Levels and looks
Pick a level by hand #
- Left-click the tray icon to open the Busy Meter panel. Under Set a level, click a level: Free, Away, Focus, Call, Meeting, Present, DND or Flash.
- Right-click the tray icon for the menu: 0 · Free, 1 · Away … 6 · Do not disturb, Flash.
- Or tap the meter.
A level you pick is a manual level. The panel shows MANUAL and how long it holds. Resume (in the panel) or Resume automatic (in the menu) hands back to your sources.
How long a manual level holds #
Settings › Manual hold, under "A level you pick stays until":
- The next automatic change (recommended): when a meeting starts or ends, or anything else changes, the sources take over again.
- A set time: holds for the number of minutes you choose (60 by default), then the sources take over.
- I resume it: stays until you choose Resume in the tray, or hold the touch pad for Free.
The camera always wins: while any app uses your camera the meter flashes, even over a level you picked. When the camera turns off, your level comes back if it's still holding.
Pause syncing #
Pause syncing (panel footer or tray menu) turns the meter off and ignores every source, the camera included. Pick a level, tap the meter, or choose Resume syncing to end it. A pause doesn't survive restarting the app.
Which signal shows which level #
Settings › Levels › What each signal shows has a list of every signal with the level it shows. Change any of them; changed rows get a gold border. Reset to defaults puts them back. Less common Teams and calendar statuses are under More statuses.
Each signal can show any level, Flash, Off (meter dark), or Ignore.
| Signal | Shows by default |
|---|---|
| Camera in use | Flash |
| Microphone in use | 3 · On a call |
| Teams app: in a meeting or call | 4 · In a meeting |
| Teams app: sharing your screen | 5 · Presenting |
| Teams app: camera on | Flash |
| Teams (signed in): Focusing | 2 · Focus |
| Teams (signed in): In a call | 3 · On a call |
| Teams (signed in): In a meeting, in a conference call, Busy | 4 · In a meeting |
| Teams (signed in): Presenting | 5 · Presenting |
| Teams (signed in): Do not disturb, Urgent interruptions only | 6 · Do not disturb |
| Teams (signed in): Away, Be right back, Inactive | 1 · Away |
| Teams (signed in): Available, Offline, Off work, Out of office | Ignore |
| Slack: in a huddle | 3 · On a call |
| Slack: Do not disturb or snoozed | 6 · Do not disturb |
| Calendar: Busy, Out of office, Tentative (if counted) | 4 · In a meeting |
| Calendar: Focus time | 2 · Focus |
| Calendar: Free, Working elsewhere | Ignore |
| Nothing going on | Free |
Calendar rules #
- Count tentative events: events you answered Maybe to, or that are marked tentative. Off by default.
- Count all-day events: holidays and all-day blocks. Off by default.
- Focus keywords: events whose title has one of these words show Focus. Default: "Focus". Type a word and press Enter to add one. Titles are only checked, never kept.
When sources disagree #
- Busiest wins (recommended): the meter shows the busiest thing going on. The camera is always on top.
- Rank sources: put your sources in order; the highest-ranked source with something going on decides. Handy when, say, a meeting ended early but the calendar still says busy and you want Teams to win.
Look #
Settings › Look changes how the meter looks. Changes are only a preview until you click Save to meters; saving writes the look into the meter, so taps on the meter use it too, even with your PC off.
- Live preview on my meters (on by default): your meters show the level you pick on this page in the new look. They go back to your real level when you save, leave the page, or after 2 minutes.
- Stars: the star color. Turn on Different color for each level to color Away … Do not disturb separately.
- Accent light: the light along the bottom edge, lit at every level and during Flash. Pick its color (soft white by default) or switch it off. With it off, Free shows nothing, so the meter looks switched off when you're free.
- Flash: the two flash colors and the speed. The speed is capped at 3 a second for people sensitive to flashing light.
- Brightness and fade: overall brightness, and Fade between levels (0 = Instant). The meter limits its own power, so very bright looks may come out a little dimmer than set.
- Same look on both sides (Doorway): switch it off to give the front and back different colors. Click a side's picture to choose which side you're editing; Copy front to rear and Copy rear to front copy a side over.
- Reset to defaults puts the default look back (you still need to save).
Night schedule #
Turn on Night schedule to change the meter by time of day, for example from 19:00 to 07:00.
- Then: Dim caps the brightness at the Night brightness you set (5% to 50%, 20% by default). It never makes the meter brighter than your normal brightness.
- Then: Turn the meter off turns it off while levels are automatic. A level you pick by hand, and Flash, still show.
The panel shows when the night schedule is active and until when.
The meter says it isn't set up as a Desk or Doorway #
If the Look page says a meter isn't set up as a Desk or Doorway, it can't take looks or live previews. This happens only on meters whose software was changed by hand. Recovery flashing fixes it.