The island

The island is orma at the top centre of your screen: in the notch on a MacBook that has one, and a small pill under the menu bar on any other screen. Press ⌥ Space to open it.

How to use it

• Open it. ⌥ Space opens the bar at the notch when you are in another app. When orma is in front, it opens the app’s own bar. To say it instead, use ⌥ ⇧ Space. See Talking to orma.
• Answer a peek. When something is ready, the island grows into one line with one action, like Continue → for a meeting summary or Record for a call that just started. ✕ puts it away.
• Hide it. ⌃ ⌥ H hides the island until you need it. ⌃ ⌥ I shows it again.

What it shows

• Answers and results. A short answer with its sources, or the rows of what orma just saved, with Undo (⌘ Z). Continue → takes it into the app.
• Needs you. Open the island to see what is waiting for your yes or worth a look, up to 10 items. The same items are on Home under New. When a result needs a decision, the island asks one question at a time, and the rest wait here.
• Reminders and calls. A reminder at its time. A call orma noticed, with Record. A call being recorded shows as a strip with its timer, and pause and stop appear when you point at it. See Meetings.

Good to know

• While your screen may be shared, the island shows kinds and counts only, like “Answer ready”, never names or text.
• It works the same on a Mac without a notch and on an external display.
• Raycast also uses ⌥ Space by default. If you have both, change the shortcut in one of them.

Turning it off

Settings › General › Where orma lives has one switch, The island. The island takes the place of orma’s menu-bar icon and its macOS notifications. Turn it off and both come back, and macOS asks you to allow the notifications. With the island off, ⌥ Space brings up the app.