Apple Flags Background Mac Apps in macOS 27, Exposing Processes After Users Quit
Updated
Updated · 9to5Mac · Jun 9
Apple Flags Background Mac Apps in macOS 27, Exposing Processes After Users Quit
3 articles · Updated · 9to5Mac · Jun 9
Summary
macOS 27 Golden Gate now keeps a lighter gray Dock indicator on apps still running after users quit them, and hovering shows a “Running in Background” label.
Google Gemini helped spotlight the issue: on macOS 26 Tahoe and earlier, quitting the app could remove its normal running indicator even while a background process kept going.
A new Dock menu option — “Stop Running in Background” — lets users kill that process, while System Settings now lists active background apps under General > Login Items & Extensions.
macOS 27 is in developer beta now, with a public beta due in July and a full release planned for the fall.