Roon client on macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 can't play locally with Lockdown Mode (ref#BDJ07S)

[Josef]

Roon client on macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 with Lockdown Mode: can play on remotes but not locally

I’m experiencing an issue with Roon on a Mac client running macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 with Apple’s Lockdown Mode enabled. The Roon client can connect to the server and stream music, but local playback does not work.

As soon as I disable Lockdown Mode on that Mac player, local playback resumes normally.

Importantly, my iPhone and iPad also have Lockdown Mode enabled and are not affected, they connect and play locally without any issue. The problem only occurs on the Mac client.

This is the only app on my setup impacted by Lockdown Mode. All other network services remain accessible on their respective ports, which suggests Roon’s Mac client may rely on a protocol or feature that Lockdown Mode specifically restricts on macOS (but not on iOS/iPadOS).

Setup details

• Affected device: Mac client running macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 with Lockdown Mode enabled
• Roon version: latest (up to date)
• Roon Server: running on a separate machine (not affected)
• Other clients: iPhone and iPad with Lockdown Mode enabled, working fine
• Network: local LAN, all other services reachable

Steps to reproduce

1. Enable Lockdown Mode on the Mac client
2. Open Roon → connects to server, streaming works
3. Attempt local playback → fails
4. Disable Lockdown Mode → local playback works again

What I’ve tried

• Disabling Lockdown Mode (confirms it’s the root cause)
• Verified that iPhone and iPad clients with Lockdown Mode work normally
• Verified all other network services still function on the Mac with Lockdown Mode on

Side note: no need to point out that Lockdown Mode is designed for a specific audience, I’m well aware of what it does. I simply choose to manage my security this way, and I’d love to be able to enjoy my music while doing so.

Any insight into which macOS-specific protocol or port Lockdown Mode might be blocking for Roon’s local playback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[alex_h (Alex)]

Hey @Josef ,

Thanks for reaching out to our support.

Can you please take Logs folder from ~/Library/Roon on affected machine and upload to Logs Uploader ?

We’ll review them and will try to understand what’s going on.

Also, can you please clarify what exactly happens ?

Does it not find the mac speakers ?

What are those speakers and how they are connected to your mac mini ?

Screenshots would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

Looking forward to your reply.

[Josef]

Hello Alex,

I’ve just uploaded the log files.

The server is a Mac Mini that’s not in lockdown mode. The Mac I want to set in lockdown mode is a MacBook Pro. I reverted it to regular mode because I want to use Roon on it. Unfortunately, I can’t find the MacBook Pro’s speakers when it’s in lockdown mode.

I can’t take screenshots right now as I reverted to classic mode, but if you insist, I’ll restart the computer in lockdown mode to make them for you. In the audio settings of Roon on the MacBook, I simply can’t see the local audio outputs.

[alex_h (Alex)]

@Josef ,

Thanks for sharing logs with us!

We were also able to reproduce this scenario in house.

Basically, In order to play music on local machine Roon uses separate application called RAATServer which connects locally to Roon app so you can Control local playback from Roon.

We have figured out that in the lockdown mode MacOS does not allow to establish local connection between Roon app and RAATServer app and therefore you cannot perform a local playback.

As of now the only effective solution is to disable Lockdown mode since Lockdown Mode does not have whitelist or other manageable settings to adjust Roon Local connections.

Thanks for your understanding.

[Josef]

It’s sad, but okay! Thanks for testing it out.