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.
Audio
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Hello,
I'm observing an intermittent memory leak being reported in the iOS Simulator when initializing and starting an AVAudioEngine. Even with minimal setup—just attaching a single AVAudioPlayerNode and connecting it to the mainMixerNode—Xcode's memory diagnostics and Instruments sometimes flag a leak.
Here is a simplified version of the code I'm using:
// This function is called when the user taps a button in the view controller:
#import "ViewController.h"
@interface ViewController ()
@end
@implementation ViewController
- (void)viewDidLoad {
[super viewDidLoad];
}
- (IBAction)myButtonAction:(id)sender {
NSLog(@"Test");
soundCreate();
}
@end
// media.m
static AVAudioEngine *audioEngine = nil;
void soundCreate(void)
{
if (audioEngine != nil)
return;
[[AVAudioSession sharedInstance] setCategory:AVAudioSessionCategoryAmbient error:nil];
[[AVAudioSession sharedInstance] setActive:YES error:nil];
audioEngine = [[AVAudioEngine alloc] init];
AVAudioPlayerNode* playerNode = [[AVAudioPlayerNode alloc] init];
[audioEngine attachNode:playerNode];
[audioEngine connect:playerNode to:(AVAudioNode *)[audioEngine mainMixerNode] format:nil];
[audioEngine startAndReturnError:nil];
}
In the memory leak report, the following call stack is repeated, seemingly in a loop:
ListenerMap::InsertEvent(XAudioUnitEvent const&, ListenerBinding*) AudioToolboxCore
ListenerMap::AddParameter(AUListener*, void*, XAudioUnitEvent const&) AudioToolboxCore
AUListenerAddParameter AudioToolboxCore
addOrRemoveParameterListeners(OpaqueAudioComponentInstance*, AUListenerBase*, AUParameterTree*, bool) AudioToolboxCore
0x180178ddf
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.
Does Phase support creating new sound events at runtime? Is that implemented in the plugin for Unity as well? Does Phase support Unity's addressable system, are they compatible?
I'm working on adding CarPlay support to an audio app and am running into an issue. Occasionally, when a user opens the app from CarPlay while the main app scene is either not connected or is currently in the background, I will receive an error when attempting to activate the audio session. The code below mimics my setup:
do {
try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setCategory(.playback, mode: .spokenAudio)
try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setActive(true)
} catch {
print(error) // NSOSStatusErrorDomain - 560557684: Session activation failed
}
That error code maps to AVAudioSession.ErrorCode.cannotInterruptOthers.
Once in this state, all subsequent attempts to play different pieces of content will fail. However, things will start working normally if the user opens the app on their phone and tries again from CarPlay (while the app is in the foreground on their phone).
I'm not sure why it would behave this way and want to note that I do have the audio background mode capability enabled.
Has anyone else encountered this? Are there any workarounds or changes I could make to prevent this from happening?
Hello,
i can successfully match music using shazamkit on Apple using SwiftUI, a simple app that let user to load an audio file and exctracts the relative match, while i am unable to match music using shamzamkit on Android. I am trying to make the same simple app but i cannot match music as i get MATCH_ATTEMPT_FAILED every time i try to. I don't know what i am doing wrong but the shazam part in the kotlin Android code is in this method :
suspend fun processAudioFileInBackground(
filePath: String,
developerTokenProvider: DeveloperTokenProvider
) = withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
val bufferSize = 1024 * 1024
val audioFile = FileInputStream(filePath)
val byteBuffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(bufferSize)
byteBuffer.order(ByteOrder.LITTLE_ENDIAN)
var bytesRead: Int
while (audioFile.read(byteBuffer.array()).also { bytesRead = it } != -1) {
val signatureGenerator = (ShazamKit.createSignatureGenerator(AudioSampleRateInHz.SAMPLE_RATE_44100) as ShazamKitResult.Success).data
signatureGenerator.append(byteBuffer.array(), bytesRead, System.currentTimeMillis())
val signature = signatureGenerator.generateSignature()
println("Signature: ${signature.durationInMs}")
val catalog = ShazamKit.createShazamCatalog(developerTokenProvider, Locale.ENGLISH)
val session = (ShazamKit.createSession(catalog) as ShazamKitResult.Success).data
val matchResult = session.match(signature)
println("MatchResult : $matchResult")
setMatchResult(matchResult)
byteBuffer.clear()
}
audioFile.close()
}
I noticed that changing Locale in catalog creation results in different result as i get NoMatch without exception. Can you please help me with this? Do i need to create a custom catalog?
I need to implement a solution through an API or custom driver to completely block out the built-in speakers and microphone of Mac, because I need other apps to use specified external devices as audio input and output. Is there a way to achieve this requirement? What I mean is that even in system preferences, it should not be possible to choose the built-in microphone and speakers; only my external device can be used.
