Hello,
Has anyone else experienced variations in the accuracy of the playbackTime value? After a few seconds of playback, the reported time adjusts by a fraction of a second, making it difficult to calculate the actual playbackTime of the audio.
This can be recreated by playing a song in MusicKit, recording the start time of the audio, playing for at least 10-20 seconds, and then comparing the playbackTime value to one calculated using the start time of the audio. In my experience this jump occurs after about 10 seconds of playback.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Audio
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New to iOS development and I've been trying to make heads or tails of the documentation. I know there is a difference between the data fields returned from songs from the user library and from the category, but whenever I search on the apple site I can't find a list of each. For example, Im trying to get the releaseDate of a song in my library, but it seems I'll have to cross-query either the catalog entry for the using song.catalogID or the song.irsc but when I try to use them I can't find a cross reference between the two. I'm totally turned around.
Also trying to determine if a song in my library has been favorited or not? isFavorited (or something similar) doesn't seem to be a thing. Using this code and trying to find a way to display a solid star if the song has been favorited or an empty one if it's not. Seems like a basic request but I can't find anything on how to do it. I've searched docs, googled, tried.
Does apple want us to query the user's Favorited Songs playlist or something? How do I know which playlist that is?
I know isFavorited isn't a thing, just using it here so you can see what my intension is:
HStack(spacing: 10) {
Image(systemName: song.isFavorited ? "star.fill" : "star")
.foregroundColor(song.isFavorited ? .yellow : .gray)
Image(systemName: "magnifyingglass")
}
I am trying to stream audio from local filesystem.
For that, I am trying to use an AVAssetResourceLoaderDelegate for an AVURLAsset. However, Content-Length is not known at the start. To overcome this, I tried several methods:
Set content length as nil, in the AVAssetResourceLoadingContentInformationRequest
Set content length to -1, in the ContentInformationRequest
Both of these cause the AVPlayerItem to fail with an error.
I also tried setting Content-Length as INT_MAX, and setting a renewalDate = Date(timeIntervalSinceNow: 5). However, that seems to be buggy. Even after updating the Content-Length to the correct value (e.g. X bytes) and finishing that loading request, the resource loader keeps getting requests with requestedOffset = X with dataRequest.requestsAllDataToEndOfResource = true. These requests keep coming indefinitely, and as a result it seems that the next item in the queue does not get played. Also, .AVPlayerItemDidPlayToEndTime notification does not get called.
I wanted to check if this is an expected behavior or is there a bug in this implementation. Also, what is the recommended way to stream audio of unknown initial length from local file system?
Thanks!
Dear Sirs,
I’ve written a virtual audio driver based on AudioDriverKit and running as dext in my MacOS app. Sometimes when waking up from a sleep state the recording side of my driver extension seems to hang and I don’t see any calls to my io_operation callback. Then the recording app like a DAW seems to hang when trying to start a recording. This doesn’t happen after short sleep states or after a complete new start of my MacBook.
I already opened a case in Feedback-Assistant on 5th of May (FB17503622) which also includes a sysdiagnose and a ktrace but I didn't get any feedback so far. Meanwhile some of our customers are getting angry and I'd like to know if there's anything I could do to fix this problem on my side.
We’re not sure whether this worked in previous MacOS versions, we think we didn’t observe this before 15.3.1 but at least since 15.3.1. we’ve seen this problem.
Best regards,
Johannes
Hi everyone,
I’m testing audio recording on an iPhone 15 Plus using AVFoundation.
Here’s a simplified version of my setup:
let settings: [String: Any] = [
AVFormatIDKey: Int(kAudioFormatLinearPCM),
AVSampleRateKey: 8000,
AVNumberOfChannelsKey: 1,
AVLinearPCMBitDepthKey: 16,
AVLinearPCMIsFloatKey: false
]
audioRecorder = try AVAudioRecorder(url: fileURL, settings: settings)
audioRecorder?.record()
When I check the recorded file’s sample rate, it logs:
Actual sample rate: 8000.0
However, when I inspect the hardware sample rate:
try session.setCategory(.playAndRecord, mode: .default)
try session.setActive(true)
print("Hardware sample rate:", session.sampleRate)
I consistently get:
`Hardware sample rate: 48000.0
My questions are:
Is the iPhone mic actually capturing at 8 kHz, or is it recording at 48 kHz and then downsampling to 8 kHz internally?
Is there any way to force the hardware to record natively at 8 kHz?
If not, what’s the recommended approach for telephony-quality audio (true 8 kHz) on iOS devices?
Thanks in advance for your guidance!
