Lifetime
[macOS + Android] Bounce Connect update - encrypted local data, safer pairing, offline reliability and file-sharing fixes
About a month ago I posted the Bounce38 update here. Since then I have shipped one major Mac release, Bounce Connect 39, and a new Android release, Bounce Companion 9.0.1.
For those unfamiliar: **Bounce Connect solves the Mac–Android divide.*\* Apple gives iPhone users native Continuity, AirDrop, calling, and notifications on macOS, while Android users get almost nothing native.
Bounce brings native call controls (cellular + WhatsApp), SMS with dual-SIM support, bidirectional notification syncing, clipboard sharing, and local file transfers between Android and Mac without third-party servers.
Here is what actually changed.
The biggest Mac additions:
Encrypted local data. Synced messages, contacts, notifications, calls, clipboard history, transfer records, device details, and cached Android app icons are now stored inside an encrypted vault on the Mac.
The vault uses AES-256-GCM, with its master key stored in the macOS Keychain. Different categories of data use separately derived encryption keys.
Safe migration from Bounce38. Existing data is migrated automatically and the original data is removed only after the encrypted replacement has been written, decrypted again, and verified. Existing Android pairings and synchronized history are preserved.
Authenticated connections. A device is no longer trusted simply because it connected to the Mac. The Android phone must prove that it owns the saved pairing key before Bounce accepts messages, notifications, calls, clipboard data, or file transfers.
Secure QR-only pairing. New devices are paired using the encrypted QR code shown on the Mac. I removed the old six-digit manual pairing method because it could not securely exchange the complete encryption key.
Call Android from telephone links. Bounce can optionally become the Mac’s default calling app. Clicking a tel:, telprompt:, or callto: link in Safari, Mail, Contacts, or another app can start the call on the connected Android phone.
This is opt-in and disabled by default. Settings includes setup instructions, connection status, a test-call option, and protection against invalid numbers or repeated links.
Safer file transfers. Transfer metadata and keys now travel through the authenticated encrypted connection. Bounce rejects unsafe filenames, path traversal, missing chunks, duplicate transfer starts, incorrect sequencing, and incomplete transfers.
Privacy-safe diagnostics. Routine logs no longer intentionally include message text, clipboard content, contacts, phone numbers, pairing secrets, QR contents, filenames, local paths, or decrypted payloads.
The biggest Android additions:
Reliable offline use. I removed an older in-app Play licensing layer that could treat an Internet or Google Play service problem as a failed purchase.
Previously, repeated licensing failures could eventually disconnect the Mac, stop the background service, and erase the pairing. That destructive two-hour failure path is now completely removed.
Google Play Automatic Protection still protects the Play Store release, but a legitimate user can now keep using Bounce over local WiFi even when the router has no Internet connection.
Pairing-preserving upgrade. Updating from Android 9.0.0 removes only two obsolete licensing timestamps. Pairing keys, Mac identity, known networks, security settings, connection information, and transfer-resume data remain untouched.
More predictable reconnection. Service restarts, WiFi returning, and Android leaving Doze now use one guarded reconnect system. Recovery can restart when it is genuinely waiting or exhausted, but it will not interrupt an existing connection, discovery attempt, or encryption handshake.
Cold file-sharing crash fix. When sharing files or folders from Android, Bounce now promotes the transfer service immediately before processing file lists or restoring transfer state. This prevents Android from killing the transfer with a foreground-service timeout during a cold launch.
Disconnected or malformed transfer requests also stop cleanly instead of leaving an empty background service running.
Smarter music controls. If Android has no active media session, Bounce now opens one explicit and verified music application. It prefers the last player used, followed by installed music and audio apps.
It will no longer accidentally launch Google Search, Chrome, another browser, the main YouTube app, Photos, social media, or a video-streaming service when Play is pressed from the Mac.
If Bounce cannot find a safe music player, it asks the user to open a music app once instead of guessing.
Android 16 readiness. Bounce Companion now targets Android API 36 and includes the WiFi multicast permission needed for more reliable local discovery and connected-device background operation.
Both releases preserve compatibility with Bounce Mac 38 where required, while Bounce Mac 39 and Android 9.0.0 or newer can automatically use the stricter authenticated encrypted connection.
The problem my app solves is that: Mac gives iPhone users Continuity, AirDrop, calling, notifications, and iMessage on desktop. Android users get almost nothing native on macOS.
My app is better than KDE Connect for my use case because: it is built from scratch in native Swift for macOS and is focused specifically on making Android and Mac work together. It supports WhatsApp call controls, bidirectional notification dismissal, dual-SIM messaging, authenticated encrypted sessions, and resumable folder transfers over local WiFi.
Other core features include:
Smart WiFi Lock that stays active only on trusted networks
SMS from Mac with dual-SIM support
Selectable and copyable message text
Read and unread controls for messages and notifications
Accept, reject, or mute cellular and WhatsApp calls from Mac
Call Android from telephone links on Mac
Dual-SIM reject with message
Notification mirroring and supported Android notification actions
Clear a notification on Mac and it clears on Android, and vice versa
Per-app notification controls
Continuity-style link sharing
Universal clipboard synchronization
Wireless encrypted file and folder transfers
Interrupted-transfer resume
Remote Android file browser from Mac
Media controls with safer music-player selection
Bounce for Chrome beta
AOSP and GrapheneOS support
Android Quick Settings tile
Encrypted local storage on Mac
AES-256-GCM encrypted local communication
No cloud servers
Pricing: $15.99 lifetime. The Android app is purchased through Google Play and the Mac app is free.
I still do not have a traditional trial, but Google Play allows a paid app to be returned within two hours of its first purchase if it does not work for your setup. An app can only be returned this way once.
it will work with rcs too i handle it with the notifications so when both android and mac is connected even if its rcs you can receive and send messages but only limitation is you cant load the old messages which you received when the app is not connected as rcs encrypts it. for clipboard from mac to android its seem less copy in mac it appears in android but from android to mac select any text click share and select bounce and you can directly paste in mac with command+c
I was checking out the website and saw the clipboard limitations, same as everyone else. I hate that Android doesn't let you paste into the phones clipboard in background directly.
One thing is a bit misleading Rated 4.6/5 on Google Play but Google Play definitely does not reflect that.
But it is very attractive looking. Just too much for my wallet. How is the battery impact being connected continuously?
Thank you! About the Google Play ratings, they are local ratings. For me, it shows an overall rating, but users see ratings specifically from people in their own country. One user can see 4 starts one user from different country can see a different rating. See it shows 5 star from my country
Thanks for that information. I thought it was collective based on the package name and developer account not market based. Such an odd thing for Google.
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u/GarbageFile13 12h ago
Such a great app!! This thing helps so much!