Dive into the technical aspects of audio on your device, including codecs, format support, and customization options.

Audio Documentation

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tvOS AVQueuePlayer Now Playing Info in Control Center?
I have a music app I'm developing and having a weird issue where I can see now playing info for every other platform than tvOS. As far as I can tell I have correctly configured the MPNowPlayingInfoCenter MPNowPlayingInfoCenter.default().nowPlayingInfo = nowPlayingInfo MPNowPlayingInfoCenter.default().playbackState = .playing Are there any extra requirements to get my app's now-playing info showing in control center on tvOS? Another strange issue that might be related is I can use the apple TV remote to pause audio but not resume playback, so I feel like there's something I'm missing about registering audio playback on tvOS specifically.
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97
Jun ’25
access transport in Logic Pro
hi, i need to read wether the transport is playing or stopped but my current method that works for vst does not work for au. is there a lpx resource available for developers anywhere? if (auto* playHead = processor->getPlayHead()) { juce::AudioPlayHead::CurrentPositionInfo posInfo; if (playHead->getCurrentPosition(posInfo)) { bool isCurrentlyPlaying = posInfo.isPlaying; if (isCurrentlyPlaying != wasTransportPlaying) { if (isCurrentlyPlaying) { wasTransportPlaying = isCurrentlyPlaying; startAllTimers(); } else { wasTransportPlaying = isCurrentlyPlaying; stopAllTimers(); } } } } thanks :)
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258
Mar ’25
iOS Audio Routing - Bluetooth Output + Built-in Microphone Input
Hello! I'm experiencing an issue with iOS's audio routing system when trying to use Bluetooth headphones for audio output while also recording environmental audio from the built-in microphone. Desired behavior: Play audio through Bluetooth headset (AirPods) Record unprocessed environmental audio from the iPhone's built-in microphone Actual behavior: When explicitly selecting the built-in microphone, iOS reports it's using it (in currentRoute.inputs) However, the actual audio data received is clearly still coming from the AirPods microphone The audio is heavily processed with voice isolation/noise cancellation, removing environmental sounds Environment Details Device: iPhone 12 Pro Max iOS Version: 18.4.1 Hardware: AirPods Audio Framework: AVAudioEngine (also tried AudioQueue) Code Attempted I've tried multiple approaches to force the correct routing: func configureAudioSession() { let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() // Configure to allow Bluetooth output but use built-in mic try? session.setCategory(.playAndRecord, options: [.allowBluetoothA2DP, .defaultToSpeaker]) try? session.setActive(true) // Explicitly select built-in microphone if let inputs = session.availableInputs, let builtInMic = inputs.first(where: { $0.portType == .builtInMic }) { try? session.setPreferredInput(builtInMic) print("Selected input: \(builtInMic.portName)") } // Log the current route let route = session.currentRoute print("Current input: \(route.inputs.first?.portName ?? "None")") // Configure audio engine with native format let inputNode = audioEngine.inputNode let nativeFormat = inputNode.inputFormat(forBus: 0) inputNode.installTap(onBus: 0, bufferSize: 1024, format: nativeFormat) { buffer, time in // Process audio buffer // Despite showing "Built-in Microphone" in route, audio appears to be // coming from AirPods with voice isolation applied - welp! } try? audioEngine.start() } I've also tried various combinations of: Different audio session modes (.default, .measurement, .voiceChat) Different option combinations (with/without .allowBluetooth, .allowBluetoothA2DP) Setting session.setPreferredInput() both before and after activation Diagnostic Observations When AirPods are connected: AVAudioSession.currentRoute.inputs correctly shows "Built-in Microphone" after setPreferredInput() The actual audio data received shows clear signs of AirPods' voice isolation processing Background/environmental sounds are actively filtered out... When recording a test audio played near the phone (not through the app), the recording is nearly silent. Only headset voice goes through. Questions Is there a workaround to force iOS to actually use the built-in microphone while maintaining Bluetooth output? Are there any lower-level configurations that might resolve this issue? Any insights, workarounds, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This is blocking a critical feature in my application that requires environmental audio recording while providing audio feedback through headphones 😅
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165
May ’25
Why Does WebView Audio Get Quiet During RTC Calls? (AVAudioSession Analysis)
I developed an educational app that implements audio-video communication through RTC, while using WebView to display course materials during classes. However, some users are experiencing an issue where the audio playback from WebView is very quiet. I've checked that the AVAudioSessionCategory is set by RTC to AVAudioSessionCategoryPlayAndRecord, and the AVAudioSessionCategoryOption also includes AVAudioSessionCategoryOptionMixWithOthers. What could be causing the WebView audio to be suppressed, and how can this be resolved?
