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# 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.

| Surface         | When it appears                                                                  | What it tells you                              |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Status card** | While an agent is using tools, when an agent needs you, or when something failed | What the work is doing right now               |
| **Edge light**  | Only during a "Hey Parrot" conversation                                          | That Parrot is listening, working, or speaking |

> **Note**
>
> 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](/heard-power#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](/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.

| Corner       | Control                                            |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Bottom left  | Mute or unmute Heard's voice. Agents keep working. |
| Bottom right | Open Heard Settings                                |
| Top right    | Switch between push to talk and Ambient listening  |

The top right control and a double press of right ⌘ change the same setting, so the keyboard, the corner, and Settings always agree.