Hi there, We're working on offline playback of DRM tracks. The persistent keys (also known as track licenses) for offline playback are stored locally on the device and are served from cache when a user initiates playback of a downloaded track. Our persistent keys have a limited validity time and need to be refreshed when they expire. To prevent a situation where a persistent key expires while the user is offline, we've decided to eagerly refresh these keys one week before their expiration date. To make that happen we need to be able to obtain the expiration date of the given track license. We've been attempting to use the makeSecureTokenForExpirationDateOfPersistableContentKey API to facilitate this process. The documentation states that this API returns a secret token representing the persistent key, which we can then exchange with our license server for the expiration date: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/avcontentkeysession/makesecuretokenforexpirationdate(ofpersistablecontentkey:completionhandler:)?language=objc However, every time we call makeSecureTokenForExpirationDateOfPersistableContentKey, we receive an error with code -46250. We haven't been able to find any public references or documentation for this specific error code, which is preventing us from troubleshooting the issue. We are conducting our tests on a physical device, as the simulator does not support FairPlay playback. We don't use dual expiry approach. Is our understanding of how to obtain the expiration timestamp correct? Are we using the makeSecureTokenForExpirationDateOfPersistableContentKey API as it was intended? What does the -46250 error code mean, and what steps should we take to fix our FairPlay implementation to make this work? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

The front facing camera on iPhone 16 (and every model previous) gives the following values for AVCaptureDevice.RotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture: 90 degrees portrait 180 degrees landscape left 270 degrees for upside-down 0 degrees for landscape right Using these values a transform is calculated: var transform: CGAffineTransform { let degrees = rotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture let radians = degrees * .pi / 180.0 return CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: radians) } And then applied to the AVAssetInput: videoInput = AVAssetWriterInput(mediaType: .video, outputSettings: videoSettings, sourceFormatHint: videoFormatDescription) videoInput.transform = transform And this ensures the correct transform is added to the metadata so that the recorded video plays in the correct orientation. However, with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max front facing cameras, AVCaptureDevice.RotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture return the different values: 0 degrees portrait 90 degrees landscape left 180 degrees for upside-down 270 degrees for landscape right So this approach breaks down, and the video orientation is incorrect. How is this intended to be handled?

I’ve been struggling with a very frustrating issue using the new iOS 26 Swift Concurrency APIs for video processing. My pipeline reads frames using AVAssetReader, processes them via CIContext (Lanczos upscale), and then appends the result to an AVAssetWriter using the new PixelBufferReceiver. The Problem: The execution randomly stops at the ]await append(...)] call. The task suspends and never resumes. It is completely unpredictable: It might hang on the very first run, or it might work fine for 4-5 runs and then hang on the next one. It is independent of video duration: It happens with 5-second clips just as often as with long videos. No feedback from the system: There is no crash, no error thrown, and CPU usage drops to zero. The thread just stays in the suspended state indefinitely. If I manually cancel the operation and restart the VideoEngine, it usually starts working again for a few more attempts, which makes me suspect some internal resource exhaustion or a deadlock between the GPU context and the writer's input. The Code: Here is a simplified version of my processing loop: private func proccessVideoPipeline( readerOutputProvider: AVAssetReaderOutput.Provider<CMReadySampleBuffer<CMSampleBuffer.DynamicContent>>, pixelBufferReceiver: AVAssetWriterInput.PixelBufferReceiver, nominalFrameRate: Float, targetSize: CGSize ) async throws { while !Task.isCancelled, let payload = try await readerOutputProvider.next() { let sampleBufferInfo: (imageBuffer: CVPixelBuffer?, presentationTimeStamp: CMTime) = payload.withUnsafeSampleBuffer { sampleBuffer in return (sampleBuffer.imageBuffer, sampleBuffer.presentationTimeStamp) } guard let currentPixelBuffer = sampleBufferInfo.imageBuffer else { throw AsyncFrameProcessorError.missingImageBuffer } guard let pixelBufferPool = pixelBufferReceiver.pixelBufferPool else { throw NSError(domain: "PixelBufferPool", code: -1, userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "No pixel buffer pool available"]) } let newPixelBuffer = try pixelBufferPool.makeMutablePixelBuffer() let newCVPixelBuffer = newPixelBuffer.withUnsafeBuffer({ $0 }) try upscale(currentPixelBuffer, outputPixelBuffer: newCVPixelBuffer, targetSize: targetSize ) let presentationTime = sampleBufferInfo.presentationTimeStamp try await pixelBufferReceiver.append(.init(unsafeBuffer: newCVPixelBuffer), with: presentationTime) } } Does anyone know how to fix it?

