After the license window, Audiout opens a Setup window. It walks through up to six steps, and each one rehearses the macOS system dialog before it appears, so nothing catches you off guard. Here’s what each step asks for and why.
The steps
1. System audio
The card says “Hear your Mac’s sound” with an “Enable System Audio” button. macOS calls this permission audio recording, which sounds alarming for an app that plays music. The plain reason: Audiout has to hear what your Mac plays in order to send it anywhere. Without this, there is no audio to route. When you allow it, Audiout plays a brief tone to confirm it works.
2. Local Network
“Find speakers on your Wi‑Fi”, with an “Enable Local Network” button. Your speakers live on your Wi‑Fi network, and macOS requires apps to ask before looking around on it. Without this permission, Audiout can’t see a single speaker.
3. Bluetooth
Skippable. The “Enable Bluetooth Access” button asks for Bluetooth so Audiout can play to Bluetooth speakers and headphones. If everything you own is AirPlay, skip it and come back later if that changes.
4. Speaker sync helper
Audiout keeps multiple speakers on the same clock with a small clock-sharing helper. This step’s “Turn On at Login” button registers it, and you approve it once in System Settings › Login Items. It runs quietly in the background and does nothing else. The step is marked skippable in the window, but it’s one of the three things Setup needs before it can finish.
5. Remote Control and volume keys
Skippable. The “Set Up Remote Control…” button asks for the Accessibility permission so your keyboard’s volume keys keep working while Audiout is the output. Skip it and the keys simply won’t reach Audiout; everything else works.
6. Usage statistics
Shown only if you bought Audiout without starting a trial. During the trial, usage statistics are on from the start and this step doesn’t appear. This is the only step that isn’t a macOS permission. What it collects and sends is spelled out in Usage statistics and what Audiout sends.
What’s required
Three things must be in place before Setup can finish: system audio, Local Network, and the sync helper. The window won’t let you finish until each one verifies. Closing the window is the only other way out, and Setup returns on the next launch.
Bluetooth, Remote Control, and usage statistics are genuinely optional.
If a permission is revoked later
If you (or a macOS update) later switch off a required permission, the Setup window reopens on its own and names what went off. Fix that one step and you’re back.
Coming back to Setup
You can reopen Setup any time from Settings › General › “Run setup again…”. That’s the place to grant Bluetooth or the volume-key permission you skipped the first time.
Accessibility
Every control in Audiout is labelled for VoiceOver, Reduce Motion is honored throughout, and contrast is measured, not eyeballed. This is separate from the macOS Accessibility permission in step 5, which only covers the volume keys.
If a system dialog never appears, or a step won’t verify no matter what you allow, write to support@audiout.app and say which step number you’re stuck on.