When Apple first dropped the Touch Bar in 2016, the tech world basically lost its mind. Some people called it the future of input. Others thought it was a pricey gimmick that killed the physical Escape key for no reason. But honestly? Amidst all the debates about productivity and "Pro" workflows, the internet found something much better to do with that tiny OLED strip: they turned it into a digital terrarium. That's how the MacBook Pro bar pet—specifically the app "Touchbar Pets"—became a cult classic.
It was weird. It was cute. It was deeply unnecessary.
If you’ve ever owned a 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Pro from that era, you know the struggle of trying to make that glowing strip useful. For most, it was just a place where the volume slider lived. But then developer Grace Avery changed the game by realizing that the Touch Bar was the perfect size for a 2D side-scroller. Suddenly, you weren't just editing video or typing emails; you were actively trying to keep a tiny, pixelated cat or dog alive while you worked.
The Rise of the MacBook Pro Bar Pet
The most famous iteration of this concept is undoubtedly Touchbar Pets. It wasn't some corporate Apple project. It was a grassroots, indie software "toy" that tapped into the same dopamine hit as the 1990s Tamagotchi. You’d download the app, and a small animal would appear right above your number keys.
You had to feed it. You had to play with it. If you ignored it for too long while grinding away on a spreadsheet, it would actually die.
There’s something inherently hilarious about a $3,000 professional machine being used to nurture a creature that consists of about fifty pixels. The app used the macOS system clock to track your pet's needs. If your pet's hunger bar dropped, you’d tap the screen to drop a little bit of digital food. It was distracting, sure, but it gave the sterile, aluminum aesthetic of the MacBook a soul.
It wasn't just Avery's version, either. Other developers jumped in. There was a Nyan Cat version that just let the famous rainbow-trailing feline sprint across your keyboard. There was even a Lemmings clone. But the "pet" aspect stuck because it felt personal. It turned a tool into a companion.
Why Did People Actually Use This?
Computers are boring.
Okay, maybe not boring, but they are functional. We spend eight to ten hours a day staring at these screens. The Touch Bar was Apple’s attempt to break the monotony, but they focused too hard on "serious" stuff like Photoshop brushes or Final Cut timelines. Users wanted whimsy. The MacBook Pro bar pet provided a low-stakes way to interact with hardware. It was a conversation starter. You’d be at a coffee shop, and someone would see a cat walking across your keyboard and ask, "Wait, how did you do that?"
Honestly, it highlighted the missed potential of the Touch Bar. Apple wanted it to be a professional powerhouse, but the community proved it was best as a canvas for creativity and play.
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How It Actually Works (The Tech Side)
If you still have an Intel-based MacBook Pro or one of the early M1 13-inch models with the bar, you can still run these apps. They basically function as a "window" that is forced into the Control Strip area of the macOS UI.
- Swift and AppKit: Most of these pets were built using Apple's native coding languages.
- NSTouchBar: This is the specific API (Application Programming Interface) that developers use to tell the Mac what to display on the strip.
- Resource Management: Because it's a constant animation, it does sip a little bit of battery. Not enough to kill your laptop, but enough that you might notice if you're already at 10%.
The "Touchbar Pets" app specifically required macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later. It was remarkably stable for what it was. You could choose between different animals, and the "health" of the pet would persist even if you closed the lid of your laptop, thanks to the way the app saved its state.
The Death of the Physical Bar and the Future of Digital Pets
In 2021, Apple started the transition back to physical function keys. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros arrived with big, clicky, reliable buttons. The Touch Bar was officially on its deathbed. By 2023, even the "entry-level" Pro had ditched the strip.
So, is the MacBook Pro bar pet dead?
Not exactly. While the hardware is fading away, the desire for "desktop companions" is seeing a massive resurgence. We’re seeing this now with the Dynamic Island on the iPhone. Third-party developers have created "Dynamic Island Pets" (like Apollo's "Pixel Pals") that sit on top of the camera cutout. It’s the spiritual successor to the Touch Bar pet.
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It’s the same vibe: taking a piece of controversial hardware and making it fun.
The Reality of Owning a Bar Pet Today
Look, if you’re still rocking a 2019 MacBook Pro, the Touch Bar pet is probably the only thing keeping you from getting frustrated with the butterfly keyboard or the thermal throttling. But there are some things you should know if you’re going to dive back in.
First, the app isn't on the official Mac App Store. You have to get it from GitHub or the developer's personal site. This means you’ll have to bypass the "unidentified developer" warning in your Security & Privacy settings. It’s safe, but it’s an extra step.
Second, it can get annoying. Sometimes you just want to change the brightness, and your cat is standing right over the icon. You have to tap around it. It’s a literal digital nuisance, but that’s part of the charm. It’s like a real pet—it gets in the way when you’re trying to work.
Better Alternatives or Variations?
If you aren't into the "pet" thing but like the aesthetic, the community created other cool stuff for the bar:
- Pock: This is a huge one. It moves your entire Dock (the icons at the bottom of your screen) into the Touch Bar. It frees up a ton of screen real estate.
- KnightTouchBar2000: It makes your Touch Bar look like the front of KITT from Knight Rider. Totally useless, totally awesome.
- TouchBar Pong: Exactly what it sounds like. You use the trackpad to move the paddle on the bar.
What This Tells Us About Tech Trends
We often think that "more features" equals "better," but the MacBook Pro bar pet proved that "more personality" is often what wins people over. Apple spent millions on the Touch Bar. They wanted it to change how we edit photos. Instead, we used it to feed cats.
This happens over and over. Look at the Apple Watch. Apple thought it would be a communication device where you’d send your heartbeat to people. Users just wanted it to track their steps and show them notifications. We take the high-tech tools given to us and we humanize them. We make them silly.
Taking Action: How to Get Your Own Bar Pet
If you want to try this out before the last Touch Bar Mac vanishes from the earth, here is your roadmap.
- Check your hardware: Ensure you have a MacBook Pro released between 2016 and 2022 that actually has the Touch Bar.
- Download "Touchbar Pets": Search for Grace Avery’s project on GitHub or her official site.
- Adjust Security Settings: Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security. You’ll likely need to click "Open Anyway" after the first failed launch attempt.
- Keep it Alive: Remember that the app needs to be "Active" in the background. If you quit the app, the pet disappears.
- Explore "Pixel Pals": If you’ve upgraded to a newer Mac and feel the FOMO, look into the iPhone version. It uses the Dynamic Island in almost the exact same way.
The era of the Touch Bar is mostly over. It’s a footnote in Apple’s history now. But for a few years, it wasn't just a strip of glass—it was a home for a lot of digital animals. And honestly, that might be the best thing it ever did.