I neet to take pcm data from aac data, but this api has fossy me deeply.

Looking to implement to UI to tell the user to clean their lens in our app. Implemented the KVO for the cameraLensSmudgeDetectionStatus but I'm having issues reliably triggering it in, both in our app and the main camera app. Tried to get inventive by putting tupperware over the lens, but I think the model driving this or the LiDAR sensor might be smart enough to detect there is something close to the lens. Is there any way to trigger this change in a similar way we can trigger thermal changes in debug? Thanks.

Hello, I have some confusion regarding ResidencySet. Specifically, about the requestResidency() function: how often should we call it? I have a captureOutput(_:didOutput:from:) method that is triggered at 60 or 120 fps. Inside this method, I am calling the following code every frame: computeResidencySet.removeAllAllocations() сomputeResidencySet.addAllocation(TextureA) computeResidencySet.addAllocation(TextureB) computeResidencySet.addAllocation(TextureC) computeResidencySet.commit() computeResidencySet.requestResidency() // Should we call it every frame? Please keep in mind that TextureA, TextureB, and TextureC are unique for each call (new instances are provided on every frame)."

Is there any supported or recommended way to achieve user-configurable alarm volume while still using AlarmKit? Hi there! I’m currently building an alarm app on iOS using AlarmKit, and I’m running into a fundamental limitation around volume control. When using AlarmKit, alarm sounds are played at the system ringer volume. My goal is simple in concept: Allow users to set an alarm volume inside the app, and have the alarm sound play at that volume when triggered. However, AlarmKit does not provide any API to control or override the alarm volume. I’ve explored several approaches(AVSystemController, MPVolumeView...), but none achieved the desired result. Is there any supported or recommended way to achieve user-configurable alarm volume while still using AlarmKit? Any insights from developers who’ve shipped alarm apps, or from Apple engineers, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance 🙏

Hello, I have a CarPlay Navigation app and utilize the AVSpeechSynthesizer to speak directions to a user. Everything works great on my CarPlay simulator as well as when plugged into my GMC truck. However, I found out yesterday that one of my users with a Ford truck the audio would cut in an out. After much troubleshooting, I was able to replicate this on my own truck when using Bluetooth to connect to CarPlay. My user was also utilizing Bluetooth. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a fix to the problem? import SwiftUI import AVFoundation class TextToSpeechService: NSObject, ObservableObject, AVSpeechSynthesizerDelegate { private var speechSynthesizer = AVSpeechSynthesizer() static let shared = TextToSpeechService() override init() { super.init() speechSynthesizer.delegate = self } func configureAudioSession() { speechSynthesizer.delegate = self do { try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setCategory(.playback, mode: .voicePrompt, options: [.mixWithOthers, .allowBluetooth]) } catch { print("Failed to set audio session category: \(error.localizedDescription)") } } func speak(_ text: String) { Task(priority: .high) { let speechUtterance = AVSpeechUtterance(string: text) speechUtterance.voice = AVSpeechSynthesisVoice(language: AVSpeechSynthesisVoice.currentLanguageCode()) try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setActive(true, options: .notifyOthersOnDeactivation) speechSynthesizer.speak(speechUtterance) } } func speechSynthesizer(_ synthesizer: AVSpeechSynthesizer, didFinish utterance: AVSpeechUtterance) { Task { stopSpeech() try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setActive(false) } } func stopSpeech() { speechSynthesizer.stopSpeaking(at: .immediate) } }

Apple provides a function to create TTS voice as a file in TTS. (AVSpeechUtterance/AVSpeechSynthesizer) Or, if the user records the video of TTS playback and uses that video I wonder what the scope of use is if I use this TTS voice to make YouTube, TikTok, or commercial videos. Is it impossible to use it commercially at all? Can I use it commercially with the source indicated? Can I use it commercially without a separate source indication? Is there a difference in commercial use license between Siri voices and regular TTS voices?

