Echo is a native macOS menu-bar app that works fully on-device -- no account, no background service. Because your licence key is verified locally, Echo can keep running without an internet connection for up to seven days. After that grace period, it needs to phone home briefly to confirm your key is still active.
Why Does Echo Re-Validate at All?
When you activate Echo, your licence key is checked against the activation server and stored on your Mac. Echo trusts that local record for seven days before it re-checks. This means you can take your laptop on a flight, work in a remote location, or simply stay off Wi-Fi without Echo interrupting you. The periodic re-check exists to keep the three-Mac limit honest -- if a key is ever deactivated or moved to a different machine, the server knows and Echo will find out at the next validation.
Echo will not interrupt you during a short trip offline. The grace period resets each time it validates successfully, so staying connected occasionally is all that is needed.
What Triggers the Validation Message?
A few situations can bring up a licence validation prompt:
- Extended time offline -- your Mac has not had an internet connection for more than seven days.
- Clock or date change -- a significant system clock adjustment can confuse the grace-period timer.
- Key already at its Mac limit -- if you recently moved Echo to a new Mac without deactivating the old one first, the key may already be registered on three machines. Adding a fourth will fail validation.
- Key deactivated -- rare, but if the key was deactivated through the customer portal it will no longer validate.
How to Fix a Validation Failure
Step 1 -- Reconnect to the internet
This resolves the vast majority of cases. Connect to any Wi-Fi or ethernet and give Echo a moment. It checks in the background and, if your key is valid, the prompt will clear without any further action from you.
Step 2 -- Check your Mac count
Your Echo licence covers three Macs. If you have replaced a machine, you may need to free up a slot. Follow the steps in the moving Echo to a new Mac guide to deactivate the old machine first.
Step 3 -- Re-enter your key
If the prompt asks for your key directly, open the Echo menu from the menu bar and choose Licence. Enter the key you received by email when you purchased Echo. If you cannot find the email, check the address you used at checkout and search for 'Echo licence'.
Your licence key arrives by email at the time of purchase. Saving it to a password manager or notes app means you will always have it to hand if you ever need to activate Echo on a replacement Mac.
What Echo Does Not Do
Echo does not transmit your listening history, track metadata, or any personal information during a licence check. The validation request contains only your key and a machine identifier. It does not send data to any analytics service. If you want to understand exactly what stays on your device, the where is my data stored article covers it in full.
Still Seeing the Message?
If the prompt persists after reconnecting and your Mac count is within the limit, write to support@theodorehq.com with your licence key and a brief description of what you are seeing. Include the macOS version your Mac is running. Most issues are resolved within one business day.
Frequently asked
How long can Echo run without an internet connection?
Will Echo stop working if validation fails?
My key was valid before -- why is it failing now?
Does the licence check send any personal data?
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