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550
Jul ’25
Number of songs in the Apple Music Feed
Hello, I'm evaluating the Apple Music Feed dataset and I noticed that the total number of songs available in the feed is too small. As of today, the number of objects returned in each feed is: 51,198,712 albums 23,093,698 artists 173,235,315 songs This gives an average of 3.38 songs per album which is quite low. Also, iterating on the data I see that there are albums referencing songs that don't exist in the songs feed. I would like to know: Is the feed data incomplete? If so, in what situations an object may be missing from the feed? Thank you in advance!
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249
Aug ’25
MusicKit: Best way to check if all tracks of albums are added to library.
I prefer to use the album fetched from the library instead of the catalog since this is faster. If doing so, how can I check if all tracks of an album are added to the library. In this case I'd like to fetch the catalog version or throw an error (for example when offline). Using .with(.tracks) on the library album fetches the tracks added to the library. The trackCount property is referring to the tracks that can be fetched from the library. The isComplete property is always nil when fetching from the library. One possible way is checking the trackNumber and discCount properties. However this only detects that not all tracks of an album are added to the library if there is a song not added ahead of one that is. I'd like to be able to handle this edge case as well. Is there currently a way to do this? I'd prefer to not rely on the apple music catalog for this since this is supposed to work offline as well. Fetching and storing all trackIDs when connected and later comparing against these would work, but this would potentially mean storing tens of thousands of track ids. Thank you
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73
Mar ’25
Play Audio and Recognize Speech in Car
Hello, I'm trying to determine the best/recommended AVAudioSession configuration (i.e category, mode, and options) for the following use-case. Essentially, I'd like to switch between periods of playing an audio file and then recognizing speech. The audio file is typically speech and I don't intend for playback and speech recognition to occur simultaneously. I'd like for the user to sill be able to interact with Siri and I'd like for it to work with CarPlay where navigation prompts can occur. I would assume the category to use is 'playAndRecord', but I'm not sure if it's better to just set that once for the entire lifecycle, or set to 'playback' for audio file playback and then switch to 'playAndRecord' for speech recognition . I'm also not sure on the best 'mode' and 'options' to set. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
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492
Sep ’25
AVSpeechUtterance stutters in CarPlay when connected to a BT headset
We are currently working on a CarPlay navigation app and so far everything is working well except for speaking turn notifications. Our TTS implementation works fine on the phone and works fine on CarPlay if the voice is spoken over the speaker in the car. If users connect a BT headset to the car and listen through that headset, then the voice commands are chopped up / stutter. Why would users use BT headset? Well, we are working on a motorcycle app, and there are no speakers usually on a motorcycle. It sounds like the BT channel is opened and closed repeatedly for every character / word spoken. This happens on different CarPlay devices and different Bluetooth headsets, we have reports from multiple users that they find this behavior annoying and that other apps work fine. Is this a known issue? Are there possible workaround?
