Your download is running.
296 MB, so it takes a moment. Read the three steps below in the meantime — then you will already know the message that appears on first opening.
On first opening, macOS says the program cannot be opened
This message does appear, and it looks more alarming than it is. So that it does not startle you: here is what it looks like.
“SmartSearch” cannot be opened
Apple could not verify whether “SmartSearch” contains malicious software that may harm your Mac.
What lies behind it: Apple offers to notarise programs before they are distributed. That requires a developer account at 99 euros a year. SmartSearch is free and does not have that account — so the notarisation is missing, and macOS reports it. The phrase “could not verify” is to be taken literally: nothing was found, nothing was looked at. The same message appears for every program without that certificate.
How to open it anyway — three steps, once:
- Close the message with Done. Not “Move to Bin”.
- Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security. Scroll all the way down.
- Next to “SmartSearch was blocked”, click Open Anyway and confirm with your password.
After that it is quiet. From the second launch onwards SmartSearch opens like any other program. The step is a one-off and can be undone at any time by moving the program to the Bin.
On first launch SmartSearch still downloads the search model, around 2.3 GB. After that it works without internet. Why that is necessary and what is transmitted is described under What happens to your files.