Your MacBook Knows the Angle You Opened It At — Here's How to Use This

Have you ever wondered how precisely your MacBook monitors the position of its lid? It turns out that modern Apple laptops are equipped with a hidden display angle sensor that few people know about. The LidAngleSensor project turns this sensor into a tool for developers and curious users alike.

What Is This Sensor and Why Is It Needed?

Starting with the MacBook Pro 16" from 2019, Apple has been installing a special sensor in laptops that precisely determines the lid opening angle. And while Apple officially doesn't publicize its capabilities, enthusiasts have already found uses for it.

The project author — designer and engineer Sam Gold — created a simple utility that:

Displays the current lid opening angle in real time
Can play a funny creaky door sound when the angle changes slowly (the effect is especially impressive if you do it very, very slowly)

How Does It Work in Practice?

Installation is simple — via Homebrew:

brew install lidanglesensor

After launching, you'll see a small window showing the current lid opening angle. Here are a few scenarios where this might be useful:

For developers: creating applications that respond to device orientation
For testing: verifying the sensor accuracy and laptop mechanics
For fun: demonstrating hardware capabilities to friends and colleagues

Fun fact: the creaky door sound effect is taken from LEGO Batman 3. The author honestly admits that audio isn't his strong suit — but that only adds to the project's charm.

Technical Limitations

Not all models are supported:

Works on MacBook Pro from 2019 onwards
Does not work on M1 MacBook Air/Pro
On iMac, surprisingly, it also works (verified experimentally!)

If you have a compatible model but the sensor isn't detected, the author suggests running a diagnostic script and reporting the issue.

Why Is This All Needed?

The author's honest answer: "I don't know." But if you think about it, such tools:

Allow us to better understand the hidden capabilities of our devices
Provide a foundation for experiments and new projects
Remind us that even familiar devices have unexplored functions

Is It Worth Trying?

Definitely yes, if:

You have a supported MacBook model
You're interested in Apple "hardware"
You enjoy unusual tech demos

The project is a great example of how developer curiosity can unlock hidden capabilities of ordinary devices. And if you like the concept, there's even a Python library for working with this sensor.

P.S. If you see "Lisa" in the author list — don't be surprised. That's the developer's mom, whose name is now forever tied to the project thanks to Apple Developer rules.