SoundSource for Mac

Enhanced Compatibility with Head Tracking for AirPods and Beats headphones

• Previously, a bug in MacOS could cause quality issues when routing audio to AirPods or Beats headphones. To avoid this problem, SoundSource will now temporarily deactivate head tracking mode when routing audio. For more details, see this support article.

Improvements Surrounding Auto-Switching by AirPods and Beats Headphones

• SoundSource’s is now better able to maintain a custom Preferred Device Order (as configured in the “Audio Devices” window) when AirPods or Beats headphones are connected.

When using AirPods or Beats headphones with the “Preferred Device Order” settings in the “Audio Devices” window, SoundSource now offers a recommendation to deactivate MacOS’s “Automatic” connection feature, as it can lead to undesired device changes. For more details, see this support article.

The ARK plugin which powers SoundSource’s audio handling has been updated to version 13.1.2. This update contains several small improvements, including a fix for issues which could incorrectly prevent system sleep.

Several improvements have been made to SoundSource’s volume overlay:

• The overlay is now centered on the display when shown over a full-screen app, rather than in the top-right corner
• The overlay now features a close button, allowing it to be dismissed instantly
• The contrast of the overlay has been improved, for better visibility against light backgrounds
• An issue where the overlay would not consistently appear when adjusting volume via keyboard, or could disappear prematurely, has been corrected.

Sharing audio on a Zoom call should now always work as expected.

Previously, adding SoundSource as a login item could fail if stale login items existed for other copies of SoundSource. No longer!

Audio synchronization between devices in an output group has been improved.

A bug where creating a new Quick Config could inadvertently cause adjustments to current settings has been squashed.

A rare issue where SoundSource could fail to fully launch, leaving a blank space in the menu bar, has been resolved. This same fix avoids an issue which sometimes led to elevated CPU usage.

A clock tracking issue which could lead to silent playback or audible distortion when playing to Bluetooth hardware has been corrected.

An assortment of interface improvements and bug fixes have been made:

• Work has been done to prevent SoundSource’s main window from incorrectly drawing with a dimmed appearance
• When SoundSource is launched, its icon now appears in the menu bar much faster
• Checkboxes in the “Audio Devices” window will now have correct contrast when the window is in the background
• Battery level display for Bluetooth devices now more accurately reflects reported levels below 20%
• An issue where opening secondary windows with keyboard shortcuts could later cause incorrect behavior by the main window has been fixed
• Clicking the dismiss (X) button on high priority notifications will no longer cause SoundSource to incorrectly activate its windows
• The symbol picker’s search field now properly accepts keyboard input when opened
• Naming a preset no longer incorrectly fails when the hosted Audio Unit has an active text field
• Devices will no longer move up or down in the list when added or removed from a group in the “Output Groups” window
• Several minor drawing issues which could occur when opening effects have been corrected
• When navigating the Effects menu with the keyboard, the search field now correctly re-gains focus when it's the next selectable item based on the direction of navigation
• Interacting with the generic view of some Audio Units, including those from Airwindows, could cause a hang. This issue has been corrected.
• A crash when switching tabs in the Settings window on MacOS 15 has been resolved.
• With enough effort, locked device settings could be lost via persistent external modifications to that setting. That issue has been addressed, and locked settings should stay locked even in that unusual situation.