Apple tests hidden Siri AI menu in macOS 27 beta with contextual actions and Writing Tools

Apple's Secret Siri Interface Buried in macOS 27 Beta: How to Enable

Apple appears to be testing a hidden popover interface for Siri AI in the macOS 27 Golden Gate beta that surfaces Writing Tools and contextual actions whenever the user selects some text. Spotted by a member of Reddit's r/MacOSBeta community, the floating icon appears at the top-left of the selected text, expanding when the pointer hovers over it to a compact popover of Writing Tools and contextual actions. Currently, the popover offers the tools Rewrite, Proofread, "How does this sound?" and "Edit with Siri," plus options for creating key points and summarizing text. The contextual actions are based on the content selected, including things like adding contact details, composing a message or email, creating a calendar event, showing a location in Maps, and tracking flights or packages. The Siri popover is disabled by default in macOS 27 developer beta 3 and public beta 1. Beta testers found it can be switched on through a private feature flag, but the feature is clearly unfinished. Some of the actions don't respond, suggesting Apple is still building out the underlying functionality. Adventurous beta users can try it with the following Terminal command, followed by a restart: sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain && sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/WritingTools LightweightUI_macOS -dict Enabled -bool true And to disable the interface, use this command followed by a restart: sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/WritingTools LightweightUI_macOS -dict Enabled -bool false Note that the UI's behavior is inconsistent, and there's no guarantee the interface will make it to the final release of macOS 27 Golden Gate this fall.

macOS 27 has a secret popover menu for AI power users

The feature requires enabling through Terminal commands and Apple's FeatureFlags tool, though it remains disabled by default likely due to bugs. When Apple unveiled the new Siri AI as part of the OS 27 updates coming this fall, it showed off a new interface, a new app, and a whole new personality for the revamped chatbot. But there's a hidden feature Apple didn't tell us about. As spotted by Reddit user pdfu and posted in the macOS Beta subreddit, the latest macOS betas (developer beta 3 and public beta 1) contain a hidden "floating contextual interface" for the new Siri that can pop up while selecting text. Among the actions available to choose from are: * Writing Tools * Create Key Points, Summarize * Add to Contacts, Message, Email * Create Event * Show in Maps * Track Flight, Track Package The post includes a short video demonstrating the feature in action, and it's pretty neat. Rather than Control-click to bring up the Apple Intelligence options, a small translucent Siri icon will appear next to any selected text. Hover over it, and a set of actions will appear. It's unclear why Apple hasn't enabled this feature for all users, but presumably it's because the feature is buggy enough to remain in testing. Or perhaps it's an internal feature for Apple employees that isn't meant for public use. At any rate, you can try it out if you want through Apple's FeatureFlags tool. We'll caution that it uses the dreaded sudo command, which gives you the temporary ability to access system-level permissions. As long as you copy and paste the command properly, there shouldn't be any issues, but it's worth making sure your Mac is properly backed up first, just in case First, open the Terminal app and paste to enable FeatureFlags to run on your Mac. Then paste and reboot your Mac. This will turn on the popover menu. If you want to turn it off, type into Terminal and restart.

MacOS 27 Comes With a Hidden Siri AI Menu

You can enable the feature with a Terminal command, but it may be unstable or buggy at this time. Siri AI is the biggest feature of Apple's upcoming suite of updates. Whether you're running iOS 27, macOS 27, or even watchOS 27, the thing that you'll likely notice first (assuming you're running a compatible device) is that Siri is much smarter now, and even more capable than it was in previous versions. If the beta previews have been any indication, this really is the biggest upgrade Apple has ever given Siri. But it seems that the company isn't limiting itself to the upgrades it already announced. As it continues beta testing these new updates, and with them, Siri AI itself, Apple seems to be tinkering with its new AI-powered assistant, quietly planting new features that beta testers need to discover for themselves. One such feature? A new Siri AI menu that appears whenever you highlight text in macOS 27. How Siri AI's hidden menu works in macOS 27 As reported by MacRumors, this new menu appears whenever you select text in macOS 27. When you do, you'll see a floating menu in the top left of your highlighted text. If you move your cursor over it, the menu expands to reveal options, such as "Proofread," "Rewrite," "How does this sound?" and "Edit with Siri." You can also ask Siri AI to pull out key points from the text, or summarize it completely. Depending on the text, you might see other options, too: If you highlight a text from a friend, Siri AI might show you contact info; if the text contains a date, Siri AI might prompt you to create a Calendar entry. It plays into Siri AI's contextual awareness, which is part of Apple's mission to make its assistant more useful in specific scenarios. The thing is, this menu is disabled by default, as least as of macOS 27 developer beta 3 and public beta 1. Apple did not include it in the release notes, either; instead, a Redditor stumbled upon it, and shared instructions for turning it on on r/MacOSBeta. How to enable Siri AI's menu in macOS 27 Keep in mind, this feature, as with macOS 27 as a whole, is in beta testing. MacRumors says that the feature does not always work, so you may run into odd bugs or glitches after turning it on. Still, if you're already running the beta and are curious, this is an interesting feature to explore. To try it out, you'll need to open your Mac's Terminal app. Then, paste and run the following command: You'll need to restart your Mac for the feature to take effect. But once you do, you should see the menu whenever you highlight text -- albeit with some possible hiccups. If the feature is too unstable at this point, or you simply don't like it, you can undo it by pasting the following command into Terminal: