Now Playing that works
Artwork, a scrubber you can drag, and previous / play / next for any app and any browser, on macOS 15.4 and later too. If the system link ever fails, Puffer switches to Music and Spotify by itself.
Puffer
Your notch, puffed up
- Hover
- Click
- Swipe down
Your notch, puffed up.
A pufferfish puffs up when it needs to. So does Puffer. Point at the notch, click it or swipe down, and it grows into a small hub: what’s playing, your next meeting, quick timers and a tray for files. Move away and it shrinks back out of your way.
- SHA-256:
a97af386…191d29 - 4.5 MB DMG · Open the disk image, drag the app to Applications, open.
$14.99v1.0.1macOS 14+Universal
Point at the notch
Open: what’s playing, your next meeting and your timers.
- CPU when idle (measured)
- 0.015%
- spring animations (measured)
- 60 fps
- free trial
- 14 days
- per license key
- 3 Macs
Why another notch app
Fixes for what people complain about
Notch apps get the same reviews again and again. Puffer was built from that list.
The usual complaints
- Music stopped showing after macOS 15.4, and browsers never did
- Laggy animations and a battery that drains
- Nothing for Macs without a notch or for external displays
- Covers menu bar items, or pops open while dragging a tab
- Subscriptions, upsell pop-ups and licenses that stop working
With Puffer
- Now Playing for every app and browser, checked on macOS 27, with an automatic fallback
- 0.015% CPU when idle and 60 fps springs, measured and published
- A virtual notch on any display, each with its own settings
- Stays clear of a full menu bar, and waits a moment with a visible “puff” before it opens
- $14.99 once for 3 Macs, no pop-ups, and a license that works offline
Features
One notch, the things you check all day
Everything opens from the notch and gets out of the way when you’re done. Nothing polls in the background.
Live activities
Small and beside the notch: music with an equalizer, timers, charging and low battery, AirPods connected, a meeting about to start, files added, Focus, and dots when the mic, camera or screen recording is on.
New HUDs
Volume, display brightness and keyboard backlight show as wings beside the notch, or drop down below it, instead of the big box in the middle of the screen. Fine steps with ⌥⇧.
A tray for files
Drop files on the notch to keep them for later, or on the AirDrop side to send them now. Drag them out one at a time or all at once, Quick Look them, undo.
Next meeting and timers
Your next events with Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex and FaceTime join buttons, and quick timers that understand “7”, “1:30” or “1h 15m”. A camera mirror for before the call.
Every Mac, every display
No notch? Puffer draws a virtual one, with its own width and switch per display. Show it on all displays, the main one, the built-in one, or the one under your pointer.
No notch? No problem
A notch for every display
On an external display or a Mac without a notch, Puffer draws a small black island the height of the menu bar. Set its width, hide it until something happens, or turn it off, display by display. Volume and brightness show on the display you’re using.
Drag and drop
Drop it on the notch
Drag a file to the top of the screen and the island opens with two targets: keep it in the tray for later, or AirDrop it right away. The tray holds references, so your files stay where they are.
Make it yours
Seven themes, tinted by your music
Pick a theme, let the accent follow the album artwork, choose one of three sizes, and decide which modules the panel shows. Or keep it black, like the notch.
Specs
Requirements & details
- Version
- 1.0.1
- Requires
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Accessibility permission for the new HUDs, Calendars for events, Camera for the mirror (all optional)
- Architecture
- Universal (Apple silicon and Intel)
- Languages
- English, 简体中文, Deutsch
- Price
- $14.99 one time, for 3 Macs, after a 14-day free trial. Now Playing and the HUDs stay free on one display
- Network
- License checks (Lemon Squeezy) and update checks (bitcolossus.com) only
- Download size
- 4.5 MB (DMG)
- SHA-256
a97af3866748b64febe0e291932a6c9725e6ab9df19da01a48969e723d191d29
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on a Mac without a notch?
Yes. On Macs and external displays without a notch, Puffer draws a virtual one the height of the menu bar. You can set its width, hide it until something happens, or turn it off per display.
Which music apps work?
Any app or browser that shows up in macOS Now Playing: Music, Spotify, a YouTube tab and so on, including on macOS 15.4 and later. If that ever stops working, Puffer switches to Music’s and Spotify’s own notifications by itself.
Will it slow down my Mac or drain the battery?
Puffer only reacts to events; nothing polls while the island is closed. We measured 0.015% CPU at idle over a minute (M1 Ultra, macOS 27). The animations run at the display’s refresh rate.
Will it cover my menu bar items?
Not for long. If menu bar items sit where the virtual notch would be, Puffer stays hidden and lets clicks through, and appears only when you open it, for the HUDs and for short alerts. You can also switch on “Keep the menu bar clear” per display.
What’s free after the trial?
For 14 days everything is unlocked. After that, Now Playing and the new HUDs keep working on one display, free. Puffer Pro ($14.99 once) unlocks the tray and AirDrop, calendar, timers, the mirror, all live activities, themes and multiple displays.
How does the license work?
Buy a key and paste it into Puffer › Settings › License. Each key works on 3 Macs and includes all 1.x updates. To move it, deactivate it on the old Mac first. Activation needs the internet once; after that Puffer re-checks about once a week and keeps working offline.
Can I get a refund?
Puffer has a free 14-day trial so you can check it works on your Mac first. Because of the trial, purchases are final, except where the law requires otherwise. If something isn’t working, email support@bitcolossus.com with your order number and we’ll help.
Puffer
Your notch, puffed up
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