3
I am working on an application to get when input audio device is being used. Basically I want to know the application using the microphone (built-in or external)
This app runs on macOS. For Mac versions starting from Sonoma I can use this code:
int getAudioProcessPID(AudioObjectID process)
{
pid_t pid;
if (@available(macOS 14.0, *)) {
constexpr AudioObjectPropertyAddress prop {
kAudioProcessPropertyPID,
kAudioObjectPropertyScopeGlobal,
kAudioObjectPropertyElementMain
};
UInt32 dataSize = sizeof(pid);
OSStatus error = AudioObjectGetPropertyData(process, &prop, 0, nullptr, &dataSize, &pid);
if (error != noErr) {
return -1;
}
} else {
// Pre sonoma code goes here
}
return pid;
}
which works.
However, kAudioProcessPropertyPID was added in macOS SDK 14.0.
Does anyone know how to achieve the same functionality on previous versions?
The AVB AVnu MILAN Convention has a groweing Population. Many big companies (Cisco, Meyer Sound, d&b Audio, l‘acoustics, Presonus, digico etc.) implements the AVB AVnu Milan Standards. Is there a plan on the Apple side to also implement AVnu Milan on top of the AVB Protocol?
The advantage for Apple Sound would be a great Integration in the professionell Audio market and a more stable intergration on top of the AVB protocol. The atdecc work, but Not that stable.
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
I have an app that records a health provider’s conversation with a patient. I am using Audio Queue Services for this. If a phone call comes in while recording, the doctor wants to be able to ignore the call and continue the conversation without touching the phone. If the doctor answers the call, that’s fine – I will stop the recording. I can detect when the call comes in and ends using CXCallObserver and AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification. Unfortunately, when a call comes in and before it is answered or dismissed, the audio is suppressed. After the call is dismissed, the audio continues to be suppressed. How can I continue to get audio from the mic as long as the user does not answer the phone call?
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Using the official SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp from WWDC 2025, speech transcription takes 14+ seconds from audio input to first result, making it unusable for real-time applications.
Environment
iOS: 26.0 Beta
Xcode: Beta 5
Device: iPhone 16 pro
Sample App: Official Apple SwiftTranscriptionSampleApp from WWDC 2025
Configuration Tested
Locale: en-US (properly allocated with AssetInventory.allocate(locale:)) and es-ES
Setup: All optimizations applied (preheating, high priority, model retention)
I started testing in my own app to replace SFSpeech API and include speech detection but after long fights with documentation (this part is quite terrible TBH) I tested the example (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/speech/bringing-advanced-speech-to-text-capabilities-to-your-app) and saw same results.
I added some logs to check the specific time:
🎙️ [20:30:41.532] ✅ Analyzer started successfully - ready to receive audio!
🎙️ [20:30:41.532] Listening for transcription results...
🎙️ [20:30:56.342] 🚀 FIRST TRANSCRIPTION RESULT after 14.810s: 'Hello' (isFinal: false)
Questions
Is this expected performance for iOS 26 Beta, because old SFSpeech is far faster?
Are there additional optimization steps for SpeechTranscriber?
Should we expect significant performance improvements in later betas?
Hi everyone, I’m working on an iOS MusicKit app that overlays a metronome on top of Apple Music playback. To line the clicks up perfectly I’d like access to low-level audio analysis data—ideally a waveform / spectrogram or beat grid—while the track is playing. I’ve noticed that several approved DJ apps (e.g. djay, Serato, rekordbox) can already: • Display detailed scrolling waveforms of Apple Music songs • Scratch, loop or time-stretch those tracks in real time That implies they receive decoded PCM frames or at least high-resolution analysis data from Apple Music under a special entitlement. My questions: 1. Does MusicKit (or any public framework) expose real-time audio buffers, FFT bins, or beat markers for streaming Apple Music content? 2. If not, is there an Apple program or entitlement that developers can apply for—similar to the “DJ with Apple Music” initiative—to gain that deeper access? 3. Where can I find official documentation or a point of contact for this kind of request? I’ve searched the docs and forums but only see standard MusicKit playback APIs, which don’t appear to expose raw audio for DRM-protected songs. Any guidance, links or insider tips on the proper application process would be hugely appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Hello,
I am wondering if it is possible to have audio from my AirPods be sent to my speech to text service and at the same time have the built in mic audio input be sent to recording a video?
I ask because I want my users to be able to say "CAPTURE" and I start recording a video (with audio from the built in mic) and then when the user says "STOP" I stop the recording.
Hi everyone,
I’m working on an iOS MusicKit app that overlays a metronome on top of Apple Music playback. To line the clicks up perfectly I’d like access to low-level audio analysis data—ideally a waveform / spectrogram or beat grid—while the track is playing.
