APS and APS Hub changelog

• IMPROVED webpage opening so APS reuses an existing matching Chrome tab instead of creating a duplicate, including Google Slides edit and presentation links

• ADDED presenter notes feedback for PowerPoint and Google Slides over the network API
• IMPROVED PowerPoint presenter notes feedback so updates arrive faster and more reliably after slide changes
• ADDED PowerPoint section feedback, including the active section and slide position within that section
• ADDED network commands for reading and changing selected APS settings remotely

• IMPROVED watched folder reliability for presentation and media folders, especially when using network drives, synced folders, Syncthing, or waking from sleep
• FIXED next/previous navigation for OneDrive or SharePoint PowerPoint files that include &, comma, #, or ~ in the filename
• FIXED an issue where Okular could fail to come to front when opening a PDF presentation
• IMPROVED licence and update checks by identifying APS requests to the PresentationTools servers

• ADDED an optional settings that prevents the presentation-clicker from exiting PowerPoint
• FIXED some issues with "Link presentations" and network-commands for advancing slides
• FIXED an issue that could cause APS to be in a bad state if the computer went to sleep-mode for several hours then wake up again

• FIXED an issue where escaping the google slides presentation wouldnt exit presentation mode.
• IMPROVED seamless switching with Google Slides: now the “fullscreen notification” of Google Chrome will be suppressed if you use APS commands to put Google Slides to fullscreen while a still-image is already displayed.
• IMPROVED the network-commands that bring our presentations-apps to front: now also presenter-view will go to front of the page with these commands. Applies to Google Slides, PowerPoint and Okular.
• IMPROVED network-feedback for Google Slides feedback for presentation-slides: now the slides-info is updated automatically when the Google Slides presentation goes in and out of focus.

• FIXED an issue when using Controlled Mode for PowerPoint with Google Drive files: Now the “next presentation” commands should be more robust in this case.

Switch Google Slides by switching Chrome tabs. When you switch to a new tab, APS automatically takes the new presentation into fullscreen and exits fullscreen on the previous one — so you can switch between Google Slides presentations just by changing tabs.

• Added support for Google Slides in Google Chrome, including presentation control, optional Presenter View and slide feedback over network

Added a new Webpages tab in the UI so you can open, close, and fullscreen webpages in the APS-controlled Chrome browser without using network-commands.

• FIXED an issue where the display-names wouldnt show properly in the settings. (regression in v.4.1.0.3)
• IMPROVED PowerPoint communication while a presentation is displayed: now we rely more on info stored in memory so we send less queries to PowerPoint about the current state of the presentation. This saves some computer-resources
• IMPROVED PowerPoint media feedback accuracy: faster polling for media-timer

• ADDED display-names to Main Presenter Screen, so its easier to see which screen you select
• ADDED more info for network-feedback: app version-number and computer name set by user

• FIXED an edge-case rendering issue where certain non-square-pixel (PAL) videos could appear misaligned on 4K displays.
• FIXED an issue where resuming playback from pause could unintentionally trigger a fade effect.
• FIXED an issue where playing a video on top of another could briefly reveal the desktop background.

• NEW Exportable diagnostic log file to assist with troubleshooting and support.
• NEW Controlled presentation handling mode. In this mode, APS uses the configured Watched Folder to determine the current and next presentation in the folder.
• NEW information panels in the Settings menu explaining available options and how they affect program behavior.

Startup checks & improved reliability

APS now performs additional checks on startup to verify that required system components are available. This includes:

• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
• Required PowerPoint components used for communication with APS
• To make this more robust, the installer now includes the Visual C++ Redistributable and will install it automatically if it’s missing.

Improved video scaling in Media Player

• Fixed an issue where videos with non-standard resolutions did not scale correctly and only filled part of the screen

• NEW native Windows libraries for audio, video, and image rendering.
• FASTER app startup-time
• FIXED a crash that could occur if PowerPoint was not installed
• REMOVED LAN Control API v1 support

• NEW Video timer from PowerPoint feature over network (Companion)
• FIXED an issue where the images and videos would momentarily disappear while hovering over the taskbar programs.
• FIXED an issue where we couldnt see slide progress from Okular.

