[chongli]

What 3rd party tools would those be? I've been using Macs since ~1994 and my 3rd party tool use has fluctuated wildly over that time. I have a lot of 3rd party software installed but I can't think of anything that I'd call a "requirement" to "fix" the OS.

[oaweoifjwpo]

The most obvious one is that there's no native way to handle having too many icons in the top bar. If you have too many, they just start disappearing, instead of being hidden in an expansion like on Windows. This _literally_ makes them unusable without a third party program.

And if you have the notch this is very far from a theoretical problem.

[chongli]

The native solution to this is to hold the command key and drag unneeded icons out of the bar to remove them. If the programs you’re using refuse to let you remove those icons (or they keep re-adding them against your wishes) then those programs are bad citizens and you should probably stop using them!

[gundewa]

That's not really a solution. I don't want the icons permanently gone, I want them accessible because they are there to provide essential functionality.

If I delete my Dropbox icon out of the menu bar how am I supposed to know that it's running, click on it to see its status, quit the program, etc.

[chongli]

I just uninstalled the Dropbox app to get rid of that icon because it was annoying me. I guess we have different priorities!

[gundewa]

Same issue for my password manager, my VPN, etc.

Sure, I could also uninstall all the programs I use but that does seem to defeat the purpose of having the computer.

[chongli]

I use the password manager built into the OS (iCloud Keychain) which doesn’t put an icon into that bar.

We’re talking about a limited resource (a few inches of screen real estate at the top of the screen) that tons of app developers feel entitled to occupy. Now we could have some kind of system whereby excess icons get dumped into a … menu, but that defeats the entire purpose since they’re no longer on the screen all the time!

There are plenty of apps out there which do not feel entitled to a slice of this precious screen real estate. I think it’s worth supporting them!

[kstrauser]

MacOS Tahoe lets you hide ones you don’t want to see. I uninstalled ICE after I upgraded because I don’t need it anymore.

[p_ing]

Rectangle (Apple's implementation is not as good), Balance Lock, Mos, Ice, Monitor Control.

[pdimitar]

Different sound device output for different apps. Apple still hasn't fixed this. In 2026. Still requires 3rd party apps. It's embarrassing.