Your MacBook trackpad can now vibrate like a cat, and it’s surprisingly realistic.

      Mac developers continue to discover innovative ways to enhance their laptops beyond Apple's original design. Earlier this year, an app gained popularity for causing MacBooks to emit moans when slapped. Another inventive application allows users to feel the buttons on a webpage via the trackpad before clicking. Now, a developer has created an application that enables the trackpad to purr like a cat.

      PurrPad utilizes the Taptic Engine found in MacBook trackpads, allowing users to feel a purr under their palm rather than hearing it through speakers. Developer Francesco Pavanetto shared the app on Reddit and mentions that he calibrated the vibration to match the actual pitch of a cat’s purr, ensuring that the pattern never repeats exactly.

      Six cats, each with their own mood

      The app features six distinct cats, each exhibiting a unique personality. The free version includes House Cat, which typically purrs when a hand is placed on the trackpad. At times, it may sulk and react defensively if poked during its sulking phase. It unpredictably gets a burst of energy, and unlike a real cat, it avoids interrupting you during phone calls.

      All of these features can be customized through the app’s menu, where users can adjust vibration intensity, set affection levels from distant to clingy, and disable the occasional zoomies (though why would you?). The paid version costs $4.99 for lifetime access and unlocks an additional five cat personalities, including Kitten, Old Tomcat, Nervous, Falling Asleep, and Making Biscuits, along with the option to record your own cat for a personalized impression.

      Not available on the App Store but clear about it

      PurrPad is not listed on the App Store. According to Pavanetto, accessing the trackpad’s haptic engine in this way requires a private framework, so he distributes the app directly from his own website. If you're concerned about downloading an app outside the App Store, Pavanetto assures that PurrPad is signed and notarized, which should prevent Gatekeeper warnings.

      Regarding privacy, Pavanetto states that the app makes only one network request, which checks for new updates and can be completely disabled. There are no accounts, no analytics, and no cloud synchronization. Recordings of your cat are processed locally on the device and deleted afterward. He also acknowledges that a future macOS update could block the private macOS interface that operates the trackpad and has promised refunds if this occurs.

      Upon trying the app, I found that it works surprisingly well. The vibrations are quite realistic, though the purring does not activate every time you place your hand on the trackpad, which is by design. When it does activate, it can occasionally last longer than expected, which may be slightly bothersome. While I wouldn't keep it on all day, for cat enthusiasts who appreciate that gentle, subtle vibration when their cat purrs, PurrPad serves as an unexpectedly convincing substitute.