Evanescent

Evanescent — Remember what matters, naturally

Evanescent is a delightfully simple macOS app that helps you remember important notes through gentle, visual decay. As time passes, words fade. A quick click on faded words restores them — reinforcing recall without pressure.

Why it works

Natural decay: Text gradually fades to nudge timely review
Effortless recovery: Click anywhere within a faded word to restore the whole word
Active recall options: Recover via quick questions or a built‑in memory card game
Smart nudges: Optional lightweight popups that respect your focus and schedule
Truly international: Full support for English, French, and Spanish

Core features

Decaying reminders

Word‑level visual decay over time; fully visible words count toward your visibility percentage
Quick glance progress bar per reminder
Sorting by due date, creation date, or decay level; fast text search
Organize reminders into custom categories for better management

Click‑to‑recover

Click anywhere on a faded word to restore the entire word (no more pixel‑perfect clicks)
Double-click on any reminder to expand/collapse for quick access
Smooth visual feedback with subtle animations and optional sound effects

Recovery workflows

Answer questions generated from your reminder to recover it
Memory Card Game: A short, fun matching game as an alternative recovery path
Auto‑close on success, or continue immediately

Smart engagement popups (optional)

Per‑reminder frequency: Frequent (randomly throughout the day), Daily, Occasional (every 2–4 days), or Off
Polite by design — popups are skipped when:
- The main window is already active
- Your screen is locked
- You've been idle > 15 minutes
- It fired less than 1 hour ago for that reminder
If skipped, the popup is rescheduled ~30 minutes later
Improved desktop switching: popups reliably bring the main window to front

Powerful editing and management

One‑click edit when a reminder is ≥ 95% visible
New: Selection mode with bulk actions
- Select/Deselect All
- Delete (N) with confirmation
Inline delete, expand/collapse, and keyboard shortcuts

Category organization

Create unlimited custom categories to organize your reminders
Filter by category in the main window or view all at once
Set a default category for new reminders
Easily manage categories: add, rename, or delete from toolbar or Settings
When deleting a category, reminders are automatically moved to "General"
Notifications automatically switch to the reminder's category when clicked
Category filter persists across app sessions

Personalization

Default font family, size, weight, and italics
Customizable background colors per reminder for better organization
Visual effects (sound + particles) toggle
Recovery threshold slider (0–90%) to choose when the "Recover" button appears
Language selection: English, French (Français), or Spanish (Español)
Instant app restart when changing languages for immediate effect

Local-first, privacy-friendly

Your reminders are stored locally on your Mac
No accounts, no trackers

International support

Full localization in English, French (Français), and Spanish (Español)
All UI elements, notifications, and recovery questions translated
Switch languages instantly with automatic app restart

How it feels day to day

Add what you want to remember
Let it gently fade with time
When you return, click faded words to bring them back — or use a quick recovery game
Optional popups keep you engaged without interrupting your flow

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the app open to decay reminders?
No. Evanescent keeps time and resumes the correct decay state when you return.
Can I turn off popups?
Yes. Set a reminder's frequency to Off, or manage defaults in Settings.
Will clicking small words be difficult?
Not anymore — clicking anywhere within the word restores the whole thing.
Can I organize reminders with colors?
Yes. Each reminder can have a custom background color for better visual organization.
Can I organize reminders into categories?
Yes. Create custom categories and filter reminders by category. The "General" category is available by default.
Which languages are supported?
English, French (Français), and Spanish (Español) with full UI and notification localization.
What macOS version do I need?
macOS 14 or later is recommended.

Getting started

Download and install Evanescent
Add your first reminder
Pick an engagement frequency (optional)
Watch your memory get sharper with gentle repetition

Support

Questions or feedback? We’d love to hear from you.

Email: evanescent@paulogarcia.com