Iris 1.9.0 — A Ring for Typing Speed

2026-11-12 · 2 min read · AI

Iris 1.9.0 is out. One change only. A ring for typing speed.

Three states of the Iris typing-speed ring: typing, idle, and a new best — An illustration, not a screenshot. The three WPM rings on the right are the typing, idle, and new-best states. The real overlay has a single WPM ring.

What it does

While you type, the number in the ring is words per minute. It only looks at the last five seconds. The math is simple: keystrokes divided by five, scaled to a minute. So the number moves fast.

Stop for about two seconds and it switches to your personal best. The arc empties. The whole ring fades. The label underneath always says "WPM".

And while you're typing, the arc is your current speed against that best. Match it or beat it, and the arc turns amber.

But a best only counts after five seconds of unbroken typing. A short burst can't set a record. The record sticks around, too. Quit the app and it's still there.

What it reads

Just a number. Iris reads the system's running count of key presses. It never sees which keys you pressed. And nothing leaves the Mac. Holding a key down counts once.

It's off by default

You have to turn it on: Settings → Content → Typing, then "Show typing-speed tile".

Download

Iris 1.9.0. Grab Iris.dmg from the release page. Signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
Needs macOS 26.1 or later.
Already on an older version? Download the new DMG and replace it.

The last release was 1.8.5, back in September. For what Iris is and what else it does, see its page. Got thoughts? Open an issue on GitHub.