Preparing for next year’s Rosetta 2 demise

Apple's upcoming transition from Intel-based applications to Apple silicon in its macOS operating system is prompting users to prepare for the impending demise of Rosetta 2. With macOS 27 Golden Gate looming, users will no longer be able to run legacy Intel apps using Rosetta 2 following the release of macOS 26 Tahoe. A notification banner will appear when launching affected software or a background component, warning that the specific app will not open in a future release of macOS and suggesting the update to an Apple silicon version.

Certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks are excluded from this notice for now. Users are advised to plan for dealing with Intel-only apps that have been abandoned or whose developers have no interest in updating them. Printer makers, in particular, have been criticized for their lack of forward thinking in this regard.

Apple has enacted a similar strategy in the past, transitioning from Motorola 68000 to PowerPC, Mac OS 9.1 to Mac OS X, PowerPC to Intel, 32-bit to 64-bit code, and finally Intel to Apple silicon M-series chips. Despite the annoyance of reminders, Apple aims to ensure a smooth transition, removing the Rosetta emulator after the upgrade and prompting users to install it when needing Intel code.

Users can identify Intel-only apps through the System Settings: General: About in Golden Gate, which lists all installed apps requiring Rosetta. A helpful tool in System Settings provides an overview of Intel-based apps, while third-party solutions such as Go64, Rosetta Check, and HoudahSpot can offer additional insights. Hardware manufacturers and software developers may take their time in making necessary adjustments, and users must be proactive in updating or replacing affected software.