• FIXED an issue where slide-transitions would create a glitch in the slide counter
• FIXED an issue with Microsoft Sharepoint folders, where APS didnt detect the files correctly

🔧 Bug Fixes

• Fade values now work correctly on systems using commas for decimals
• Media files shorter than one second now play properly
• Unnecessary pop-up warnings removed

📄 Improved File Handling

• PDFs no longer launch PowerPoint at the same time

🧹 Chrome Integration Improvements

• Improved compatibility with Chrome v136+
• New command to refresh the Chrome tab via the debugging port
• New option to delete the Chrome profile used by APS for a clean session

🗑️ Cleaner Uninstall

• Auto Presentation Switcher now removes all user files on uninstall, including settings and temporary data

New features ready for Companion 3.5:

• Google Chrome control. Open webpages, display them in fullscreen, and monitor your web-tabs on Companion buttons.
• Set the active application. Multitask between PowerPoint, PDF and Google Chrome with Companion buttons, and get feedback for the active application.
• Slide and build variables specifically for PowerPoint. These variables will show the slide info for PowerPoint also when other apps are in window-focus.

Other changes:

• Update notifications: APS will now only look for updates on startup, not while the program is running.

• CHANGED how to set the screen used for Okular PDF presentations: Now this is selected from the Okular program-settings (not from APS). This gives the option to have the main Okular window (presenter view) on main display, with the presentation displayed on the extended display.
• FIXED an issue where a notification text about Companion 3.5 kept showing up also after selecting “don’t show again.
• FIXED a rare issue where APS could crash when advancing slides in Okular
• IMPROVEMENTS to slide-detection in Okular. There were some user-actions that could break the slide-feedback from Okular, now it should work better.
• ADDED option “Hold at end” for the media-player. This will pause on the last frame when the video is finished.
• FIXED an issue where images in the media-player would exit after 10 seconds

• Changes to presentation-linking: when going backwards to a previous presentation, you go to the last slide, not the first.
• Changed the warning-popup window that comes if you connect to an older Companion version, added “dont show this again” option

New network commands:

• Realtime-updates of presentation folders on Companion buttons
• Feedback when a presentation is in fullscreen
• Set filepath for images and slot-presentaitons
• Clear images and presentation slots
• Capture the current presentation as a destination for the slot-presentations or slot-folders
• Rewritten network-API for improved security and reliability
• Realtime-updates of media folders on Companion buttons. From here you can select files for the media player and still-images.
• New option to link presentation with the presentation-clicker. Works with PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat DC and Okular.
• Fixed a glitch that could happen when displaying still-images and screenshots
• Fixed an issue where the media-player could freeze for a short time when opening new presentations
• When starting a presentation from the beginning, APS will ignore hidden slides
• Fixed an issue where animations on the first slide wouldn’t start automatically

• ADDED More PowerPoint file formats to the slot commands. APS now fully supports these file extensions for PowerPoint: `pptx`, `ppsx`, `pptm`, `ppsm`, `ppt`, `pps`.
• FIXED an issue where the network feedback would only show Latin characters. Now you can display presentation names in most languages.
• FIXED an issue where the presentation feedback wouldnt be properly updated when closing presentations.
• FIXED sn issue where keyboard shortcuts wouldnt work in trial mode.
• CHANGED Slide feedback for PowerPoint: Now it’s also updated when PowerPoint is not the frontmost application.
• ADDED option to minimise the program UI to the taskbar. This will be turned on by default.

• ADDED a new media-player with 40 slots for image, video and audio-files
• ADDED the option to minimize the app-interface to the main toolbar, making it more accessible.
• FIXED some potential issues with taking screenshots and the seamless switching method
• FIXED an issue where Adobe Acrobat DC files wouldnt open
• FIXED an issue with Okular PDF where putting it to fullscreen could close the PDF-file

• ADDED update-notifications and in-app updates
• ADDED more network-feedback about presentations: view current slide and presentation-name on Companion buttons
• ADDED Okular as PDF-program you can control
• ADDED seamless switching for PDF when using Okular. This means switching between pdf-pdf, pdf-ppt or ppt-pdf will look seamless
• ADDED 20 slot presentation-slot commands, bringing the total to 40

• FIXED an issue where the images wouldnt display properly if the app auto-launces on startup
• ADDED an option to set the refresh-rate of the image-fades, from 25 to 120 FPS.

• FIXED an issue where Powerpoint wouldnt react to the presentation-clicker after displaying images on Windows 11.

• ADDED optional fades to the images

• FIXED an issue where network-command would stop working when trying to exit the application

• Improvements on the responsiveness of the menu

• FIXED a bug where the menu would be unresponsive while performing presentation-commands

• IMPROVED the performance of the slot and presentation-commands when Powerpoint is closed when the command is performed
• ADDED seamless switching for the slot and presentation commands

• NEW slot-commands for presentations
• NEW open presentation from filename&filepath network command
• NEW go to slide network-command
• NEW next slide for Powerpoint and Adobe Acrobat DC network-command
• NEW feedback for current, next and previous presentation network-command
• NEW 64 bit PDF support for Adobe Reader and Adobe Acroba

• INTERNAL changes to the licencing-system, preparing for the future.

