leolion | một tháng trước | 5 min read

Online meetings where you forget to turn on the mic and talk non-stop – everyone’s been there, right?

Online meeting where you forget to turn on the mic and talk non-stop – everyone’s been through this feeling, right? 😅

Part 1: Why do you need this app?

😩 The pains of online meetings

When working remotely, online meetings are an everyday thing. But there are a few “classic” situations that drive everyone crazy:

1. Forgetting to turn on the mic
You’re sharing your screen to demo for the team, passionately explaining for a full 5 minutes. Then you see a colleague’s message: “Hey, I can’t hear anything.” 🤦‍♂️

2. Forgetting to turn off the mic
You’re in a meeting and suddenly there’s a dog barking, a baby crying, or loud keyboard clacking coming into the call. Everyone looks around, not knowing where the sound is coming from.

3. Switching tabs to mute/unmute is super annoying
You’re sharing Chrome, and to mute your mic you have to:
- Press Alt+Tab to switch to Google Meet/Zoom
- Click the mic button
- Press Alt+Tab to switch back to the shared screen

You lose your workflow, lose focus, and sometimes even share the wrong screen!

4. Want to walk/run while in a meeting
AirPods have gesture control on iOS (tap the earbud to mute/unmute the mic). But on Mac? Nothing! Apple doesn’t allow it. So unfair!

💡 Solution: Audio Remote

I built an ultra-lightweight macOS app to thoroughly solve these problems:

📱 Mute/unmute the mic from your phone – no app installation needed, just the same WiFi
🔊 Volume sync – tap the back of your phone to change your Mac’s volume
🖥️ Center-screen HUD – instantly know whether you’re muted or unmuted
⌨️ Global shortcut key – ⌘M to toggle the mic, works anywhere
⚡ Super fast – only ~1ms latency

Goal: Everyone gets a “0₫ Stream Deck” – remote control for your Mac that doesn’t cost a cent! 😉

Part 2: Step-by-step installation guide

Don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy – I’ll walk you through everything step by step, from A to Z!

Step 1: Download and install the app on Mac

Go to the following link and download the AudioRemote.dmg file:

👉 Download Audio Remote

Click the latest .dmg file (for example: AudioRemote-v2.4.0.dmg)

1.2. Installation

Open the .dmg file you just downloaded
Drag the Audio Remote icon into the Applications folder
Go to Applications and double-click to open the app

1.3. What to do if macOS blocks the app

If you see the message "App can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer":

Open Terminal (how to open: press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter)
Copy and paste the following command into Terminal:

xattr -cr /Applications/AudioRemote.app

Press Enter
Close Terminal and reopen the app

1.4. Grant Microphone permission

When the app requests Microphone access → Click Allow

If you accidentally clicked Deny, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → Turn on Audio Remote

Step 2: Turn on the HTTP Server and get the IP address

2.1. Turn on the HTTP Server

Look at the menu bar (top right corner of the screen) → you’ll see a 🎤 icon
Click that icon → Select Settings...
Find the HTTP Server section → Turn it ON

2.2. Get your Mac’s IP address

Still in the Settings window, look at the Network Info section → Note down the IP address (for example: 192.168.1.100)

💡 Tip: This IP will be used for your phone to send commands to the Mac. Make sure to write it down!

Step 3: Set up iOS Shortcuts on your iPhone

This is the most important step! You’ll download 2 ready-made shortcuts and only need to change the IP address.

3.1. Download the "Toggle Mic" Shortcut

On your iPhone, open the following link in Safari:

👉 Download Toggle Mic Shortcut

Tap Get Shortcut (or Add Shortcut)
The shortcut will be added to the Shortcuts app

3.2. Download the "Sync Volume" Shortcut

On your iPhone, open this link:

👉 Download Sync Volume Shortcut

Tap Get Shortcut

Step 4: Change the IP address in the Shortcuts

After downloading the shortcuts, you need to replace the default IP address with your Mac’s IP.

4.1. Edit the "Toggle Mic" Shortcut

Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone
Find the shortcut you just downloaded (its name might be "Toggle Mac Mic")
Tap the three dots (⋯) in the corner of the shortcut to edit
Find the line with a URL like: http://YOUR_MAC_IP:8765/toggle-mic
Replace YOUR_MAC_IP with your Mac’s actual IP (for example: 192.168.1.100)
Result: http://192.168.1.100:8765/toggle-mic
Tap Done

4.2. Edit the "Sync Volume" Shortcut

Do the same for the Sync Volume shortcut – replace YOUR_MAC_IP with your Mac’s IP.

Step 5: Add the Shortcuts to Home Screen or Back Tap

Method 1: Add to Home Screen

Open the shortcut → Tap the three dots (⋯)
Tap the (i) icon in the top right corner
Select Add to Home Screen
Set a name and choose an icon
Tap Add

Now you can tap once on the Home Screen to mute/unmute your mic!

Method 2: Assign to Back Tap

This is the coolest way – double-tap the back of your phone to mute/unmute the mic!

Open Settings on your iPhone
Go to Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap
Select Double Tap
Scroll down to the Shortcuts section → Choose Toggle Mac Mic

Now double-tapping the back of your iPhone = mute/unmute the mic on your Mac! 🎉

Method 3: Use Siri

You can say: "Hey Siri, Toggle Mac Mic" to mute/unmute the mic!

Step 6: Test it!

Make sure your iPhone and Mac are on the same WiFi network
Join a Google Meet/Zoom call
Double-tap the back of your iPhone (or tap the shortcut on the Home Screen)
Look at your Mac screen → you’ll see the HUD showing the mic status
The mic will be toggled on/off!

🆘 Troubleshooting

Shortcut not working?

Check same WiFi: iPhone and Mac must be on the same WiFi network
Check if the IP is correct: Open the app’s Settings on Mac → check the IP again
Check if HTTP Server is enabled: Settings → HTTP Server must be ON
Test in Safari: On your iPhone, open Safari and enter http://[YOUR-MAC-IP]:8765 → If you see a web interface, it’s working

What if the IP changes?

If your router assigns dynamic IPs, each time it restarts the IP may change. You’ll need to:
1. Open the app’s Settings on Mac → check the new IP
2. Update the shortcuts with the new IP

Tip: Configure a static IP for your Mac in your router so the IP doesn’t change.

📥 Download

I found it so convenient for myself that I’m sharing it for FREE for everyone to use!