Hi! I'd like to share a technical sample app, SKRenderer Demo. This app demonstrates: Setting up SKRenderer Recording SpriteKit scenes to image sequences Recording SpriteKit scenes to video using IOSurface and AVFoundation Applying Core Image filters Exploring SpriteKit's simulation timing and physics determinism Use Case Record SpriteKit simulations as video or images for sharing and creating content. I explored several approaches, including the excellent view.texture(from:crop:) for live recording from SKView. The SKRenderer approach assumes recording happens asynchronously: you capture user interactions as commands during live interaction, then replay those commands through an offline render pass to generate the final output. I hope this helps others working on replay systems, simulation capture, or SpriteKit projects in general!

Environment Device: iPhone 15 Pro iOS: iOS 18.0 Framework: AVFoundation App type: Custom camera app using AVCaptureSession + AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer I’m seeing an intermittent but frequent issue where the camera preview layer briefly flashes empty after certain interruptions, even though the capture session reports itself as running and no errors are emitted. This happens most often after: Locking and unlocking the device Switching cameras (back ↔ front) The issue is not 100% reproducible, but occurs often enough to be noticeable in normal usage. What happens The preview layer briefly flashes as empty (sometimes just a “micro-frame”) Duration: typically ~0.5–2 seconds before frames resume session.isRunning == true throughout No crash, no runtime error, no interruption end failure Focus/exposure restore correctly once frames resume Visually it looks like the preview layer loses frames temporarily, even though the session appears healthy. Repro Intermittent but frequent after: Lock → unlock device Switching camera (front/back) Timing-dependent and non-deterministic Happens multiple times per session, but not every time Key observation AVCaptureSession.isRunning == true does not guarantee that frames are actually flowing. To verify this, I added an AVCaptureVideoDataOutput temporarily: During the blank period, no sample buffers are delivered Frames resume after ~1–2s without any explicit restart Session state remains “running” the entire time What I’ve tried (did NOT fix it) Adding delays before/after startRunning() (0.1–0.5s) Calling startRunning() on different queues Restarting the session in AVCaptureSessionInterruptionEnded Verifying session.connections (all show isActive == true) Rebuilding inputs/outputs during interruption recovery Ensuring startRunning() is never called between beginConfiguration() / commitConfiguration() (Hit the expected runtime warning when attempted) None of the above removed the brief blank preview. Workaround (works visually but expensive) This visually fixes the issue, but: Energy impact jumps from Low → High in Xcode Energy Gauge AVCaptureVideoDataOutput processes 30–60 FPS continuously The gap only lasts ~1–2s, but toggling the delegate on/off cleanly is difficult Overall CPU and energy cost is not acceptable for production Additional notes CPU usage is already relatively high even without the workaround (this app is camera-heavy by nature) With the workaround enabled, energy impact becomes noticeably worse The issue feels like a timing/state desync between session state and actual frame delivery, not a UI issue Questions Is this a known behavior where AVCaptureSession.isRunning == true but frames are temporarily unavailable after interruptions? Is there a recommended way to detect actual frame flow resumption (not just session state)? Should the AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer.connection (isActive / isEnabled) be explicitly checked or reset after interruptions? Is there a lightweight, energy-efficient way to bridge this short “no frames” gap without using AVCaptureVideoDataOutput? Is rebuilding the entire session the only reliable solution here, or is there a better pattern Apple recommends?

