Shoo!

Shoo! is a Mac-oriented app locker tool whose core purpose is to lock any app behind Touch ID, completing protection with one click. Its design goal is to let you hand your Mac to someone else without having to give up your privacy.

Purpose and positioning iPhone added app locking in iOS 18, while Mac previously had no similar capability. Shoo! fills this gap and can lock Messages, Mail, banking apps, and any other app. Unlike common "screen overlay" app locks, Shoo! does not render the app on the screen at all before it is unlocked, so there is no issue of content flashing before the overlay appears; it also does not rely on Accessibility or Screen Recording permissions, and does not require the regular Mac account password to unlock.

Main capabilities

• App locking: place any app behind Touch ID verification, and it can be opened normally only after unlocking.
• Unlocking methods: Touch ID, Apple Watch (suitable for devices without a Touch ID sensor, such as Mac mini, Studio, and iMac; double-click to confirm), or a self-set backup password.
• Access schedule: set freely open time periods and dates for each app. Outside those periods, every open requires Touch ID verification.
• One-click re-lock: a single click in the menu bar immediately re-locks all protected apps, making it convenient to hand your Mac to someone else on the spot.
• Attempt log: records who tried to open which app, when, and whether they successfully got in.
• Removal protection: after Force Quit, Shoo! automatically restarts and re-locks all protected content; before quitting or uninstalling, Touch ID verification is required first.
• Backup password: independent of the Mac account password, stored in hashed form and never kept in plaintext, with progressively increasing delays after incorrect attempts.
• Password hint: displays an optional hint next to the password input field, but does not reveal the password itself.
• Languages: automatically follows the system language, and can also be manually selected in settings; supports 11 languages in total.
• License management: can resend the license key to the purchase email, and view which Macs the key is currently activated on and how many seats remain, without displaying the key itself.

How to use After downloading, you enter a 7-day trial period with all features unlocked and no bank card required. Purchasing a license is only used to remove the countdown. Core functions such as locking, Touch ID, and unlocking work fully offline; the app connects to the internet only when checking for updates to download the public version list, and for one-time activation after purchase.License (sends a key and a random device ID to prevent piracy).

Use cases

• Protect the privacy of your own apps on a shared computer without creating separate user accounts for others.
• Let a parent or device owner restrict others from using specific apps.
• Set up a "speed bump" for yourself, for example making an app available only on weekdays from 9:00 to 18:00.

System requirements and limitations

• Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, supports Apple Silicon and Intel, and may or may not have a physical Touch ID sensor (when there is no sensor, Apple Watch can be used).
• The software is provided "as is" and is not guaranteed to resist all bypass methods, especially by someone with Mac administrator privileges; Shoo! cannot replace full-disk encryption or a system password.
• The app itself does not collect personal data and contains no analytics; the purchase process is handled by Paddle.com, which collects email and payment information as the merchant of record.
• The website uses Cloudflare Web Analytics and Paddle checkout scripts, but these do not run inside the Shoo! app.

Pricing and after-sales A one-time buyout is used, with no subscription and no recurring billing. After the 7-day free trial, payment is required only if you continue using it; within 14 days after purchase, a full refund is available for any reason, and refunds are returned by Paddle via the original payment method, usually arriving in 5 to 10 business days. Free updates are provided forever. Support, refund, and policy-related questions can be handled by email.