TapNoiseYou step away from a café table, and your MacBook is sitting there. The honest answer to “how do I stop someone using it” is that no software stops a determined person who can reach the keyboard. What you can do is make it hard to use quietly, and make it obvious when someone touches it. Start with the built-in options, then see what TapNoise’s Guard Mode adds.
The built-in options
Lock the screen before you leave. The shortcut is Control-Command-Q. It locks the Mac immediately, so the screen shows the lock screen and needs your password or Touch ID to come back. Get into the habit of pressing it every time you stand up.
Require a password soon after the screen sleeps. The Lock Screen page in System Settings has an option that asks for your password after the screen saver starts or the display turns off. Set the delay short. The exact wording of the options can change between macOS versions, so look for the Lock Screen page and check the current setting.
Use Find My for recovery. If the Mac is taken, Find My can help you locate it, and it is much easier to set up before you need it.
Use a cable lock for a physical theft. Software cannot stop someone from picking up a laptop. A cable lock fixed to something heavy can.
What Guard Mode adds
TapNoise has a Guard Mode that sounds a loud alarm if the MacBook is moved. It is in Settings > MacBook, under the Guard Mode card. Click Turn On, then walk away.
- It arms five seconds after you turn it on, so you have time to leave.
- It sounds the alarm if the Mac is lifted or tilted. The tilt has to hold for a moment before the alarm sounds.
- It sounds the alarm if the lid moves more than a small amount, using the lid angle sensor.
- It sounds the alarm if the charger is unplugged while the Mac is on power.
- It covers every screen with a warning window, and it sets the MacBook’s own speakers to full volume for the alarm, even with AirPods connected. It puts the previous level back when Guard Mode ends.
Only you can stop it. Turning Guard Mode off asks for Touch ID or your login password. If the Mac has no password set, TapNoise cannot ask for one, so it does not check, which is one more reason to set a password.
Lifts and tilts need the motion sensor. That is on Apple silicon MacBooks, and the Settings page says which models. On a Mac without the sensor, Guard Mode can only hear the charger, and TapNoise will not claim it is guarding the Mac in the way a sensor allows.
The honest limits
Guard Mode is a deterrent, not a lock. These are the things it does not do:
- It does not lock anyone out. Someone can still use the Mac. The alarm is loud and the warning is on screen, but it is up to you or a nearby person to act on it.
- It only works while TapNoise is running. A determined person can quit the app or switch the Mac off.
- It does not record, photograph or track. It has no camera use, no location, and it does not send anything anywhere. It only senses movement and power.
- It needs a license. Guard Mode is part of TapNoise’s paid license. The purchase is US$7.99 plus tax, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Guard Mode works best as a loud reminder to the person who might be tempted, combined with the lock screen and a physical lock. It is not a substitute for any of them.
A simple routine
- Press Control-Command-Q before you stand up.
- Turn on Guard Mode if you will be away for a while.
- Keep the charger plugged in, since an unplugged charger sets it off.
- Turn Guard Mode off with Touch ID or your password when you come back.
If you are sharing a space with strangers, the cable lock is still the thing that matters most. TapNoise makes noise. A lock keeps the laptop where you left it.