leolion | 2 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 meetings where you forget to turn on the mic and talk non-stop – everyone’s been there, 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 something to the team, passionately explaining for a full 5 minutes. Then you see a coworker’s chat: “Hey, I can’t hear anything.” 🤦‍♂️

2. Forgetting to turn off the mic
In the middle of a meeting, the sound of a barking dog, a crying baby, or clacking keyboard noise suddenly fills the call. Everyone looks around, not knowing where the sound is coming from.

3. Having to switch tabs to mute/unmute is annoying
When you’re sharing Chrome and want to mute the 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

It breaks your workflow, makes you lose focus, and sometimes you even end up sharing the wrong screen!

4. Wanting to walk/jog while in a meeting
AirPods have gesture control on iOS (tapping the earbuds to mute/unmute). But on a Mac? Nothing! Apple doesn’t allow it. So unfair!

💡 The solution: Audio Remote

I built a super lightweight macOS app to completely solve these problems:

📱 Turn the mic on/off from your phone – no need to install an app, just be on the same WiFi
🔊 Sync volume – tap the back of your phone to change your Mac’s volume
🖥️ HUD in the middle of the screen – instantly see whether you’re muted or unmuted
⌨️ Global shortcut – ⌘M to toggle the mic, works everywhere
⚡ Super fast – only about ~1ms latency

Goal: Everyone gets a “0₫ Stream Deck” – control your Mac remotely without spending 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 your Mac

Open the link below 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 open the app again

1.4. Grant Microphone permission

When the app asks for 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 your 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 the IP address (for example: 192.168.1.100)

💡 Tip: This IP will be used for your phone to send commands to your 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 link below using Safari:

👉 Download Toggle Mic Shortcut

Tap Get Shortcut (or Add Shortcut in Vietnamese)
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 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 (the name might be “Toggle Mac Mic”)
Tap the three dots (⋯) in the corner of the shortcut to edit it
Find the line with a URL like: http://YOUR_MAC_IP:8765/toggle-mic
Replace YOUR_MAC_IP with your Mac’s real 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 with the Sync Volume shortcut – replace YOUR_MAC_IP with your Mac’s IP.

Step 5: Add the Shortcuts to the 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 just tap once on the Home Screen to mute/unmute your mic!

Method 2: Assign to Back Tap

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

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 out!

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

🆘 Troubleshooting

Shortcut not working?

Check they’re on the same WiFi: Your iPhone and Mac must be on the same WiFi network
Check if the IP is correct: Open the Settings window in the Mac app → confirm the IP
Check if HTTP Server is turned on: Settings → HTTP Server must be ON
Test via 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, the IP may change whenever the router restarts. You need to:
1. Open the Settings window in the Mac app → check the new IP
2. Update the shortcuts with the new IP

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

📥 Download

I’ve been using this myself and it’s so convenient that I’m sharing it for FREE for everyone!