Start with where you actually work
Put your normal document, browser or design application on the display where you usually use it. Then open the Nook on each screen. On a display without a notch, the handle at the top opens the panel.
This is a practical placement test. You are looking for an opening action that feels easy alongside your menu bar and applications, rather than comparing the appearance of two different screen shapes.
Try a real movement between tasks
Use a music control on the screen you are working on, then place a file in the Tray while moving to the next part of the task. Check the calendar view before a meeting.
If you normally connect or disconnect the external display during the day, include that transition in your trial. Testing the actual desk arrangement makes any display-specific behavior easier to describe.
- Laptop alone: open the Nook and use one familiar control.
- Desk setup: repeat on the laptop and external display.
- Transition: connect or disconnect the display as you normally would and repeat the same action.
Keep the report specific if something needs attention
A useful display report includes the Mac model, macOS version, monitor arrangement and which screen showed the behavior. Note whether the app was running on the laptop alone, with an external monitor or after a connection change.
One license covers two Macs, but two displays attached to one Mac are a different part of the setup. The license help page covers activation and device management; product support can help with display behavior.
Open NotchNook without a notch
A physical camera cutout is not required. On a notchless Mac or external display, use the slim handle at the top of the screen to open the Nook.
The image shows the expanded panel, rather than a separate set of features for a particular MacBook model. Music, calendar, notes and the Tray remain available on screens without a notch.
- Start NotchNook and move the pointer to the handle at the top of the display.
- Open the Nook and try a playback control with music already running.
- Stage a recognizable file in the Tray and use it in your normal destination app.
- If you use an external monitor, repeat the opening action on that screen before testing a connect or disconnect.
Check a changing desk setup
Test the arrangement you actually use: laptop alone, laptop with an external display, and the transition between them. Note which screen you are interacting with if something differs.
Two displays on one Mac do not use two Mac activations. For an activation issue, use the license-help link below; for panel placement, report the display arrangement and the action that showed the problem.