A player in the notch
Artwork, scrubbing, AirPlay and favourites from anything that plays: Music, Spotify, a video in the browser, a podcast.
Everything the notch should have done.
Every picture here was captured from the app running on a MacBook. The glass bends whatever is behind it.
A tray for your things
Drop files, images, links or text on the island. They wait there until you drag them out. Swipe with two fingers to switch pages.
Volume and brightness
Press a key and the island stretches to show the level.
Charger
The battery level shows beside the notch when you plug in or unplug.
Lock screen
A padlock closes and opens as the screen locks and unlocks.
Levels on the edge
Prefer the island quiet? Show levels as a pill on the left or right edge of the screen, and drag it to change them.
Made of glass
Clear glass that bends the wallpaper, or solid black like the notch itself. Set the tint anywhere in between.
Settings that show you what they do.
Each section opens on a small desktop. A miniature island follows every switch as you flip it.
Ready in a minute.
A short welcome asks for two permissions, lets you pick the glass and where levels show, then has you try the real island.
Meet the island
Permissions
Make it yours
Try it
Done
Teach it new tricks.
Add your own pages to the island with a few lines of JavaScript. No build step, no account.
Write an add-on
A folder with a manifest and a script. Edit one in the browser and watch the island update as you type.
Let an AI write it
Describe what you want. Copy a prompt that carries the whole reference and paste it into any AI chat.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. No subscription, no ads, no account, no analytics, and you can use it on a work Mac too. Selling it or using it to make money isn't allowed; see the license on GitHub.
Does it work on a Mac without a notch?
Yes. The island hangs from the middle of the menu bar instead. It looks best on a MacBook with a notch, where it grows out of the cutout.
Which music apps work?
Anything that reports to macOS Now Playing: Music, Spotify, podcasts, videos in Safari or Chrome. You can limit it to the Music app or turn the player off.
Why does it ask for Accessibility?
Only to take over the volume and brightness keys, so levels show in the island instead of the system square. Choose “System” in Settings and it never needs it.
Are add-ons safe?
Add-ons run inside DynamicBar's JavaScript sandbox. The network, links, media, the clipboard and opening the island each need a permission, shown before you install. Developer Mode stays off until you turn it on.
How do I update it?
DynamicBar checks for new versions once a day and asks before installing one. You can check now, or turn the checks off, in Settings › General › Updates. With Homebrew, brew upgrade --cask dynamicbar works too.
macOS says it can't check the app.
DynamicBar isn't notarized by Apple. Close the message, open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. If macOS says the app is damaged, run xattr -cr /Applications/DynamicBar.app in Terminal and open it again.