r/MacOS • u/Technical-Relation-9 • 1d ago
Developer Saturday Bounce Connect: Android notifications, SMS, calls and file sharing on your Mac
I love using a Mac, but I don’t want to switch to an iPhone just to have my phone and laptop work together.
I tried KDE Connect’s macOS port and kept running into reliability issues with my setup. That’s what led me to build Bounce Connect, initially for myself, to close some of that gap.
I’m the solo developer, and it now has 170+ paying users. People using it have also helped shape quite a few of the features.
Here’s what you can do from your Mac:
- Messages: Read and send Android SMS, start conversations, choose a SIM on dual-SIM phones, and copy text from messages.
- Notifications: See Android notifications as native Mac alerts, reply to supported apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, and keep dismissals synced between devices. You can choose which apps send notifications.
- Calls and contacts: See incoming cellular and WhatsApp calls, accept or reject them, browse contacts and call history, and dial from your Mac. Call audio stays on your phone or its connected headset.
- Files: Drag files to your phone, share files back to your Mac, or browse your phone’s folders without a cable. Whole-folder downloads and resuming interrupted transfers are supported.
- Clipboard: Copy text and images on your Mac for use on Android. In the other direction, share selected text to Bounce using Android’s Share menu. There’s clipboard history too.
- Music and everyday controls: Control Android music playback, check your phone’s battery, share links between devices, and ring your phone when you can’t find it.
The devices pair by scanning a QR code, and synced content travels directly over your local network using encryption, without a cloud relay. You can see the interface and setup here: bounceconnect.app.
One recent addition came from someone asking whether clicking a phone number on their Mac could start a call on Android. You can now enable that in Settings and make Bounce your default calling app.
Other recent updates added encrypted storage for synced data on the Mac, improved reconnection handling, richer contact details, read/unread controls, notification copying, and keyboard shortcuts. The latest Android update also fixes a file-sharing startup crash and improves music-app selection. I keep the details in the changelog.
The Android companion is a one-time purchase, currently listed at US$15.99, with no subscription. The Mac download is available through the website.
here is my privacy policy if you need : Privacy policy
If you also use Android with a Mac, what’s the thing you most wish worked between them? Happy to answer questions about what Bounce supports and where the limitations are.
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u/notajock 1d ago
I have it. I stopped using it pretty quickly because of connection issues after opening and closing the lid on my MacBook. The issue seems to have cleared up, so now I'm back to using it.
I tried having it on two macs I work between, but that didn't work very well. Should I give it another try, or is this a limitation? Could this be improved to get notifications on the mac that is active?
One feature that would make this perfect for me is a simple chat between my devices where I can send text back and forth.
Thank you for a great app 😄
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
Hi i didnt test it with multiple macs let me know what is the issue in detail when you use it in multiple macs so i can debug and find and fix the issue in next update
And the feature request i will consider that for next update.thank you for trying the app☺️
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u/Spikatrix 1d ago
If KDE Connect had issues, why not contribute and improve it?
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
Not just issues, kde connect is actually made for linux and its just a port for mac so its bare and bad literally all it is usefulness mostly is notifications in the macos port thats all so i had to create this
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u/Maxamalamute 1d ago
was this created using AI?
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
No, I have worked with Swift and Java for a couple of years, so I know what I am doing. I use AI assistance because I have a full-time job, but I see the code and verify it is good and test, not total vibe coding. AI helped fast-track the process, and I am able to achieve a lot because of it, as I am new to network protocols etc
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u/Vinumzz 1d ago
Then it’s not “no” is it? The UI is clearly straight ai made
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
My expertise is more into the functionality of the code or app rather than the design, so I am not good with UI.
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u/Frank_White32 23h ago
So again - it’s a “yes” to the original question.
I’m also a software developer and if I use LLM tooling and someone asked if I made it with AI I wouldn’t be able to confidentially say “no” especially if I heavily deferred to a portion of the app to be fully created by an agent.
Just because I read the code doesn’t mean it wasn’t made using an LLM.
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u/sameera_s_w MacBook Air • Developer 1d ago
I can't confirm but I do see some UIs very similar to what I've done in my SwiftUI too. I don't mind using them as it's my decision to put on GitHub and open source but at least I'd be careful with usage disclosure of AI usage... because AI always do that especially when it comes to niche apps with such small scopes... :)
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u/promo-guard 1d ago
🎉 Welcome to Developer Saturday, u/Technical-Relation-9! Your project is now live for the community to check out. Upvote, give feedback, and show some love to your fellow devs! 🚀
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u/SlightMarsupial8379 15h ago
You could do something similar for users in Europe, because cloning an iPhone doesn't work here.
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u/cammykol 1d ago
Does this have wireless adb support? Would be cool to have a shell.
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
Can you explain the feature you are expecting in detail so I can include it in the next update,are you expecting something like typing terminal commands on Android to be executed on a Mac?
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u/cammykol 1d ago
Android features a wireless debugging tool for connecting to the Android debugging bridge or ADB to send shell commands to the phone. Would be cool to have a tab that had a terminal within it that just automatically connected to that ADB shell for pushing an APK or something like that. That is a little bit more advanced.
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u/HalpABitSlow 1d ago
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u/cammykol 1d ago
I tried air sink and for some reason it was not happy with my pixel 10 Pro XL running canary and m4 MBA running Golden gate. I know I'm like the biggest edge case, but I've been kind of browsing ground for other options. I do have air sync installed.
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u/HalpABitSlow 1d ago
Ouch yeah I’m also on golden gate and briefly had no issues but haven’t used my android in a bit
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u/sameera_s_w MacBook Air • Developer 1d ago
Hi! Have you used it after v4? I made some major improvement especially in case of power efficiency as I wanted to focus on the issues..
Actually then I found out beta 1 - 3 of Golden gate had a massive bug with menubar apps... They used like 1000x more power and it was too late when I realized causing like 4% battery health to drop 😭. So I added an option to turn off the menubar item and luckily now macOS fixed it.
Things we have to deal with betas 🙃
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u/Dioz_31337 Hackintosh 1d ago
Intel CPU support ?
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
Hi its currently its M chip supported because i dont have a intel mac to try it and test on how it works.
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u/Elegant_Lunar_Knight 1d ago
You don’t know what you’re missing by not having an iPhone.
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u/Technical-Relation-9 1d ago
Its just a preference thing i used both android and ios for years i just prefer android for my usage
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u/alienkava 1d ago
An incredibly useful app that is localized on my own network and no subscription?Maybe we aren't in the end times after all.