Give Notch Apps Permission for Spotify & Music
To give a notch app like Sapphire permission for Apple Music and Spotify, open Music or Spotify first, then open the notch app and click OK when macOS asks to control them. Missed it? Go to System Settings › Privacy & Security › Automation, expand the notch app, switch Spotify and Music on, and relaunch it.
Checked on 28 September 2026 against Apple’s Mac User Guide, Sapphire’s FAQ and source, and Boring Notch’s README and source. Sources are at the end.
TL;DR
- Music and Spotify: Automation. The app to control must be running before macOS can ask.
- Media keys, window tricks, HUDs: Accessibility.
- Live activities, lyrics timing, screenshots: Screen & System Audio Recording (only some apps).
- AirPods and device pop-ups: Bluetooth.
- Calendar and reminders: Calendars and Reminders.
- Stuck? Turn the switch off and on, relaunch the app, or reset it with
tccutil.
Which permissions do notch apps ask for?
Each notch app asks for different things, depending on its features:
| Permission | What it unlocks in a notch app | Sapphire | Boring Notch | NotchNook | FavShelf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automation | Controlling Spotify and Music, reading the track | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes |
| Accessibility | Media-key and volume HUDs, reading other apps | Yes (FAQ) | Only for HUD replacement | Yes (reviews) | No |
| Screen & System Audio Recording | Screen capture; Sapphire uses audio to time lyrics | Yes (FAQ) | No | Yes (reviews) | No |
| Bluetooth | Device connect and low-battery pop-ups | Yes | No | Not stated | No |
| Calendars / Reminders | Agenda in the island | Yes | Yes | For its calendar view | Not for the glance |
| Camera | Mirror or camera preview | Yes | Yes | Mirror | Yes, optional |
Sapphire’s and Boring Notch’s lists come from their own FAQ, README and the permission descriptions in their source code. NotchNook’s website didn’t load when we checked, so its column comes from independent reviews.
How do you give a notch app permission for Spotify and Apple Music?
Notch apps control Spotify and Music through Apple Events, which macOS calls Automation. The permission is per pair: “Sapphire may control Spotify” is separate from “Sapphire may control Music”.
- Open Spotify or Music and play a track. Apple’s documentation for the check apps use says the target “must refer to a running application”; if Spotify isn’t open, macOS can’t show the prompt.
- Open the notch app (or quit and reopen it). A dialog asks whether it may control Spotify or Music. Click OK.
- Missed it, or clicked Don’t Allow? Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Automation. Find the notch app, expand it, and switch on Spotify and Music.
- Quit and reopen the notch app so it picks up the change.
Spotify isn’t in the Automation list? It only appears after the notch app has asked once. Repeat steps 1 and 2. If the prompt never comes, reset that app’s Automation decisions in Terminal and try again:
tccutil reset AppleEvents <bundle-id>Find the bundle ID with osascript -e 'id of app "Sapphire"' (use the app’s name as it appears in Applications). Some developers report the prompt failing when Spotify or Music hasn’t been opened in a long time; opening the music app first is the fix that usually works.
Why do some apps show browser media without Automation? Since macOS 15.4, Apple blocks third-party apps from the private MediaRemote framework that used to report whatever was playing. Boring Notch and Sapphire now use the open-source mediaremote-adapter workaround for system-wide now playing, and Automation for Spotify and Music controls.
How do you grant Accessibility to a notch app?
- System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
- Switch the notch app on. If it isn’t listed, click +, pick it from Applications, and switch it on.
- Enter your password or use Touch ID when asked.
- Quit and reopen the app.
Boring Notch only needs this if you turn on its HUD replacement, which takes over the volume and brightness keys. Sapphire’s FAQ asks for it at first launch.
How do you grant Screen Recording?
- System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording.
- Switch the app on, or add it with +.
- macOS usually asks to Quit & Reopen. Screen Recording only takes effect after a relaunch.
