Designer Launches 'Backglow' App to Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
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A new app called "Backglow" lets users change how the illuminated Apple logo behaves on the newest MacBook Pro models. Designer Juan Buis created the software to give users direct control over the returning feature.
The app includes a free version that lets users change the brightness of the Apple logo by itself, separate from the screen's brightness. Users can also turn the logo light off with a single click. Another free choice is a "Breathe" mode, which makes the logo pulse gently like the sleep indicator lights on older Mac computers.
A Pro version is available for a one-time payment of $9 for a limited time or $15 later. This paid version unlocks two extra modes. A "Music" mode makes the logo light pulse to the beat of music playing on the Mac, while an "Agents" mode makes the light pulse while Claude Code is working and blink when it needs attention. Buis noted that the logo uses a white LED that does not change colors.
The glowing logo reappeared on the newly released 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that use PROLED XDR displays. Apple originally started removing the glowing logo from its laptops in 2015. On older MacBooks, the logo was lit by the display's backlight, but OLED screens do not have backlights, which meant Apple had to design a new method.
Apple built a custom light source so the logo could glow again without making the laptop lid any thicker. By default, the logo stays lit whenever the Mac is awake, and it automatically adjusts its brightness based on the screen setting and room lighting detected by an ambient light sensor.
Without the app, turning off the logo requires typing a command into the Mac's Terminal app rather than using standard system settings. The default lighting turns back on if macOS is reinstalled, or users can manually turn it back on through Terminal.
Summary
The return of the glowing Apple logo brings back a popular design feature from older laptops, while new software tools give users direct control over its brightness and special lighting effects.