← Linger

Support

Linger keeps your computer awake only while you're actually in front of it, and lets it sleep when you leave — using on-device face recognition.

Getting started

1. Linger runs in the menu bar (the eye icon near the clock) — there's no Dock icon or main window.
2. Click the icon → Set up face recognition. Grant camera permission and follow the ring: it goes orange while you adjust and green when you're centered and well lit. Capture when it says you're ready.
3. That's it. Linger now keeps your computer awake while you're present and lets it sleep when you step away.

Settings

Open Settings… from the menu:

• Start watching after — how long with no keyboard/mouse input before Linger looks for you.
• Re-check while you're here — how often it re-confirms you're still there.
• Match strictness — how closely a face must match yours.
• Open Linger automatically at login — off by default; turn it on to have Linger start with your session.

FAQ

Why does the green camera light blink?

macOS turns on the green indicator whenever any app uses the camera — it can't be hidden. Linger only checks during idle moments and keeps each check very short.

Does Linger record or upload video?

No. Frames are analyzed on your computer in memory and immediately discarded. Only a numeric faceprint is stored locally; nothing is ever transmitted. See the Privacy Policy.

It keeps the computer awake for anyone, not just me.

That happens before you enroll. Once you enroll your face, only you keep it awake.

It says "absent" when it's me.

Make sure you're in good, even light and facing the camera. Try Re-enroll from the menu, and/or lower Match strictness in Settings.

Does it work with an external or closed-lid display?

Linger needs a working camera. With the lid closed (clamshell) and no external camera, presence checks can't run.

How do I delete my face data?

Settings → Remove my face data. Uninstalling Linger also removes everything it stored locally.

Battery impact?

Minimal — and Linger usually saves power overall. While you're actively using the computer the camera stays off completely. When you're idle, Linger wakes it for under a second to take one low-resolution frame, roughly once a minute, and recognition runs on Apple's Neural Engine in a few milliseconds — a fraction of a percent of battery per hour. Because Linger then lets your computer sleep the moment you leave, instead of keeping it awake for hours like a typical "keep awake" app, it generally saves far more power than its checks ever use. You can lengthen the time between checks in Settings.

What about CPU and memory?

Tiny. There's no constant background processing — Linger only does work during a brief check. Face recognition runs as a single pass on the Neural Engine (the low-power chip Apple builds for exactly this), not on the main processor, and the rest of the time Linger sits idle in your menu bar.

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