MacBook TouchBar — 13 additional ways to use, other than choosing emojis
Tags: opensource, productivity, plugin, programming
Published: 2023-04-07 20:15:44

The Touch Bar feature was introduced on the MacBook Pro 2016 which turned out to be completely divisive among the users. There is no in- between — you either despise or adore it.

But, regardless of where you stand on the Touch Bar debate is, the fact remains that if you want a MacBook Pro with one, you’ll have a slightly different experience than the rest.

Apple was gracious enough to invest time wisely in creating some productivity tools built-in for the Touch Bar along with a slew of features to support ease of use. However, since the newer MacBooks lack the touch bar the older models can now be considered vintage.

Here, we will discuss the significantly important things we could do with that extra touch screen — useful, entertaining, and aesthetically beautiful to look at.


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/snacbub9q5f0mtyunhly.png)



> ## [AVTouchBar](https://www.avtouchbar.com/)
> There’s a dynamic audio visualizer with a full screen mode, color grading options, templates, and gesture based volume and mute functionality. It’s a delight for the eyes and you would never stopped using it.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ltvlyv9gmufhursmkr4o.png)


## Touch Bar Games

**Super Mario (Unofficial) **: I found this one embedded deep on a Reddit thread, [inside an imgur link](https://imgur.com/a/NwFey). There’s no source code, only executable available, so install with caution!
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qam4g5aub0rq9a8wi04r.png)

**[Dino Game](https://github.com/yuhuili/TouchBarDino) **: A mini version of the well known and classic Chrome Dino game mini version! [link](https://github.com/yuhuili/TouchBarDino)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/rsix57aj2lwh5vze7m8e.png)

**[Ping Pong](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/touch-pong/id1185339859?ls=1&mt=12)** : The Ping Pong game is available on the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/touch-pong/id1185339859?ls=1&mt=12) for $1.99. Check out the following resources on GitHub to know more.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ydwfab73eak95ydhd35f.png)


**[Pac-Bar](https://github.com/henryefranks/pac-bar/tree/v1.3)**
> This one is a perfect relaxing game after a hard day’s work. Check out the GitHub link to know more. https://github.com/henryefranks/pac-bar/tree/v1.3
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9us451belnc056cvg3t0.png)

**Rabbit/Dog/Cat Touchbar Pets
> **This is a virtual pet that lives on your Touchbar. It allows a variety of animals to choose from, with a pretty elaborate walking and sleeping schedule.
> take your dog for a walk, to the city or gardens, grocery shopping, meet other friends etc
> Check out the links below to know more. [https://ahhzo.me/projects/touchbar-pets](https://ahhzo.me/projects/touchbar-pets) [https://twitter.com/ahhzo/status/1228997278309814272](https://twitter.com/ahhzo/status/1228997278309814272)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ji54gxr6sly9rnvekr91.png)

Cat Touchbar Pet
> This one is an absolute delight to the eyes. It blushes when you pet it and is truly adorable. Check out the following link to know more.
> play laser/ball with the cat, clean the poopie, feeding etc
> [https://graceavery.com/touchbar-pet/](https://graceavery.com/touchbar-pet/)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5nm3hp7b2g60gjdyzvte.png)

**Touch Bar Piano**
> It has multitouch support to help you play proper chords. If you enjoy recording music, an extra set of keys are always lovely to have. Check out the link to know more.
> [https://www.utsire.com/touch-bar-piano/](https://www.utsire.com/touch-bar-piano/)
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bb5bjaqvjy6l7aj53r4m.png)

**Pock for Dock Extension** and Replacement> Pock is a widget manager for the MacBook Touchbar. It supports dock widget extensions with full gesture support. It can be used as a full replacement for the dock. Once you install this, turn off your MacOS dock and enjoy the full screen experience with the dock right above your keyboard. It supports all the features of Apple dock with a few added ones as well.
> Check out the links to know more. 
> [https://pock.app/](https://pock.app/) 
> [https://github.com/pock/pock](https://github.com/pock/pock)
> [https://www.producthunt.com/products/pock#pock](https://www.producthunt.com/products/pock#pock)
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/16dfcq5ew7fc490ss3di.png)

Pomodoro Technique Using the **Touch Bar Timer**> Use it every time to set nameless handy timers all day long. It works as a little stopwatch for your Mac’s touch bar. Simply tap to start/stop and double-tap to reset.
> Click the following links to know more. 
> [https://touch-bar-timer.alexzirbel.com/](https://touch-bar-timer.alexzirbel.com/) 
> [https://github.com/azirbel/touch-bar-time](https://github.com/azirbel/touch-bar-time)


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8oq9jvq6ojpv7i6ge78p.png)

**BetterTouchTool**
> This is a Pock like replacement for the dock plus a lot more in terms of trackpad features. Do check this out if Pock feels too simple. Check out the following link to know more.
> [https://folivora.ai/](https://folivora.ai/)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jm75kjfrgayke4g66js8.png)

**Haptic Touch Bar**

> Have you ever thought that Haptic could feature on the touch bar. The trackpad Haptic is used to emulate a feedback for every touch intent on the touch bar.
> Check out the link below to know more. https://www.haptictouchbar.com/
Happy exploring!

Credits:

> ART by [Shreya Singh](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgshreyasingh/) (www.shreyasingh.co)


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8jejybwk7nrsl88wq8wi.png)