v2.11.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.11.0 adds Shortcuts actions to pick the output or microphone, mute it, and turn automatic switching on or off, and gives the app its own icon. Coming from 2.10.0, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Shortcuts

• The Shortcuts app now lists four actions: Set Output, Set Microphone, Set Microphone Mute and Set Automatic Switching. Picking a device turns automatic switching off, as a click in the panel does, and a device that isn't connected stops the shortcut with its name (#57).
• Three new URLs turn automatic switching on, off or back and forth from Shortcuts, Raycast, a Stream Deck or Terminal: audioprioritybar://enable-automatic, audioprioritybar://disable-automatic and audioprioritybar://toggle-automatic. Settings › Shortcuts lists them with a Copy button (#56).

Look

• The app has its own icon: headphones, a speaker and a microphone fanned out, with sound waves (#58).

License

• Audio Priority Bar is now licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (#59).

Updates

• Updating from 2.9.0 or later downloads only what changed. Older versions download the full archive.

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Connecting a Bluetooth device from the panel asks for Bluetooth permission, and Accessibility is optional, for the hover preview. Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.10.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.10.0 shows a muted microphone in red in the menu bar, with an option to stop its pulse, and lifts a dragged row on the panel's own material. Coming from 2.9.2, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Menu bar

• A muted microphone now shows in red in the menu bar, while the other glyphs keep following a light or dark menu bar (#49).
• Pulse muted microphone in Settings › Menu Bar turns the pulse off for anyone who finds it distracting, without turning on Reduce Motion everywhere (#49, #50).

Panel

• A row you drag to rerank now lifts on a frosted material that matches the translucent panel, instead of a dark slab in dark mode (#51).

Updates

• Updating from 2.9.0 or later downloads only what changed. Older versions download the full archive.

Thanks

Thanks to @DigiH for the red muted microphone and the pulse setting (#49), and for reporting the dim microphone fixed in #50.

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Connecting a Bluetooth device from the panel asks for Bluetooth permission, and Accessibility is optional, for the hover preview. Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.9.2

Audio Priority Bar 2.9.2 makes Forget Device work on paired Bluetooth devices, and updates download only what changed. Coming from 2.9.1, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Fixes

• Forget Device on a paired Bluetooth speaker or headset that is off now removes it from the panel. It stays paired in macOS and comes back as a new device the next time it connects (#46).

Updates

• Updating from 2.8.0 or later downloads only what changed, under 1 MB instead of the full 5.7 MB archive. Older versions still download the full archive (#45).

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Connecting a Bluetooth device from the panel asks for Bluetooth permission, and Accessibility is optional, for the hover preview. Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.9.1

Audio Priority Bar 2.9.1 keeps the panel's coloured buttons readable over any wallpaper. Coming from 2.9.0, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Panel

• Connect on a paired Bluetooth device is a solid blue button with a white label, so it no longer fades into a bright window behind the panel, and it darkens under the pointer (#42).
• The mute button turns solid red with a white icon while muted, instead of a faint red tint (#42).
• Muted in a device's row uses the same outline icon style as the other statuses (#42).

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Connecting a Bluetooth device from the panel asks for Bluetooth permission, and Accessibility is optional, for the hover preview. Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.9.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.9.0 connects and disconnects Bluetooth speakers and headphones from the panel, and keeps the panel steady while its lists change. Coming from 2.8.0, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Bluetooth

• Paired Bluetooth speakers and headphones stay listed at their rank while they are off, dimmed. Click one to connect it and switch to it, or hover it and click Connect to connect it and let your priorities decide (#39).
• A Bluetooth device that is connected but not in use shows Connected. Hover it and click Disconnect, or use its actions menu, to release it (#39).
• Listing paired devices needs no permission. The first connect or disconnect asks for Bluetooth permission.

Panel

• The panel keeps its top edge still while its lists grow or shrink, so rows no longer slide under the pointer when you show hidden and disconnected devices (#39).
• A disconnected device reads Last seen 1w ago, and statuses use the full width of a row until you hover it (#39).

Fixes

• A Jabra headset's battery appears within seconds of turning the headset on, instead of up to a minute later (#37).
• The hover preview no longer opens for a menu bar icon tucked behind the menu bar's hidden items arrow, or from the top edge of the screen. Settings › Menu Bar can allow Accessibility so the preview checks that the icon itself is under the pointer (#38).

