macOS 27.3 beta brings menu bar Live Activities to Apple silicon Macs
Support includes Apple Music, Clock, Voice Memos and screen recording. The update is expected to arrive in December.
The first developer beta of macOS 27.3 lets Apple silicon Macs that lack a Dynamic Island show Live Activities in the menu bar. Supported apps include Apple Music, Clock and Voice Memos, with screen recording also covered.
Developers can now implement the feature in third-party Mac apps as well. The macOS 27.3 update is expected in December, bringing support for activities originating in Mac apps rather than only those mirrored from an iPhone.
The new MacBook Pro models use a different location for Live Activities: the Dynamic Island, which replaces the notch on their touch-enabled OLED displays. Apple said users can check updates there and tap to perform actions, including accepting an AirDrop request or pausing a song.
Support for iPhone-mirrored Live Activities was already available on Macs running macOS 26 or later. The beta adds a menu bar option for other Apple silicon models.
