Episode Details

This MacVoices Live! discussion centers on Apple's planned removal of Rosetta support in macOS 26.4 and the implications for Intel-based applications still running under Apple Silicon. Chuck Joiner, David Ginsburg, Marty Jencius, Web Bixby, Jim Rea, Eric Bolden, and Jeff Gamet explore how many apps may still quietly depend on Rosetta, tools for identifying them, and why Apple is phasing out x86 components. The conversation shifts to legal questions surrounding pressure on Apple to remove an ICE-monitoring app from the App Store from a surprising source.

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Chapters:

00:00 Rosetta Deprecation Announcement 00:27 Why Rosetta Is Going Away 01:20 Preparing for Legacy App Loss 05:04 Steam and Gaming Concerns 06:24 Checking Apps for Intel Dependencies 11:03 Utilities and Migration Surprises 13:25 Tools to Identify Rosetta Apps 15:11 Government Pressure on App Store Decisions 16:38 Legal and Free Speech Implications 20:59 App Store Policy Double Standards

Links:

macOS Tahoe 26.4 Displays Warnings for Apps That Won't Work After Rosetta 2 Support Ends https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/16/macos-tahoe-26-4-rosetta-2-warnings/

Trump officials sued for pressuring Apple to remove an ICE monitoring app from the App Store https://appleworld.today/2026/02/trump-officials-sued-for-pressuring-apple-to-remove-an-ice-monitoring-app-from-the-app-store/

Guests:

Web Bixby has been in the insurance business for 40 years and has been an Apple user for longer than that.You can catch up with him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but prefers Bluesky.

Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him on Twitter, by email at embolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.

Jeff Gamet is a technology blogger, podcaster, author, and public speaker. Previously, he was The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, and the TextExpander Evangelist for Smile. He has presented at Macworld Expo, RSA Conference, several WordCamp events, along with many other conferences. You can find him on several podcasts such as The Mac Show, The Big Show, MacVoices, Mac OS Ken, This Week in iOS, and more. Jeff is easy to find on social media as @jgamet on Twitter and Instagram, jeffgamet on LinkedIn., @jgamet@mastodon.social on Mastodon, and on his YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/jgamet.

David Ginsburg is the host of the weekly podcast In Touch With iOS where he discusses all things iOS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and related technologies. He is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Visit his YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/daveg65 and find and follow him on Twitter

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