Mac Changing audio output device does not change game audio output (v1.6.15)

[Czar Hey]

Issue: When the game is launched, changing the current audio output device (either via System Settings > Sound, or by clicking the Sound icon in the menu bar) does not change the audio output device the game uses. The game will continue to use the audio device that was set as the output device when the game was launched. For example, if a pair of external speakers and a pair of AirPods are connected, and the game was launched with the AirPods set as the audio output device, the game will not switch over to the external speakers if the audio output device is changed to the external speakers.

If the audio device is removed (e.g. by being unplugged and no longer available to the computer), the game will switch over to another audio device, but without any control or input from the player. For example, if the AirPods are put away, the game will switch over to the external speakers automatically. The game cannot switch back to the AirPods again, even if the AirPods are taken out again and the system's audio output device changed back to the AirPods. In the case of a computer with built-in speakers, if all other audio devices are unplugged, the game will eventually fall back to the built-in speakers, but can't switch to another audio device again.

The only way to change which device the game outputs its audio to is to quit the game, change the audio output device to the desired one, and then relaunch the game. The game will then output audio to that device. To change the audio output device, the game must again be restarted.

This issue didn't appear until after the v1.6.15 update, so something must've changed in the recent update that caused this.

Operating system: macOS Sequoia 15.2

Device: 14-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro, late-2023

Version of game: v1.6.15 build 24354, Steam version

 

[sparrowgarnet]

Having a very similar issue on my windows 11 pro PC.
Game only uses audio output that was in use when launched, cannot switch, even when audio device is no longer plugged in. Stardew Valley no longer shows up as playing audio under the volume mixer when this happens.

game version 1.6.15 build ID 16826371

 

[Lew Zealand]

Managing audio sources has been an issue for a long time and I have a number of games that have the same behavior, so it isn't even a Stardew-only thing. Not sure what the root source is, but...

at least it's better than it used to be! In the ~v1.4 days, switching audio at sometime during the day would cause the game to crash at the end of day on my Mac. Yes, before it saved the day. Very annoying with the lost progress and all that. Maybe that's the source of Bobbi being a lazy farmer, you can't get too wrapped up in what you did on that day or any day because it could all go >poof<.

So just don't do much, problem solved!