Zac Hall, writing for 9to5Mac on August 19:

The new Meta AI desktop app is version 1.0 beta at launch and
weighs just 16MB once installed. Based on initial inspection, it
runs natively on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15 or later, using
an AppKit and SwiftUI shell with WebKit for richer chat content.
In other words, this is not an Electron app or a repackaged iPad
release.

It includes Mac-specific hooks, making the desktop experience more
robust than the Meta AI mobile app. Quick Invoke uses Option-Space
to place a compact Meta AI composer over whatever you are doing. A
separate dictation feature lets you hold a shortcut, speak, and
have the resulting words typed into any app, from Mail and
documents to code editors.

Meta AI can also attach another Mac window to a conversation. With
Screen Recording and Accessibility permission, the app reads the
window’s visible text and captures a screenshot for the next
question. This is context gathering rather than computer control
for now.

Passes the Settings window sniff test too — it actually has a Settings window. Meta, institutionally, seems more keen on native Mac apps than they are native Windows apps.

Update: The Mac app is not available in the App Store. You need to download it directly from Meta’s web page, using the “Download for Mac (Beta)” link. The ChatGPT and Claude Mac apps aren’t in the Mac App Store either — they do too many things outside the App Store’s mandatory sandbox (and probably use APIs require that special entitlements in the App Store too).