On Apple TV 4K 3rd generation, with tvOS 26 beta 2, when two HomePod 2 are paired to the device, music and movie sources with Dolby Atmos can only be listened to in stereo. dolby atmos not supported
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Hello. My app uses AVAudioRecorder to generate recording files, which are consistently only 4kb in size. Most users generate audio files normally, with only a few users experiencing this phenomenon occasionally. After uninstalling and installing the app, it will work normally, but it will reappear after a period of time. I have compared that the problematic audio files generated each time are fixed and cannot be played. Added the audioRecorderDidFinishRecording proxy method, which shows that the recording was completed normally. The user also reported that the recording is normal, but there is a problem with the generated file. How should I handle this issue? Look forward to your reply.
- (void)startRecordWithOrderID:(NSString *)orderID {
AVAudioSession *audioSession = [AVAudioSession sharedInstance];
[audioSession setCategory:AVAudioSessionCategoryRecord error:nil];
[audioSession setActive:YES error:nil];
NSMutableDictionary *settings = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithFloat: 8000.0] forKey:AVSampleRateKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt: kAudioFormatLinearPCM] forKey:AVFormatIDKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt:16] forKey:AVLinearPCMBitDepthKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt: 1] forKey:AVNumberOfChannelsKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithBool:NO] forKey:AVLinearPCMIsBigEndianKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithBool:NO] forKey:AVLinearPCMIsFloatKey];
NSString *path = [WDUtility createDirInDocument:@"audios" withOrderID:orderID withPathExtension:@"wav"];
NSURL *tmpFile = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:path];
recorder = [[AVAudioRecorder alloc] initWithURL:tmpFile settings:settings error:nil];
[recorder setDelegate:self];
[recorder prepareToRecord];
[recorder record];
}
Does anyone know how to pronounce the sound of a specific instrument when you tap a button on the screen on your iPhone or iPad? Now, in the middle of creating a music learning app, I'm thinking of assigning monotones or chords to the button-like frames on the keyboard and fingerboard on the screen. Can it be achieved with SwiftUI chords alone? Once upon a time, MIDI level 1 I remember that there was a pronunciation function of the instrument, but I don't think about implementing the same function in the current OS. Please lend me your wisdom.
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Hi. I am working on an audio app for iOS. I have implemented UI and handling which allows the user to change playback rate of audio. When the user selects a different rate, I update the rate property on my AVQueuePlayer. This is working well on device.
When I use Airplay, it works for some devices and not for others. Some devices won't change playback rate and will always play at 1x speed.
Is this possibly a limitation of those 3rd-party devices? Or is there something I'm missing/should check? Would love to get playback rate changes working across all Airplay devices with our app.
Kind regards.
Is there a way to permanently disable PHASE SDK logging? It seems to be a lot chattier than Apple's other SDKs.
While developing a RealityKit app that uses AudioPlaybackController, I must manually hide the PHASE SDK log output several times each day so I can see my app's log messages.
Thank you.
I’m an amateur developer working on a free utility for composers/producers, for which the macOS release needs to create and name RTP-MIDI sessions in Audio MIDI Setup from the command line (so I can ship a small C helper instead of telling users to click through the UI). Here’s what I’ve tried so far, without luck:
• Plist hacks: Injecting entries into ~/Library/Audio/MIDI Configurations/*.mcfg works when AMS is closed, but AMS immediately locks and reverts my changes when it’s open.
• CoreMIDI C API: I can create virtual ports with MIDISourceCreate, but attempting MIDIObjectGetDataProperty on the apple.midirtp.session plugin always returns err –10836.
• Obj-C & Swift: Loading MIDINetworkSession and calling defaultSession, init, setNetworkName: and setting enabled = YES doesn’t produce a new session object in the Network panel.
• dlopen/dlsym: I extracted the real CoreMIDI binary out of the dyld shared cache and tried binding _MIDINetworkSessionCreate, _SetName, _SetEnabled, etc., but all the symbols come back null or my tool segfaults.
• Plugin registration: I’ve pulled the factory UUID (70C9C5EA-7C65-11D8-B317-000393A34B5A) from /System/Library/Extensions/AppleMIDIRTPDriver.plugin/Contents/Info.plist and called CFPlugInRegisterFactories, but it still never exposes the session-creation calls.
At this point I’m convinced I’m either loading the wrong binary or missing one critical step in registering the RTP-MIDI plugin’s private API. Can anyone point me to:
The exact path of the dylib or bundle that actually exports the MIDINetworkSessionCreate/MIDINetworkSessionSetName/MIDINetworkSessionSetEnabled symbols?
A minimal working snippet (C or Obj-C) that reliably creates and names a Network-MIDI session?
Any pointers, sample code, or even ideas about where Apple hides this functionality on macOS 15 would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!
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.
