Help, right here
Getting started, fixing connection problems and the keyboard shortcuts.
Bought through our website?
Sign in to Polar with the email address you used at checkout. You can access your app downloads and license key, view your purchases, and manage your active installations.
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Up and running in
three steps
- 1
Get the app
Download the app from your Polar account, then activate it with your license key.
- 2
Move it to Applications
Drag Open Sound Connect into your Applications folder and open it.
- 3
Allow Bluetooth
Choose Allow when macOS asks whether Open Sound Connect may use Bluetooth. Your headphones appear with the controls they have, and the headphones icon in the menu bar has the everyday ones. Not paired yet? Pair them in System Settings → Bluetooth first.
Fix a problem
My headphones don't appear
Make sure they're paired and connected in System Settings → Bluetooth, then choose Connect in the app. Open Sound Connect needs its own control connection alongside the audio, so keep the headphones close and switched on.
I chose Don't Allow for Bluetooth
Turn on Open Sound Connect under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Bluetooth, then open the app again.
A control is missing
Open Sound Connect shows the controls your headphones report, so some depend on the model and its firmware. The Activity page lists what your headphones reported.
A change didn't stick
Every change is read back from the headphones. If they kept another value, Activity says so. Volume can land one step away after Bluetooth syncs it; that's normal.
Where's the window after I close it?
Open Sound Connect keeps running in the menu bar. Click the headphones icon and choose Settings to bring the window back, or Quit to stop it.
Bought through our website?
Sign in to Polar with the email address you used at checkout. You can access your app downloads and license key, view your purchases, and manage your active installations. Open your Polar account.
Faster from the
keyboard
- My Device, Sound, Scenes, Settings, Activity or About⌘1 – 8
- Refresh headphone status⌘R
- Connect⌘K
- Disconnect the controls⇧⌘K
- Apply a scene, in the order of the Scenes menu⌃⌘1, 2 …
- Open Settings⌘,
Questions,
answered
Which headphones does it work with?
Control Sony MDR-1000X, WH-1000XM2, WH-1000XM3, WH-1000XM4, WH-1000XM5, WH-1000XM6, WH-1000XX from your Mac. Noise canceling, sound settings, scenes and a menu bar panel, with controls tailored to each model.
Do I need Sony's app, a phone or an account?
No Sony account or phone is needed. Direct downloads require a license from Polar. The Mac App Store version does not use Polar.
Where do I get it?
Get a license from Polar through the download page, then download and activate the app. Each license allows two active installations, which you can deactivate in Polar. A separate Mac App Store version is on its way.
Does anything leave my Mac?
The App Store version makes no network requests. Direct downloads contact Polar with your license key, activation ID and a random installation ID, and check GitHub for updates. Headphone data, scenes and listening history are not sent to Polar.
Do my settings carry over to my phone?
Noise control, the equalizer and the other headphone settings live in the headphones themselves, so they stay as you left them when you switch to your phone. Scenes and saved curves stay on your Mac.
Which Macs can run it?
Any Mac with macOS 15 Sequoia or later, Apple silicon or Intel.