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How to assign a keyboard shortcut to Notification Center on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated August 23, 2024

It might seem fairly obvious, but it might be a good idea to assign a keyboard shortcut to Notification Center on the Mac. Perhaps you already have, or maybe you still haven't. I hadn't, at least not up until a few days ago when a reader suggested that I do so, and I honestly can't come up with a reason as to why I waited so long. I think it's because I just never thought about doing it.

Assigning Notification Center to a keyboard shortcut just makes sense. It especially makes sense if you use a keyboard and mouse combination on your Mac, instead of a trackpad. Granted, MacBook users might not be so easily convinced, because invoking Notification Center can be accomplished via an effortless two-finger swipe on the trackpad.

But if you're working on an iMac, or if you're using a traditional mouse and keyboard combination with your MacBook, as I am, then I definitely recommend that you follow this uber-simple tip.

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Apple confirms ‘FREAK Attack’ patch for iOS and OS X due next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2015

A new exploit dubbed ‘FREAK Attack’ — which stands for “Factoring attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys” — that takes advantage of a security flaw dating back to the 1990s will be patched soon by Apple.

As we speak, the iPhone maker is readying a fix in iOS and OS X that will be available in software updates next week, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm told iMore.

Plagued by this security flaw, users of Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices are at risk when visiting vulnerable websites that downgrade a secure HTTPS connection to a weaker encryption method.

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How to add more Notification Center widgets on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 11, 2020

Like its iOS counterpart, Notification Center for Mac comes bundled with several stock Today widgets to get you started. However, it's possible to add third-party widgets to Notification Center's Today View by means of the Mac App Store and via direct download. Inside, we'll highlight how to add new widgets to Notification Center along with several widget recommendations.

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Yosemite 10.10.3 beta with Photos for Mac now available via OS X Public Beta program

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 2, 2015

The first beta of the forthcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 software update which contains the long-expected Photos for Mac application, is now available via the AppleSeed Public Beta service.

Participants in the OS X Public Beta program can download the software update right now via the Updates tab of the Mac App Store. The public beta carries a build number of 14D87, the same like the second 10.10.3 beta that the company seeded to its registered Mac developers a week ago.

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How to quickly toggle dark mode using a keyboard shortcut on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Dark mode is one of the more popular features of OS X Yosemite, because it allows you to add a dark tint to both the dock and the menu bar on Mac. The standard way to enable dark mode involves venturing to System Preferences, opening the General section, and clicking on the enable dark mode option. But wouldn't it be cool if you could toggle dark mode using a simple keyboard shortcut?

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iA Writer, the popular iOS/Mac app for focused writing, launches on Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

iA Writer, one of the best and most popular iPhone, iPad and Mac applications for distraction-free writing on the go, has been ported to Android and is now available for download in the Play store.

German developer Information Architects GmbH broke the news in a blog post earlier today. Like the iOS edition, iA Writer for Android is a paid download costing five bucks.

On Android, the app sports the familiar, polished interface with Focus Mode that highlights the current sentence being written. It also syncs with Dropbox and does Markdown — again, just like its iOS counterpart does.

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Tweetbot developer lays out iOS and Mac app roadmap, makes Weightbot free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Today, developer Tapbots has shared some updates concerning state of development of its popular iOS and Mac Twitter client, Tweetbot, and the whole software lineup for that matter.

For starters, a completely redesigned Tweetbot 2.0 for Mac with Yosemite-friendly look and feel has been in the works for quite some time now. Tweetbot 4.0 for iOS is being readied as well.

“We are going to do a better job keeping our current apps up to date with each new OS release,” they promised. In addition, the company announced closing other projects in order to focus resources on upcoming (and long overdue) updates to Tweetbot for Mac and iPad.

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How to make third-party menu bar icons look better with dark mode on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

OS X Yosemite introduced a new dark mode option to change the tint color of both the menu bar and the dock in OS X. While I'm a big fan of dark mode, some of the third-party apps that I use have not been updated to play nice with dark mode. This results in menu bar icons that look weird with dark mode enabled, because they don't invert after toggling dark mode on.

If you're someone who always uses dark mode and never switches to regular mode, there is a way to force these menu bar icons to look better with dark mode enabled...

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Spotify announces Musixmatch lyrics integration in desktop apps and other goodies

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Spotify, the world's top music-streaming service, on Thursday announced its desktop apps will be soon getting Musixmatch-powered lyrics engine, making it easy for music lovers to access song lyrics on their Mac or Windows PCs and sing along to their favorite tracks.

Established in early 2010 by Massimo Ciociola and a group of co-founders, the startup, which has offices in Italy's Bologna, UK's London and US's New York, has more than seven million lyrics in 38 languages.

In addition to Spotify integration, Musixmatch is also available as a standalone iPhone and iPad application, available at no cost in the App Store.

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How to make Safari for Mac’s status bar more minimal and useful

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 25, 2015

I like my browsers minimal. Safari for Mac admittedly boasts an aesthetically pleasing, clutter-free interface. But if there's one thing I've always hated about Apple's browsers, it's that status bar at the bottom of the Safari window.

Though it conveniently lets you know where a URL will take you, once turned on it annoyingly just sits there whether you actually need it or not. I prefer Google's approach better: Chrome's status bar discreetly shows only when hovering over a URL.

Wouldn't it be great if Safari had a similar only-on-hover status bar? That's what Minimal Status Bar, a new browser extension by San Francisco-based developer Visnu Pitiyanuvath, does for you.

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