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Help & Troubleshooting

Install steps, common fixes, and where to go next when BlueDrip needs a hand.

How BlueDrip works

BlueDrip is a Mac app that sends iMessage drip sequences from your real phone number. It works on top of your Mac's built-in Messages app — every text BlueDrip sends, and every reply that comes back, also shows up in Messages.app, just like a conversation you typed yourself.

When a lead replies, BlueDrip pauses their sequence automatically and lets you know with a notification. All of your data — leads, message history, schedules — stays on your Mac. Nothing goes to a server.

Before you install

This is the most important step. Skipping it is the #1 cause of "BlueDrip isn't working."

Since BlueDrip uses your Mac's Messages app to send texts, your Mac needs to be able to send a text on its own first. Let's check:

  1. Open Messages.app on your Mac.
  2. Send a text to your own phone number, or to a friend.
  3. Did the text actually arrive?

If yes — great. Skip to Install in 4 steps.

If no — fix this first. Two common reasons:

Your Mac isn't signed in to iMessage

Open Messages → Settings → iMessage and sign in with your Apple ID. Your phone number should appear in the list of addresses.

Your iPhone isn't sharing texts with your Mac

On your iPhone: Settings → Messages → Text Message Forwarding → turn on the toggle for your Mac.

Send another test text. Once that works, you're ready for BlueDrip.

System requirements

Important — read this before you buy: BlueDrip only runs on Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, or M4). It does not run on Intel Macs. If you're not sure which one you have, check before you purchase using the steps below.

Requirement Detail
Mac chip Apple Silicon only — M1, M2, M3, or M4. Intel Macs are not supported.
macOS version Ventura 13 or later (Sonoma 14 or Sequoia 15 recommended)
iMessage Active and signed in on your Mac (Messages → Settings → iMessage)
iPhone (optional) If your phone number lives on iPhone, enable Text Message Forwarding
Internet Required for license activation on first launch — then BlueDrip works offline
License key Provided in your purchase email. Format: BD-PRO-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

How to check if your Mac is Apple Silicon

  1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
  2. Click About This Mac.
  3. Look at the line that starts with Chip or Processor.
    • If it says "Chip" followed by Apple M1, M2, M3, or M4 — you're good. BlueDrip will run.
    • If it says "Processor" followed by Intel — BlueDrip will not run on this Mac.

Already bought BlueDrip and just discovered you're on an Intel Mac? Reply to your license email or write to support@bluedrip.io. We'll refund you right away — no forms, no questions.

BlueDrip auto-installs Homebrew (a free macOS package manager) and two small command-line tools (imsg and fswatch) during the setup wizard. You don't need to install anything beforehand.

Install in 4 steps

  1. Download BlueDrip. Use the link in your license email.
  2. Open the BlueDrip.dmg file you just downloaded. Drag BlueDrip.app into your Applications folder.
  3. Open BlueDrip from Applications. macOS will ask for two permissions:
    • Full Disk Access — so BlueDrip can read your iMessage replies. Without this, BlueDrip can't tell who replied to you.
    • Notifications — so BlueDrip can let you know when a lead replies.

    Click Allow on both.

  4. Paste your license key when BlueDrip asks for it. The setup wizard will guide you through the rest.

Tip: the first time you launch any app downloaded from outside the App Store, macOS shows "Apple cannot verify the developer." If that happens, right-click BlueDrip in Applications → Open, then click Open in the dialog. You only see this prompt once.

What the setup wizard does

The first time you open BlueDrip, a setup wizard runs. It takes about 5 minutes.

  1. License — paste your license key.
  2. Permissions — System Settings opens automatically. Approve Full Disk Access and Notifications.
  3. Profile — type your first name. This is what leads see in your messages.
  4. First lead (optional) — add a contact and start a test sequence right away. You can skip this and add leads later.

Behind the scenes, the wizard also:

  • Creates your data folder at ~/Library/Application Support/BlueDrip/ (where leads, message history, and templates live).
  • Installs imsg and fswatch via Homebrew. The wizard handles this — you don't need to type any commands.
  • Starts the BlueDrip background service so it runs on login.

