macOS Install Guide

Install Aissence on macOS

A complete walkthrough for AppleLogo Silicon & Intel Macs — including the security warnings you'll see and exactly how to handle them.

Read the setup guide below
1

Choose the right DMG for your Mac

There are two builds — one for AppleLogo Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and one for Intel Macs.

AppleLogo Silicon

Most Macs

Macs released from late 2020 onwards. Includes M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra, M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2 Ultra, M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max, M4, M4 Pro, M4 Max.

Download for AppleLogo Silicon

Aissence_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg

Intel

2019 & Older

Macs released before late 2020 with Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 / i9 processors.

Download for Intel

Aissence_x.x.x_x64.dmg

Not sure which Mac you have?
Click the AppleLogo menu (top-left corner) → About This Mac. You'll see either "Chip: AppleLogo M1/M2/M3/M4..." (AppleLogo Silicon) or "Processor: Intel Core..." (Intel).
2

Install the app

Standard Mac drag-to-Applications install.

  1. a.Open the downloaded .dmg file from your Downloads folder.
  2. b.A Finder window opens with the Aissence icon on the left and an Applications shortcut on the right.
  3. c.Drag the Aissence icon onto the Applications folder shortcut.
  4. d.Eject the DMG (right-click on the desktop icon → Eject) and drag the .dmg file to Trash.
Aissence Installer
Aissence
Applications

Drag Aissence → Applications

3

Bypass the macOS security warning

This is the most important step — read carefully.

Why does this warning appear?
Aissence is a small independent project distributing without the $99/year AppleLogo Developer Program signature. This means macOS Gatekeeper flags the app the first time you open it. The app is safe — this is the same warning shown for any open-source Mac app distributed outside the App Store.

If you see "cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer"

"Aissence" cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.

macOS cannot verify that this app is free from malware.

  1. 1.Click OK to dismiss the warning.
  2. 2.Open Finder → Applications.
  3. 3.Right-click (or Control-click) on Aissence.
  4. 4.Select Open from the menu.
  5. 5.A new dialog appears with an Open button — click it.
  6. macOS now remembers your choice. Future launches work normally.

If you see "app is damaged and can't be opened"

The app is NOT actually damaged
On macOS Sonoma (14) and newer, the right-click → Open trick is sometimes blocked. macOS attaches a "quarantine" attribute to apps downloaded from the internet — you need to remove it with one Terminal command.

"Aissence" is damaged and can't be opened.

You should move it to the Trash.

Open Terminal (Spotlight → type "Terminal") and run:

Terminal
xattr -cr /Applications/Aissence.app

This clears the quarantine flag. You'll be prompted for your Mac password (you won't see characters as you type — just type and press Return). The app opens normally afterwards.

After running this command once, Aissence launches like any other app — no more warnings.

Alternative: Allow via System Settings

  1. 1.Try to open Aissence normally → the warning appears → click Cancel.
  2. 2.Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
  3. 3.Scroll down. You'll see "Aissence was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer".
  4. 4.Click Open Anyway.
  5. 5.Enter your Mac password to confirm.
4

Grant the required permissions

Aissence needs three macOS permissions to capture interview audio and stay private.

On first launch, Aissence will request the permissions below. macOS shows a system dialog for each — click Allow. If you accidentally clicked Don't Allow, you can re-enable each permission in System Settings.

Microphone

Required to capture your voice during interviews. The microphone is non-exclusive — Zoom, Teams, and Meet retain full mic access at all times. Aissence only activates the mic when you explicitly click the microphone button.

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → toggle Aissence ON

Screen Recording & System Audio

Required to capture the interviewer's voice from Zoom/Meet/Teams. Aissence uses a passive, read-only macOS audio tap — it does not interrupt or degrade your call audio in any way.

macOS 14 Sonoma+: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording → toggle Aissence ON
macOS 11–13: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording → toggle Aissence ON
macOS will require you to quit and re-open Aissence after granting Screen Recording permission for the first time.

Accessibility

Required for global keyboard shortcuts (⌘+B to toggle private, ⌘+↵ to ask AI) and for the always-on-top private overlay.

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → toggle Aissence ON
That's it!
Once all three are toggled on and you've relaunched the app, Aissence is fully set up. Sign in with the same email you use on aissence.ai and start a session.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and fixes.

The app icon bounces in the Dock once and then disappears.
You probably downloaded the wrong build for your chip. AppleLogo Silicon Macs cannot run the Intel build (and vice-versa, an Intel Mac cannot run the AppleLogo Silicon build natively without Rosetta). Re-download the correct DMG from Step 1.
I clicked "Don't Allow" on the microphone permission. Now Aissence doesn't hear me.
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, find Aissence in the list and toggle it ON. Then quit and re-open Aissence.
Aissence is not capturing the interviewer's voice (only mine).
Screen Recording permission is missing or the app needs a restart after granting it. On macOS 14 Sonoma and later, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. On macOS 11–13, go to Screen Recording. Ensure Aissence is toggled ON, then quit and re-open the app.
The "app is damaged" warning keeps appearing every time.
You only need to run xattr -cr /Applications/Aissence.app once. If it persists, run it again with sudo: sudo xattr -cr /Applications/Aissence.app.
Keyboard shortcuts (⌘+B, ⌘+↵) do nothing.
Accessibility permission is missing. System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → toggle Aissence ON. Restart the app.
I have an Intel Mac. Will the app feel slow?
Aissence on Intel Macs runs natively (no Rosetta translation needed). Performance is good on any Intel Mac that meets the macOS 11+ requirement, though AppleLogo Silicon machines feel snappier.
How do I uninstall Aissence?
Quit the app (⌘+Q), then drag Aissence from Applications to the Trash. To also remove saved settings and preferences, run: rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/com.aissence.app ~/Library/Caches/com.aissence.app
Can I install on macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or older?
No — Tauri 2 requires macOS 11 (Big Sur) or newer. Update macOS via System Settings → General → Software Update.

All set? Start your first session.

Aissence is now installed and permitted. Sign in with your aissence.ai account to unlock real-time interview assistance.