BlogRelease notes3 October 20264 min read

What's new in NotchDude 1.8

Three updates in a row since 1.5, each adding something you'll use every day. Calendar now shows your whole month and gets you into calls in one click, Messages brings WhatsApp, Slack, and Teams into the notch, and the open notch can be as big as you like. Here's what changed and how to use it.

A month calendar, and one-click Join (1.8)

Calendar used to list today's and tomorrow's events. Now it shows the whole month beside the day you pick, so you can see a busy week coming and check any date without opening the Calendar app.

• Busy days at a glance: coloured dots under each day show which calendars have events, in their own colours.
• Click any day to see its events. All-day events sit on top, then each event with its time, length, and location.
• Now and next: the event happening now is outlined, the next one says how soon it starts, and on today a line marks the current time. The list opens on what's happening now rather than the morning's finished events.
• Join calls: events with a Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex, or FaceTime link get a video button. From 10 minutes before the call it becomes a visible Join button.

Calendar also works fully from the keyboard and with VoiceOver. Click the month, then use the arrow keys to move between days, Page Up and Page Down to change month, and T to jump back to today. Each day reads out its date and how many events it has, and colours keep text readable even for dark calendar colours. Calendar is free for everyone.

Messages in the notch (1.6)

Messages is a new Pro widget for the chats that pull you out of your work. New WhatsApp, Slack, and Teams messages appear in the notch as they arrive. Click one to open its chat, or dismiss it.

If you'd rather messages didn't pop up over your work, turn off the Desktop alerts for those apps in System Settings › Notifications and keep Notification Centre on. They'll still reach the notch, quietly.

How it works: Messages reads the notification record macOS already keeps, which needs Full Disk Access (it's part of the welcome window, or the widget asks). It doesn't sign in to any chat service. Messages stay in memory only and are never saved or sent. iMessage and calls aren't included.

Make the notch bigger (1.7)

The open notch is no longer one fixed size. Move the pointer near either bottom corner and a grip appears. Drag it to make the panel wider and taller. It stays centred under the notch and remembers its size, and a double-click puts it back.

Widgets make use of the space. Home's tiles grow, the File Shelf turns into a grid, and bigger panels switch every widget to a roomier layout. In Calendar, a wide panel gives the Join button its label.

Edit the tab bar (1.7)

The tab bar now works like Home. Hold a tab and the tabs jiggle: tap the minus to remove one, use the + button to bring a removed widget back, and choose Done when you're finished. You can still drag tabs sideways to reorder them, or up onto Home to add a tile.

How to update

NotchDude checks for updates on its own. To update now, choose Check for Updates… from the menu bar icon or the notch's ··· menu. New here? Download NotchDude and every Pro feature is unlocked for your first 48 hours. The user guide covers everything in detail, What's new in NotchDude 1.5 covers the update before these, and the release notes list every version.