A new third-party Mac app lets owners of Apple’s latest MacBook Pro control the glowing logo on the lid, something macOS does not offer in its settings. The app, called Backglow, can dim the logo, switch it off or make it pulse, and its developer says it works only on the new model with the PROLED XDR display.
MacRumors reported on November 7 that designer Juan Buis created Backglow. The free version lets users set the logo’s brightness independently of the screen and turn the light off with one click, rather than using Terminal. A free “Breathe” mode makes the light pulse gently, similar to the sleep indicator on older MacBooks.
What the paid version adds
A one-time payment unlocks the Pro version, priced at $9 at launch and $15 later, according to MacRumors and the app’s website. It adds a “Music” mode that makes the light follow the beat of whatever the Mac is playing. It also adds an “Agents” mode that shows what Claude Code is doing: the logo pulses while the tool works and blinks when it needs attention. The developer’s site says one license covers one Mac.
Why the logo needs its own control
The glowing logo returned with the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with PROLED XDR displays, which MacRumors said were released on Friday. MacRumors reported on October 28 that Apple had removed the illuminated logo from the MacBook Pro with its 2016 redesign. The new displays are tandem OLED panels, and Apple’s logo uses a separate light source rather than the display’s backlight.
MacRumors cited John Gruber of Daring Fireball as saying Apple told him it engineered a custom light source for the logo without adding thickness to the lid. According to Apple’s support page, the logo is lit whenever the Mac is awake and dims or brightens with the screen and the ambient light sensor. Apple’s documented way to keep it dark is a Terminal command that requires an administrator password. Buis said the logo uses a white LED that does not change colour.
What is not known
Eastern Herald has not tested Backglow, and the claims above come from MacRumors and the developer’s own description. The app’s website says it changes the logo’s brightness settings in macOS, never the screen’s brightness, and returns control to Apple’s settings when the app quits, unless the logo was turned off. Readers considering installing the app should weigh that it is independent software, not an Apple feature.
The details are drawn from MacRumors’ report.
