Halo
Turns your MacBook's notch into a Dynamic Island with music, notifications and dictation.
Repurposes the empty space around a MacBook's notch — or the top of an external monitor without one — into a Dynamic Island: now-playing with synced lyrics, notification banners from any app, hold-to-dictate with Apple's or Groq's Whisper, a file shelf, and real brightness/contrast control over external displays via DDC/CI. It also tracks Claude Code and Codex sessions as usage rings and a status face, showing when an agent needs you. It's a one-time $9.99 purchase with no account, cheaper than NotchNook ($25) or Alcove ($13.99), native Swift on macOS 15 or later.
What holds up
- +One-time $9.99 — cheaper than NotchNook ($25) or Alcove ($13.99), and no subscription
- +No account or sign-up — native Swift app, nothing to log into
- +Controls real brightness and contrast on external monitors over DDC/CI, not just a software dim
- +Shows Claude Code and Codex session status right in the notch, with a sound when one needs you
Mind the limits
- −Needs macOS 15 or later — older Macs can't install it
- −Dictation beyond Apple's built-in languages needs your own Groq API key
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