The brand new Highlight in macOS could also be one of the best Siri various

Apple used WWDC 2025 to introduce quite a few new options — a totally overhauled design language, reside translation options accessible throughout all of its working techniques, and a number of AI-adjacent new abilities — however one of the crucial essential was the corporate’s rework of Highlight.

Spotlight is Apple’s title for the built-in search subject that you may entry on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS to seek for a file, a particular app, or info from the net. The characteristic is helpful throughout all the corporate’s gadgets, however is especially key on Macs, the place it is one of many easiest and most direct methods to search out issues with out leaping into the file hierarchies of Finder. Apple has added small options to Highlight over time, letting the search subject reply math issues, present dictionary definitions, and pull up fundamental Wikipedia info. In macOS 26, it’s going to go additional, letting Highlight carry out choose performance in apps with out even opening it, calling to thoughts Apple’s promised changes to Siri, and probably displaying an easier means Apple’s gadgets might get smarter.

Focus will quickly do much more than search

The characteristic is changing into one thing like a command line

Apple

In the course of the macOS Tahoe part of Apple’s keynote, the corporate demoed the brand new Highlight taking over anticipated duties like pulling up search outcomes, and even displaying apps which might be solely obtainable via a related iPhone over iPhone Mirroring. However the brand new Highlight may also take motion for you, too, leveraging the options of apps with out having to open them. That could possibly be including an occasion to your calendar, taking part in a podcast, operating a Shortcut (now with the flexibility to faucet into Apple Intelligence fashions) or, as Apple demoed, sending a message or e mail with out having to carry your arms off the keyboard.

This new a part of Highlight depends on the corporate’s App Intents framework, which lets builders establish content material and actions inside apps and make them usable in every little thing from Highlight to the Motion Button on the iPhone and Apple Watch Extremely. Apple initially pitched App Intents as being the important thing ingredient that will make its up to date model of Siri work, which might equally take motion inside apps with a easy voice command, and may reference the private context of messages and emails to make extra knowledgeable selections.

Apple delayed the updated version of Siri in March 2025, however Highlight exhibits a extra hands-on means the fundamental idea might work, and actually, it could be simpler to grasp and belief. Particularly given the lackluster efficiency of Siri traditionally.

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Highlight is rather a lot like Raycast and Alfred

Raycast / Pocket-lint

That this new Highlight feels simpler to know or perhaps extra reliable than a voice assistant is predicated partially on there being a number of notable apps which have tried to do the identical factor. Apple is fairly clearly attempting to repeat or emulate the options of apps like Raycast or Alfred, which add a search subject and command line that may equally perform the performance of some apps.

At their most simple, Alfred or Raycast substitute Highlight, usually surfacing info extra naturally or looking out throughout a wider choice of info than macOS may do naturally. However they’re additionally able to much more. Alfred can save snippets of textual content, entry your clipboard historical past, management your music app and run workflows of various actions throughout your laptop. Raycast goes even further, changing options just like the macOS emoji picker, Apple’s window administration instruments, and loads of first-party AI chatbot apps. It additionally helps an ever-growing library of first and third-party extensions that may work together with your favourite apps and companies to get issues performed, not not like the brand new Highlight.

Moreover direct integration with macOS, the brand new Highlight may have the ability to run extra of its processes domestically, however the instruments appear remarkably related to one another. For anybody who hasn’t used Raycast or Alfred, Apple’s placing a friendlier face on what could be a fairly technical course of. And when you solely use the fundamentals of Alfred or Raycast, it could be attractive sufficient to change, too. Until you are your display, you do not know if the voice assistant understood you or if it truly did what it stated it was going to do. There’s extra belief in typing for what you need and seeing that it is doing what it says it’ll.

Apple would not must complicate automating your laptop

We could be higher off typing out what we’d like

It stays to be seen whether or not Apple is ready to ship its revamped Siri. The corporate is reportedly eyeing an iOS 26.4 update in 2026 because the possible time when its new voice assistant debuts. Within the meantime, macOS 26 will launch within the fall and provides customers a style of automation and prompting that could be satisfying sufficient. Do we actually want Siri in that case? I am unsure, however I am excited to see if Highlight does the trick.

When you’re ready for Apple to roll out its updates, there are macOS apps that you may strive proper now that would vastly change how you utilize your laptop. And when you’re particularly trying so as to add on new utilities like Highlight, Pocket-lint has just the list for you.