Install & FAQ

How to install

1. Buy Meshcast, then download Meshcast.zip from the item page or the email.
2. Unzip. Drag Meshcast.app into /Applications. Do not run it from Downloads.
3. Open it. macOS will ask if you want to open an app downloaded from the Internet. Click Open — Apple already checked it.
4. Meshcast lives in the menu bar — a speaker icon, no Dock tile. Click it.
5. macOS will show a System Audio Recording popup. Click Allow. That is how Meshcast hears what this Mac is playing — not the microphone.
6. Quit Meshcast (menu → Quit), then open it again from Applications. The audio permission is only applied after a relaunch.
7. In the menu: pick the rooms, start the mesh, play anything on this Mac.

Permissions — do these exactly

Meshcast captures what this Mac is playing. That is System Audio Recording, not the microphone. If you dismissed the popup, or the mesh says silent while a track is playing, turn it on here:

1. System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording
2. Turn Meshcast on. If it is not in the list, start a mesh once so macOS prompts, then come back here. If you also see meshtap, turn that on too. In the app, click the pink status line to jump here.
3. Quit Meshcast (menu → Quit), then open it again from Applications. The tap is only allowed after a relaunch.

If no speakers appear (macOS 15+): System Settings › Privacy & Security › Local Network → Meshcast on. Speakers are found over Bonjour on your Wi-Fi.

Do not turn on Microphone for Meshcast. That is the wrong permission. A silent mesh almost always means Screen & System Audio Recording was denied or the app was not relaunched.

FAQ

What Mac do I need?

macOS 13 or later. The system-audio tap — the route the app uses — needs macOS 14.2+. HomePods and other AirPlay speakers must already be on the same Wi-Fi.

What can I play?

Spotify, YouTube, YT Music, SoundCloud, Untitled, and all web-based audio works on meshed speakers.

I bought it. Where is the app?

Stripe sends you to the item page and emails the same download link. Unzip, drag to Applications. The app does not appear in the Dock; look in the menu bar.

How do I update an installed app?

Open Meshcast from the menu bar, select the version tab (V.02 in older apps), and click Refresh. When an update is available, click Update. Meshcast downloads and verifies the new app, then restarts. Your saved settings and library stay in place. Updates are free for existing users. The app checks at launch and when you open that tab; it waits for you to install, so it will not restart during a mix without your click.

macOS asked if I want to open Meshcast.

That is the first-open check for anything downloaded from the Internet. Click Open. Apple already scanned this build. Keep the app in /Applications.

Do I need Homebrew, ffmpeg, or anything else?

No. Everything Meshcast needs ships inside the app — audio engine included. Download, drag, open. That is the whole install.

Speakers play silence, or the app says silent.

A track title can still show — that is Now Playing, not the tap. Allow the System Audio Recording popup, or turn Meshcast on under Screen & System Audio Recording, then Quit and reopen. Without that consent, macOS hands back perfectly timed silence instead of an error. The Mac itself also mutes while the mesh runs, so if the rooms are silent you will hear nothing.

No speakers in the list.

Same Wi-Fi as the HomePods. Local Network allowed for Meshcast. Then Scan in the menu. Names are whatever AirPlay advertises — kitchen, room, a Mac.

The Mac itself went quiet.

That is expected. The mesh mutes local output so you hear the rooms, not a delayed echo from the laptop.

Video is out of sync.

Latency is the mesh window plus AirPlay — about a second at the defaults. Music is the point; lip sync is not.

Does “System Audio Recording” save audio files?

No. That is the name of a macOS permission. Meshcast processes playing audio live for speakers, meters and tempo analysis; it does not save playable recordings or capture your microphone or screen. Deck waveforms cache reduced peak values locally, not audio files. The cache holds up to 256 tracks with 200 values each and does not sync to dots.id.

What about listening history?

History is local first. Connect in the History tab to push plays to dots.id. That sign-in is optional and separate from the $13 purchase. History saves song metadata and observed playback times, not audio. In the privacy update, Listening History → Privacy lets you keep plays local, hide details before sync, set rules for all plays from a program, or delete a play locally and from Dots. Hiding details retains the play timestamp and connected account. Changes also queue cleanup of previously synced copies; offline cleanup retries before uploading. Disconnecting stops future sync without deleting existing Dots data.

How do I get help?

Email brandname@just.is. Include the checkout email if it is about the download.