[csydas]

I'd like to ask a follow-up also as I don't do any Mac dev, but has this API been around for a bit then? Like Monterey has been out for a bit and it's a little surprising that this article and the subsequent discussion is only popping up now, especially if there is an API answer to it already.

I ask earnestly if the change is really such a substantial one?

I have mixed feelings after reading the comments as I think that there are fairly valid arguments in both directions (e.g., that the solutions are plentiful, but also that workarounds aren't really a solution), but the arguments feel a bit empty if there's a "right" way to be handling the visuals that just isn't being used.

As a user I like the change in general as I have caught naughty applications that try to use mic input when I really don't want it, and my misclick/absentmindedness is not uncommon, so seeing such things helps a lot as I don't really think it's reasonable to constantly be checking the various app permissions to make sure they're what I want. This is a good reminder for me.

But I totally get not wanting the dot, as it's even been a prank on a site I go to to have a tiny red pixel just to annoy people (and it's a prank I've used). So I get the frustration with an unexpected visual. But, if there's a way to do the same activity by having the app utilize the correct API, it seems like an issue that is solved in the next update from these visual production apps, no?

[sulam]

CoreGraphics and the associated screen capture APIs have been around for a very long time. However they aren't particularly easy to use and do require your app to be trusted (reasonably so). You can't have just any old Mac app start capturing the screen and doing things with the pixels.

[mikewhy]

Users of audio/visual software typically wait a bit after major OS updates.