The difference between this project and others is that it is built on its own engine, and not taken from other ready-made repositories. It completely copies the logic, animations, and behavior of a real Dynamic Island on an iPhone, unlike other projects. The main goal is to make the project as native as possible, both in terms of design and interaction.
DynamicNotch is a native macOS app for notched MacBooks that transforms the hardware notch into a living, interactive system surface. Instead of treating the notch as a static cutout, DynamicNotch expands it with queue-driven animations, gesture support, and system-aware features for media playback, downloads, AirDrop, timers, screen recording, connectivity events, lock-screen transitions, and custom hardware HUDs. Built entirely with SwiftUI and AppKit, the app feels like a natural extension of macOS rather than a web-style overlay.
DynamicNotch surfaces Now Playing info, download progress, AirDrop transfers, timers, screen recording indicators, Focus status, Personal Hotspot connections, and lock-screen media controls. Temporary alerts appear for charging events, low or full battery, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi changes, VPN status, Focus-off transitions, and notch resize feedback.
The app replaces the standard macOS brightness, keyboard brightness, and volume HUDs with notch-integrated visuals. These custom HUDs appear directly in the notch surface, keeping the experience compact and consistent with the app's native design philosophy.
Tap to expand, mouse drag gestures, trackpad swipes, swipe-to-dismiss, and swipe-to-restore are all supported. These interactions make the notch feel responsive and tactile, similar to how the Dynamic Island behaves on an iPhone.
Users can adjust notch width and height, background style, stroke options, animation presets, fullscreen behavior, display placement, and app language. The settings app is grouped into Application, Media & Files, Connectivity, and System sections for easy navigation.
DynamicNotch is built on its own engine, not copied from ready-made repositories, and completely replicates the logic, animations, and behavior of a real iPhone Dynamic Island.
This custom engine approach means every animation, transition, and interaction is purpose-built for macOS. The app doesn't rely on borrowed code or web-style overlays — it uses SwiftUI and AppKit to create a surface that feels native to the MacBook notch. The result is a polished, system-aware experience that respects macOS permissions and hardware constraints.
You own a notched MacBook running macOS 14.6 or later and want to turn the notch into a functional, animated interface for media, system events, and hardware controls. DynamicNotch is especially worth exploring if you value native macOS design, gesture-driven interactions, and a project built from the ground up rather than assembled from existing components.
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Maker
sandbyte
Visit Website
github.com/jackson-storm/DynamicNotch
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