGPT app and, as far as I can tell, there’s no way to have Siri automatically speak responses to typed queries.

this is completely true. I read the license agreement for the macos beta with Preview and it reads the entire document.

If this doesn't fix it then I'll just create another partition and install it there from scratch.

Roughly three years have passed since I opened my Mac for the first time!
Nothing groundbreaking as expected.
First, to be clear, I am not complaining about beta instability. I welcome beta bugs—that is the point of testing. What I am calling out are decade-old, architectural VoiceOver failures that are still unresolved, and the superficial additions that are being prioritized over fixing them.
I don't have this bug of extra text being announced on HTML elements on the web like @Soren mentioned, on Safari.
They have added the action element to the rotor for no reason while nobody was asking for it, as VO Cmd Space works to bring up that menu, and there is no way to actually click it as VO Space doesn't work.
There is an option under web general or navigation, I suppose it's to pause the announcements of ARIA dynamic elements. What will it do more than live regions which have never worked before anyway? Just to add in this same-ish category, there is no explanation about this toggle insertion point, and many other ultra vague features.
Remember that things like go to next / previous same table level element added in Tahoe have:
No explanation whatsoever
Don't work at all in any meaningful way
Now they have added a thing like go to the next / previous element after the current group or something like that (I am writing this on my Windows laptop, sorry) and it doesn't work at all; VoiceOver restarts, i.e., says the welcome message and announces the active window element(s).
They have not done anything to VO Shift L, added other random shortcuts to describe screen, get more details, describe images, etc. They could have at least done so that when the local option in VO recognition is checked it uses the same VO Shift L but a bit more useful with local models, but no, they are seemingly doing the bare minimum to be marginally and technically compliant for macOS accessibility. By the way, I am 99% sure that rewind and fast forward were already there on ventura but they have never worked, nor have they ever been explained.
Besides that, same buggy mess as usual. No positive change or fix.
The latest bugs with Pages @Paul and I brought up are still there.
I haven't tried Terminal yet to see if there is any improvement there, but I doubt there is anything new.
Some UI bugs that will be fixed (for once I am confident) just because it's the first beta.
I opened a simple PDF in Preview. Maybe the PDF was actually simple, just a bullet list, but nothing groundbreaking, although it did feel smoother.
Thing is I had created a new partition to install GG on it with the .app, but the installer was labeled Tahoe and it installed Tahoe stable even if I used the fetch full installer and the channel was on beta 27 in Settings. I was really unable to update with my data so I just went on the new partition, wiped the other and then did it through system software update and it worked this time to install GG. Again, this is dev beta 1, and I have installed Asahi and a kernel extension so... I don't care, beta bugs are welcome!
IMO, no amount of bug reports will solve VoiceOver there at this point but a massive rewrite or massive engineering prioritization to selectively solve key issues.
For the optimistic people out there, get a Mac and your vision of Apple king of accessibility will change. I'd say that they are still earning their champion of mobile accessibility if, and only if, the user is only blind, has no physical impairment, is able to use explore by touch in most cases, and does not rely on braille as his primary main output. iOS and its forks on other Apple platforms are still very solid for the average user. Their desktop OS accessibility will, and in way too many areas already is, sinking under massive technical debt and multi-year neglect if no serious work is done soon.
But maybe it's just an emotional response, as I am too integrated in the Apple ecosystem to ever sell my Mac, and for a developer, accessibility aside, macOS is still very interesting as a relatively POSIX compliant platform and a refuge against microslop. Maybe I'll end up doing quality reports during free time.

Quality reports are needed so issues can be properly fixed. When beta 2 comes out updated the report if it hasn't been fixed same for beta 3 and so on.

Since the start of the beta, I've submitted over 30 things that are broken with voice over alone to apple. The issue with meta data beeing announced happens only with vocaliser voices by the way, that's why some people might not have seen it.

I've dropped in some feedback, but is there something I'm missing when trying to use the siri app? Voiceover isn't reading responses and it does seem very awkward to find the responses. Doesn't help it's got the usual convoluted daft container stuff going on like in all apple apps.

Will be a pretty lame lookout if we, as voice over users, can't use the main feature update. Reminds me of the iPhone mirroring thing.

Intresting, as I use Alison and have not experienced it, or I don't know what you're referring to. For example I am able to brows and read on applevis as usual, or as usual as a beta can be.

Don't you think that's a bit harsh?