I can't find any way to search for a song by title only. You can search for songs, but any term you provide appears to be applied to any metadata associated with the song. Look at the largely nonsensical results when I search for a song with the letters "de":
In many cases, that string doesn't appear anywhere. I used
MusicCatalogSearchRequest(term: searchTerm, types: [Song.self])
Likewise it stands to reason that people want to search for artist and album names using text strings. How do we do that?
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.
Hi guys,
I am having issue in live-streaming audio from Bluetooth headset and playing it live on the iPhone speaker.
I am able to redirect audio back to the headset but this is not what I want.
The issue happens when I am trying to override output - the iPhone switches to speaker but also switches a microphone.
This is example of the code:
import AVFoundation
class AudioRecorder {
let player: AVAudioPlayerNode
let engine:AVAudioEngine
let audioSession:AVAudioSession
let audioSessionOutput:AVAudioSession
init() {
self.player = AVAudioPlayerNode()
self.engine = AVAudioEngine()
self.audioSession = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance()
self.audioSessionOutput = AVAudioSession()
do {
try self.audioSession.setCategory(AVAudioSession.Category.playAndRecord, options: [.defaultToSpeaker])
try self.audioSessionOutput.setCategory(AVAudioSession.Category.playAndRecord, options: [.allowBluetooth]) // enables Bluetooth HFP profile
try self.audioSession.setMode(AVAudioSession.Mode.default)
try self.audioSession.setActive(true)
// try self.audioSession.overrideOutputAudioPort(.speaker) // doens't work
} catch {
print(error)
}
let input = self.engine.inputNode
self.engine.attach(self.player)
let bus = 0
let inputFormat = input.inputFormat(forBus: bus)
self.engine.connect(self.player, to: engine.mainMixerNode, format: inputFormat)
input.installTap(onBus: bus, bufferSize: 512, format: inputFormat) { (buffer, time) -> Void in
self.player.scheduleBuffer(buffer)
print(buffer)
}
}
public func start() {
try! self.engine.start()
self.player.play()
}
public func stop() {
self.player.stop()
self.engine.stop()
}
}
I am not sure if this is a bug or not.
Can somebody point me into the right direction?
I there a way to design a custom audio routing?
I would also appreciate some good documentation besides AVFoundation docs.
I am developing a VOD playback app, but when I stream video to an external monitor connected via HDMI with Lightning on iOS 18 or later, the screen goes dark and I cannot confirm playback.
The app I am developing does not detect the HDMI and display the Player separately, but simply mirrors the video.
We have confirmed that the same phenomenon occurs with other services, but we were able to confirm playback with some services such as Apple TV.
Please let us know if there are any other necessary settings such as video certificates required for video playback.
We would also like to know if the problem occurs with iOS 18 or later.
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Let's consider the following code.
I've created an actor that loads a list of .mp3 files from a Bundle and then makes it available for audio reproduction.
Unfortunately, I'm experiencing a memory leak.
At the play method.
player.play()
From Instruments I get
_malloc_type_malloc_outlined libsystem_malloc.dylib
start_wqthread libsystem_pthread.dylib
private actor AudioActor {
enum Failure: Error {
case soundsNotLoaded([AudioPlayerClient.Sound: Error])
}
enum Player {
case music(AVAudioPlayer)
}
var players: [Sound: Player] = [:]
let bundles: [Bundle]
init(bundles: UncheckedSendable<[Bundle]>) {
self.bundles = bundles.wrappedValue
}
func load(sounds: [Sound]) throws {
try AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().setActive(true, options: [])
var errors: [Sound: Error] = [:]
for sound in sounds {
guard let url = bundle.url(forResource: sound.name, withExtension: "mp3")
else { continue }
do {
self.players[sound] = try .music(AVAudioPlayer(contentsOf: url))
} catch {
errors[sound] = error
}
}
guard errors.isEmpty
else { throw Failure.soundsNotLoaded(errors) }
}
func play(sound: Sound, loops: Int?) throws {
guard let player = self.players[sound]
else { return }
switch player {
case let .music(player):
player.numberOfLoops = loops ?? -1
player.play()
}
}
func stop(sound: Sound) throws {
guard let player = self.players[sound]
else { throw Failure.soundsNotLoaded([:]) }
switch player {
case let .music(player):
player.stop()
}
}
}
Hello there!
Is there any list of voices that are always available on iOS/iPadOS devices?
It seems that AVSpeechSynthesisVoice(identifier: "com.apple.voice.compact.en-US.Samantha") is always available on all devices.
I thought that AVSpeechSynthesisVoice(identifier: "com.apple.ttsbundle.siri_Nicky_en-US_compact") and AVSpeechSynthesisVoice(identifier: "com.apple.ttsbundle.siri_Aaron_en-US_compact") were available by default on certain newer devices. Is this true?
I also noticed that on the same iPad where I was using those 2 voices (Nicky and Aaron) - when I updated to the iPadOS 26 beta, those voices were no longer available.
Any information you can share about which voices should be reliably available on which devices would be extremely helpful for our development. Thanks so much!