TapNoiseSome MacBooks have a sensor in the hinge that reports how far the lid is open. Apple does not document it for developers, and I could not find the angle shown anywhere in System Settings. You only notice it when an app uses it. Here is which models have it, how to check your own Mac, and what TapNoise does with it.
Which models have it
TapNoise looks for the sensor on your Mac and does not check a model list. The models its code expects to have it are:
- the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro,
- MacBook Pro models with the M1 Pro chip or later,
- MacBook Air models with the M2 chip or later.
Notice what is missing. An M1 MacBook Air is not on that list, so it should not have the sensor, according to TapNoise’s code. If your Mac is not on the list and the sensor is present, the app will detect it anyway, so trust the check in the app over this list.
How to check your Mac
Open TapNoise and go to Settings > MacBook. Look at the Lid card.
- If it says “This Mac has no lid angle sensor.”, the sensor is not there, and the lid sound switch is greyed out.
- If the card shows the lid’s angle, the sensor is there. The description reads “Now at” followed by the current angle in degrees, so you can watch it change as you move the lid.
That check is more reliable than any list, because it is what the app actually found on your Mac.
Why it matters
TapNoise uses the angle for two things.
Lid sounds. The Lid card has a switch that turns on lid sounds. Move the lid and the faster it moves, the more it creaks. The switch is labelled “Lid creak” or “Lid synth”, depending on the sound theme you picked. Without the sensor, the switch is greyed out.
Guard Mode. When Guard Mode is armed, TapNoise remembers the angle at that moment. If the lid moves more than 15 degrees, the alarm sounds. The stop someone using your MacBook post explains the rest of Guard Mode and its limits.
What the sensor is not
The lid sensor is not the same as the motion sensor, which is the one TapNoise uses for slaps and for detecting a lift or tilt. Each one has its own list of Macs. The Settings page says slaps need “an Apple silicon MacBook from M1 Pro or M2 Air” on. The lid sensor’s list is different, and it includes the 2019 16-inch Pro, which has no Apple silicon chip.
The lid sensor is also not a public API. TapNoise reads it through a hardware interface that Apple does not document for developers. That means it could change in a future macOS update, and it could stop working. If that happens, the Lid card will say the sensor is missing, and the rest of TapNoise will keep working.
What to do if you have it
If your Mac has the sensor, the lid sounds are a small, fun extra. Turn them on in the Lid card and open the lid slowly, then quickly. If you use Guard Mode, the lid is one of the things it watches, so you do not need a separate setting.
If your Mac does not have it, the rest of TapNoise still works. You still get key sounds, Tappy on the desktop, and Guard Mode’s charger alarm. Only the lid sounds and the lid part of Guard Mode depend on the sensor.
The Lid card sits in the MacBook section of Settings. Guard Mode, which uses the lid sensor for its alarm, needs the TapNoise license: a one-time purchase of US$7.99 plus tax, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.