With the second beta of macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Apple updated the look of the volume and brightness sliders when you adjust them with the keyboard.
The new sliders have a segmented bar instead of a plain line, making it clearer how much each key press adjusts volume or brightness. Apple used a similar design in macOS Sequoia before Liquid Glass, and the new look is a cross between the old slider and the Liquid Glass slider.
There are no longer two icons at the beginning and end of the slider, and Apple now uses a single larger icon on the left. The sliders appear where a matching menu bar icon is located, so if you have a dedicated sound icon, the slider shows up below it.
New in macOS 27.2 beta 2: There is a new UI when changing your volume/brightness with your keyboard pic.twitter.com/GpwerF1QL7 — Aaron (@aaronp613) September 21, 2026
The design of the Control Center sliders did not change, and the updated look can only be seen when you change volume or brightness with the keyboard.
Apple seeded the macOS Golden Gate 27.2 beta to developers earlier today. We're expecting the software to launch toward the end of October.
