Look up to watch.Look back to work.
CineNotch tucks Picture in Picture into your MacBook’s notch. Glance at the camera and the video slides out. Look back at your work and it hides again.
psst… your cursor is your eyes.
look at the notch
- 1
Glance at the camera
The island leans out, the eyes open, and the video slides out.
- 2
Keep watching
It stays open while your eyes are on the video, with play, pause and ±10 s right there.
- 3
Look back at work
It tucks back into the notch. The sound keeps playing, the thumbnail keeps moving.
It lives in the notch
Closed, it’s a black pill you stop noticing. Open, it’s the video at full size with the controls you need.
Tucked in
A live thumbnail, the title and a ring that shows how much is left. The sound keeps playing.
Out with a glance
Full size, with play, pause, ±10 s and a way back to the tab. A soft glow in the video’s colors sits underneath.
No notch? It draws one
On Macs without a notch, the island is a pill in the menu bar and works the same way.
Small app, thought through
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Safari and Chrome
Start Picture in Picture on any video, and CineNotch docks it.
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Hover works too
Not into glancing? Move the cursor to the notch and it opens just the same.
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Pause when it tucks away
Optional: the video plays only while the island is open, and picks up when it opens again.
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Glow in the video’s colors
A soft light under the open island, picked from the frame you’re watching.
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Calibrates in 50 seconds
Follow a few targets once. After that, your clicks keep it tuned to how you sit.
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5.6MB
Native and tiny
Written in Swift for macOS, for Apple silicon and Intel. No Electron, no account.
Your camera stays yours
- Frames are analyzed on your Mac. Nothing is stored, and nothing is sent anywhere.
- The camera is on only while a video is docked and the glance is turned on. The green light tells you when.
- No account and no tracking. The app doesn’t talk to any server.
- The code is open, so you can check all of this yourself.
Questions
Does it work on a Mac without a notch?
Yes. CineNotch draws the island as a pill in the middle of the menu bar, and everything else works the same way.
Which videos work?
Any video that Safari or Chrome can play in Picture in Picture. Start Picture in Picture as usual and CineNotch picks it up.
Is the camera always on?
No. It’s on only while a Picture in Picture video is docked and the glance is turned on, and the green light shows it. Prefer the mouse? Turn the glance off and hover the notch instead.
Why does it ask for Accessibility and Screen Recording?
Accessibility lets CineNotch find the Picture in Picture window, tuck it away and press its buttons. Screen Recording shows that window inside the island: only the Picture in Picture window is captured, and nothing leaves your Mac.
How well does the glance work?
A 50-second calibration learns your eyes, and your clicks keep it tuned as you move. If it opens when you don’t want it to, or needs a second glance, the Sensitivity setting trades one for the other.
Is it really free?
Yes. CineNotch is free and open source under the GPLv3 license.
What do I need?
A Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel.
