Sway 1.5

What's new

• A softer typeface. Sway's larger text is now set in Fraunces, a soft, rounded serif. This covers the break screen's title, timer and message, the countdown in the menu, the good-morning greeting, the welcome headings and the name in Settings. Smaller text keeps the system font, and timers use equal-width digits so the numbers don't jump as they tick.

Install

1. Download Sway-1.5.zip below and unzip it.
2. Move Sway.app to your Applications folder (replace the old one if you're updating).
3. Open it. Sway lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.

Requires macOS 13 or later. Universal: runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

First launch

Sway isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. To allow it:

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Sway and click Open Anyway, or

• run this once in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sway.app

Fraunces is licensed under the SIL Open Font License; the license ships inside the app.

SHA-256 of Sway-1.5.zip: 7591053f0883ef91335fbca6b5779bbfd3380a4254039458648b9a598c009336

Sway 1.4

What's new

• Breaks wait for a good moment. A break that comes due while you're typing or dragging waits for a short pause (up to a minute), and one that comes due in a full-screen app or in a focus app you pick waits until you leave it. The menu bar says why it's waiting, and each of these can be turned on or off under Smart Pause.
• Work hours. Optionally, Sway only runs on the days and hours you work. Outside them it stays quiet and the menu bar shows the mark under a little beach umbrella. The countdown starts fresh when your day begins, and Start reminders anyway in the menu overrides it until the next workday.
• Planned breaks. Set breaks at fixed times, such as lunch at 12:30 for an hour or a walk at 15:30, each with its own name and length and a heads-up like any other break.
• Long breaks. Optionally, one break in every few (2 to 6) runs longer, say 15 minutes, so you can get up and walk around. The heads-up, the menu and the break screen say when a break is long, and a lunch or a long time away counts as one.
• Blink and posture nudges. A new Wellness tab can remind you to blink and look into the distance, or to check your posture, every so often between breaks. A small popover with the cat shows under the menu bar icon. Nudges count only your working time and wait whenever Smart Pause would hold a break.
• Reorganized Settings. The Settings window now has General, Wellness, Smart Pause and Schedule tabs.
• Clock follows your region. Day names and times follow your Mac's region, so English keeps a 24-hour clock where your region uses one.

Install

1. Download Sway-1.4.zip below and unzip it.
2. Move Sway.app to your Applications folder (replace the old one if you're updating).
3. Open it. Sway lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.

Requires macOS 13 or later. Universal: runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

First launch

Sway isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. To allow it:

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Sway and click Open Anyway, or

• run this once in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sway.app

SHA-256 of Sway-1.4.zip: 3239f5f966d683894e2edc8ae753bd87516d24d8075a14886a15d216720bf1fd

Sway 1.3

What's new

• Keeps counting through calls and videos. When your microphone or camera is in use, or an app keeps the screen awake for a video or slideshow, the countdown keeps going even without keyboard or mouse input. Each activity, plus music and other audio, can be turned on or off in Settings. No permissions needed.
• Breaks wait for your call to end. A break that comes due during a call holds until you hang up, and the menu bar shows After the call meanwhile. You can turn this off in Settings.
• Welcome on first launch. A short welcome walks you through picking how long to focus and how long your breaks should be.
• Break sounds. A soft chime for the heads-up, a calm arpeggio when a break starts and a bright little run when it's over, each with the cat purring underneath. Turn them off or set the volume in Settings.
• Gentler break screen. The break details and then the buttons now fade in one after the other below the cat.
• Refreshed cat. New excited and stretching poses, and the cat's fur patches now sit in the same place in every pose.

Install

1. Download Sway-1.3.zip below and unzip it.
2. Move Sway.app to your Applications folder (replace the old one if you're updating).
3. Open it. Sway lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.

Requires macOS 13 or later. Universal: runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

First launch

Sway isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. To allow it:

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Sway and click Open Anyway, or

• run this once in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sway.app

SHA-256 of Sway-1.3.zip: 6f6d4e8be4d930ca9493e83deb67af60a353534dffccad28f2269f5a912132f9

Sway 1.2

What's new

• Meet the cat. Sway has a mascot now. It works beside you in the menu, stretches in the heads-up popover and on the break screen, cheers when the break is over, and changes pose with the timer (sleeping when paused, relaxed when you're away).
• Good-morning greeting. The first time you're back on a new day, the cat greets you by name with a motivational message, and the countdown starts fresh.
• Pauses while you're away. After 30 seconds without keyboard, mouse or trackpad input, the countdown stops. When you come back, a popover tells you how long you were gone. Sleep or a locked screen still counts as a break.
• Settings window. Choose Settings… (⌘,) in the menu to set the work interval, break length, heads-up, away detection, language and Launch at Login.
• Pick your language. Sway can follow your Mac's language or use any of its 9 languages, switching right away without a restart.
• Menu icons. Remind me every and Break length stay in the menu, now with icons.

Install

1. Download Sway-1.2.zip below and unzip it.
2. Move Sway.app to your Applications folder (replace the old one if you're updating).
3. Open it. Sway lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.

Requires macOS 13 or later. Universal: runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

First launch

Sway isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. To allow it:

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Sway and click Open Anyway, or

• run this once in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sway.app

SHA-256 of Sway-1.2.zip: 551c4f78d6ef0d52f3278cf0a0d5db755cd6fa975a0ddb054b162a2b1c7fe8e4

Sway 1.1

What's new

• Speaks your language. Sway now follows your Mac's language: English, Português (Brasil), Español, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어 and 简体中文.
• Snooze from the heads-up popover. The popover before each break now has the same 💤 +1 / +3 / +5 min snooze as the break overlay, next to Start now. Snoozing adds time to the countdown.
• Popover fits its buttons. The popover sizes itself to its content, so the button row keeps even margins.

Install

1. Download Sway-1.1.zip below and unzip it.
2. Move Sway.app to your Applications folder (replace the old one if you're updating).
3. Open it. Sway lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.

Requires macOS 13 or later. Universal: runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

First launch

Sway isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. To allow it:

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Sway and click Open Anyway, or

• run this once in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sway.app

SHA-256 of Sway-1.1.zip: f2d743372eade40bd174fecc6b6c525a3d5bccc0d0da50a81d60781e32da81fb

Sway 1.0

The first release of Sway, a small macOS menu bar app that reminds you to take breaks.

Highlights

• Menu bar countdown to your next break (1h20m, 40m), with a pause badge while paused.
• Live menu header with a rolling countdown and +1 / +5 / +15 min buttons.
• Heads-up popover before each break, configurable from off to 5 minutes.
• Full-screen break overlay that fades in on every display: the Sway logo fills up as the break runs, with a calming message, +1 / +3 / +5 min snooze, Skip break (after 5 seconds) and Lock screen.
• Liquid Glass styling and a layered glass app icon on macOS 26+.
• Configurable work interval, break length and warning time; optional Launch at Login.

Install

1. Download Sway-1.0.zip below and unzip it.
2. Move Sway.app to your Applications folder.
3. Open it. Sway lives in the menu bar, not the Dock.

Requires macOS 13 or later. Universal: runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

First launch

Sway isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS blocks it the first time. To allow it:

• Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the message about Sway and click Open Anyway, or

• run this once in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Sway.app

SHA-256 of Sway-1.0.zip: 6d7452276b6547c2b3be490621deb7bba43148138d61415313eb9deb943e2108