This is actually possible, though it requires a different approach than the typical single-AVAudioEngine setup. The key insight is that iOS allows multiple AVCaptureSession instances to coexist under certain conditions. You can configure two separate audio routes: Use AVCaptureSession with the AirPods as the input device for your speech recognition pipeline. Set the audio session category to .playAndRecord with .allowBluetooth option. For video recording with the built-in mic, use a second AVCaptureSession (or the camera API you are already using). The built-in mic can be explicitly selected as the audio input for this session. The catch is you need to manage the audio session category carefully. The .mixWithOthers option is essential here — without it, one session will interrupt the other. Another approach that avoids the dual-session complexity: use a single AVCaptureSession that captures from the built-in mic for video, and run SFSpeechRecognizer (or the new SpeechAnalyzer on macOS 26 / iOS
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
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