Sports Scores in your Mac's Notch!

Bringing a popular iOS Dynamic Island feature to macOS

Introduction

The dynamic island has become a staple of modern iPhones. It turned the once useless notch into a interactive pill that houses live notifications! This was a great way for apple to turn what was once a hardware limitation into a software feature. One of the most uses features of the dynamic island is the ability to track sports games without having to open a website and get distracted. It keeps you in the loop with a simple, clean, and glanceable design.

Motivation

There are many dynamic island apps for macOS that bring the same familiar design and interactivity from ios. Most apps bring features like now playing controls, HUD replacements, calendar views, and even file shelves. However, until now, no app has leveraged the notch to display sports scores, giving users quick and glanceable game updates. MenuScores v2.0.0 changes that, bringing live sports updates directly to your Mac’s notch.

Overview

As of MenuScores v2.1.0 it currently supports 35 different leagues across 9 different sports. The purpose of MenuScores has always been to deliver score updates and access key info without having to open a website or app and distract yourself. Thus, the app has been designed from the ground up to be seamless and unobtrusive. Games can be pinned to either the notch or the menubar. They automatically update in the background and don't require any user actions. You can also optionally choose to receive notifications for when games start or end.

The notch display offers a visually pleasing view of a game as well with additional details. Highlights include access to recent plays, important game info (such as strikes, outs, downs, etc) and even full race and tournament leaderboards for racing and golf leagues. When a game is pinned, you can see each team's score and logo on either side of the notch, similar to iOS. Expanding the notch is done by hovering over it on compatible Macs or using the keyboard shortcut to reveal more game info. Users can also control which leagues appear in the menubar and adjust other app behaviors from the settings.

Conclusion

MenuScores transforms the Mac notch into a powerful and glanceable hub for live scores. It allows users to stay informed about their favorite leagues and games without interrupting their workflow. With support for many sports and leagues, seamless background updates, and intuitive interactions, MenuScores makes following sports simple, efficient, and visually appealing. Best of all, as a FOSS app, it’s accessible and community driven, giving users both functionality and flexibility.