What you need

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and your Apple Account signed in to the App Store. Macs with an Intel processor can't run Sticta.

Install TestFlight

TestFlight is Apple's free app for trying apps before they're released. Get it from the Mac App Store and sign in with the same Apple Account you use for the App Store.

Join the beta

Open the beta link on your Mac, not on your iPhone. Click View in TestFlight, then Accept and Install. Sticta lands in your Applications folder like any other app.

The beta has a limited number of places. If the link says the beta is full, join the email list and we'll tell you when places open up.

Updates

When we ship a new beta build, TestFlight tells you and you can update in one click. Turn on Automatic Updates for Sticta in TestFlight to get new builds without thinking about it. Each build works for 90 days; by then there'll be a newer one.

Free plan and Sticta Unlimited

The beta starts on the free plan, just like the real app: every scene, one project and five stickers. Sticta Unlimited removes those limits and adds a different project on every display and wallpaper rotation. Unlock it in Settings → Sticta Unlimited, or from the prompt that appears when you reach a limit.

Try the free plan first. Once you unlock Unlimited in the beta, it stays unlocked for your Apple Account and there's no easy way back to the free plan. We'd love to hear how the free plan and the moment you reach its limit feel.

Test purchases: free, and only in the beta

Purchases in a TestFlight build go through Apple's test environment, called the sandbox. You'll see the usual App Store purchase sheet with the price, marked as a test (it may say [Environment: Sandbox]). Confirm it with your normal Apple Account; you don't need a special test account.

• You're not charged. No money moves, not now and not later.
• It stays in the beta. A test purchase doesn't carry over to the App Store version. When Sticta launches, Unlimited has to be bought for real, or unlocked with a code.
• Restore works. Using the beta on a second Mac? Settings → Sticta Unlimited → Restore Purchase unlocks it there too.
• Codes don't work in the beta. The launch discount code and the giveaway prize are App Store offer codes, so they're redeemed in the App Store version after launch.

What to try

Anything goes, but these help us most:

• Cutting out tricky photos: groups, pets, flyaway hair, busy backgrounds, dark or blurry shots. Pick different people in one photo, and fix edges with the brush.
• The travel map with your own holiday photos: are they placed in the right country? What about photos without a location?
• Setting the wallpaper, especially with more than one display, a notch, Spaces or full-screen apps.
• Unplugging and plugging displays back in, and the Displays view (⇧⌘D).
• Wallpaper rotation (Unlimited): hourly, daily, weekly or on wake, with your Mac going to sleep and waking up.
• Settings: the menu bar icon, hiding the Dock icon, opening at login, and freeing up storage.

Sending feedback

Open TestFlight, select Sticta and click Send Beta Feedback. Write what you did, what you expected and what happened instead, and attach a screenshot if you can. If Sticta crashes and TestFlight offers to send us the crash report, please say yes and add a line about what you were doing.

You can also write to sticta@proton.me. Tell us your Mac model, macOS version and the Sticta build number (in Sticta → About Sticta, or in TestFlight).

Short notes are welcome. “This button confused me” is useful feedback too.

Your privacy in the beta

The beta works like the real app: Sticta itself never connects to the internet and your photos stay on your Mac. Only what you choose to send through TestFlight reaches us (feedback, screenshots and crash reports), together with basic details such as your Mac model and macOS version. TestFlight is run by Apple under its own terms. If a photo cuts out badly and you'd like us to see it, only send it if you're comfortable sharing it.

When Sticta launches

Install Sticta from the Mac App Store. It replaces the beta, and your projects and stickers stay where they are. You can then remove Sticta from TestFlight. The beta build stops working once it expires, so switch to the App Store version when you get the launch email.

Beta giveaway

The 10 testers who send the most useful feedback get Sticta Unlimited free when it launches. See the giveaway rules for who can take part and how we pick.