When the wizard finishes, BlueDrip's dashboard opens inside the app window.

Verify it's working

The fastest way to confirm BlueDrip is sending and reading messages: run the built-in smoke-test template on yourself.

  1. Open BlueDrip → Contacts → Add Contact.
  2. Add yourself (your real first name + your phone number).
  3. Click Start Sequence → choose smoke-test.
  4. Step 1 sends immediately. Step 2 sends about 6 minutes later.

Both messages should arrive on your phone within minutes. If they do, BlueDrip is fully operational — sending, scheduling, and the bridge are all working.

Reply to one of the test messages from your phone. The reply should appear in BlueDrip's Inbox tab within ~2 minutes, and you should get a macOS notification. If both happen, reply detection is also working — your full pipeline is confirmed.

Worried it's not working in production? Open Messages.app on your Mac. Everything BlueDrip sends and reads shows up there too. If you see your sequence texts in Sent and replies coming in, BlueDrip is doing its job. If not, jump to Troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting

Best practices

A few habits that protect your phone reputation and keep BlueDrip's automation feeling natural.

  • Keep daily volume reasonable. Most users run 30–80 messages per day across all sequences. High volume from a single number triggers carrier spam filters and hurts deliverability for everyone you message.
  • Personalize your templates. Generic "Hey {{first_name}}, how's it going?" copy gets ignored. Adding context — what you talked about, why you're reaching out — earns replies.
  • Reply quickly when leads respond. BlueDrip pauses the sequence automatically when someone replies. The faster you respond, the higher the chance of a real conversation.
  • Don't use a 0-hour delay on Step 2 or later. Leave at least a few hours between steps. Two messages in 30 seconds reads as automation.
  • Test new templates on yourself first. The smoke-test template exists for this. Five seconds of preview saves an embarrassing send to a real lead.
  • Configure Mac sleep settings. BlueDrip can't send while your Mac is asleep. If you're running sequences overnight, set System Settings → Battery → Power Adapter → Prevent automatic sleeping → ON.

What BlueDrip doesn't do

Setting expectations honestly:

  • No CRM import. Add leads manually in the Contacts tab, or via CSV (planned). Direct CRM integrations may come later.
  • Doesn't run when your Mac is off. It's a local-first app — no cloud server is sending in your absence. Keep your Mac awake during your sending hours.
  • No "blue audio bubbles." Apple restricts the voice-memo waveform bubble to messages recorded inside Messages.app — no third-party app can send them. BlueDrip can attach .m4a audio files, but they appear as a tappable file, not a waveform bubble.
  • Doesn't bypass carrier limits. If you exceed your carrier's daily-send threshold, your messages may queue or fail. Volume guidance in Best practices keeps you under typical limits.
  • Doesn't send true emails. Steps marked channel: email in templates are still delivered as iMessage to the lead's phone — they're just authored as longer-form copy. For real email, send from Mail or your ESP separately.

Privacy & security

BlueDrip is built local-first. Your contacts, messages, and sequence data live on your Mac and never leave it. There's no BlueDrip server holding your conversations.

The only network call BlueDrip makes is to validate your license key — a small "is this key still valid?" check that runs at startup and every 30 minutes. License validation never sees the content of your messages.

For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

Updating BlueDrip

When a new version is available:

  1. Download the new BlueDrip.dmg from the link in your update email.
  2. Open the .dmg and drag BlueDrip.app to your Applications folder. macOS will ask if you want to replace the existing app — yes.
  3. Open BlueDrip. It detects your existing data and applies any database migrations automatically.

Your leads, sequences, message history, and license stay intact.

Still stuck?

If your problem isn't above, here's where to go:

What you need help with Best place to ask
Account, billing, license, refund Email support@bluedrip.io
A bug or unexpected behavior Email support@bluedrip.io with your bridge.log attached if possible
Templates, tactics, "what worked for me" Capta Club on Skool
Niche-specific advice or peer questions Capta Club on Skool

Average response time for support@bluedrip.io: under 24 hours, usually much faster.

Our promise: if BlueDrip doesn't earn its $97/month for you in the first 14 days, just email support@bluedrip.io and we'll refund the full amount. No questions, no forms.