Halo is a "Dynamic Island" app for Mac that turns the top of the screen (or the left or right edge) into a dynamic information hub, whether or not the device has a notch. It uses a one-time purchase model, priced at $9.99, with no subscription, supports macOS 15 or later, and is compatible with both Apple chips and Intel chips.
Main capabilities:
- Notification management: Notifications from any app (such as iMessage, Slack, Mail, Telegram) appear as banners in the Dynamic Island instead of the default notifications in the corner of the screen. Clicking a banner opens the corresponding app directly, and you can control separately in Settings whether notifications from each app are allowed into the Dynamic Island.
- Voice dictation: Hold down the Fn key (or the right Option, Command key, and custom shortcuts) and speak, and the text appears below the notch in real time. When you release it, it is automatically typed at the cursor position, and it works in any app. By default it uses Apple's on-device speech recognition, which is free; you can also add your own Groq API key to use Whisper, which supports dozens of languages.
- Halo Buddy: A little face character that follows the mouse, smiles when it comes near, naps when it moves away, and reflects the status of AI agents—thinking while working, opening its eyes wide when it needs you, and being happy when finished.
- AI agent monitoring: Displays the working status of AI agents such as Claude Code and Codex in real time (working, waiting for permission, finished, or stuck), and plays a soft sound when needed. The Agents tab lists each session and its current action, and clicking it jumps to the corresponding terminal. It can also show the usage limits of Claude Code and Codex as a ring chart.
- Music playback: Supports any music app, showing album art, a progress bar (which becomes thicker when the pointer hovers over it), shuffle and repeat buttons, and lyrics (synced line by line, or keeping the current line below the notch). The lock screen can also show a music card, supporting play, pause, skip, and dragging the progress bar without unlocking.
- Schedule and life information: Displays today's date, a weather overview, and the next event up to two weeks ahead; briefly shows the battery level when charging, low battery warnings; completed downloads and screenshots appear on the file shelf, where they can be dragged directly or AirDropped.
- Call status: Displays when apps such as FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, Slack, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Meet are using the microphone and for how long.
- External displayDisplay control: For screens without a notch, Halo draws a slim island. On external monitors, the brightness keys (and switching contrast and input source from the island) can truly adjust the monitor backlight via DDC/CI (requires Apple silicon).
- Focus timer: Supports focus and break modes; after dragging the minute scale, the countdown is displayed directly in the notch.
- Volume and brightness: When using common keys, the HUD appears in the Dynamic Island without blocking content.
How to use: Download and open the app from the official website. On first launch, you need to click "Open Anyway" in "System Settings → Privacy & Security" (because Halo has not yet been notarized by Apple). After purchase, the download link and license key will be sent to your email. Open Halo and paste the key to activate. One key can be used on up to 3 Macs. No account is needed after installation, and all settings are local.
Suitable scenarios:
- Mac users who want to reduce notification distractions and focus on viewing important messages.
- Writers or developers who need frequent voice-to-text input and do not want to switch apps.
- Developers using AI agents such as Claude Code or Codex who want to stay informed of agent status at any time.
- External monitor users who want to directly adjust monitor brightness, contrast, and input source via the keyboard.
- Users who like music and want to quickly control playback and view lyrics in the notch area.
Limitations and notes:
- Only supports macOS 15 and above. Both Apple silicon and Intel chips are supported, but external monitor brightness, contrast, and input switching require Apple silicon.
- The app is currently not notarized by Apple, so it must be manually allowed on first launch.
- Voice dictation uses Apple speech recognition by default, and on first use you need to wait for macOS to download the language pack; if using Groq's Whisper, you need to provide your own API key. Groq will bill directly, and Halo will not see the key.
- Privacy: Notifications and agent status are read locally and do not leave the device. Network access is used for only five things: checking for updates (requires permission), querying lyrics (LRCLIB, sending only song title and artist), using Groq dictation (requires adding your own key), activating the license with Lemon Squeezy (sending the key and Mac name, and checking once a week), and sending anonymous usage statistics (requires enabling "Share anonymous usage," once a day, including a random ID and app version, with no personally identifiable information). The website uses Umami to count visits, with no cookies and no personal identification.
- During full-screen videos and games, the Dynamic Island automatically hides and does not interfere with the menu bar.
- Supports eight languages: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Uzbek, which can be switched in settings.
- More than 50 people have purchased it so far.
Other specific feature details, platform compatibility updates, or future plans are not currently provided in the materials.
