Your headphone battery,
on your Mac
Sony's phone app shows the battery level. On a Mac, Open Sound Connect shows it in the menu bar, as a percentage the headphones report themselves.
Short answer
Open Sound Connect shows your Sony headphones' battery as a percentage, read from the headphones:
- in the menu bar panel, next to the model name;
- at the top of My Device (⌘1), with a charging symbol while they charge;
- in the sidebar, as Connected and the percentage.
It turns yellow below 30 % and red below 15 %; change both under Settings → Battery.
Where to see the battery
Once the headphones are connected, the battery level is in three places:
- The menu bar. Click the headphones icon: the panel's header shows your model and its battery. This is the quickest way to check without opening a window.
- My Device. The top of the page shows the percentage with a battery symbol, and a charging symbol while the headphones are charging.
- The sidebar. Under your headphones' name, the sidebar reads Connected with the percentage.
The level comes from the headphones, the same reading Sony's phone app shows, and the app refreshes it every minute while connected. To refresh right away, press ⌘R (Refresh Status).
Choose when it warns you
The battery symbol turns yellow when the level drops below 30 % and red below 15 %. To change that, open Settings (⌘6), go to Battery and set Yellow below and Red below. The colors apply to the battery in My Device and in the menu bar.
What macOS shows, and what the app adds
macOS doesn't show a battery level for every pair of Bluetooth headphones: whether one appears in the Bluetooth menu or in System Settings → Bluetooth depends on the headphones. Open Sound Connect reads the level over Sony's own control connection, so it's there for each of the seven supported models, from the MDR-1000X to the WH-1000XX.
Save battery from your Mac
A few settings that change how long a charge lasts are in the app too, on the models that have them:
- Automatic power off. Choose when the headphones turn themselves off, for example after a while without a connection or when you take them off. See stop Sony headphones turning off.
- Noise control. Turning noise canceling off when you don't need it uses less power. See noise canceling on a Mac.
- Equalizer with DSEE. Sony's headphones warn that using the equalizer together with DSEE shortens battery life; the app passes that message on when the headphones send it.
- Turn Off Headphones. In My Device, Turn Off Headphones switches them off from the Mac, after you confirm. They disconnect from every device.
Battery in scenes
Scenes can switch noise canceling off or change other settings with one click, or automatically on a schedule, which is a simple way to save battery on a long day.
Common
questions
Why don't I see a battery level?
The app shows it once its control connection to the headphones is open. If My Device shows a connection message instead, see headphones connected but not detected.
Is the Mac's battery reading the same as Sony's app?
Yes. Open Sound Connect shows the level the headphones report over Sony's control connection, the same reading Sony's phone app uses. It refreshes every minute, or press ⌘R.
Can I turn off the battery warning colors?
Set Yellow below and Red below under Settings → Battery to the levels you want; setting them low means the symbol changes color only when the battery is nearly empty.
Where to next
- Automatic power offWhy Sony headphones switch themselves off, and how to change Automatic Power Off from your Mac.
- Noise canceling and ambient soundSwitch noise canceling, ambient sound and off from the menu bar or keyboard, with the ambient level and Focus on Voice.
- Scenes and automationSave your settings as scenes and apply them with a click, a shortcut, on connect, on a schedule or by app.
Put your headphones
in the menu bar
macOS 15 or later · Apple silicon and Intel