A status in one tap
Thirteen come ready, from In a meeting to Low social battery. You can make your own with your words and an emoji.
On a real panel
Two of the statuses on a 32x32 iPixel screen, filmed with an iPhone.
What Dotty does
Timers
Show when you'll be back, or count down a call. The screen keeps the time on its own.
Focus sessions
Set how long you focus, how long the breaks last and how many rounds you want. Each one counts down on the screen with a bar along the bottom.
Works with your phone away
Dotty sends the next few hours to the screen ahead of time, so it carries on when your phone leaves the room or your Mac goes to sleep.
Your own GIFs
Add a GIF or a short video and the screen loops it by itself. Pictures work too.
Lock Screen and menu bar
On iPhone, a Live Activity keeps the timer on your Lock Screen. On the Mac, Dotty sits in the menu bar and can show On a call by itself while an app records or your camera is on.
No account
There's nothing to sign up for and no tracking. Your pictures go straight to the screen over Bluetooth.
Clock faces
Twenty-one of them, from big digits and clock hands to binary and a word clock. The clock keeps working after the trial ends, whether you buy Dotty or not.
iPhone and Mac
iPhone
Statuses, focus sessions, clock faces and media, with a live preview of the screen at the top.
iOS 17 or later
Mac
It lives in the menu bar, with the same statuses and clock faces as the iPhone app.
macOS 14 or later
The screen
Dotty works with the generic 32x32 LED screens made in China for the iPixel Color app. The same panel turns up under a different brand name on almost every listing, so the name on the box tells you very little. Check these four things instead.
- It uses the iPixel Color appThe listing names the app, or its photos show the app's gallery with a yellow DIY switch.
- It's 32 by 32 pixelsThat's 1,024 LEDs. Many listings also sell 16x16 and 64x64 versions, and Dotty can't use those.
- It hangs on a suction cupThe panel is about 13 cm (5 inches) square, on a suction-cup arm with a USB cable. Ours came in a plain white box printed LED SMART SCREEN.
- Dotty lists it as
LED_BLE_Once it's plugged in, it shows up in Dotty's list of screens under that name, followed by eight letters and numbers.
Watch for look-alikes. Some 32x32 pixel frames look much the same but run the iDotMatrix or Divoom apps. Dotty can't drive those.
Listings that match
Checked on 7 November 2026. Sellers change their listings often, so compare against the checklist before you buy.
ViaGasaFamido LED displayAmazon. Names the iPixel Color app.→
TsoLay car pixel displayAmazon. The app shows in the photos.→
Eujgoov LED displayAmazon. Names the iPixel Color app.→
ColorRGB smart LED pixel displayAliExpress. Choose the 32x32 option.→
If these are gone, any screen that passes all four checks should work. If yours doesn't, tell us.
Pricing
Everything is free for 14 days. After that you pay once, with no subscription.
iPhone
Free to download
- Buy it in the app when the trial ends
- A Mac license unlocks it too
Mac
$15 once
- The trial starts the first time you open it
- One license covers up to 3 Macs and iPhones
- Updates are included
Questions
Which screens does Dotty work with?
Generic 32x32 LED screens made for the iPixel Color app. The screen section has a checklist and listings that match. Other sizes aren't supported yet.
Will an iDotMatrix or Divoom frame work?
No. They look similar, but each uses its own Bluetooth protocol, and Dotty only speaks the one the iPixel Color screens use.
Do I still need the iPixel Color app?
No. Only one app can talk to the screen at a time, so close the iPixel app while Dotty is connected.
Does my phone have to stay nearby?
Only while something new is being sent. Clocks, timers and focus sessions run on the screen by themselves.
Can one purchase cover my Mac and my iPhone?
A Mac license can: it unlocks the iPhone app too, on up to 3 devices in all. A purchase made in the iPhone app covers iPhones on your Apple Account.
What does Dotty collect?
Almost nothing. There's no account, no ads and no analytics. The privacy policy lists exactly what leaves your device.
I need help
The support page covers the common problems, and a person answers the email.