• NEW variable port-number for Companion connection

• FIXED a bug which could prevent Powerpoint-files from switching when the preview-pane in file-explorer was on

• FIXED better error-handling in case the save configuration file gets corrupted

• NEW still-images
• NEW freeze-screen command
• 64 bit version

• FIXED an issue in v.1.0.0.6 where licence-activation sometimes wouldn’t work properly

• NEW option to launch automatically on startup
• IMPROVEMENTS to auto-saving of app-settings

Original version

APS 4.4 build 51 improves Google Slides display handling and keeps presentation feedback accurate.

• Improved Google Slides playback when macOS displays share one Space, including routing the slideshow to the selected presentation display.
• Improved transitions between Google Slides and regular Chrome tabs, with more reliable Escape behavior and window restoration.
• Fixed stale remote presentation feedback when switching presentations or apps, including file names, neighboring presentations, slide details, and presenter notes.

APS 4.4 adds APS Hub file transfer and easier network setup, with major reliability improvements across media and screen capture.

• Added verified incoming file transfer for APS Hub, with configurable destination and port settings.
• Added automatic network discovery, selectable network access, and improved support for multiple connected controllers and transfer clients.
• Expanded remote control and feedback with fade and cut transition settings, licence status, and clearer media-operation results.
• Improved watched-folder updates, media-player state reporting, and operator notifications when media cannot be loaded or selected.
• Modernized screenshot capture with improved macOS permission handling and timeout protection against stalled captures.
• Added an option to reset APS settings directly from the Settings window.

APS 4.3 improves Chrome tab handling and fullscreen reliability.

• APS now switches to an already-open matching Chrome tab without reloading it, helping preserve page state and avoid duplicate tabs.
• Google Slides presentations are matched across edit and presentation views, so APS can reuse the correct tab more consistently.
• Improved Chrome fullscreen detection on the selected presentation display.

APS 4.3 expands presentation control and feedback for connected controllers.

• Added PowerPoint section controls for jumping directly to a section or moving to the previous or next section.
• Added presenter-notes feedback for PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slides.
• Added remote control and feedback for APS settings, making connected controller setups easier to manage.
• Improved Google Slides and active-application feedback so connected controllers stay in sync.

• FIXED an issue where the manual freeze window would not fade out
• IMPROVED image-slot network feedback so Companion can receive filenames and refreshed image states after capture/delete
• IMPROVED licence and update checks by identifying APS requests to the PresentationTools servers

Fixed some issues when updating to Keynote 15

• Fixed “Open at app startup” option on newer macOS versions. APS now uses the newer macOS startup system and can guide you to System Settings if approval is needed.

Extended the trial to 20 minutes. The trial window now gives more time to test APS before activation.

• Improved trial and activation windows. The app now handles closing, quitting, and license updates more clearly.

Simplified app icon behavior. APS now runs as a regular Dock app, and the old menu bar icon option has been removed.

Switch Google Slides by switching Chrome tabs. When you switch to a new tab, APS automatically takes the new presentation into fullscreen and exits fullscreen on the previous one — so you can switch between Google Slides presentations just by changing tabs.

• Added support for Google Slides in Google Chrome, including presentation control, optional Presenter View and slide feedback over network
• Added a new Webpages tab in the UI so you can open, close, and fullscreen webpages in the APS-controlled Chrome browser without using network-commands.

• FIXED an issue with feedback for the active application
• IMPROVED latency for current slide feedback
• IMPROVED latency for the watched folder . We also use a more efficient way to detect changes: instead of polling we now listen for Mac OS filesystem events.

• ADDED display-names to Main Presenter Screen, so its easier to see which screen you select
• ADDED more info for network-feedback: app version-number and computer name set by user
• ADDED some line-separators in the settings menu to make it look nicer

v. 4.1 (35) (7. March 2026)

• FIXED an issue where network-feedback for slot-presentations wouldnt update correctly

• FIXED an issue where the program could crash when checking PowerPoint information. This was a rare edge-case.

• ADDED Google Chrome support. Open webpages, switch tabs and move the Chrome window in and out of fullscreen. The Bitfocus Companion module for Chrome is now fully supported by APS Mac.
• ADDED network commands for the active applications. The Bitfocus Companion commands for switching between powerpoint, pdf and Google Chrome are fully supported. (Support for Keynote will come later in Companion, but its implemented in APS Mac already)
• ADDED network feedback to detect if a PDF file (Skim or Acrobat Pro) is displayed in fullscreen.
• ADDED slide feedback for PDF files shown in Companion.
• FIXED an issue where network-feedback wasn’t updated after connecting to Companion. Now all current feedback-states are sent to the listening clients on each reconnection.
• IMPROVED performance and reliability when switching presentations. Reduced internal state checks to eliminate unnecessary delays and improve responsiveness, especially in larger folders

System Requirements (macOS)

Minimum supported macOS version is now macOS 11 (Big Sur). Previous APS versions remain available for systems running earlier macOS versions.