Sapphire describes its audio capture as listening to “your music app’s audio on this Mac to time lyrics word by word”. If you don’t use lyrics, you can leave that off. On macOS Sequoia and later, apps that capture the screen get a periodic reminder prompt; that’s by design and no app can turn it off.
How do you allow Bluetooth for a notch app?
Bluetooth is its own entry: System Settings › Privacy & Security › Bluetooth. Switch the app on. Notch apps use it to show a pop-up when AirPods connect or a device battery runs low. If you don’t want those, leave it off; media controls don’t need it.
What if a permission is on but still doesn’t work?
This is the most common complaint, and usually the easiest fix:
- Switch it off and on. In the relevant Privacy & Security list, turn the app off, then on again.
- Relaunch the app. Screen Recording and some Accessibility features only apply at launch.
- Remove and re-add it. Select the app, click −, then add it again with +. An app update signed differently can leave a stale entry that looks on but isn’t.
- Reset and ask again:
tccutil reset Accessibility <bundle-id>(orScreenCapture, orAppleEvents), then relaunch.
Our post on why macOS keeps asking for permissions explains why this happens after updates.
How does FavShelf handle these permissions?
FavShelf, FavTray’s Dynamic Island for the notch, keeps the list short. Showing and controlling Spotify and Apple Music needs Automation, and the camera preview needs Camera, only if you open it. The island’s glance doesn’t need Accessibility, Screen Recording or Bluetooth.
When a permission is needed, FavTray opens the right System Settings pane and docks a small guide beside it: find FavTray in the list, turn it on. If FavTray isn’t listed, the guide gives you its icon to drag in or a button to reveal it in Finder. It watches the switch and says “Done” as soon as the permission works.
Free vs Pro: the island glance (now playing with controls, weather and AI usage bars) is free on every install. The tools inside the island, like the clipboard, file shelf and camera check, are part of Pro, a one-time Lifetime licence. Setting up for the first time? Follow how to get a Dynamic Island on Mac, or compare the options in NotchNook vs Boring Notch.
Sources (checked 28 September 2026): Apple Mac User Guide: Automation, Accessibility, Screen & System Audio Recording, Privacy & Security; Sapphire FAQ and source; Boring Notch; mediaremote-adapter; NotchNook review, MacSources; Apple’s AppleEvents.h header (AEDeterminePermissionToAutomateTarget).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I give Sapphire permission for Apple Music and Spotify?
Open Spotify or Music and play a song, then open Sapphire. When macOS asks whether Sapphire may control Spotify or Music, click OK. If you clicked Don't Allow, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Automation, expand Sapphire, and switch on Spotify and Music. Sapphire's FAQ also asks for Accessibility and Screen Recording, which live in the same Privacy & Security list.
Why doesn't Spotify appear under Automation in System Settings?
macOS only adds an app to the Automation list after the notch app has tried to control it, and it can only ask while that app is running. Open Spotify or Music, play something, then relaunch the notch app so it asks again. If the prompt still doesn't appear, reset the permission with tccutil reset AppleEvents followed by the notch app's bundle ID, and try again.
Which permissions does Boring Notch need?
Boring Notch uses Automation to control Spotify and Apple Music, Calendar and Reminders for its calendar view, Camera for the mirror, and Accessibility only if you turn on its HUD replacement for volume and brightness keys. It doesn't ask for Screen Recording or Bluetooth.
Is it safe to give a notch app Accessibility or Screen Recording?
Those are powerful permissions: Accessibility lets an app read and control other apps, and Screen Recording lets it capture the screen. Grant them only to apps you trust, downloaded from the developer's official site or GitHub, and only for the features you actually use. You can switch any of them off later in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
Which permissions does FavShelf need for music?
FavShelf, the notch island in FavTray, uses Automation to show and control Spotify and Apple Music, and Camera only for the optional camera preview. The media glance is free on every FavTray install. When a permission is needed, FavTray opens the right System Settings pane with a small guide beside it.