Apple is testing a redesigned compose bar in macOS 27 Golden Gate’s Mail app that foregrounds Apple Intelligence and Siri AI writing tools, according to discoveries in the latest beta.
macOS 27: a compose bar built around Siri
The most visible change is a reworked compose bar that places a prominent “Write with Siri” option front and center. In the current implementation, traditional formatting controls collapse to the right edge of the window and disappear entirely once the user selects “Write with Siri” and begins typing a prompt.
Observed features and behavior
– The new bar can surface contextual Smart Reply suggestions generated by Siri AI, but these suggestions are not auto-inserted into the message.
– You can preview a suggestion by hovering over it before inserting — an interaction the old inline design did not support.
– When a suggested composition is selected, the bar presents options such as “Edit with Siri,” “Proofread,” “Rewrite,” and “How does this sound?,” while conventional formatting controls remain minimized.
Development status and limitations
The redesign is not enabled by default; it’s hidden behind an internal flag and therefore visible only to a small subset of testers. The behavior is still inconsistent — for example, in beta 4 the new bar appears only when replying to a message, while composing a new email still brings up the existing compose bar. These signs point to an ongoing work-in-progress.
Broader integration and expected timeline
This experiment fits with Apple’s broader push to integrate Siri AI contextually across the system. Its presence in macOS 27 Golden Gate suggests Apple is considering a more prominent placement of assisted-writing tools in native apps. macOS 27 Golden Gate is expected to ship as a final release in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and Apple’s first foldable iPhone.
At this stage it’s unclear whether the redesign will ship in the final release: the feature remains partial and subject to change. Testers will need to follow upcoming betas to see if Apple turns on and stabilizes this new Siri-driven compose experience in Mail.
