macOS Golden Gate: Volume indicator repeatedly appears with Bluetooth audio

You are experiencing a known core behavior change introduced in macOS Golden Gate (macOS 27). It is not clear if this is a bug or intentional "feature": when audio playback begins, resumes, or changes tracks (like moving between YouTube Shorts) over certain Bluetooth profiles, the system sends an automatic volume sync query. macOS 27 interprets this handshake as a volume adjustment event, forcing the top-right overlay to briefly pop up every single time.

Worth noting the reference above to 'certain Bluetooth profiles'. I typically output sound to my AirPods, and I do not see the volume indicator appearing when playback starts / restarts.

Because this is a system-level behavior with how macOS 27 interacts with your Soundcore devices' AVRCP (Audio/Video Remote Control Profile) commands, there isn't a direct toggle to turn it off. However, you can use these methods to stop it or minimize the annoyance:

Disable the "Volume Sync" or "Absolute Volume" on your Devices (this is from AI, I don't have any Anker sound devices so I cannot confirm the settings)

• The pop-up is triggered because your Mac and the Soundcore devices are trying to synchronize their hardware volume levels.
• Open the Soundcore app on your phone while your Soundcore Life Q35 or Motion+ is connected.
• Look in the device settings for a feature called Synchronize volume with phone / Absolute Volume or Turn off volume synchronization.
• Disabling this forces the speaker/headphones to maintain their own independent internal volume level, which often stops the hardware from sending the volume query ping back to the Mac when audio states change.

Force-Restart the Audio Daemon

If the overlay starts glitching or popping up persistently, you can force macOS to reset its audio control system without restarting your Mac:

• Open the Terminal app (found via Spotlight or in Applications > Utilities).
• Type the following command and press return:

sudo killall coreaudiod

• Type your Mac’s login password when prompted (the keys won't show as you type) and press return. This will briefly drop your audio for a split second and reset the Bluetooth handshake mechanism.

Change Your Menu Bar Sound Settings

While it won't stop the overlay entirely, changing your menu bar arrangement sometimes forces the UI daemon to refresh:

• Go to the Apple Menu > System Settings.
• Click Control Center (or Menu Bar) on the left sidebar.
• Locate Sound and temporarily toggle it to Don't Show in Menu Bar, wait a moment, and set it back to Always Show in Menu Bar

Either way, I suggest letting Apple know. Bugs should be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Thank you, this is very informative. Unfortunately it looks like my Anker devices have no ability to turn off anything related to "Volume Sync" or "Absolute Volume".

However, I have noticed another behavior that is interesting. If I leave the bluetooth speaker connected but switch my audio output to the Mac Studio Speakers; the volume notification still displays on each play or resume. However, if I turn the bluetooth speaker off and leave audio output set to the Mac Studio Speakers the problem goes away.

Definitely seems like a bug rather than a feature and I have taken your advice and reported to Apple.

Thanks again!