Backglow App Lets Users Customize MacBook Logo
Designer Juan Buis released the app as Apple restores the illuminated logo on its new MacBook Pro models.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Software
Designer Juan Buis released Backglow, an app that lets users customize the illuminated Apple logo on new MacBook Pro models. Apple brought back the glowing logo with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with PROLED XDR displays released on Friday.
Why it matters
The glowing logo was phased out on MacBooks beginning in 2015, and its return on newer hardware gives users a new way to personalize their devices. The app's added modes show how the illuminated logo can be used as a visual indicator beyond decoration.
The logo is lit by a white LED that does not change colors, and Apple engineered a custom light source because OLED displays lack a backlight. The app's Pro tier is priced at $9 for a limited time or $15 afterward.
The players
Juan Buis
Juan Buis is a designer who created the Backglow app for customizing the illuminated Apple logo on MacBooks.
Apple
Apple is the technology company that designs the MacBook Pro line and restored the glowing logo feature on its 14-inch and 16-inch models with PROLED XDR displays.
The details
Backglow's free version lets users adjust the logo brightness independently of display brightness, turn it off with one click, and use a Breathe mode that pulses the light. The Pro version adds a Music mode that moves the light to the beat of music played on the Mac and an Agents mode that pulses while Claude Code is working and blinks when attention is needed.
Timeline
Apple began phasing out the glowing logo on MacBooks in 2015.
Apple released the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the returned glowing logo on Friday.
Backglow Pro is available for $9 for a limited time.
Roadmap
The return of the glowing logo on OLED-based MacBook Pro models shows how display technology changes shape hardware details that were once tied to older backlit screens. Apple's custom LED approach, built to avoid adding thickness to the lid, reflects the constraints engineers face as laptop displays evolve.
Users who buy a new MacBook Pro can personalize the logo's brightness and behavior without changing system settings. The free tier covers basic control, while the $9 introductory Pro price adds music and coding-agent indicators.
The takeaway
Small software add-ons can give hardware features new uses, so readers buying new devices may find third-party tools worth comparing against built-in options before paying.
Further reading
For more on app releases like this one, browse the Software section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MacRumors.
