PodsMute

A macOS menu bar application that detects AirPods button presses and toggles system-wide microphone mute.

Supported Devices

• AirPods Max (crown button)
• AirPods Pro (stem press)

Features

• Button Detection: Press on AirPods toggles microphone mute
• Menu Bar Integration: Shows headphones icon with colored mic badge (green = unmuted, red = muted)
• Visual Feedback: Popover appears briefly when mute state changes
• Connection Status: View AirPods connection state in the menu
• Light/Dark Mode: Icon adapts to menu bar appearance
• Restore on Quit: Microphone is restored to unmuted when app exits

Requirements

• macOS 14.0+ (Sonoma)
• Xcode 15.0+
• AirPods Max or AirPods Pro (paired via Bluetooth)

Project Structure

PodsMute/
├── App/
│   ├── PodsMuteApp.swift             # SwiftUI App entry point
│   ├── AppDelegate.swift             # App lifecycle & service wiring
│   └── Info.plist                    # App configuration
├── UI/
│   └── StatusBarController.swift     # Menu bar icon & menu
├── Services/
│   ├── AudioMuteController.swift     # Core Audio mute control
│   ├── AudioAccessoryMonitor.swift   # Darwin notification listener
│   └── BluetoothManager.swift        # Bluetooth connection status
├── Bridge/
│   └── PodsMute-Bridging-Header.h    # Bridging header for IOBluetooth
├── Resources/
│   └── Assets.xcassets/              # App icon
└── PodsMute.entitlements

Building

Using xcodegen (Recommended)

1. Install xcodegen:

   brew install xcodegen

2. Generate Xcode project:

   xcodegen generate

3. Open in Xcode:

   open PodsMute.xcodeproj

4. Build and run (Cmd+R)

Usage

1. Launch the app (it appears in the menu bar with a headphones icon)
2. The app automatically detects your paired AirPods
3. Press the crown button (Max) or stem (Pro) to toggle microphone mute
4. A popover briefly shows "Microphone On" or "Microphone Off"
5. The mic badge on the icon updates:
   • Green mic: Unmuted
   • Red mic with slash: Muted

Menu Options

• Left-click: Toggle mute
• Right-click: Show menu
  • Microphone status
  • Toggle Mute (Cmd+M)
  • AirPods connection status
  • Device name
  • Reconnect (Cmd+R)
  • About PodsMute
  • Quit (Cmd+Q)

Technical Details

How It Works

The app listens for Darwin notifications from audioaccessoryd, the macOS daemon that handles audio accessory events. When AirPods trigger a mute action, the daemon emits a com.apple.audioaccessoryd.MuteState notification which this app intercepts to toggle the system microphone.

Audio Mute

Uses Core Audio HAL APIs:

• kAudioHardwarePropertyDefaultInputDevice - Get default mic
• kAudioDevicePropertyMute - Get/set mute state

Bluetooth Status

Uses IOBluetooth to check connection status of paired AirPods devices for display purposes.

Troubleshooting

"No paired AirPods found"

1. Ensure AirPods are paired in System Settings > Bluetooth
2. Connect to them at least once manually
3. Restart the app

Mute doesn't work

1. Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone
2. Ensure the app has microphone access permission
3. Make sure AirPods are connected and set as input device

Icon color wrong in light/dark mode

The icon should automatically adapt when you switch modes. If it doesn't update immediately, toggle the mute state once.

Credits

• Protocol research: librepods

License

MIT License