MutePod - Use the AirPods mute/unmute feature on all applications

[grausof]

Hi everyone,
I'm the developer of the MutePod app, a Mac menu bar app that puts you in control of your audio input devices. You can unmute the microphone directly from the menu bar, change the input volume and change the default input device.

But the killer feature is the ability to mute/unmute the microphone even via a single tap on the touch control of the AirPods. This finally allows you to have this splendid feature on all software that does not support it and on all videoconferencing app.

 

[grausof]

here some coupons. Enjoy 🎉

 

[kecinzer]

This look very interesting. I will try it. Thanks for the code.

 

[Alx09]

Hi, Grausof! Great initiative, I recently migrated to MacOS and wanted something to help me Mute/Unmute my Airpods by using the shortcut on the stem. So I ended up buying your up and seems to be working okay, except... it would be great if it would also control the buttons in Teams/Google Meet, but that's not a huge issue. The biggest issue I'm facing is the fact that it keeps shutting off. I end up on a call, trying to mute/unmute myself just to realise the application is no longer active. Running MacOS Sonoma. Any suggestions on a fix?

 

[grausof]

Hi Alx09, I'll answer the second question first. You're right, we noticed that in some circumstances the app crashed and closed suddenly, finally thanks to your feedback we managed to find the cause of this problem and a new update (1.4) has already been sent for approval which resolves a series of crash-related issues that we hope will fix everything. Within a few days it should be available to everyone.

For the first question, however, we don't think it's right to override the features of Google Meet or Teams, but you can quickly control the button from the status bar by using the right mouse button on the MutePod icon or using the key combination cmd+shift+space. But if you have any ideas on how to improve this functionality we are happy to hear your opinion.

Thanks

 

[Alx09]

It's nice to hear that there's an update soon to be rolled out that should fix the crash issue.

Related to the other matter, the first question: what I'm saying here is that there are headsets (like Jabra, Plantronics) on which the physical mute button also toggles the button in the communication software used, as long as it's compatible, like Google Meet, Zoom, MS Teams. And I was wondering if maybe MutePod could somehow do the same.
Also, I noticed that it's always keeping the microphone active, even when you're not in a call, which in newer MacOS versions, is indicated by a small orange dot on the upper right corner of the screen, as you probably know. With a functionality that allows the software to "know" when you are in a call, this is something that could probably also be fixed. But then again, I'm not sure it's entirely possible.

 

[Alx09]

Seems that MS Teams just released an update which lets you mute/unmute Airpods Pro using the stem, natively.

On a different note: I also noticed that whenever starting the app, the " Input volume " will be set by default to a very low level. Is this a known issue?

 

[grausof]

Hi @Alx09, I inform you that the update that resolves crashes has been released with a series of improvements regarding the use of Mac resources. Great to know that Microsoft has added this functionality, but the app still remains valid for all other Video Conference software that doesn't have native support or if you want to use Teams via browser.

Concerning the volume problem, this is not set to a lower level but only the one set by your device is displayed (the AirPods automatically set a lower input level than the internal microphone). You can notice this even without opening the app and going to Settings, Sound, Input and viewing the volume for that device.

Also, I noticed that it's always keeping the microphone active, even when you're not in a call, which in newer MacOS versions, is indicated by a small orange dot on the upper right corner of the screen, as you probably know. With a functionality that allows the software to "know" when you are in a call, this is something that could probably also be fixed. But then again, I'm not sure it's entirely possible.

Regarding what you mentioned above, this behavior is necessary to use the mute functionality via AirPods as to be "enabled" to use this functionality the software in question must be able to listen on the input device. Furthermore, due to the restrictions imposed by the App Store, MutePods runs in a sandbox on your device so it can never know if you are already in a call or not.

However, we tried to get around this problem by giving the possibility to disable input monitoring via the toggle. This allows you to manually stop input monitoring, obviously also disabling the mute functionality via AirPods. My advice is to enable it at the moment during a call and then remove it when not necessary.

 

[Alx09]

Good stuff!
One issue that I noticed now is that the right click no longer mutes the mic. 🤔 Was this intentional?
I'll return with more relevant feedback.

 

[grausof]

Thanks for the many feedback.
We have just released version 1.5 which re-introduces the right-click toggle and gives the possibility to configure the mute/unmute toggle also with the left click on menu bar icon.
Furthermore, new improvements have been introduced that greatly reduce the use of Mac resources.

 

[Surrylic]

Appreciate the app. I'm stuck using Teams for the web and due to company policies can't log into the app, so MutePod will be a huge help.