General: About background processes used by our apps

With the release of MacOS 13 (Ventura) and MacOS 14 (Sonoma), options for managing background processes are organized in the System Settings application (formerly known as System Preferences).

Two types of background processes are controllable in MacOS:

Login items: These are apps listed in the Open at Login table
Background items: These are processes listed in the Allow in the Background section.

Several of Rogue Amoeba’s products use background items which must be enabled for the software to work correctly. This article provides more details on these processes, as well as on optional login items which improve functionality.

Examples of background processes that can be managed in the System Settings app

Rogue Amoeba’s background items

The required “Rogue Amoeba Audio Capture Engine (ACE)” background item

When you first run Airfoil, Audio Hijack, Loopback, Piezo, or SoundSource, you’ll be prompted to install Rogue Amoeba’s Audio Capture Engine (ACE) component. ACE is the technology that enables our apps (as well as licensee applications) to access and control audio on your Mac.

ACE in the Allow in the Background section

ACE’s background process must be able to run for the software to function correctly. If ACE is disabled here, you will be prompted to re-enable it whenever any of these apps launch. See the Re-enabling background items section below for more detailed instructions on fixing this issue.

The required “Loopback” background item

Loopback installs an additional background item, listed as simply “Loopback”, which is responsible for managing the application’s virtual audio devices when the main app isn’t running. Like ACE, this process needs to be enabled for Loopback to function correctly and you’ll be prompted to fix it if it’s ever disabled.

Loopback in the Allow in the Background section

Rogue Amoeba’s login items

Airfoil Satellite’s login item

To ensure that your Mac is always ready to receive streaming audio, you can add Airfoil Satellite to your login items from the app’s Settings window. In the User Interface tab, turn on the Start Airfoil Satellite at login option.

System notification when Airfoil Satellite is added to apps that Open at Login

The “Audio Hijack Scheduler” login item

When you use timers in Audio Hijack, a helper app called “Audio Hijack Scheduler” is installed to ensure that your sessions run on the specified schedule. This application keeps track of timers created by Audio Hijack, working with the power management system in MacOS to prepare your Mac to automatically launch Audio Hijack so it’s ready to start that scheduled session. This is shown in the Open at Login table.

Audio Hijack Scheduler in the Open at Login table

SoundSource’s login item

To ensure that your desired audio adjustments are always made, you can add SoundSource offers to your login items from the app’s Settings window. In the General tab, turn on the Start SoundSource at login option.

System notification when SoundSource is added to apps that Open at Login

Re-enabling background items

The ACE component must be allowed to run in the background for our apps to function properly. If it’s disabled, you will get an alert to re-enable it when one of the aforementioned apps is launched. The same is true for Loopback, and its associated “Loopback” background item.

Re-enabling a background item is easy, and can be done in just a few seconds.

From the warning prompt in the app , click the Open System Settings link.

The in-app prompt to re-enable ACE

Alternately, open the System Settings app, click the General option on the left side, then click the the Login Items option.
Find ACE listed in the Background Items section, and click the switch to re-enable it.

Here, ACE has been incorrectly disabled item in System Settings
You’ll be prompted to enter the username and password for an administrator account on your Mac, to authorize the change.

The system prompt for your administrator password
Once complete, return to the app to continue through the process.

The app will now be able to launch and run as expected.

Troubleshooting issues with background items

Since background items and their notifications are new to MacOS 13 (Ventura), there are some rough edges in the initial rollout. If MacOS shows the wrong name for our ACE component, or has extra notifications and listings of our software, please use the troubleshooting steps below to help sort things out.

If you see “Audio Hijack” listed in the Allow in the Background section

Initial versions of MacOS 13 (Ventura) attempted to set a recognizable name for background items, using apps which may be related to the process. Unfortunately, that resulted in the ACE component being incorrectly listed as “Audio Hijack”. As a result, you might find an item called “Audio Hijack” in the Allow in the Background section of the settings area:

System Settings incorrectly listing “Audio Hijack” in its background items

While this erroneous “Audio Hijack” entry won’t cause any issues, you may wish to remove it from the Allow in the Background section. You can do so with a current version of Airfoil, Audio Hijack, Loopback, Piezo, or SoundSource.

First, quit the System Settings app. Next, uninstall ACE from within any of the aforementioned apps. Finally, launch the app again to reinstall ACE.

When you’re done, the Allow in the Background section will show the correct “Rogue Amoeba Audio Capture Engine (ACE)” item, and the “Audio Hijack” item will be gone.

The correct entry for ACE in System Settings

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Support Information for: Airfoil for MacAudio HijackLoopbackPiezoSoundSourceGeneral About background processes used by our apps