Hello, I have an iOS camera app that captures exposure brackets and performs custom HDR processing. On iOS 26, I’m observing a visual difference between: a single photo captured at –2 EV, and the –2 EV frame from an exposure bracket (–2 / 0 / +2 EV). On iOS 26: The single –2 EV image looks natural and consistent. The –2 EV image from the bracket appears clamped / distorted, most noticeably in high dynamic range scenes (highlight compression and loss of detail). On iOS 18, both approaches produce visually identical and correct –2 EV images. The issue only appears for bracketed captures on iOS 26. Attachments (examples) iOS 26 Single capture –2 EV (JPEG): /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/ios26SingleImage/JPEG image-4006-8B77-51-0.jpeg Single capture –2 EV — Capture report (dumped settings): /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/ios26SingleImage/UnderExposureDebug_CaptureReport_2026-01-09T15-59-20Z.md Bracket capture –2 EV frame (JPEG): /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/bracket_iOS26/JPEG image-45CE-9793-A5-0.jpeg Bracket capture — Capture report (dumped settings): /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/bracket_iOS26/UnderExposureDebug_CaptureReport_2026-01-09T15-55-42Z.md iOS 18 Single capture –2 EV (JPEG): /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/ios18SingleImage/JPEG image-47FD-AF73-28-0.jpeg Single capture –2 EV — Capture report: /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/ios18SingleImage/UnderExposureDebug_CaptureReport_2026-01-09T16-25-27Z.md Bracket capture — –2 EV frame (JPEG): /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/bracket_iOS18/JPEG image-4A4C-9E93-46-0.jpeg Bracket capture — Capture report: /Users/danilobudimir/Downloads/bracket_iOS18/UnderExposureDebug_CaptureReport_2026-01-09T16-27-23Z.md Question Is there any new behavior in iOS 26 AVFoundation related to: AVCapturePhotoBracketSettings, tone mapping / HDR preprocessing, or internal image processing applied specifically to bracketed frames? Is there a new flag, format requirement or opt-out mechanism required to preserve linear underexposed frames in exposure brackets?

Hello, I am currently considering developing a Full Space app that enables a shared visionOS experience with nearby users. Intended Features A Mixed Full Space app in which dozens of 3D models are placed in the space. These 3D models may play embedded animations when tapped, be programmatically moved or rotated, or be controlled via Reality Composer Pro timelines. The app also includes audio, spatial audio, videos with audio, and videos without audio, which are rendered as VideoTextures on planes and played back in the space. Some media elements play automatically, while others are triggered by user interaction. However, it is unclear whether AVPlaybackCoordinator supports shared playback across multiple types of media, such as: audio only spatial audio video without audio video with audio I am also unsure whether there are alternative or recommended approaches for synchronizing playback in this scenario. Questions Is it technically possible to implement the experience described above using visionOS? Are there any important implementation considerations or limitations that should be taken into account? For example, when two participants experience the app simultaneously, how is the content positioned for each participant? Is the spatial placement of content shared across participants, or is it positioned relative to each participant’s viewpoint? For nearby participants, is it necessary to register a spatial Persona? My understanding is that spatial Personas are not visible for nearby users during the experience; is this correct? When experiencing SharePlay with nearby users, is it possible to share the experience without registering the other participant’s contact information? I have watched the following session, but I was unable to fully understand the feasibility of the above use case or the concrete implementation details: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/318/ Thank you.

Hello, As far as I know and in all of my testing there is no way for a user or a developer to change the frame rate of the video output on iPadOS. If you connect an iPad via a USB Hub or a USB to HDMI Adaptor and then connect it to an external monitor it will output at 59.94fps. I have a video app where a user monitors live video at 25fps and 30fps, they often output to an external display and there are times when the external display will stutter due to the mismatch in frame rate, ie. using 25fps and outputting at 59.94fps. I thought it was impossible to change the video output frame rate, then in V3.1 of the Blackmagic Camera App I saw an interesting change in their release notes: ‘Support for HDMI Monitoring at Sensor Rate and Resolution’ This means there is some way to modify it, not sure if this is done via a Private API that Apple has allowed Blackmagic to use. If so, how can we access this or is there a way to enable this that is undocumented? Thanks!

Hello, I am developing a custom player SDK using AVPlayer to support HLS and LL-HLS live streaming. I have some questions about the internal logic of AVPlayer regarding ABR, as this information is not explicitly covered in the documentation. ABR Switching Logic: Does AVPlayer trigger bitrate switching primarily based on stall occurrences (buffer starvation)? I am curious if the switching logic is reactive to stalls or if it proactively switches to prevent them based on throughput estimation. Developer Controls for ABR: To influence or control the ABR selection, are preferredPeakBitRate and preferredForwardBufferDuration the only properties available to developers? Are there any other recommended APIs to assist with ABR decisions? Thank you for your help.

