Media island and audio controls
Control playback and view artwork and track progress for sources such as Spotify, Apple Music and browser tabs. A volume slider is available for each app on the Mac.
NotchPop
Freemium
NotchPop is a macOS productivity island that places media controls, file handling, clipboard history, timers, calendar information, live activity and other utilities in the Mac notch or a floating island. It supports Macs with or without a physical notch and is aimed at people who want quick access to these tasks without switching away from their current app.
What is NotchPop?
NotchPop is a native macOS utility that turns the area at the top of the screen into a compact workspace for frequently used information and actions. On Macs with a notch, it uses the notch area; on Macs without one, it can use a floating-island mode. The app is designed to keep short interactions—such as controlling music, checking a timer, viewing a calendar item or moving a file—close to the top edge instead of requiring a separate window.
Its built-in tools cover media playback, a temporary file shelf, searchable clipboard history, focus and hydration timers, calendar and reminders, weather, Mac vitals, audio control and local development servers. Optional extensions add connections to services and tools including Spotify, Apple Music, Google Analytics, DataFast, Stripe, Polar, Dodo Payments, Google AdSense, Google Meet, Zoom, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor and xAI Grok. Extensions can be enabled, disabled and reordered in the tab bar.
NotchPop also provides activity views for developers and people monitoring online products. It can summarize local activity from Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, show Grok activity through an xAI API key, and surface local development servers. Revenue and visitor modules display live data from supported providers. The product states that data handling is local-first; message content is read on the Mac, prompts are not uploaded, and API keys are masked and stored in the Mac Keychain.
NotchPop is available for macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple Silicon. It includes a seven-day trial and is sold with a one-time license rather than a subscription. The purchase options cover one, two or five Macs, with future app updates included; the license can be moved to a new Mac from within the app.
What can NotchPop do?
Drop shelf and clipboard history
Drag files to the notch as a temporary holding area, then drop them where needed. Search the last 50 copied items, pin useful clippings and copy a previous item back with a click.
Focus, hydration and calendar tools
Start a 25-minute focus session, countdown or stopwatch from the notch, receive hydration nudges, and view calendar information and meeting alerts without opening a full calendar window.
Developer activity and local servers
Track Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Grok activity, including supported usage summaries, streaks and a year view. The app can also show local development servers with status and response time, and provide completion alerts for Claude Code tasks.
Revenue, visitor and utility extensions
View supported sales and earnings data from services such as Stripe, Dodo, Polar and AdSense, live visitors from Google Analytics or DataFast, weather forecasts, Mac CPU and battery information, and one-tap meeting access for Google Meet or Zoom.
Message replies and privacy controls
Receive iMessage and WhatsApp alerts and reply from the notch. Messages are read locally, nothing is sent until the user presses Send, and permissions are requested by feature; API keys are masked and stored in the Mac Keychain.
Use Cases
“Keep music and short actions visible while working”
People switching between documents, code or browser tabs can control playback, adjust audio and check a timer from the top edge without opening a separate control window.
“Move files and reuse copied information”
Users handling downloads, design assets or project documents can park files in the drop shelf while changing applications, then retrieve older text, links or commands from searchable clipboard history.
“Monitor coding work without opening dashboards”
Developers using Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or Grok can review local usage summaries, streaks and task alerts, while keeping an eye on localhost servers during development.
“Check a small business or online product at a glance”
Makers and operators can surface supported revenue, order, advertising and visitor information from connected providers instead of repeatedly opening separate dashboards.
“Handle messages and meetings during focused work”
Users can see iMessage or WhatsApp alerts, reply when needed, and check calendar or meeting information while keeping the current application in focus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Macs and macOS versions does NotchPop support?
The source describes support for macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple Silicon Macs. It works on both Macs with a physical notch and Macs without one; non-notch Macs use the floating-island mode.
What permissions does the app require?
Permissions depend on the features enabled. The site lists Calendar, Contacts, Accessibility, Messages and Full Disk Access among the relevant permissions. Message replies use Full Disk Access to see new messages, Automation for iMessage and Accessibility for WhatsApp replies.
Can NotchPop send messages automatically?
No. For iMessage and WhatsApp replies, the user types the response and presses Send. Nothing is sent before that action.
Does NotchPop upload message content or AI coding prompts?
The product states that messages are read locally and never uploaded, and that AI coding prompts are not uploaded. Developer activity is summarized from local data; Grok connects through the user’s xAI API key.
How is NotchPop licensed?
It includes a seven-day free trial and uses a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. The available purchase options cover one, two or five Macs, and future app updates are included.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Productivity utility
- Platform
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple Silicon
- Interface modes
- Physical notch or floating-island mode
- Core workflows
- Media, files, clipboard, focus, calendar, messages and live activity
- Data handling
- Local-first; permissions are requested by feature
- License model
- Seven-day trial followed by a one-time purchase; no subscription
NotchPop Traffic Analysis
Traffic data is for reference only.
- Domain Rating
- 4
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