- FIXImproved favicon safety. Malformed website icons are rejected instead of making Essentials unresponsive.
Changelog
Release notes in plain language.
- FIXiCloud sync now uses Apple's native key-value storage, so spaces, settings, and custom icons actually propagate across your Macs.
- FIXSite icons are now checked and resized before caching; corrupt or oversized images are skipped instead of leaving a blank tile.
- FIXSlow or excessive site-icon responses are now bounded, so an unresponsive website cannot keep icon resolution running indefinitely.
- FIXChanging a synced tile's website no longer leaves the previous website's automatic icon on another device.
- FIXSite icons now refresh when websites change them and are periodically rechecked without reloading them every time the popup opens.
- FIXDeleting tiles and spaces now removes their unused cached site icons instead of leaving local data behind.
- FIXRemoved the generic Google favicon fallback. Site icons now come only from saved-site or browser/website-supplied resources; unresolved tiles use initials.
- FIXImproved sync reliability. Your spaces and tiles now stay consistent across your Macs, reinstalls, and updates.
- FIXFixed favicons that could show up blank when a site was added in a different light or dark mode.
- NEWPrivate Browsing is fully respected. Essentials never saves or tracks tabs from Safari Private Browsing windows.
- FIXClearer, more accurate explanation of the website-access permission in Settings → About. Essentials still includes no developer telemetry, sends no browsing history to the developer, and keeps synced Essentials data out of developer-operated systems.
- NEWSharper site icons. Essentials now uses each site's high-resolution icon (the crisp one built for app tiles) instead of the tiny browser favicon, so your grid looks clean and clear, especially for app-style sites like Notion, Linear, and Figma.
- NEWIcons that fix themselves. A tile showing a generic or low-quality icon upgrades to the site's proper icon automatically once you open that site in a tab, no action needed.
- FIXCorrect icons for sites that redirect to another domain (for example notion.so → notion.com).
- FIXMore reliable icon loading. Resolved an issue that could leave some tiles without an icon.
- NEWReplace any tile's icon with one of your own. Right-click a tile and pick Replace icon…, or set a custom icon while adding an essential. Useful when a site's own favicon is wrong or generic. Your choice syncs across your Macs via iCloud.
- NEWNew setting in Layout: Dim inactive essentials. On by default. Turn it off if you'd rather every tile look the same regardless of which tab is currently open.
- FIXFaster popup with hundreds of essentials. Internal indexing now scales linearly with open tabs instead of essentials × tabs.
- NEWInitial release. A toolbar grid of your favorite sites, organized into spaces, with iCloud sync, drag-and-drop reorder, keyboard shortcuts, and full light & dark support.