Blue Bloom 0.1.2

Changed

• Blue Bloom no longer connects to headphones or retries on its own. Choose the headphones in the menu or click Connect to take them over; after a failed attempt, click Retry Now. When Blue Bloom opens or is turned on, it waits.
• Blue Bloom takes over the headphones when they connect to the Mac by themselves, for example when you turn them on. If it doesn't get them at that moment, they stay with macOS.
• When macOS is using the headphones, Connect disconnects them first and takes over the new connection.
• A connection attempt asks the headphones once and gives up after 20 seconds if they don't answer, instead of trying again every 30 seconds for two minutes.

Fixed

• Headphones connected to macOS, with a player open, could fail to connect: Blue Bloom left connection requests pending that some headphones (KZ AN01) never answer, and setting up the stream then timed out (#2).
• Blue Bloom sends one connection request at a time, with the audio stream's request first, so macOS takes the headphones' audio less often while Blue Bloom connects.
• After the headphones are turned off while streaming, Blue Bloom releases the connection they leave open, so turning them on again connects to Blue Bloom instead of macOS.
• Blue Bloom no longer disconnects headphones that ended the stream themselves.
• The log is created again if a cleanup app deletes it while Blue Bloom runs.

Known issues

• The app is not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized. macOS blocks it the first time; allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security. After each update macOS asks for Bluetooth access again.
• The connection changes in this version were tested on macOS 27 with Focal Bathys headphones only.
• While Blue Bloom is connected, other apps can't use the headphones' microphone.
• After Blue Bloom disconnects them, some headphones (observed with Focal Bathys) can't be reached for 20 to 35 seconds.

Install

1. Download BlueBloom-0.1.2.dmg, open it and drag Blue Bloom to Applications.
2. Open Blue Bloom. Because it isn't signed with an Apple Developer ID yet, macOS blocks it the first time:
   go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
3. Allow Bluetooth access, read the first-run notice and install the Blue Bloom audio device (administrator password, once).

After an update macOS asks for Bluetooth access again, because the app isn't signed with a Developer ID.

Build 7, source commit 2bfd214ebf. SHA-256 of BlueBloom-0.1.2.dmg: 6dcee920579e30c31be8bd609f239be76f7bae0d35195bf35792fa294654495d

Blue Bloom 0.1.1

Added

• Intel Macs: the app and its audio device are now universal (Apple silicon and Intel). Tested briefly on macOS 26 on an Intel machine.

Changed

• macOS 26 counts as tested: Blue Bloom no longer asks before it takes over headphones there.
• Builds from source say so: the About pane shows "Local build" with the source commit, and the log and diagnostics mark them as local builds.
• tools/install-app.sh (build from source) builds for the Mac's architecture and installs into /Applications, replacing a downloaded copy.

Fixed

• The note on "Headphone volume isn't synced with the Mac" said macOS was holding the remote control channel; it now says the headphones refused it and suggests reconnecting them.

Known issues

• The app is not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized. macOS blocks it the first time; allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security. After each update macOS asks for Bluetooth access again.
• Tested on macOS 27 with Apple silicon, with Focal Bathys and Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, and on macOS 26 on an Intel machine with a JBL Go 3 speaker.
• While Blue Bloom is connected, other apps can't use the headphones' microphone.
• After Blue Bloom disconnects them, some headphones (observed with Focal Bathys) can't be reached for 20 to 35 seconds.

Install

1. Download BlueBloom-0.1.1.dmg, open it and drag Blue Bloom to Applications.
2. Open Blue Bloom. Because it isn't signed with an Apple Developer ID yet, macOS blocks it the first time:
   go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
3. Allow Bluetooth access, read the first-run notice and install the Blue Bloom audio device (administrator password, once).

After an update macOS asks for Bluetooth access again, because the app isn't signed with a Developer ID.

Build 6, source commit 19b7413628. SHA-256 of BlueBloom-0.1.1.dmg: 04b2b97f4dc608ce258d83bed4f43c30bddb7a4ad9a745049bd8411fd41b8b60

Blue Bloom 0.1.0

First public pre-release.

Added

• Menu bar app that streams the Mac's audio to Bluetooth headphones over A2DP with LDAC (up to 96 kHz / 24-bit at 330, 660 or 990 kbps), aptX HD, aptX, AAC (up to 320 kbps) and SBC, including SBC XQ.
• Adaptive bitrate for LDAC, SBC and AAC when the Bluetooth link gets congested.
• Sample rate follows the Apple Music track while it plays, otherwise the output device.
• AVRCP absolute volume, so the Mac volume drives the headphones' amplifier; the headphones' play, pause and skip buttons control the Mac.
• Headphone battery level in the menu.
• Automatic mode: Blue Bloom takes over only headphones that support a better codec than macOS (LDAC or aptX); other headphones stay with macOS.
• Blue Bloom virtual audio device, installed on first launch with an administrator password.
• Uninstaller in Settings › Advanced that removes the audio device, the login item, settings and log.
• Settings › About › Export Diagnostics… saves a zip with Blue Bloom's logs, the Bluetooth part of System Information and the last two hours of the macOS Bluetooth log, with Bluetooth addresses masked; Copy Diagnostics copies a summary without names or addresses. Issue forms for bug reports and headphone reports ask for both.
• The log records the version, build number and source commit at launch, and each pair of headphones' Device ID (vendor, product, version); the previous log is kept when the log is rotated.
• Command-line tool bluebloom (build from source) for probing headphones and testing codecs.
• User interface in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French and Spanish.

Known issues

• The app is not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized. macOS blocks it the first time; allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security. After each update macOS asks for Bluetooth access again.
• Tested only on macOS 27 on Apple silicon, with Focal Bathys and Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones.
• While Blue Bloom is connected, other apps can't use the headphones' microphone.
• After Blue Bloom disconnects them, some headphones (observed with Focal Bathys) can't be reached for 20 to 35 seconds.

Install

1. Download BlueBloom-0.1.0.dmg, open it and drag Blue Bloom to Applications.
2. Open Blue Bloom. Because it isn't signed with an Apple Developer ID yet, macOS blocks it the first time:
   go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
3. Allow Bluetooth access, read the first-run notice and install the Blue Bloom audio device (administrator password, once).

After an update macOS asks for Bluetooth access again, because the app isn't signed with a Developer ID.

Build 5, source commit fa87be74aa. SHA-256 of BlueBloom-0.1.0.dmg: 0c6eff5e078b9867fdf2ef4478ce1336bada63ca1565ec47f27b2f3449c5fcf2