Echo is a native macOS menu-bar app that watches what is playing across your music apps and browser tabs and keeps a private history, entirely on-device. To do that, it needs your approval for a small number of system-level permissions. macOS requires you to grant these explicitly - no app can take them silently.
Why Does macOS Ask for Permissions at All?
Apple's privacy model is built around the principle that apps must ask before they can observe activity on your Mac. That is a good thing. When Echo launches for the first time, macOS will present one or more permission prompts asking whether Echo is allowed to do what it needs to do. These prompts are the system working as intended, not a warning that something is wrong.
If you click Allow or OK on each prompt, Echo is ready to go. If you clicked Deny or dismissed a prompt, Echo will not be able to see the sources covered by that permission, and parts of the app will appear empty or inactive.
How to Grant a Permission You Declined
macOS does not re-show a permission prompt once you have dismissed it. To re-enable a permission you declined, you need to go to System Settings yourself:
- Open System Settings (the gear icon in your Dock, or Apple menu at the top left).
- Scroll down and click Privacy and Security.
- Find the relevant permission category in the list on the right.
- Locate Echo in that category and toggle it on.
- Quit and relaunch Echo using
⌘⇧Eor by clicking its menu-bar icon and choosing Quit, then opening it again.
If you are not sure which category to look in, the safest approach is to work through the Privacy and Security list and look for Echo in any category where it appears but is switched off.
Quit Echo fully and relaunch it after changing any permission in System Settings. macOS sometimes does not notify a running app that its access has changed, so a fresh launch is the reliable way to pick up the new state.
What About the Browser Extension?
If you want Echo to see what is playing in browser tabs - for example a music player or video site you have open in Safari or Chrome - you also need the Echo browser extension installed and enabled in your browser. The extension handles browser-tab capture separately from the macOS permission system. See what to do if the extension is not capturing if your browser sources are not showing up.
Echo does not have an account, does not send your listening history anywhere, and does not connect to any server. The permissions it requests are used entirely on-device to read now-playing information from other apps. Nothing leaves your Mac.
What If a Source Still Does Not Appear?
Permissions are the most common reason a source does not show up, but they are not the only one. If you have granted everything Echo asked for and a particular app or browser tab is still missing from your history, take a look at why a source might not be showing in Echo for further steps.
Getting Help
If you have worked through the steps above and Echo is still not seeing what is playing, reach out to support@theodorehq.com with a brief description of which source is missing and which macOS version you are running. The support address goes directly to the developer and replies are usually within one business day.
Frequently asked
Do I have to grant every permission Echo asks for?
Will granting these permissions slow down my Mac?
Is Echo safe to grant permissions to?
I cannot find Echo in the Privacy and Security list. What should I do?
Echo - One Price, Every Source
A one-time $9.99 gets you Echo on up to three Macs, with all future updates included.
One-time purchase, yours forever.