Ghosted: Smart Presence

What is Ghosted: Smart Presence?

Ghosted: Smart Presence is a macOS menu bar app that uses your Mac’s FaceTime camera for presence detection running on-device. Its core purpose is to automatically manage “away mode” behaviors—pausing media or locking your screen—when you step away, and resuming when you return.

The app is designed to work without cloud services or sign-in. The macOS camera indicators and camera controls behave normally (the green camera light is system-enforced), and the developer states the app does not collect data.

Key Features

• On-device presence detection via FaceTime camera: Detects whether you are present using the camera, without sending data to a cloud service.
• Menu bar control with minimal UI: Runs from the macOS menu bar for quick enabling and configuration.
• Watch Mode (media pause): Automatically pauses media playback (including Safari, Chrome, and system audio) after your selected delay when you leave.
• Shield Mode (screen lock): Locks the screen (screensaver) after a selected delay when you leave.
• Delay timing and sensitivity presets: Free tier includes sensitivity presets (5, 15, and 30 seconds) and can trigger actions after a delay you control.
• Presence handling options on Pro: Pro adds a custom timer (10–300 seconds), plus a grace period for re-detection to ignore brief absences.
• Per-app rules (Pro): Apply different behavior depending on the application.
• Automation integrations: On Pro, Ghosted supports Apple Shortcuts and webhook/screenshot-based automations on leave/return, plus a “Do Not Disturb via Shortcuts” option.
• Global detection toggle: Includes a custom keyboard shortcut to toggle detection globally.

How to Use Ghosted: Smart Presence

1. Install Ghosted: Smart Presence and open it so it can run from the macOS menu bar.
2. Enable the behavior you want:
   • Turn on Watch Mode to pause media when you leave.
   • Turn on Shield Mode to lock the screen when you leave.
3. Choose your delay using the available sensitivity presets (Free) or custom timer options (Pro). Adjust based on how long you typically step away.
4. (Optional) If you upgrade to Pro/Pro Plus, configure additional options such as grace period re-detection, per-app rules, and any Shortcuts/webhook/screenshot automations you want during leave/return.
5. Test by walking away and returning to confirm the pause/lock timing matches your preference.

Use Cases

• Open office “away mode”: Automatically pauses media and/or locks your screen when you step away from a shared workspace, reducing the need to manually pause or lock.
• Video or audio sessions: Prevents playback from continuing when you leave by using Watch Mode to pause Safari, Chrome, and system audio.
• Desk privacy when stepping out: Uses Shield Mode to lock the screensaver after a chosen delay, then restores normal use when presence is detected again.
• Short absences without interruptions (Pro): If you frequently step away briefly, Pro’s grace period re-detection can help ignore quick returns so actions don’t trigger unnecessarily.
• Different behavior per application (Pro): Apply one set of rules for one app and another for another app to better match your workflow.

FAQ

• Does Ghosted: Smart Presence require a sign-in or cloud account? No. The app is described as privacy-first with no cloud, no accounts, and no sign-in.

• What does Ghosted use to detect when I’m away? It uses your Mac’s FaceTime camera for on-device presence detection.

• What can Ghosted do when I leave my Mac? Depending on the mode you enable, it can pause media playback (Watch Mode) and/or lock the screen (Shield Mode) after a configurable delay.

• What macOS version does it support? The app requires macOS 13.0 or later.

• Is data collected by the app? The developer states that the app does not collect any data. Apple also notes that this information has not been verified by Apple.

Alternatives

• macOS built-in automation tools (e.g., Shortcuts/Focus): Use system-level automations to trigger actions when you manually enable modes or when certain conditions change. Compared to Ghosted, these approaches may require more manual setup and don’t use camera-based presence detection.
• Other privacy-focused “away”/screen lock utilities: Look for tools that lock screens or manage media based on activity or system events. These may differ in how they detect presence (not necessarily camera-based) and in how much configuration they require.
• Manual media controls + automatic screen lock: Rely on existing macOS settings and lock timing rather than camera-based detection. This can be simpler, but it won’t pause media specifically based on presence.
• Third-party presence or webcam-based automation apps (where available): Alternative apps may use similar device sensing. Availability and behavior vary, so you’d want to compare what detection method they use and what actions they automate on leave/return.