Who’s watching — by name
Other monitors say “the camera is on”. Still Studio says which app turned it on, and offers to quit it.
still studio · for mac
Know the moment
your camera turns on.
The instant any app turns on your Mac’s camera, the notch lights up green and says who: “FaceTime is using the camera”. A blue microphone appears when an app listens. One click turns both off — for every app.
Free · Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later · works on Macs without a notch too · notarized by Apple
0%CPU while nothing happens — no timers, ever
1 clickcamera access off and microphone silent, for every app
0bytes about you collected
How it works
- An app turns on the camera. The notch glows green at once and names the app. The glow stays as long as the camera is on — even when the app is hidden behind other windows.
- Rest the pointer on the notch. The hub opens: who is using the camera and microphone, a mirror, your shelf of files, tools, Quit All.
- Click “Turn Camera & Microphone Off”. Every app loses camera access and has to ask you again; every microphone goes silent. Click again to undo.
Everything your notch should have done
Silence, not a broken mic
Microphone off means every app hears silence, and calls don’t crash. If an app turns the level back up, Still Studio silences it again.
A mirror before calls
Open the hub, see yourself. The camera runs only while you look and stops the moment you leave.
A shelf that never slows down
Drop files on the notch, drag them out anywhere — or move them all in one click. Still Studio remembers where they are and never copies them, so 5 000 files weigh what 15 do.
Quit everything
Every open app with its memory, one button, and “Closed 14 apps, freed 6.2 GB”. Apps with unsaved work ask first, like ⌘Q.
Small things macOS forgot
Pick any color on screen, hide desktop icons for a call, keep the Mac awake, eject every disk, dark mode, hidden files, lock — one click each.
Nothing leaves your Mac
Still Studio has no account, no analytics and no crash reports. Which apps used your camera stays on your Mac. The only thing it asks the internet is whether there is a new version. And it is honest about its limits: no app can cut the camera’s power — macOS wires the green light to it — so Still Studio takes away every app’s access instead, and tells you if one tries anyway.
Questions
How does Still Studio know which app turned on the camera?
When a camera starts, macOS checks that the app is allowed to use it and notes which app it was. Still Studio reads that note once, right then — it never watches anything in the background.
Can Still Studio switch the camera off completely?
No app can cut the camera’s power: macOS controls it, and the green light is wired to it so it can’t be faked. What Still Studio does is the next best thing, in one click: every app loses the camera access you gave it and must ask again, and if one turns the camera on anyway, the notch tells you and offers to quit it.
What does “microphone off” do?
Every microphone on your Mac is silenced at the source. Apps keep working but hear only silence. If an app turns the level back up, Still Studio silences it again at once. Quitting Still Studio turns the microphone back on.
Does it slow my Mac down?
No. Still Studio uses no timers at all while nothing happens: macOS tells it when the camera or microphone changes. The hub, its pictures and the mirror exist only while it’s open.
My Mac has no notch.
Still Studio works the same: the green halo appears at the top centre of the screen, and the menu bar icon opens the hub. Drop files on the icon to put them on the shelf.
Does the shelf copy my files?
No. It only remembers where they are. Dragging out hands the original to Finder or any app; Move All moves the originals. Only a picture or text dragged from a web page is saved — in a small folder that empties itself.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 15 Sequoia or later — with a notch or without one. Open the downloaded file and drag Still Studio to Applications; it keeps itself up to date.
What does it cost?
Still Studio is free: no account, no ads, no trial that runs out.
How do I remove it?
Choose Quit Still Studio in its menu and drag Still Studio from Applications to the Trash. Nothing else is left behind.