Listen mode

A Mac that’s asleep can’t answer your phone. A Mac mini or iMac can simply be set never to sleep, but a MacBook sleeps when you close the lid. Listen mode lets a single MacBook be the host.

Turn it on

In Settings › This Mac › Listen mode, or from the Pallm menu bar icon, switch on Keep this Mac awake. You can keep it on, or choose a number of hours from 1 to 24.

While it’s holding the Mac awake, the menu bar icon turns into a cup.

The first time, macOS needs an administrator to allow Pallm’s helper. Choose Open Login Items… in Pallm, which takes you to System Settings › General › Login Items, and switch Pallm on there. After that the switch needs no password.

What it does

• It keeps the Mac awake, including with the lid closed, only while it’s plugged in.
• On battery it pauses itself and tells your phone. It picks up again when you plug back in.
• It works even when the Pallm app isn’t open.

Listen mode has a real cost: the Mac stays warm, its fans may run, and it uses power all the time. Use it when you need the Mac reachable, not as a permanent setting for a laptop you carry around.

Turning it off for good

Switch it off in Pallm. To remove the helper entirely, switch Pallm off in System Settings › General › Login Items. Your Mac’s normal sleep settings come back either way.