I’ve noticed that several approved DJ apps (e.g. djay, Serato, rekordbox) can already: • Display detailed scrolling waveforms of Apple Music songs • Scratch, loop or time-stretch those tracks in real time
That implies they receive decoded PCM frames or at least high-resolution analysis data from Apple Music under a special entitlement.
My questions: 1. Does MusicKit (or any public framework) expose real-time audio buffers, FFT bins, or beat markers for streaming Apple Music content? 2. If not, is there an Apple program or entitlement that developers can apply for—similar to the “DJ with Apple Music” initiative—to gain that deeper access? 3. Where can I find official documentation or a point of contact for this kind of request?
I’ve searched the docs and forums but only see standard MusicKit playback APIs, which don’t appear to expose raw audio for DRM-protected songs. Any guidance, links or insider tips on the proper application process would be hugely appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
I am developing an app with transcription and I am exploring ways to improve the transcription from the SpeechAnalyzer/Transcriber for technical terms. SFSpeech... recognition had the capability of being augmented by contextualStrings. Does something similar exist for SpeechAnalyzer/Transcriber? If so please point me towards the documentation and any sample code that may exist for this. If there are other options, please let me know.
Feature Request: Long-Lived Access to Personal Apple Music Data
Use Case Summary
I'm developing a personal portfolio website (using Nuxt) and want to display information from my own Apple Music library - showcasing personal playlists, recently played tracks, or a read-only "now playing" widget. This is purely for personal use on my website and doesn't require other users to log in.
With Spotify's API, implementing this was straightforward thanks to automatic token refresh. I want a similarly seamless integration with Apple Music.
Challenge with MusicKit and Music User Tokens
Apple Music API requirements
Apple's Music API requires a valid Music User Token (MUT) for requests involving personal library data. Beyond the Apple Developer Token, you must obtain a user-specific token via MusicKit authentication to access your own library playlists, play history, or current playback status.
Token expiration and manual renewal
Music User Tokens expire after approximately 6 months without any mechanism to automatically refresh or renew them - unlike typical OAuth flows that provide refresh tokens. Apple's guidance suggests the device (e.g., iPhone) is responsible for obtaining new user tokens when old ones expire. This works for interactive apps on Apple devices but fails in server-side or long-lived web contexts like a personal website widget.
Impact on personal projects
Displaying Apple Music data on a public-facing site becomes difficult. I would need to periodically re-authenticate through the MusicKit JS flow every few months just to keep a widget alive. Embedding credentials in a public site is insecure, and manual token refreshing is cumbersome and easy to forget.
Comparison to Spotify's Token Model
Spotify's API offers a developer-friendly authentication model. Their OAuth flow provides a Refresh Token that applications can use to obtain new access tokens automatically without requiring user re-authorization. This means a personal app can maintain continuous access to a user's Spotify data for extended periods until access is revoked.
When building a similar feature with Spotify, this automatic token renewal was crucial. I could safely store the refresh token on my server and have my app periodically update the access token. Many developers have created public-facing widgets showing currently playing tracks on blogs or GitHub profiles using this model. Unfortunately, Apple Music's API lacks an equivalent capability, putting it at a disadvantage for personal projects.
Proposed Solutions
I request Apple's consideration for one of these enhancements:
Provide a mechanism to refresh or extend a Music User Token programmatically for server-side applications. This could be an OAuth-style refresh token issued alongside the MUT, or a dedicated endpoint to exchange an expired MUT for a new one. This would enable renewal without a full user re-auth/login each time.
Allow developers to access their own Apple Music library data with just the long-lived Developer Token. Apple could permit GET requests to personal library endpoints using the Developer Token alone, or a special token tied to the developer's Apple ID. This access would be read-only - no ability to modify the library, purely for retrieving data. It could be an opt-in feature in the Apple Developer account settings.
Either solution would significantly improve the developer experience for Apple Music API in personal projects.
Security and Privacy Considerations
This request is not about accessing others' data or creating privacy loopholes - it's about empowering an Apple Music subscriber to access their own information more conveniently. The proposed options respect privacy principles:
The data accessed is only what the user already has access to - their own playlists, library items, or playback status.
An automatic token refresh can be designed securely (revocable tokens bound to a single account with no increase in permissions).
Read-only developer token access could be restricted to non-sensitive data and require explicit opt-in.
Conclusion
I request an improvement to Apple Music's developer experience through either (1) an automatic Music User Token refresh mechanism, or (2) a provision for read-only personal library access using a Developer Token. This would bring Apple Music integration capabilities closer to parity with services like Spotify for personal projects.
I ask Apple's Developer Relations and the Apple Music API team to consider this feature request. If there are existing best practices or workarounds with current APIs, I would appreciate guidance.