Harsh? Maybe, but truth often is. If one wants things to get better, One should do their part to help. In this specific case, that would be reporting bugs. Now weather these get fixed or not? That's outside of one's control, however one shouldn't assume oh others will do the job i.e, reporting x bug. As said, maybe its a bit harsh; but true nonetheless.
As far as the betas? I’m gonna install them as soon as I have time, due to work, on a separate volume install on the mac side of things, and normally on my phone. Although, gotta say, what the hell? Golden Gate? it’s not a bad name, but. well, gg for short of the mac OS sistem is funny. Have a feeling people are gunna start making jokes with this one. I mean kinda hard not to think of golden gate, gg, good game, or similar. Not a bad name but apple on purpose or not, walked themselves into quite the pun / jokes territory with that name lol. Hell the jokes practically just,
mac crashed? Gg. cournel extension broke? Gg. Voiceover crashed and you had to restart? Gg.
Maybe i'm too much of a nerd / geek, but they did walk right into a field of landmines jokes wise with that name heh.

I have to repeat something here that our more thoughtful, thinking peers have mentioned before, something that our more judgmental, intolerant, patronizing peers conveniently forget every time this issue comes up, that being (pay attention, please), some of us don't have extra devices we can use for downloading betas, thereby taking the risk of losing what our sole, adequately functioning devices are delivering.

So (are you listening?), while i am happy you have extra devices, the rest of us don't have, the rest of us don't appreciate being lectured, talked down to, and judged because we aren't exercising the luxury you lecturing, judgmental types are blessed to enjoy.

I do have questions for you, however. We all have the right to vote. Do we all exercise that right? Do those of us who don't vote have the right to complain? Personally, I say no. no right to complain. They can vote or not as they choose. Do those of us who don't use our brains to think critically have the right to vote? Sadly, yes.

Now, here's the important question: Do you think critically and stay informed and remember relevant points of information before you start judging and talking down to and criticizing the rest of us who don't have extra devices, let alone the freedom that comes with free time?

Yes, I know. I'll be reprimanded for speaking my truth. Compare this to how our judgmental critics do not get reprimanded. Odd, isn't it

Harsh? Not at all. It’s the truth. A lot of people want to complain and not do their part to attempt to fix the issues.

Quality report >

See no improvement >

Complain >

Apple apologists dive in >

Chaos... Pain... Horror.

this is the Apple Vis way.

The point of my comment is that it should be okay here that someone tries the beta, has a horrible experience, and says never again and they are filing zero reports for whatever reason. People in that situation do not need admonishment to file quality reports - if they are going to do so, they will.

At the end of the day, it's on Apple to test their software, find bugs, and fix them. Can user reports help with this? You bet. But as I see it at least, it's okay for people to try the software and not file reports if that is what they want to do.

You have zero right to complain. If you choose to install a beta it is something you should absolutely do and file what is broken. How do you think things get resolved. Let's look at it this way. If it is a specific app that you are having an issue in do you think Apple has the ability to put every possible app or configuration possible to catch the bugs? No that isn't realistic. We are a small community they can't test every voice every braille table and every possible configuration setting we could have set up to say yep this works perfectly. That is beyond ridiculous. Do you think sighted user file if bugs are found? Absolutely. So we shouldn't do the same why? Every year the people gripe complain gripe and complain like someone else said. If all those that gripe and complain actually did something and continued to add to their feedback this isn't fixed as of build 456 then build 789 comes you add to it don't you think things would get fixed faster? Absolutely.

I don't see any point of installing beta, complaining, and not reporting.
But I am not complaining about the beta bugs, which I say are most welcome.
I am talking about the same, old, time tested, documented, lived, experienced, and often times decade old Voiceover bugs that are not acknowledged or patched by apple. No they are not fixing them and it's been like that for the last 10 years if the comment history of this site is an indication.
And no, you are delusional if you think apple listen to us for these bugs, you have no authority to tell us otherwise if you don't have a mac, are not a developer or technically knowledgable and have experience with at least 3 OS (mobile and desktop, for me windows with nvda, jaws and narrator, debian / ubuntu / fedora with mate and now gnome 3 and orca, mac with voiceover, chromevox on chromeos...) and screen reader combinations to have an idea of how most of mac voiceover issues are solved problem elsewhere.
If apple was listening then a particular developer would have no reason of wasting hours reverse engineering to try and see if something can done by others while apple have the full documented (relatively) source code but do nothing about it, and similar talks wouldn't be as common as they are on applevis about this particular os.
Anyways.
I'll test the new checkbox under web, from the label it seems related to aria.

I think the Web Announcements box is just renamed. It used to say something like Enable live regions.

I agree with the frustration concerning the unresolved long-standing bugs. It's especially frustrating when this is supposed to be a release that primarily focuses on bug fixes, but I'll update my feedback entries to state they're not fixed in the current beta build. I have very little hope things will change, but you never know.

I'm sad this issue is still around. I remember you could check the status of these processes in Snow Leopard. I'll report this, but considering it's been around for such a long time, I highly doubt anything will be done about it.

I'm pretty sure we have both, this seems new. Will test it when I have time.