The app not only displays the individual attributes to see their status and information, but it also uses an internal algorithm based on those attributes to detect drives failing before SMART indicates it has failed.
SMART Utility is different from other drive utilities, such as Disk Utility, which only read the overall SMART Status. SMART Utility for macOS also allows running a drive’s built in self test, which can also indicate malfunctions on the drive. This allows time to hopefully backup, and then replace the drive. The app can read and display these attributes. The attributes can be used to detect when a hard drive is having mechanical or electrical problems, and can indicate when the hard drive is failing. SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is a system built into hard drives by their manufacturers to report on various measurements(called attributes) of a hard drive’s operation.
SMART Utility for Mac is an application to scan the hardware diagnostics system of hard drives.