I invite feedback from Apple or other developers. Are there known patterns for maintaining an Apple Music user token for server-side applications, or any plans to support non-interactive use cases? Any advice is welcome.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to integrating Apple Music into my personal site as smoothly as with other services, and believe many developers would benefit from this added flexibility.
Sources:
User Authentication for MusicKit - Requirements for Music User Tokens
StackOverflow: Do Apple Music User Tokens expire? - Confirmation of 6-month expiration
MetaBrainz GSoC Blog - Documentation of MusicKit authentication limitations
Apple Developer Forums - Information on token renewal behavior
Spotify for Developers - Documentation on refresh token mechanism
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Tags:
Apple Music API
MusicKit
MusicKit JS
Apple Music Feed
I’m facing a strange audio routing issue that seems specific to iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max.
I’m using LiveKit (WebRTC) in a React Native app, which uses AVAudioSession internally for audio capture (VoIP / call-style usage).
🔍 What’s happening:
I’m using an external USB microphone.
On these devices:
iPhone 11 → ✅ USB mic works
iPhone 13 → ✅ USB mic works
iPhone 17 Pro → ✅ USB mic works
iPhone 14 Pro Max → ❌ USB mic does NOT work
On iPhone 14 Pro Max:
The same USB mic:
✅ Works in Voice Memos
✅ Works in Instagram Live
❌ Does NOT appear as an input option in my app
❌ Does NOT work in WhatsApp / Instagram calls
Also:
In my app on iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS does not show the audio input selector UI
On iPhone 17 Pro, the same app and same build does show the selector and the USB mic works
⚙️ My audio session config ( LiveKit ):
await AudioSession.setAppleAudioConfiguration({
audioCategory: 'playAndRecord',
audioMode: 'default',
audioCategoryOptions: ['allowBluetooth', 'defaultToSpeaker'],
});
await AudioSession.startAudioSession();
❓ My questions:
Is this a known limitation or behavior specific to iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max?
Does iPhone 14 Pro have different audio routing rules for call / VoIP mode compared to other devices?
Why does the same USB mic work in recording apps (Voice Memos, Instagram Live) but not in call-style apps (LiveKit, WhatsApp, Instagram call)?
Is there any documented difference in AVAudioSession behavior on iPhone 14 Pro regarding external USB audio inputs?
I'm using the new SpeechAnalyzer framework to detect certain commands and want to improve accuracy by giving context. Seems like AnalysisContext is the solution for this, but couldn't find any usage example. So I want to make sure that I'm doing it right or not.
let context = AnalysisContext()
context.contextualStrings = [
AnalysisContext.ContextualStringsTag("commands"): [
"set speed level",
"set jump level",
"increase speed",
"decrease speed",
...
],
AnalysisContext.ContextualStringsTag("vocabulary"): [
"speed", "jump", ...
]
]
try await analyzer.setContext(context)
With this implementation, it still gives outputs like "Set some speed level", "It's speed level", etc.
Also, is it possible to make it expect number after those commands, in order to eliminate results like "set some speed level to" (instead of two).
using iOS 26.2; Airpods 4
Long press stem to launch Siri
Speak "Record Voice Memo" -> Recording starts
Recording in progress...
Long press stem to launch Siri -> Nothing happens.
To stop recording need use phone.
is this intended behaviour?
i would like to be able to stop recording with Siri
I am able to launch Siri from phone while recording, but point is to keep phone in pocket and start/stop recordings only via Airpods.
I develop a application with an uvc camera, this camera is a webcam, I use the AVFoundation library ,but when I run the code "[self.mCaptureSession startRunning]" ,I can not get the buffer, I already set the delegate, any answer will help.
Is it possible to play WebM audio on iOS? Either with AVPlayer, AVAudioEngine, or some other API?
Safari has supported this for a few releases now, and I'm wondering if I missed something about how to do this. By default these APIs don't seem to work (nor does ExtAudioFileOpen).
Our usecase is making it possible for iOS users to play back audio recorded in our webapp (desktop versions of Chrome & Firefox only support webm as a destination format for MediaRecorder)
iPhoneやiPadにおいて、画面上のボタンなどをタップした際に、特定の楽器音を発音させる方法をご存知の方いらっしゃいませんか?
現在音楽学習アプリを作成途中で、画面上の鍵盤や指板のボタン状のframeに、単音又は和音を割当て発音させる事を考えております
SwiftUIのcodeのみで実現できないでしょうか
嘗て、MIDIのlevel1の楽器の発音機能があった様に記憶していますが、現在のOS上では同様の機能を実装してないように思えます
皆様のお知恵をお貸しください