Sony headphone apps
for Mac, compared

At a glance

"Not listed" means the project's own pages don't mention it; it may still exist. A dash means it doesn't apply.

Sony | Sound Connect: phone only

Sony's own app, called Sony | Headphones Connect until October 2024, is the official way to change settings and the only way to update firmware. The App Store lists it for iPhone (iOS 17 or later) with no Mac listing, and Sony hasn't announced a Mac version. Your Mac still plays audio through the headphones without it; you just can't change their settings from the Mac. The MDR-1000X isn't in its compatibility list.

Because settings live in the headphones, you can use the phone app and a Mac app side by side: what you set in one is there in the other. See firmware updates.

Open Sound Connect

Our app, built for the seven 1000X models from the MDR-1000X to the WH-1000XX (1000X The Collexion). It shows only the controls your headphones report:

• Noise control on every model: noise canceling, ambient sound with its level and Focus on Voice, and wind reduction where the headphones have it. See noise canceling on a Mac.
• Equalizer from the XM2 on, with presets, your own curves and My Curves. See the equalizer.
• DSEE (HX, Extreme or Ultimate, by model), Speak-to-Chat from the XM4 on, wearing and power settings, two-device connection on the XM4 and XM5, and listening modes on the XM6 and WH-1000XX.
• Scenes that apply several settings at once, by click, shortcut, on connect, on a schedule or when an app comes to the front. See scenes.
• A menu bar panel, keyboard shortcuts, battery, firmware version, and an Activity log of every message.

What it doesn't do: show the codec, control volume, show what's playing, update firmware, or support Sony models outside the 1000X line. It costs $9.99 once for a license on two Macs, from the download page; a Mac App Store version is coming soon.

SonyBridge

SonyBridge is a free, MIT-licensed app that started in July 2026 and had 127 GitHub stars when we checked. Version 0.4.0 (October 28, 2026) added menu bar controls, multipoint and the WH-1000XM6 with its 10-band equalizer.

• Where it does more: a Windows version in beta and Linux builds from source; a codec readout; verified support for the WH-CH720N and ULT WEAR; adaptive volume where supported; a lower macOS requirement (macOS 12).
• Features: noise canceling and ambient level, Focus on Voice, equalizer (five bands plus Clear Bass; ten on the XM6), DSEE, battery, firmware version, auto-off and Speak-to-Chat where supported.
• Limits for 1000X owners: the XM2, XM3 and XM4 get noise canceling and ambient sound only, and the MDR-1000X and WH-1000XX aren't listed. The app is ad-hoc signed rather than notarized, so you install it with Homebrew.

Overhead

Overhead, called SonyNotch until version 1.4, is free and MIT-licensed, with Ko-fi donations. Its latest release when we checked was 1.6.0 (September 22, 2026).

• Where it does more: a music player in the MacBook notch for Spotify, Apple Music and (experimentally) Deezer, YouTube Music and browsers; a codec readout; adaptive volume; tested on the WH-CH720N and ULT WEAR (WH-ULT900N).
• Features: a menu bar panel with noise canceling and ambient sound, Focus on Voice, equalizer (read-only on the XM6), DSEE, Speak-to-Chat, auto-off, battery and firmware version.
• Limits for 1000X owners: the XM2, XM3 and XM4 get sound modes only, the MDR-1000X and WH-1000XX aren't listed, and the app isn't signed. It needs macOS 13 or later.

Other open-source projects

• SonyHeadphonesClient (Plutoberth): the original cross-platform client for Windows, macOS and Linux, with full XM3 and partial XM4 support. Archived; its last release was in April 2023.
• SonyHeadphonesClient (mos9527): an active fork with clients for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and the web. Support for the XM4 and older is still in progress on a separate branch.
• sony-device-center: aimed at Linux, with build steps for macOS; XM4 verified, XM6 partly working.
• HeadBridge: an early macOS beta, validated on the XM3 only; the XM5 and newer aren't supported yet.
• Smaller XM4-only apps such as XM4Control and borea.

We found no paid app for Sony 1000X headphones on the Mac App Store.

Which to choose

• You change settings rarely and have your phone: Sony | Sound Connect is free and also updates firmware.
• You want free and open source, and have an XM5, XM6, WH-CH720N or ULT WEAR: try SonyBridge or Overhead.
• You also use Windows: SonyBridge.
• You want a notch music player: Overhead.
• You want to see the codec: SonyBridge or Overhead. (On a Mac it's SBC or AAC; see LDAC, AAC and lossless on a Mac.)
• You have an MDR-1000X, XM2, XM3, XM4 or WH-1000XX and want more than noise modes, or you want scenes, a signed app or your own language: Open Sound Connect.

If equalizer control is what you're after, also read Sony headphone EQ vs eqMac.