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In the menu bar, at the top-right of your screen — look for a headphones icon. Can You Hear Me has no Dock icon and no main window. Everything happens from that menu.

Press ⌘⇧H, or click the menu bar icon and choose Test Now. If your current output is one you allowed, a soft chime plays on that device for about 0.6 seconds. If it is not, nothing plays and a notice explains why.

Click the menu bar icon and choose Allowed Audio Sources…. Tick your headphones under Previously paired Bluetooth audio, or a wired output under Other audio outputs. Selections save immediately.

By default the app also matches any paired Bluetooth headphones whose name contains "AirPods". You can edit that list, or clear it to rely only on the devices you ticked.

Almost certainly not — that is the app working. Silence means your Mac's current output is not one of your allowed devices, so the chime was withheld rather than played out loud on your speakers. A notice appears with the reason, and the menu bar icon turns into a warning triangle. Open the menu to read the last result.

The common causes: the output is still your speakers, your headphones disconnected, or you have not ticked that device yet.

The app proves a Bluetooth device's identity by matching the Bluetooth address in the audio device against your Mac's paired-device list. A name match alone is not enough, since any device can be renamed.

• Allow Bluetooth access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Bluetooth. Without it, the paired list reads as empty.
• Make sure the headphones are paired to this Mac, not just connected to a phone.
• If macOS or a driver hides the address, tick the device explicitly in Allowed Audio Sources….

It should not — selections are saved by Bluetooth hardware address, so renames and emoji names are fine. If the device is not currently connected it appears under Saved selections currently unavailable, which is normal, and it still works once the device reconnects.

Another app probably owns it. The menu shows Shortcut — unavailable when registration failed, and keeps whichever shortcut last worked. Pick a different preset from the Shortcut submenu: ⌘⇧H, ⌘⌥H, or ⌃⌥⌘H.

The app does not need Accessibility or Input Monitoring permission for this.

Aggregate, multi-output, and virtual devices are deliberately excluded. Their names and identifiers stay the same while what they actually feed can change, so allowing one could send the chime to your speakers without you knowing. Select the real output device instead.

The app confirms that audio was rendered to the verified device; it cannot know whether it reached your ears. Check the volume on the headphones themselves and in Sound Settings… (also in the app's menu). The app never changes any volume on your behalf.

macOS sometimes requires approval. The menu item shows a dash when it is registered but awaiting approval, and an Approve in Login Items Settings… command appears — that opens the right settings page. Also make sure the app is in /Applications. Turn the toggle off before deleting the app.

No, by design. It reports what your Mac is doing and never changes your route, connects a device, or adjusts a volume. Use Sound Settings… in the menu to switch outputs yourself.

No. Out Loud only plays audio; it never records. There is no microphone permission and no recording of any kind. See the privacy policy.

Purchases go through the Mac App Store, so refunds are handled by Apple rather than by us. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. If the app is not working for you, email us first — we would rather fix it.