Do I need an iCloud account in order to use AirBuddy?

The short answer is no.

However, there are some limitations you should be aware of. The most important one is that AirPods and similar headsets by Apple or Beats use your iCloud account for pairing, so if you'd like to use AirPods which have been paired to your iOS device on your Mac, you’ll need to perform a secondary pairing.

Check out this article to learn more about pairing.

AirBuddy limitations when iCloud is not available

AirBuddy relies on iCloud for syncing information about your devices between multiple Macs, it also uses iCloud to sync some of your settings. If an iCloud account is not available — or you're using a different account on multiple Macs — then you’ll have to configure your devices independently on each Mac.

These are the settings that AirBuddy will sync over iCloud:

• Basic device information such as device name and model
• Connection modes and the default connection mode for each device

These are the settings that AirBuddy will store locally on your Mac:

• Keyboard shortcuts
• All settings under the “Proximity” tab
• Device notification settings