Rosetta 2: When the end for Intel apps on Mac really comes
The days of x86 support in the Apple ecosystem are numbered. This actually concerns two dates – and Apple is currently causing confusion with warning messages.
Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, here in 2023.
(Image: Christof Windeck / heise medien)
The era of Intel chips with x86 technology on the Mac will soon be over, as Apple only wants to support Apple Silicon. Because there are two different dates and types of software support involved, there is currently a lot of confusion. An overview of what awaits users of older Macs and older apps in the coming months and years, respectively.
Date Number 1: The End of macOS for Intel
First, an important date is fast approaching: the end of x86 support for Apple's Mac operating system itself. Already with macOS 27, which was presented on Monday at the WWDC developer conference and is expected to be finalized in September, the Intel chapter will be closed. Apple had already announced this at WWDC 2025 last summer. macOS 26 alias Tahoe, the current operating system, is the last Apple OS for the Mac that supports Intel.
In practice, this means that four different machines that could be operated with macOS 26 will fall out of support: Mac Pro and MacBook Pro with 16 inches from 2019, as well as iMac with 27 inches from 2020 and MacBook Pro with 13 inches from 2020 with four Thunderbolt 3 ports. These all still have Intel chips.
At least Apple plans to provide security updates for Intel for another three years. However, unfortunately, Apple always only patches vulnerabilities in the latest macOS versions. If you still have an Intel machine, you should consider upgrading to a new device; the cheapest way to do this is with the MacBook Neo.
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Date Number 2: Intel Apps No Longer Run on Apple Silicon
The second important date in the Intel context concerns Apple Silicon itself. Since the beginning of the transition, Apple has included its translation layer called Rosetta 2, whose end is also approaching. However, there is a bit more time here. Although Apple started warning when starting Intel apps on Apple Silicon Macs that support for Intel-based apps is ending starting with macOS 26.4. However, the date is still a while away. The warning is therefore likely also aimed at developers, as users who see it are supposed to contact them so that an adapted Apple Silicon version finally appears. In fact, even with well-known apps, this has taken surprisingly long.
Apple's current statement is that macOS 27 will also fully support Rosetta 2. So Intel apps will continue to run under Apple Silicon at least until autumn 2027 (or longer, if macOS 28 is not switched to immediately). From macOS 28 onwards, Rosetta 2 will largely disappear.
However, there is a small way out here too: Apple plans to retain a “subset” of Rosetta 2 functionality to support games that are no longer being developed. However, no one should rely on this lasting forever, especially since it is quite possible that this only affects games and not other apps. You can check whether an app still uses the Intel architecture via the system report under Software. Alternatively, there are several programs that scan the Mac accordingly, including Rosetta Check.
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