Apple releases macOS 26.4 Tahoe first public beta: customizable charging limit, notification to phase out Intel architecture translation layer

IT Home, February 18 — Technology media 9to5Mac published a blog post yesterday (February 17), reporting that in the macOS 26.4 Beta 1 Developer Preview and Public Beta 1 public test versions, Apple has warned users that support for the Rosetta 2 translation feature will be discontinued.

IT Home note: Rosetta 2 was announced at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It is a translation software developed by Apple that can convert code originally written for Intel chips (older Macs) into instructions that Apple’s custom silicon (newer Macs) can understand in real-time, allowing new computers to run legacy software.

Just like Rosetta when Apple transitioned from PowerPC to Intel architecture, this technology has always been a temporary transition solution. Apple officially announced at last year’s WWDC25 that full support for Rosetta 2 would end after macOS 27.

As per usual, macOS 28 is expected to be released in fall 2027. By then, most non-native applications will no longer run on new Macs. However, Apple has reserved a buffer window. Official documentation indicates that macOS 28 will still retain some sub-functions of Rosetta, specifically to support older games that depend on Intel architecture and are no longer maintained.

Apple introduced a key change in the macOS 26.4 Beta 1 Developer Preview: when users launch applications that depend on Rosetta 2, the system will display a warning, clearly indicating that this translation service is about to be discontinued.

In today’s release of macOS 26.4 Tahoe first public beta, Apple also introduced the following three adjustments:

Upgrade Battery Health Management

In terms of battery management, the new version introduces a “Charging Limit” feature. This feature, ported from iOS, aims primarily to extend battery lifespan.

After upgrading, users can manually lock the Mac’s maximum charge level between 80% and 100% in system settings, thereby avoiding long-term full charge that can damage the battery’s physical activity.

Return of Safari Interface Options

Responding to community feedback, macOS 26.4 reintroduces the “Compact Tab Bar” option for Safari users. This interface layout was removed in the initial version of macOS Tahoe, sparking discussions among users accustomed to a compact layout. With this update, users now have the choice to restore this classic layout that saves vertical screen space in system settings.

Improved System Stability

Regarding system stability, the official release notes mention that the issue of “window corner cursor misalignment” (where the cursor path does not align with rounded window corners when resizing) has been fixed, a problem present since early versions of Tahoe.