In 2016, Apple disbanded its router hardware division and officially exited the market in 2018. Now, looking ahead to 2025, Apple has announced a forthcoming change that will disable one of the last remaining advantages of its networking products next year.
As noted by @StellaFudge on X, macOS Tahoe 26 now includes a notification when using Time Machine to back up to storage connected to Apple routers.
The upcoming version of macOS will cease support for AirPort Disk and other Time Capsule disks for Time Machine backups.
When Apple exited the router sphere, it had three key products: the compact AirPort Express, the more powerful AirPort Extreme, and the Time Capsule, which featured internal storage for Time Machine backups. Each device could also connect to USB drives for backups via Time Machine.
Although macOS Tahoe 26, which was announced recently and is currently available in beta, will retain support for backups to storage connected to Apple routers, users should anticipate that macOS 27 will abandon this functionality. This version is expected to be unveiled in June 2026 and launched later that year.
For those seeking alternatives, network-attached storage (NAS) solutions like Synology can provide a means to continue utilizing Time Machine for wireless backups over a local network.
