Opening MacGaze the first time

macOS will refuse to open it, and then let you open it anyway. That is expected. It takes about twenty seconds and you only do it once.

Why this happens

Apple charges developers ninety nine US dollars a year to have their apps checked and stamped, which is called notarisation. MacGaze is not stamped yet. Without the stamp, macOS blocks the app the first time and asks you to confirm you meant to open it.

This is worth being straight about: that check exists for a good reason, and MacGaze asks for your camera and permission to type on your behalf. You are being asked to take our word for it. If you would rather not, that is a completely reasonable place to stop, and the download is free precisely so you can decide after seeing it rather than before.

The steps

1 · Open the disk image
Double-click MacGaze.dmg. A window opens with the MacGaze icon on one side and an Applications folder on the other. Drag MacGaze across onto Applications, then close the window and eject the disk image from the sidebar in Finder.
2 · Open it, and let it fail
Double-click MacGaze. macOS will say it "cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software". Click Done. Nothing has gone wrong.
3 · Allow it
Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, and scroll down to the Security section. There will be a line saying MacGaze was blocked, with an Open Anyway button next to it. Click that, then confirm with Touch ID or your password.
4 · Open it again
Double-click MacGaze once more. This time it opens, and macOS will not ask again. The MacGaze icon appears in your menu bar.
5 · Two permissions
MacGaze will ask for the camera, which it needs to see you, and for Accessibility, which is what lets it type your password at the lock screen. It cannot work without either. Both are revocable in the same Privacy & Security settings.

Then set it up

Click the MacGaze icon in the menu bar and work down: save your login password, then set up your face. The face scan takes about a minute, and you only do it once.

You get 14 days free, everything working. If you keep it, enter your licence key from the same menu.

If something goes wrong

No Open Anyway button
It only appears for about an hour after the app was blocked. Try opening MacGaze again, then go straight back to Privacy & Security.
It says the app is damaged
The download was interrupted. Delete it and download again.
It never recognises you
Run the face setup again in the light you normally sit in. Your own password always still works, so you cannot be locked out of your Mac.

Stuck? Email macgazesupport@gmail.com.