If you’re running macOS 26 Tahoe, you might have seen this notification announcing the end of support for “Intel-based” apps and warning that FarPlay “will not open in a future release of macOS.” What’s an Intel-based app, and is FarPlay about to stop working on Macs?
First and foremost, FarPlay is not about to stop running on Macs.
Here’s what has been happening and what Apple has planned. Apple used to make Macs with Intel processors and then switched to Apple silicon processors starting in 2020. Intel-based apps are apps that run natively on Macs with Intel processors. Macs with Apple silicon chips also currently run Intel-based apps, using a utility called Rosetta 2. FarPlay is indeed an Intel-based app.
Over the coming year or so, Apple will finish migrating from Intel to Apple silicon in two stages. Around this fall (2026), Apple is expected to release macOS 27 Golden Gate, which will not support Macs that use Intel processors, but will continue to run Intel-based apps as Apple has itself said. Next fall (2027), Apple is expected to release macOS 28, which they’ve announced won’t run most Intel-based apps. The notification you’re seeing now is warning about being unable to open FarPlay in the version of macOS expected to be released over a year from now. Of course, we’ll release an Apple silicon-based version of FarPlay well ahead of that time.
—David Liao