• ADDED Exportable diagnostic log file to assist with troubleshooting and support.
• ADDED Controlled presentation handling mode. In this mode, APS uses the configured Watched Folder to determine the current and next presentation. This provides a more robust alternative for folder-based navigation in certain setups.
• ADDED information panels in the Settings menu explaining available options and how they affect program behavior.
• Fixed an issue in Media Player loop mode where playback could briefly freeze on the first frame.
• Fixed an issue where switching between dark and light mode while the program was running could cause parts of the UI to render incorrectly.

• FIXED Keynote 15 is now correctly detected and supported.
• ADDED new window “App permissions” that shows if the app has accessibility and screen recording permissions, with links to where the other permissions can be set. This window can be found from the top menu bar.
• ADDED some more error-handling if file access is not set up correctly for presentation-files

• Seamless switching should now run smoother. We fixed a glitch that could happen on Tahoe OS when displaying screenshots, and a freeze that could happen when old presentation fades out
• Fixed an issue where the wrong Keynote presentation could be displayed with the presentation-commands
• Fixed an issue with fading out looped videos, now it should run correctly
• Internal refactoring of presentation feedback, to streamline operations and make it more robust

• NEW native media player. APS for macOS now includes a completely new media playback engine. You can play videos, audio, and display images directly from APS.
• FASTER startup time. Application startup time has been improved by moving several initialization processes to asynchronous execution, resulting in a faster and more responsive launch experience.

• ADDED support for multiple network-connections.
• FIXED an issue where PowerPoint presentations wouldn’t go to fullscreen with the “open presentation” commands.
• ! REMOVED support for Companion v.3.4.3 and below. This version only supports Companion v.3.4.4 and above. If you are using an older version of Companion, dont upgrade, or download historical builds from our website.

• FIXED an issue where network-feedback for the current presentation wouldn’t be updated unless you used an APS command to start or end a presentation
• FIXED an issue where the network-feedback for showing that a slot-presentation is in fullscreen wouldn’t work unless you used an APS command to start the slot-presentation
• FIXED an issue where the list of files in the watched folder wouldn’t be cleared if you cleared the watched folder
• FIXED an issue where you could only select the watched folder in Companion if you first set a watched folder in the user-interface
• FIXED an issue where large keynote-files would not open in fullscreen with the “open presentation” commands
• FIXED an issue where the seamless switching method wouldn’t work with some large keynote files

New network commands:

• Realtime-updates of presentation folders on Companion buttons
• Feedback when a presentation is in fullscreen
• Set filepath for images and slot-presentaitons
• Clear images and presentation slots
• Capture the current presentation as a destination for the slot-presentations or slot-folders
• Rewritten network-API for improved security and reliability
• Fixed an issue where PDF-files opened with Skim would crash APS if there was no visible PDF file-extension

• ADDED update-notifications and in-app updates
• ADDED more network-feedback about presentations: view current slide and presentation-name on Companion buttons
• ADDED 20 slot presentation-slot commands, bringing the total to 40

• FIXED an issue where the app wouldn’t start on Mojave and Catalina

• CHANGED PDF-program from Google Chrome to Skim PDF
• IMPROVED switching to Adobe PDF documents. The fullscreen-command should execute faster
• ADDED seamless switching when switching with PDF files using Skim PDF and Adobe Acrobat Pro

• ADDED optional fade in & fade out to the images and screenshots

• NEW slot-commands for presentations
• NEW open presentation from filename&filepath network command
• NEW go to slide network-command
• NEW next slide for Powerpoint and Adobe Acrobat DC network-command
• NEW feedback for current, next and previous presentation network-command
• FIXED a bug that could cause APS to crash with some commands

• INTERNAL changes to the licencing-system, preparing for the future.

• APPLE SILICON CHIPS (M1) are now supported natively.
• MONTEREY OS support
• NEW variable port-number for Companion-connection

• NEW still-images
• NEW freeze-screen command

• NEW feature Seamless Switching for Powerpoint and Keynote

• FIXED an issue where the licence would sometimes not be recognized if mac was connected to network with no internet
• CHANGED the position of the app-icon and settings to top right corner
• NEW option to launch automatically on startup

Original version