The new Spotlight in macOS may be the best Siri alternative

Apple used WWDC 2025 to introduce a lot of new options — a totally overhauled design language, stay translation options accessible throughout all of its working programs, and a number of AI-adjacent new expertise — however one of the vital necessary was the corporate’s rework of Highlight.

Spotlight is Apple’s title for the built-in search discipline that you could entry on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS to seek for a file, a selected app, or info from the online. The function is helpful throughout all the corporate’s units, however is especially key on Macs, the place it is one of many easiest and most direct methods to search out issues with out leaping into the file hierarchies of Finder. Apple has added small options to Highlight over time, letting the search discipline reply math issues, present dictionary definitions, and pull up primary Wikipedia info. In macOS 26, it’s going to go additional, letting Highlight carry out choose performance in apps with out even opening it, calling to thoughts Apple’s promised changes to Siri, and doubtlessly displaying a less complicated means Apple’s units might get smarter.

Focus will quickly do much more than search

The function is turning into one thing like a command line

Apple

In the course of the macOS Tahoe part of Apple’s keynote, the corporate demoed the brand new Highlight taking up anticipated duties like pulling up search outcomes, and even displaying apps which can be solely accessible via a related iPhone over iPhone Mirroring. However the brand new Highlight may take motion for you, too, leveraging the options of apps with out having to open them. That could possibly be including an occasion to your calendar, taking part in a podcast, operating a Shortcut (now with the power to faucet into Apple Intelligence fashions) or, as Apple demoed, sending a message or electronic mail with out having to raise your fingers off the keyboard.

This new a part of Highlight depends on the corporate’s App Intents framework, which lets builders establish content material and actions inside apps and make them usable in every part from Highlight to the Motion Button on the iPhone and Apple Watch Extremely. Apple initially pitched App Intents as being the important thing ingredient that may make its up to date model of Siri work, which may equally take motion inside apps with a easy voice command, and may reference the non-public context of messages and emails to make extra knowledgeable selections.

Apple delayed the updated version of Siri in March 2025, however Highlight exhibits a extra hands-on means the essential idea might work, and actually, it could be simpler to grasp and belief. Particularly given the lackluster efficiency of Siri traditionally.

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Highlight is so much like Raycast and Alfred

Raycast / Pocket-lint

That this new Highlight feels simpler to understand or perhaps extra reliable than a voice assistant is predicated partly on there being a number of notable apps which have tried to do the identical factor. Apple is fairly clearly attempting to repeat or emulate the options of apps like Raycast or Alfred, which add a search discipline and command line that may equally perform the performance of some apps.

At their most elementary, Alfred or Raycast exchange Highlight, typically surfacing info extra naturally or looking throughout a wider number of info than macOS may do naturally. However they’re additionally able to much more. Alfred can save snippets of textual content, entry your clipboard historical past, management your music app and run workflows of various actions throughout your laptop. Raycast goes even further, changing options just like the macOS emoji picker, Apple’s window administration instruments, and loads of first-party AI chatbot apps. It additionally helps an ever-growing library of first and third-party extensions that may work together with your favourite apps and companies to get issues performed, not in contrast to the brand new Highlight.

Moreover direct integration with macOS, the brand new Highlight may be capable of run extra of its processes regionally, however the instruments appear remarkably comparable to one another. For anybody who hasn’t used Raycast or Alfred, Apple’s placing a friendlier face on what is usually a fairly technical course of. And in case you solely use the fundamentals of Alfred or Raycast, it could be engaging sufficient to modify, too. Except you are taking a look at your display screen, you do not know if the voice assistant understood you or if it truly did what it mentioned it was going to do. There’s extra belief in typing for what you need and seeing that it is doing what it says it can.

Apple does not have to complicate automating your laptop

We could be higher off typing out what we’d like

It stays to be seen whether or not Apple is ready to ship its revamped Siri. The corporate is reportedly eyeing an iOS 26.4 update in 2026 because the seemingly time when its new voice assistant debuts. Within the meantime, macOS 26 will launch within the fall and provides customers a style of automation and prompting that could be satisfying sufficient. Do we actually want Siri in that case? I am unsure, however I am excited to see if Highlight does the trick.

Whilst you’re ready for Apple to roll out its updates, there are macOS apps that you could strive proper now that might vastly change how you employ your laptop. And in case you’re particularly trying so as to add on new utilities like Highlight, Pocket-lint has just the list for you.