This New macOS Tahoe Feature Addresses a Frequent Mac Issue

Supported by CleanMyMac in partnership with DMN: Organize your Mac and iPhone today! Enjoy a 7-day free trial and use our code 9TO5MAC15 for a 15% discount. Don’t forget to explore CleanMyPhone for your iPhone!

With the introduction of macOS 26 Tahoe this year, Apple has revamped the Control Center. It features the new Liquid Glass design that’s consistent throughout the ecosystem while also integrating a highly anticipated new feature for the Mac: third-party integrations.

This addition is significant and was highly celebrated when it debuted with iOS 18 last year. However, its implications for the Mac are even more pronounced.

The redesign of the MacBook Pro in 2021, followed by the MacBook Air in 2022, introduced a challenge with the implementation of the notch. Many users utilize numerous menu bar apps, and with the notch occupying valuable space in the center, this has led to cluttered menus.

As a result, certain menu bar apps may be obscured, or users might need to rely on third-party applications to establish a secondary sub-menu bar. Unfortunately, Apple has yet to provide a native solution for the issue they’ve created, and it’s been nearly four years.

This has not been an overwhelming problem, particularly on the smaller 13-inch and 14-inch MacBook screens.

Third-Party Controls

With macOS 26 Tahoe, third-party applications can now create applets for the Control Center, facilitating quick controls and minor interactions without needing to launch a full application. As stated on Apple’s website:

Your display appears even larger with the transparent menu bar. You now have additional methods to customize the controls and layout in the menu bar and Control Center, including those from third parties.

This represents a noteworthy enhancement, though it does come with the stipulation that developers must adopt the new APIs from macOS Tahoe, and current Menu Bar items cannot be easily transitioned to the Control Center—at least for now.

Regardless, it’s fantastic that the menu bar will gradually become less cluttered. This is definitely a positive development. With third-party controls and interactive widgets, introduced a couple of years ago, the clutter in the menu bar might finally be a thing of the past.

Supported by CleanMyMac in partnership with DMN: Organize your Mac and iPhone today! Enjoy a 7-day free trial and use our code 9TO5MAC15 for a 15% discount. Don’t forget to explore CleanMyPhone for your iPhone!