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Connecting a Bluetooth device from the panel asks for Bluetooth permission, and Accessibility is optional, for the hover preview. Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.8.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.8.0 shows a Jabra headset's battery on its Link dongle, can mute the speakers when your headphones disconnect, and tidies the panel and the menu bar icon. Coming from 2.7.0, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Devices

• A Jabra headset behind a Link dongle shows its battery level on the dongle's rows, orange at 20% or below (#34).
• A new Mute speakers when headphones disconnect option in Settings, off by default, mutes the speakers when the headphones playing disconnect, are turned off or run out of battery. Falling back to other headphones stays audible (#33).

Menu bar

• With the microphone shown, a headset whose mic belongs to the output, such as AirPods or a USB headset, appears once instead of twice. A muted microphone still appears beside it, and the labeled icon keeps both (#31).

Panel

• A row's selection override and actions menu appear on hover, with VoiceOver on, or with keyboard focus, and right-clicking a row opens the same menu. The footer is tidied and Settings gets a gear icon (#32, contribution by Dave Smith).
• Show Device is renamed Unhide Device, to read as the reverse of Hide Device (#29, contribution by Dave Smith).

Thanks

Thanks to @djsmith42, who contributed two more pull requests to this release.

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.7.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.7.0 adds a global mute shortcut, AirPods battery levels and more menu bar icon options, and keeps your pick when AirPods try to take over. Coming from 2.6.0, the update installs in place, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Microphone mute

• Option-Shift-M mutes and unmutes the microphone from any app, with no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permission. Change or clear it in Settings > Shortcuts (#23, #26).
• audioprioritybar://toggle-mic-mute, mute-mic and unmute-mic let Shortcuts, Raycast, a Stream Deck or Terminal control the mute. Settings > Shortcuts lists them with a Copy button each (#23).
• Clicking the Microphone muted reminder hides it until you unmute or the recording ends (#24).
• The mute buttons stand out on the panel's glass, and hovering one previews the icon a click would give (#22).

Devices

• With automatic switching off, your pick in the panel stays when AirPods take the output or microphone on their own. If macOS takes a device again within 30 seconds, the app leaves it and names it under the switch, with Fix in Settings… opening the headphones' settings page (#17, contribution by Dave Smith).
• With automatic switching on, a device macOS picks on its own is switched back to your list instead of turning automatic switching off. A change made in Control Center or System Settings still counts as yours (#10, reported by Dave Smith in #8).
• AirPods show their battery level, left and right separately when they differ, and the case, with no Bluetooth permission needed (#16, contribution by Dave Smith).
• The built-in microphone and speakers show the Mac's own icon, such as a laptop for a MacBook, like the macOS Sound menu (#15, contribution by Dave Smith).
• Outputs without volume control, such as most TVs over HDMI and audio interfaces like the Focusrite Scarlett Solo, say so in place of the slider, and their mute button is disabled when they have no mute either (#19, contribution by Dave Smith).

Menu bar

• The icon can show the output and the microphone, optionally labeled for when the two icons look alike. Output only stays the default (#13, contribution by Dave Smith).
• Hovering the icon shows the automatic switching state, the current output and the current microphone (#14, contribution by Dave Smith).
• A new Volume level option, off by default, shows the level beside AirPods and other device icons (#15, contribution by Dave Smith).
• The outline is drawn in the full label color, so it stays visible on a busy wallpaper (#12, contribution by Dave Smith).
• The icon dims on an inactive display like the system's own items (#21).
• The plain speaker icon has three waves, like the macOS Sound icon.

Settings

• Settings is split into Menu Bar, Devices, Shortcuts and App tabs, and the window fits the selected tab. The Menu Bar tab opens on a live preview of the icon between the system items beside it (#25).

Development

• ./build.sh --dev builds only the Mac's own architecture in Debug, for much faster local builds (#18, contribution by Dave Smith).

Thanks

Thanks to @djsmith42, who contributed eight pull requests to this release and reported the AirPods issue behind another.

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.6.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.6.0 installs updates in place, files Bluetooth speakers under Speakers, and signs the app with a stable certificate. Your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Updates

• Updates now install in place through Sparkle. Once a day the app checks the latest release, verifies the archive, installs it and relaunches, waiting until the microphone is neither muted nor recording. Settings keeps a manual check and an opt-out, and an earlier opt-out carries over.
• Coming from 2.5.0, install this version once by hand or with Homebrew. Updates after it arrive in place.

