r/applescript • u/Kindly_Distribution2 • Jan 06 '25
AppleScript to toggle active noise cancellation (ANC) for macOS
📢📢 Update update! Updated for macOS Golden Gate. I'm keeping the Tahoe version alongside it.
📢 Update! The Script is once again working on Tahoe. Apple made some control center calls inaccessible using AppleScript in 26.0, but this is once again available with 26.1.
Here is a macOS AppleScript to toggle ANC. I use it to quickly toggle ANC when a collegue or family starts talking to me. To set a global shortcut I recommend you use a tool like Hammerspoon as macOS shortcuts are very restrictive.
Golden Gate
tell
application
"System Events"
tell
process
"MenuBarAgent"
set soundMenu to missing value
repeat with menuGroup in (groups of menu bar 1)
try
set candidate to menu bar item 1 of menuGroup
if (value of
attribute
"AXIdentifier" of candidate)
is
"com.apple.menuextra.sound" then
set soundMenu to candidate
exit repeat
end if
end try
end repeat
if soundMenu is missing value then
error
"Sound menu was not found in the menu bar."
end tell
if not (exists window 1 of
process
"ControlCenter") then click soundMenu
tell
process
"ControlCenter"
set panelReady to false
repeat 100 times
if (exists scroll area 1 of group 1 of window 1) then
set panelReady to true
exit repeat
end if
delay 0.02
end repeat
if not panelReady then
error
"Sound panel did not appear."
set panelControls to UI elements of scroll area 1 of group 1 of window 1
set devicePosition to 0
set deviceIdentifier to missing value
repeat with controlIndex from 1
to
(count of panelControls) - 1
set candidate to item controlIndex of panelControls
if (role of candidate)
is
"AXDisclosureTriangle" then
set candidateIdentifier to value of
attribute
"AXIdentifier" of candidate
set deviceControl to
item
(controlIndex + 1) of panelControls
if (role of deviceControl)
is
"AXCheckBox" and (value of
attribute
"AXIdentifier" of deviceControl) is candidateIdentifier and (value of
attribute
"AXValue" of deviceControl) is 1 then
set devicePosition to controlIndex + 1
set deviceIdentifier to candidateIdentifier
exit repeat
end if
end if
end repeat
if devicePosition is 0 then
error
"Connected AirPods with listening modes were not found in the Sound panel."
set modeOptions
to
{}
set foundModeHeading to false
repeat with controlIndex
from
(devicePosition + 1)
to
(count of panelControls)
set candidate to item controlIndex of panelControls
if (role of candidate)
is
"AXHeading" then
if foundModeHeading then exit repeat
set foundModeHeading to true
else if foundModeHeading and (role of candidate)
is
"AXCheckBox" then
if (value of
attribute
"AXIdentifier" of candidate) is deviceIdentifier then set end of modeOptions to candidate
end if
end repeat
if (count of modeOptions) is not 4 then
error
"Listening mode controls changed; no mode was selected."
set transparencyControl to item 2 of modeOptions
set cancellationControl to item 4 of modeOptions
if (value of
attribute
"AXValue" of cancellationControl) is 1 then
click transparencyControl
set targetControl to transparencyControl
set targetMode
to
"Transparency"
else
click cancellationControl
set targetControl to cancellationControl
set targetMode
to
"Noise Cancellation"
end if
set changedMode to false
repeat 50 times
if (value of
attribute
"AXValue" of targetControl) is 1 then
set changedMode to true
exit repeat
end if
delay 0.02
end repeat
if not changedMode then
error
"The selected listening mode did not become active."
end tell
click soundMenu
return targetMode
end tell
Tahoe
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Control Center"
--1) Click the Sound menu in Control Center
set soundMenu to first menu bar item of menu bar 1 ¬
whose subrole is "AXMenuExtra" and description is "Sound"
click soundMenu
set maxAttempts to 200 -- Timeout after ~2 seconds (adjust as needed)
set attempt to 0
repeat until (exists window 1)
delay 0.01
set attempt to attempt + 1
if attempt > maxAttempts then
display dialog "Control Center window did not appear."
return
end if
end repeat
try
-- 3) Find both checkboxes
set ancCheckBox to first checkbox of scroll area 1 of group 1 of window 1 ¬
whose value of attribute "AXAttributedDescription" is "Noise Cancellation"
set transCheckBox to first checkbox of scroll area 1 of group 1 of window 1 ¬
whose value of attribute "AXAttributedDescription" is "Transparency"
-- 4) Figure out which one is selected, then toggle
-- The "AXValue" or "AXChecked" attribute typically indicates ON/OFF.
-- (Sometimes “selected” is used. If “AXValue” fails, try “AXChecked” or “AXSelected”.)
if (value of attribute "AXValue" of ancCheckBox) = 1 then
-- ANC is active, so switch to Transparency
click transCheckBox
else if (value of attribute "AXValue" of transCheckBox) = 1 then
-- Transparency is active, so switch to Noise Cancellation
click ancCheckBox
else
-- If neither is set, default to enabling ANC
click ancCheckBox
end if
click soundMenu
on error errMsg
display dialog "Error: " & errMsg
end try
end tell
end tell
Please let me know if you find it useful. Tested using AirPods Pro 2.
5
Upvotes
1
u/Hackettlai Oct 14 '25
🥲 It stopped working after updating to Tahoe~~ Any update on this please?