Amma
Mac app · 2026
MACWhat if your mother
lived inside your Mac?
A little reminder. A lot of love.
A tiny app for a very big relationship.
01The question
Why does technology know so much about us…
…but still doesn’t know when our mother is worried?
In a noisy day, her message always stands out.
02The spark
It started with an annoyance.
My Mac told me about meetings, updates and three new messages. It never once asked if I had eaten. The reminders I actually needed were the ones from home — and no notification centre sounded like that.
This started as a joke.
03Build tonight
So I built a tiny version.
15 Sep 2026. First commit at 10:02, pushed at 11:41. One Swift file, a black pill that sits by the notch and says “Saaptiya?”
1// the panel must be allowed to live where the notch is2override func constrainFrameRect(_ r: NSRect, to s: NSScreen?) -> NSRect { r }34if idleSeconds > 45 * 60 { nudge(.move) } // because someone has to
v0.1 — but it worked!
04Try it
Try it.
Pick a reminder, choose a language, see how it feels.
Same love. Different languages. ♡
22 languages
Because “Saaptiya?” sounds different in every home. Tap one.
strings straight from the app’s Languages.swift
“Food tastes better when someone cares if you’ve eaten.”
05The real product
Not just a prototype.
Amma lives in your Mac. Always there, never intrusive. Meals, water, eye rest, medicine, sleep — on your schedule, in your language, in her voice.
- Notch integrationSits below the menu bar, wakes when you look
- Smart remindersCatches up after sleep; nudges when you’ve been still too long
- 22 languagesNative script, romanised, or both — RTL included
- Anyone you loveAmma, Appa, Paati, wife, husband… your photo, your name
“பத்திரமா இரு ♥”
Take care ♥ — your own photo goes here
Small details.
Big difference.
- Her real voiceRecord a clip per reminder. No robot voice, ever.
- Gentle by designDismiss, snooze, quiet hours. It never nags twice.
- Works offlineNothing leaves your Mac. No accounts, no analytics.
- Open sourceMIT licence. Fork it for your own family.
07It changed
v0.1
Notch pill, scheduler, Settings
15 Sep 2026 · 10:02
அசாப்பிட்டியா?Saaptiya?v0.2
Below the menu bar · her photo · personas
15 Sep · 10:06
அதண்ணி குடி.Thanni kudi.v0.4
Catch-up after sleep · nudge queue
15 Sep · 10:14
அகண்ணுக்கு ரெஸ்ட் கொடு.Rest your eyes.v0.6
Context actions · countdowns · praise
15 Sep · 10:30
அ1 glass · 2 glasses · 4How much water?v0.8
22 languages · first-launch picker · RTL
15 Sep · 11:33
அखाना खाया?Khaana khaaya?v1.0
Her own recorded voice · pushed
15 Sep · 11:41
அYou’ve got this. ♥Today
Waiting for Messages access
iMessage from family — built, untested
அ…
06Then someone used it
Then someone used it.
Waiting for the first person who isn’t me.
If you try it, tell me what she said and what you did next. sivachennai@me.com
Real messages only. Nothing invented.
08What I learned
The hardest part wasn’t the notch.
It was saying no to the robot voice. Every text-to-speech engine could say “Saaptiya?” perfectly — and none of them sounded like anyone’s mother. So the app asks for a ten-second recording instead. Less clever. More her.
09Still wondering
…still wondering…
When should a reminder stay quiet? …and how does software know the difference between busy and avoiding?
10Next world