No notch? Springle sits in the menu bar.
On a Mac or display without a notch, Springle rests as a small face in the middle of the menu bar and grows from there. With more than one display, it follows you.
Springle is built around the notch, but it doesn’t need one. On any Mac with macOS 14.2 or later it works the same way, with or without a notch.
Where to find it
On a screen without a notch, such as an external display, an iMac, a Mac mini’s monitor or an older MacBook, Springle has no camera housing to grow out of. So it makes its own spot in the middle of the menu bar:
- While it’s resting, a small pill with Springle’s face sits there, at menu bar height. That’s how you find it.
- Rest the pointer on it and it widens sideways, inside the menu bar, with the notebook, Talk, Type and Settings, as it does on a notched Mac. Click Talk to start a spoken conversation, or Type to open the text box.
- While it helps, it grows into the island from the top edge of the screen. The wings are only as wide as Springle’s face and its sound bars, so it takes as little room as it can.
Everything else is the same as on a Mac with a notch: the colours, the card that opens when you point at it, captions under it, and all the shortcuts. See The island.
While the notebook is open, the resting face steps aside, because the notebook hangs from the same spot.
With more than one display
The island follows you. When you move the pointer to another display and leave it there for a moment, Springle moves to the top of that display, centred on its notch if it has one, or on the middle of its menu bar if not. The notebook moves with it.
It stays put while you’re typing in it, while Settings are open in it, or while the notebook is open under it, so it never jumps away mid-sentence.
A MacBook with its lid closed and an external display works the same way: Springle sits in the middle of the external display’s menu bar.
When Springle looks at your screen, it looks at the display with the window you’re working in, not the one the pointer happens to be on. So you can leave the pointer on one screen and ask about a window on the other.
In full-screen apps
Springle floats above everything, including full-screen apps and every desktop Space. In a full-screen app the menu bar hides, but Springle’s island still appears at the top of the screen when it has something to show, and your shortcuts work as usual. Hold ⌃ control ⌥ option to ask, or tap them to type.
You can always reach it from the keyboard
You never need to find the island to use Springle:
| To | Press |
|---|---|
| Ask out loud | Hold ⌃⌥, speak, let go |
| Type to Springle | Tap ⌃⌥ |
| Start or stop a spoken conversation | ⌃⌥ Space |
| Open the notebook | ⌃⌥ N |
| Circle something to ask about | ⌃⌥ C |
The same things are in Springle’s menu in the menu bar too, under the small face icon. See Keyboard shortcuts.
Can’t see Springle at all?
If there’s no face in the menu bar and nothing at the top of the screen, Springle may not be running. Open it from your Applications folder. If it’s running but you still can’t find it, see Can't find Springle.
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