Notch reviews

The review is where Atomus earns its keep. When atoms are due, a small pill appears at the top of your screen while you're in another app. You answer with a key or two, and it's gone.

What you see

On a notched MacBook (MacBook Pro 2021 and later, MacBook Air M2 and later), the pill grows out of the notch. On Macs without a notch and on external displays, it appears at the top center of the screen. Everything else works the same.

The pill shows how many atoms are due. Hover it to open the first card. It doesn't dim the rest of the screen.

Move the pointer away and the card folds back into the pill. You haven't missed anything. The atom waits until you come back to it.

Answering an atom

Try to recall the answer, then:

• Space reveals the answer
• H shows a hint, if the atom has one

Once the answer is showing, rate yourself:

• 1 – Forgotten, it didn't come back
• 2 – Took a while, you got it with effort
• 3 – Remembered, it came back easily

Two more keys for atoms you want out of the way:

• K marks the atom as mastered
• X suspends it, so it stops coming back

Esc folds the card back into the pill.

When reviews appear

A review shows up when FSRS decides an atom is due, based on how well you've remembered it before. A brand new atom comes back soon. One you've answered well several times might not come back for weeks.

By default, reviews pause during Focus modes and Do Not Disturb, in full-screen apps, and during video calls and playback. You can also set quiet hours and a cap on reviews per hour. See Notifications.

Missing a review

If you're away from your Mac when an atom comes due, nothing bad happens. When you come back, the pill is waiting, and FSRS accounts for the actual gap when it picks the next interval.

There's no streak to keep alive. The loop waits for you.