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65
Apr ’25
Only Apple based music devices show view
The following is my playground code. Any of the apple audio units show the plugin view, however anything else (i.e. kontakt, spitfire, etc.) does not. It does not error, just where the visual is expected is blank. import AppKit import PlaygroundSupport import AudioToolbox import AVFoundation import CoreAudioKit let manager = AVAudioUnitComponentManager.shared() let description = AudioComponentDescription(componentType: kAudioUnitType_MusicDevice, componentSubType: 0, componentManufacturer: 0, componentFlags: 0, componentFlagsMask: 0) var deviceComponents = manager.components(matching: description) var names = deviceComponents.map{$0.name} let pluginName: String = "AUSampler" // This works //let pluginName: String = "Kontakt" // This does not var plugin = deviceComponents.filter{$0.name.contains(pluginName)}.first! print("Plugin name: \(plugin.name)") var customViewController:NSViewController? AVAudioUnit.instantiate(with: plugin.audioComponentDescription, options: []){avAudioUnit, error in var ilip = avAudioUnit!.auAudioUnit.isLoadedInProcess print("Loaded in process: \(ilip)") guard error == nil else { print("Error: \(error!.localizedDescription)") return } print("AudioUnit successfully created.") let audioUnit = avAudioUnit!.auAudioUnit audioUnit.requestViewController{ vc in if let viewCtrl = vc { customViewController = vc var b = vc?.view.bounds PlaygroundPage.current.liveView = vc print("Successfully added view controller.") }else{ print("Failed to load controller.") } } }
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348
Dec ’24
AVAudioSession automatically sets the tablet audio volume to 50% when recording audio.
Environment→ ・Device: iPad 10th generation ・OS:**iOS18.3.2 I'm using AVAudioSession to record sound in my application. But I recently came to realize that when the app starts a recording session on a tablet, OS automatically sets the tablet volume to 50% and when after recording ends, it doesn't change back to the previous volume level before starting the recording. So I would like to know whether this is an OS default behavior or a bug? If it's a default behavior, I much appreciate if I can get a link to the documentation.
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98
Apr ’25
MATCH_ATTEMPT_FAILED error on Android Studio Java+Kotlin
Getting MatchError "MATCH_ATTEMPT_FAILED" everytime when matchstream on Android Studio Java+Kotlin project. My project reads the samples from the mic input using audioRecord class and sents them to the Shazamkit to matchstream. I created a kotlin class to handle to Shazamkit. The audioRecord is build to be mono and 16 bit. My Kotlin Class class ShazamKitHelper { val shazamScope = CoroutineScope(Dispatchers.IO + SupervisorJob()) lateinit var streaming_session: StreamingSession lateinit var signature: Signature lateinit var catalog: ShazamCatalog fun createStreamingSessionAsync(developerTokenProvider: DeveloperTokenProvider, readBufferSize: Int, sampleRate: AudioSampleRateInHz ): CompletableFuture<Unit>{ return CompletableFuture.supplyAsync { runBlocking { runCatching { shazamScope.launch { createStreamingSession(developerTokenProvider,readBufferSize,sampleRate) }.join() }.onFailure { throwable -> }.getOrThrow() } } } private suspend fun createStreamingSession(developerTokenProvider:DeveloperTokenProvider,readBufferSize: Int,sampleRateInHz: AudioSampleRateInHz) { catalog = ShazamKit.createShazamCatalog(developerTokenProvider) streaming_session = (ShazamKit.createStreamingSession( catalog, sampleRateInHz, readBufferSize ) as ShazamKitResult.Success).data } fun startMatching() { val audioData = sharedAudioData ?: return // Return if sharedAudioData is null CoroutineScope(Dispatchers.IO).launch { runCatching { streaming_session.matchStream(audioData.data, audioData.meaningfulLengthInBytes, audioData.timestampInMs) }.onFailure { throwable -> Log.e("ShazamKitHelper", "Error during matchStream", throwable) } } } @JvmField var sharedAudioData: AudioData? = null; data class AudioData(val data: ByteArray, val meaningfulLengthInBytes: Int, val timestampInMs: Long) fun startListeningForMatches() { CoroutineScope(Dispatchers.IO).launch { streaming_session.recognitionResults().collect { matchResult -> when (matchResult) { is MatchResult.Match -> { val match = matchResult.matchedMediaItems println("Match found: ${match.get(0).title} by ${match.get(0).artist}") } is MatchResult.NoMatch -> { println("No match found") } is MatchResult.Error -> { val error = matchResult.exception println("Match error: ${error.message}") } } } } } } My code in java reads the samples from a thread: shazam_create_session(); while (audioRecord.getRecordingState() == AudioRecord.RECORDSTATE_RECORDING){ if (shazam_session_created){ byte[] buffer = new byte[288000];//max_shazam_seconds * sampleRate * 2]; audioRecord.read(buffer,0,buffer.length,AudioRecord.READ_BLOCKING); helper.sharedAudioData = new ShazamKitHelper.AudioData(buffer,buffer.length,System.currentTimeMillis()); helper.startMatching(); if (!listener_called){ listener_called = true; helper.startListeningForMatches(); } } else{ SystemClock.sleep(100); } } private void shazam_create_session() { MyDeveloperTokenProvider provider = new MyDeveloperTokenProvider(); AudioSampleRateInHz sample_rate = AudioSampleRateInHz.SAMPLE_RATE_48000; if (sampleRate == 44100) sample_rate = AudioSampleRateInHz.SAMPLE_RATE_44100; CompletableFuture<Unit> future = helper.createStreamingSessionAsync(provider, 288000, sample_rate); future.thenAccept(result -> { shazam_session_created = true; }); future.exceptionally(throwable -> { Toast.makeText(mine, "Failure", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show(); return null; }); } I Implemented the developer token in java as follows public static class MyDeveloperTokenProvider implements DeveloperTokenProvider { DeveloperToken the_token = null; @NonNull @Override public DeveloperToken provideDeveloperToken() { if (the_token == null){ try { the_token = generateDeveloperToken(); return the_token; } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException | InvalidKeySpecException e) { throw new RuntimeException(e); } } else{ return the_token; } } @NonNull private DeveloperToken generateDeveloperToken() throws NoSuchAlgorithmException, InvalidKeySpecException { PKCS8EncodedKeySpec priPKCS8 = new PKCS8EncodedKeySpec(Decoders.BASE64.decode(p8)); PrivateKey appleKey = KeyFactory.getInstance("EC").generatePrivate(priPKCS8); Instant now = Instant.now(); Instant expiration = now.plus(Duration.ofDays(90)); String jwt = Jwts.builder() .header().add("alg", "ES256").add("kid", keyId).and() .issuer(teamId) .issuedAt(Date.from(now)) .expiration(Date.from(expiration)) .signWith(appleKey) // Specify algorithm explicitly .compact(); return new DeveloperToken(jwt); } }
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552
Dec ’24
MusicKit - Skipping Forwards or Backwards does not update
Hello everyone, I am working on an app that allows you to review your own music using Apple Music. Currently I am running into an issue with the skipping forwards and backwards outside of the app. How it should work: When skipping forward or backwards on the lock or home screen of an iPhone, the next or previous song on an album should play and the information should change to reflect that in the app. If you play a song in Apple Music, you can see a Now Playing view in the lock screen. When you skip forward or backwards, it will do either action and it would reflect that when you see a little frequency icon on artwork image of a song. What it's doing: When skipping forward or backwards on the lock or home screen of an iPhone, the next or previous song is reflected outside of the app, but not in the app. When skipping a song outside of the app, it works correctly to head to the next song. But when I return to the app, it is not reflected NOTE: I am not using MusicKit variables such as Track, Album to display the songs. Since I want to grab the songs and review them I need a rating so I created my own that grabs the MusicItemID, name, artist(s), etc. NOTE: I am using ApplicationMusicPlayer.shared Is there a way to get the song to reflect in my app? (If its easier, a simple example of it would be nice. No need to create an entire xprod file)
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86
Apr ’25
AVAudioEngine installTap stops working after phone call interruption on iPhone 16e
Environment Device: iPhone 16e iOS Version: 18.4.1 - 18.7.1 Framework: AVFoundation (AVAudioEngine) Problem Summary On iPhone 16e (iOS 18.4.1-18.7.1), the installTap callback stops being invoked after resuming from a phone call interruption. This issue is specific to phone call interruptions and does not occur on iPhone 14, iPhone SE 3, or earlier devices. Expected Behavior After a phone call interruption ends and audioEngine.start() is called, the previously installed tap should continue receiving audio buffers. Actual Behavior After resuming from phone call interruption: Tap callback is no longer invoked No audio data is captured No errors are thrown Engine appears to be running normally Note: Normal pause/resume (without phone call interruption) works correctly. Steps to Reproduce Start audio recording on iPhone 16e Receive or make a phone call (triggers AVAudioSession interruption) End the phone call Resume recording with audioEngine.start() Result: Tap callback is not