Skip to main content

This simple app makes brilliant use of the MacBook notch

Few people love the placement of the MacBook’s notch, but what if it had a more practical use? A new app that’s being developed does exactly that, making a simple drag and drop gesture to the MacBook notch start an AirDrop, sharing those files with another Apple device.

The app also includes nice visual feedback, placing a flashing yellow glow around the MacBook notch when dragging begins to indicate the drop target and turning green when the mouse reaches the notch. Letting go and dropping the files initiates the AirDrop. The app was recently demonstrated on Twitter by developer Ian Keen.

Recommended Videos

Got inspired to build a little airdrop helper app tonight. pic.twitter.com/ywzJzKR0O8

— Ian Keen (@IanKay) June 16, 2022

Please enable Javascript to view this content

While it’s not available for download yet, a TestFlight beta version is planned and should become available in a few days according to Keen.

A version is also being developed for Mac computers that do not have a notch and it looks quite similar. Keen notes that there will be some options to control the appearance which is a good idea since the flash and glow might become tiresome after a few days of use.

What do ya'll think about this 'notchless' variant? pic.twitter.com/rW3zsy01ub

— Ian Keen (@IanKay) June 17, 2022

Full details of the app are not available. It’s unclear how the user can specify which device will receive an AirDrop if there is more than one Apple device in range. The developer seems responsive to ideas so anyone interested in a specific feature should comment on the Twitter feed and share their ideas.

It’s an intriguing and fun app that has garnered a fair amount of interest, racking up over a thousand likes in less than a day. At the moment, it’s a work in progress that might be ready for beta testing soon.

Alan Truly
Alan Truly is a Writer at Digital Trends, covering computers, laptops, hardware, software, and accessories that stand out as…
MacBook Pro 16 vs. MacBook Pro 14: here’s which M4 you should buy
The MacBook Pro 16-inch on a table.

MacBook Pros are some of the best laptops money can buy. With the M4 chip now onboard, these laptops have never been so powerful, and the update brings some interesting upgrades, such as the improved 12-megapixel webcam and brighter screen. They're the best MacBooks that have ever been made, and it's a perfect time to pick one up based on upgrade timing.

But just because the entire MacBook Pro lineup is better now, that doesn't mean it's any easier to choose between the two size options that are available. Despite the fact that they include many of the same features, the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro feel like entirely different systems due to their contrast in size.

Read more
Apple hid one of the best features of the M4 MacBook Pro
Someone using a MacBook Pro M4.

Apple's new M4 MacBook Pro is great. It earned a rare Editors' Choice badge in our M4 MacBook Pro review, and it's cemented itself as one of the best laptops you can buy. Even with so much going for it, Apple hid one of the most exciting developments it made with its new range of laptops -- the use of quantum dot technology.

Like the last few generations of MacBook Pro displays, the M4 range is using a mini-LED backlight. There's no tandem OLED like we saw on the iPad Pro earlier this year. However, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple added a layer of quantum dots to the M4 MacBook Pro. This, according to the display expert, offers better color gamut and motion performance compared to the solution Apple previously used.

Read more
MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: how to easily decide which to buy
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air placed on a desk with its lid closed.

When it comes to picking the best MacBook for you, the eternal debate between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro rages on. Both laptops are at the top of their game right now, and that can sometimes make the decision between the two even trickier, especially when you consider the timing.

Choosing between options as extreme as the 16-inch MacBook M4 Pro and an M1 MacBook Air isn't where the problems lie. It's probably obvious which of those is right for you based on the thousands of dollars separating the two.

Read more