On screen
Heard is built to be heard, not watched. When nothing is happening, Heard draws nothing on your screen. Two small surfaces appear only when they add something voice alone cannot, and each answers a different question.
Heard 2.0 no longer uses the notch. Earlier versions showed sessions in the notch area at the top of the screen; that surface and its settings are gone.
Status card
The status card is a small label that shows up when an agent starts using tools and goes away when the agent finishes its turn. It names the kind of work in one word:
- Searching while the agent reads, lists, or searches files and the web
- Composing while it edits or writes
- Connecting while it installs, downloads, or connects to something
- Working for any other tool activity
It also appears when you need to act: Agent needs you for a question or a permission request, and Tool failed when a tool reports an error. If a voice action cannot run, for example because you are signed out, the card explains why.
When you hold right ⌘ to talk, the card can show where your words are going, such as typing at your cursor or to a named agent session. See Talk to your agents.
The card does not repeat what you can already hear. Listening, thinking, and speaking do not show up there.
Edge light
A soft light along the bottom edge of the screen appears when you start a conversation with Heard Parrot by saying “Hey Parrot”. It:
- Reacts to your voice while you talk
- Dims while Parrot works on an answer
- Pulses while Parrot speaks
The light disappears when the conversation ends. Ordinary dictation and narration never turn it on.
Corner controls
On macOS 15 and later, three controls wait in the corners of the screen. Rest the pointer in a corner for a moment to reveal one, then click it.
The top right control and a double press of right ⌘ change the same setting, so the keyboard, the corner, and Settings always agree.