Devices

• Bluetooth speakers such as an Amazon Echo land in Speakers instead of Headphones. macOS can report a Bluetooth speaker as headphones, so from Bluetooth that claim is ignored and the device name decides. AirPods and other headphones still land in Headphones.
• A microphone that does not allow volume control says so in place of the slider, and its mute controls are disabled when it has no mute either.

Menu bar

• The menu bar icon matches the size of the system's own items, such as Sound and Wi-Fi.
• A new option outlines the menu bar icon, to tell it apart from the system Sound item when both show the same device. It is off by default.

Signing

• The app is signed with its own certificate instead of ad-hoc, so macOS keeps permissions you grant across updates. It is still not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized, so the first launch still needs Open Anyway.

Thanks

Thanks to Dave Smith for in-place updates, the microphone volume explanation and the icon size (#6, #7, #9), and for his work on the outline option (#11).

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.6.0-rc.1

Audio Priority Bar 2.6.0-rc.1 is a release candidate for testing. It adds updates that install in place, files Bluetooth speakers under Speakers, and signs the app with a stable certificate. It is published as a prerelease, so installed copies are not offered it. Your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Updates

• Updates now install in place through Sparkle. Once a day the app checks the latest release, verifies the archive, installs it and relaunches, waiting until the microphone is neither muted nor recording. Settings keeps a manual check and an opt-out, and an earlier opt-out carries over.
• Coming from 2.5.0, install this version once by hand. Updates after it arrive in place.

Devices

• Bluetooth speakers such as an Amazon Echo land in Speakers instead of Headphones. macOS can report a Bluetooth speaker as headphones, so from Bluetooth that claim is ignored and the device name decides. AirPods and other headphones still land in Headphones.
• A microphone that does not allow volume control says so in place of the slider, and its mute controls are disabled when it has no mute either.

Menu bar

• The menu bar icon matches the size of the system's own items, such as Sound and Wi-Fi.
• A new option outlines the menu bar icon, to tell it apart from the system Sound item when both show the same device. It is off by default.

Signing

• The app is signed with its own certificate instead of ad-hoc, so macOS keeps permissions you grant across updates. It is still not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized, so the first launch still needs Open Anyway.

Thanks

Thanks to Dave Smith for in-place updates, the microphone volume explanation and the icon size (#6, #7, #9), and for his work on the outline option (#11).

Install

Download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is signed with the project's own certificate, not an Apple Developer ID, and not notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.

v2.5.0

Audio Priority Bar 2.5.0 adds microphone mute, brief notices when automatic switching picks a device, and a Settings window rebuilt to look like System Settings. Upgrading from 2.4.0 needs no migration, and your existing priorities and overrides are kept.

Microphone mute

• The top of the panel now has an output row and a microphone row. Click the round icon button to mute, and it turns red while muted. Drag the slider or scroll to set the level.
• Mute the microphone from the right-click menu, or by Option-clicking the menu bar icon.
• The mute follows automatic and manual switching to the next microphone, and follows mutes made in System Settings or on a headset.
• Microphones without a mute control are muted by setting their input level to zero. The level is restored when you unmute, when you quit, after a crash, or when an unplugged microphone returns.

Notices

• A Microphone muted reminder appears below the menu bar icon when an app records while you are muted.
• When automatic switching picks a new device, a brief notice lists it with its icon and name. An output and a microphone switching together get one line each, and both halves of one headset share a single line.
• Each notice can be turned off in Settings.

Settings and panel

• Settings is a grouped form with Startup, Devices, Notices and Updates sections, like System Settings, and each option explains itself underneath.
• While Open at Login waits for approval, Settings offers a button that opens Login Items, and the status clears once you approve.
• Checking for and downloading updates sit together with a progress indicator, and Quit moves to the About row.
• The automatic switching explanation sits under its switch and only appears when it adds something.
• The open panel no longer slides sideways when the menu bar icon changes width, and no longer shows a square outline around its rounded corners.

Install

brew install --cask camguillory/tap/audio-priority-bar

Alternatively, download AudioPriorityBar.zip and AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256 below into the same folder, verify the archive, and move the app to /Applications:

shasum -a 256 -c AudioPriorityBar.zip.sha256

The release is universal for Apple silicon and Intel. It is ad-hoc signed, not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized. If macOS blocks the first launch, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Jabra Link monitoring may request Input Monitoring permission. Link 380 is hardware-verified. Link 390 is expected to work through the same capability check but remains unverified on hardware, and monitoring fails open when the link state cannot be read.