invoked Tested devices: iPhone 16e (iOS 18.4.1-18.7.1): Issue reproduces ✗ iPhone 14 (iOS 18.x): Works correctly ✓ iPhone SE 3 (iOS 18.x): Works correctly ✓ Code Initial Setup (Works) let inputNode = audioEngine.inputNode inputNode.installTap(onBus: 0, bufferSize: 4096, format: nil) { buffer, time in self.processAudioBuffer(buffer, at: time) } audioEngine.prepare() try audioEngine.start() Interruption Handling NotificationCenter.default.addObserver( forName: AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification, object: AVAudioSession.sharedInstance(), queue: nil ) { notification in guard let userInfo = notification.userInfo, let typeValue = userInfo[AVAudioSessionInterruptionTypeKey] as? UInt, let type = AVAudioSession.InterruptionType(rawValue: typeValue) else { return } if type == .began { self.audioEngine.pause() } else if type == .ended { try? self.audioSession.setActive(true) try? self.audioEngine.start() // Tap callback doesn't work after this on iPhone 16e } } Workaround Full engine restart is required on iPhone 16e: func resumeAfterInterruption() { audioEngine.stop() inputNode.removeTap(onBus: 0) inputNode.installTap(onBus: 0, bufferSize: 4096, format: nil) { buffer, time in self.processAudioBuffer(buffer, at: time) } audioEngine.prepare() try audioSession.setActive(true) try audioEngine.start() } This works but adds latency and complexity compared to simple resume. Questions Is this expected behavior on iPhone 16e? What is the recommended way to handle phone call interruptions? Why does this only affect iPhone 16e and not iPhone 14 or SE 3? Any guidance would be appreciated!
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117
Oct ’25
Best Approach for Reliable Background Audio Playback with Audio Ducking on Command from Server
I am developing an iOS app that needs to play spoken audio on demand from a server, while ducking the audio of background music from another app (e.g., SoundtrackYourBrand or Apple Music). This must work even when the app is in the background, and the server dictates when and what audio is played. Ideally, the message should be played within a minute of the server requesting it. Current Attempt & Observations I initially tried using Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) silent notifications to send a URL to an audio file, which the app would then play using AVPlayer. This works consistently when the app is active, but in the background, it only works about 60% of the time. In cases where it fails, iOS ducks the background music (e.g., from SoundtrackYourBrand) but never plays the spoken audio. Interestingly, when I play the audio without enabling audio ducking, it seems to work 100% of the time from my limited testing, even in the background. The app has background modes enabled for Audio, Background Fetch, and Remote Notifications. Best Approach to Achieve This? I’d like guidance on the best Apple-compliant approach to reliably play audio on command from the server, even when the app is in the background. Some possible paths: Ensuring the app remains active in the background – Are there recommended ways to prevent the app from getting suspended, such as background tasks, a special background mode, or a persistent connection to the server? Alternative triggering mechanisms – Would something like VoIP, Push-to-Talk, or another background service be better suited for this use case? Built-in iOS speech synthesis (AVSpeechSynthesizer) – If playing external audio is unreliable, would generating speech dynamically from text be a more robust approach? Streaming audio instead of sending a URL – Could continuous streaming from the server keep the app active and allow playback at the right moment? I want to ensure the solution is reliable and works 100% of the time when needed. Any recommendations on the best approach for this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and guidance.
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359
Feb ’25
Different behaviors of USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters
I bought two "Apple USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters". Upon closer inspection, they seems to be of different generations: The one with product ID 0x110a on top is working fine. The one with product ID 0x110b has two issues: There is a short but loud click noise on the headphone when I connect it to the iPad. When I play audio using AVAudioPlayer the first half of a second or so is cut off. Here's how I'm playing the audio: audioPlayer = try AVAudioPlayer(contentsOf: url) audioPlayer?.delegate = self audioPlayer?.prepareToPlay() audioPlayer?.play() Is this a known issue? Am I doing something wrong?
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306
Jul ’25