This clever app brings one of my favorite iPhone features to MacOS
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- NotchNook is available now for a one-time purchase of $25 or a $3/month subscription.
- The program adds the iOS Dynamic Island feature to MacBook devices, making it easy to interact with media, AirDrop, Mirror, and files/folders.
- At the moment, you can’t open files or folders directly from NotchNook.
Although the MacOS desktop environment is fairly locked down by default, you can still tweak the interface. Take, for instance, the tiny app called NotchNook. It adds the dynamic island feature found on iPhones to MacOS, and it’s well optimized for the task.
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NotchNook gives you quick access to your files, multimedia control, shortcuts, and even AirDrop through an easy-to-access tray that lets you drag and drop files. It also has the ability to add customized one-click shortcuts for things like creating a Google Doc. For example, with a single click, my default browser opens a new Google doc and I can hit the ground running (or writing, as it were).
Although NotchNook does offer a 48-hour trial, if you decide you want to keep using the app, you’ll have to pay either a $3/month subscription or a one-time fee of $25. Let’s get NotchNook installed and configured, so you can kick the tires of this nifty app.
Installing NotchNook
What you’ll need: You’ll just need your MacBook device. Make sure your OS is updated to the latest version available.
Open your web browser and point it to lo.cafe/notchnook. On that page, click Download to save the installer to your Downloads folder.
The downloaded file will be named NotchNook XXX.zip (where XXX is the release number). Locate that file in Finder and double-click it to unzip it.
Once it’s unzipped, click and drag the NotchNook icon onto the Applications listing in the Finder left sidebar.
Click Launchpad on your Dock and search for NotchNook. Click the launcher to run the app. You’ll be greeted by the usual Welcome wizard that allows you to enable the 48-hour trial. Click that button and you can start setting up your NotchNook.
Setting up NotchNook
If Settings doesn’t automatically open for you, you can hover over NotchNook (top center of your display) and click the gear icon to access the window.
I’ve already added a couple of files to NotchNook by dragging them from Finder.
Jack Wallen\ZDNET
In the Settings window, the first thing I would suggest you do is enable “Launch at login” on the General tab. After that, you can change its size in the same tab. Here’s what each tab offers:
- Gestures is where you can enable/disable gestures for hovering, vertical gestures, and horizontal gestures.
- Live Activities enables the feature, sets an inactivity timeout, and enables the quick peek feature.
- Nook is where you can configure the Media Player, Shortcuts, and other features.
- Tray lets you configure the width of the NotchNook tray.
- Drop Area is where you adjust the size of the Drop Area, and soon there’ll be a new pipeline feature you can customize.
- License is where you manage your NotchNook license.
- About is where you check for updates, find support, and view other apps by the developers.
I would recommend going through each tab and configuring NotchNook to best serve your needs.
There are plenty of configuration options for you to choose from.
Jack Wallen\ZDNET
When using NotchNook, keep in mind that the Nook area is where you control things like media playback and access your shortcuts and the MacOS Mirror functionality, while the Tray area is where you drag and drop files and folders.
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The only slightly confusing thing about NotchNook is remembering you can’t open files or folders when they’re in the tray. It just acts as a sort of holding area for them, until you drag them onto your desktop.
ZDNET’s buying advice
Even with its little hiccups, NotchNook is a fantastic app that extends your MacBook desktop UI with a little bit of iOS flair. If you depend on the iOS Dynamic Island feature, you’ll really appreciate this app. Give it the ol’ 48-hour trial and see if you don’t wind up paying for a license.
Jack Wallen/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways NotchNook is available now for a one-time purchase of $25 or a $3/month subscription. The program adds the iOS Dynamic Island feature to MacBook devices, making it easy to interact with media, AirDrop, Mirror, and files/folders. At the moment, you can’t open files or folders directly from NotchNook. Although the…
Jack Wallen/ZDNET ZDNET’s key takeaways NotchNook is available now for a one-time purchase of $25 or a $3/month subscription. The program adds the iOS Dynamic Island feature to MacBook devices, making it easy to interact with media, AirDrop, Mirror, and files/folders. At the moment, you can’t open files or folders directly from NotchNook. Although the…