Hi everyone, does anybody have any resources I could check out regarding the 48->12mp binning behavior on supported sensors? I know the 48mp sensor on iPhone can automatically bin pixels for better low light performance. But not sure how to reliably make this happen in practice. On iPhone 14 Pro+ with a 48MP sensor, I want the best of both worlds for ProRAW: ∙ Bright light: 48MP full resolution ∙ Low light: 12MP pixel-binned for better noise `photoOutput.maxPhotoDimensions = CMVideoDimensions(width: 8064, height: 6048) let settings = AVCapturePhotoSettings(rawPixelFormatType: proRawFormat, processedFormat: [...]) settings.photoQualityPrioritization = .quality // NOT setting settings.maxPhotoDimensions — always get 12MP` When I omit maxPhotoDimensions, iOS always returns 12MP regardless of lighting. When I set it to 48MP, I always get 48MP. Is there an API to let iOS automatically choose the optimal resolution based on conditions, or should I detect low light myself (via device.iso / exposureDuration) and set maxPhotoDimensions accordingly? Any help or direction would be much appreciated!

Hi everyone, I'm developing a camera application that requires precise, predictable control over the focus system. I'm encountering unexpected behavior with face-driven autofocus in continuous autofocus mode. Issue: When using AVCaptureDevice.FocusMode.continuousAutoFocus, the system continues to prioritize faces for focus even after attempting to disable face-driven autofocus with: device.automaticallyAdjustsFaceDrivenAutoFocusEnabled = false device.isFaceDrivenAutoFocusEnabled = false Observations: The behavior is inconsistent across different scenes. In well-lit/properly exposed scenes: focus persistently locks onto faces, ignoring my configuration. . In underexposed scenes: the intended focus behavior is more consistently respected.

Has anyone tried to make an ILPD based AIME file? When I try the resulting AIME switches to USDZ Mesh instead of saving the ILPD Data.

I am developing an iOS camera app that can record video directly to external storage connected to an iPhone. To detect whether an external USB storage device is connected and to obtain its URL, I am considering using AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession. However, when checking support using AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession.isSupported, I observe that it returns true only on Pro model iPhones, and false on non-Pro models in my environment. I have reviewed Apple’s official documentation, but I could not find any clear description of the supported devices or requirements (for example, whether this API is limited to Pro models or requires specific hardware capabilities). I would appreciate any information regarding the following points: ①The actual requirements for AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession to be supported Device limitations (Pro vs non-Pro models) Hardware requirements (USB controller, external recording capability, etc.) iOS version dependencies ②Whether support for non-Pro models is planned in the future Tested environments iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 18.7.1) → isSupported == true iPhone 16e (iOS 26.2) → isSupported == false iPhone 17 (iOS 26.2) → isSupported == false iPhone Air (iOS 26.2) → isSupported == false If anyone has observed similar behavior or has official information from Apple regarding this API, I would greatly appreciate your insights.

I am developing an iOS camera app that can record video directly to external storage connected to an iPhone. To detect whether an external USB storage device is connected and to obtain its URL, I am considering using AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession. However, when checking support using AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession.isSupported, I observe that it returns true only on Pro model iPhones, and false on non-Pro models in my environment. I have reviewed Apple’s official documentation, but I could not find any clear description of the supported devices or requirements (for example, whether this API is limited to Pro models or requires specific hardware capabilities). I would appreciate any information regarding the following points: ●The actual requirements for AVExternalStorageDeviceDiscoverySession to be supported Device limitations (Pro vs non-Pro models) Hardware requirements (USB controller, external recording capability, etc.) iOS version dependencies ●Whether support for non-Pro models is planned in the future Tested environments iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 18.7.1) → isSupported == true iPhone 16e (iOS 26.2) → isSupported == false iPhone 17 (iOS 26.2) → isSupported == false iPhone Air (iOS 26.2) → isSupported == false If anyone has observed similar behavior or has official information from Apple regarding this API, I would greatly appreciate your insights.