Bugzilla

I think I finally understand what's going on here: The "[Application] running in the background after it was closed" popups were a false start on a new attempt by Apple to inform users that binaries have been installed that can run in the background.

The apps listed in the popups on macOS 26 Beta 1 (Firefox, Terminal and Mail) don't in any meaningful sense run in the background. So these popups were a bug, which (apparently) was fixed in Beta 2.

Now, in Beta 3, new popups have started appearing whenever you install an application that contains binaries that can genuinely run in the background: '"[Binary]" can run in the background. You can manage background activity in Login Items & Extensions". These are allowed by default. But you can deny them permission in the Login Items & Extensions panel in System Settings.

The "App Background Activity" part of this panel has been around since macOS 13 (Ventura). But this is the first time popups have been used to draw users' attention to it.

So the explanation in comment #2 turns out to be wrong.

I think I finally understand what's going on here: The "[Application] running in the background after it was closed" popups were a false start on a new attempt by Apple to inform users that binaries have been installed that can run in the background.

The apps listed in the popups on macOS 26 Beta 1 (Firefox, Terminal and Mail) don't in any meaningful sense run in the background. So these popups were a bug, which (apparently) was fixed in Beta 2.

Now, in Beta 3, new popups have started appearing whenever you install an application that contains binaries that can genuinely run in the background: '"[Binary]" can run in the background. You can manage background activity in Login Items & Extensions'. These are allowed by default. But you can deny them permission in the Login Items & Extensions panel in System Settings.

The "App Background Activity" part of this panel has been around since macOS 13 (Ventura). But this is the first time popups have been used to draw users' attention to it.

So the explanation in comment #2 turns out to be wrong.

I think I finally understand what's going on here: The "[Application] running in the background after it was closed" popups were a false start on a new attempt by Apple to inform users that binaries have been installed that can run in the background.

The apps listed in the popups on macOS 26 Beta 1 (Firefox, Terminal and Mail) don't in any meaningful sense run in the background. So these popups were a bug, which (apparently) was fixed in Beta 2.

Now, in Beta 3, new popups have started appearing whenever you install an application that contains binaries that can genuinely run in the background: '"[Binary]" can run in the background. You can manage background activity in Login Items & Extensions'. These are allowed by default. But you can deny them permission in the Login Items & Extensions panel in System Settings.

The "App Background Activity" part of this panel has been around since macOS 13 (Ventura). But this is the first time popups have been used to draw users' attention to it.

So the explanation in comment #2 turns out to be wrong.

But see comment #9 below.

I think I finally understand what's going on here: The "[Application] running in the background after it was closed" popups were a false start on a new attempt by Apple to inform users that binaries have been installed that can run in the background.

The apps listed in the popups on macOS 26 Beta 1 (Firefox, Terminal and Mail) don't in any meaningful sense run in the background. So these popups were a bug, which (apparently) was fixed in Beta 2.

Now, in Beta 3, new popups have started appearing whenever you install an application that contains binaries that can genuinely run in the background: '"[Binary]" can run in the background. You can manage background activity in Login Items & Extensions'. These are allowed by default. But you can deny them permission in the Login Items & Extensions panel in System Settings.

The "App Background Activity" part of this panel has been around since macOS 13 (Ventura). But this is the first time popups have been used to draw users' attention to it.

So the explanation in comment #2 turns out to be wrong.

(But see comment #9 below.)