After updating to iOS 18.5, we’ve observed that outgoing audio from our app intermittently stops being transmitted during VoIP calls using AVAudioSession configured with .playAndRecord and .voiceChat. The session is set active without errors, and interruptions are handled correctly, yet audio capture suddenly ceases mid-call. This was not observed in earlier iOS versions (≤ 18.4). We’d like to confirm if there have been any recent changes in AVAudioSession, CallKit, or related media handling that could affect audio input behavior during long-running calls.
func configureForVoIPCall() throws {
try setCategory(
.playAndRecord, mode: .voiceChat,
options: [.allowBluetooth, .allowBluetoothA2DP, .defaultToSpeaker])
try setActive(true)
}
Audio
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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?
I've got a problem with my app where I'm testing it on my own phone.
I'm using audio kit to generate tones as part of the app. Everything seems to work fine. Sounds start, Stop, etc. They play when the app is closed and when the phone is locked, so background is working.
However, I'm seeing an issue where, even when STOP is pressed and the application exited, if I get a notification such as a text message, the base tone for the app starts to play.
If I then open the app, check the Start/Stop button - it says start so that. hasnt' been activated. If I click Start, then a 2nd tone starts. This one stops with the Stop button. However the original tone that was set off by an incoming message carries on playing.
Until I go to the Open Apps View on the phone and slide the application upwards.
For the life of me, I can't figure out whats happening here.
Hello all! I've been having this issue for a while, on my iPhone 12 Pro.
The volume when listening to music, watching YouTube, TikTok, etc. It will randomly lower, but the actual audio slider won't it will still be at max volume but get very quiet. I've followed other instructions such as turn off audio awareness, and other settings but nothing seems to be working. And phone calls too Has anyone else had this issue and managed to fix it?
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
Hi team,
With regards to Call (Live) Translations on VOIP:
Is it possible to invoke live translations within the app? (without going into the Call System UI)
Is it possible to navigate users from app to Call System UI via an API? (and also invoking the new live translations directly)
Will Apple support more languages apart from the current ones? (Currently I see 4 supported languages)
Is there any feasible way to get a Core Audio device's system effect status (Voice Isolation, Wide Spectrum)?
AVCaptureDevice provides convenience properties for system effects for video devices. I need to get this status for Core Audio input devices.
I have a simple AVAudioEngine graph as follows:
AVAudioPlayerNode -> AVAudioUnitEQ -> AVAudioUnitTimePitch -> AVAudioUnitReverb -> Main mixer node of AVAudioEngine.
I noticed that whenever I have AVAudioUnitTimePitch or AVAudioUnitVarispeed in the graph, I noticed a very distinct crackling/popping sound in my Airpods Pro 2 when starting up the engine and playing the AVAudioPlayerNode and unable to find the reason why this is happening. When I remove the node, the crackling completely goes away. How do I fix this problem since i need the user to be able to control the pitch and rate of the audio during playback.
import AVKit
@Observable @MainActor
class AudioEngineManager {
nonisolated private let engine = AVAudioEngine()
private let playerNode = AVAudioPlayerNode()
private let reverb = AVAudioUnitReverb()
private let pitch = AVAudioUnitTimePitch()
private let eq = AVAudioUnitEQ(numberOfBands: 10)
private var audioFile: AVAudioFile?
private var fadePlayPauseTask: Task<Void, Error>?
private var playPauseCurrentFadeTime: Double = 0
init() {
setupAudioEngine()
}
private func setupAudioEngine() {
guard let url = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "Song name goes here", withExtension: "mp3") else {
print("Audio file not found")
return
}
do {
audioFile = try AVAudioFile(forReading: url)
} catch {
print("Failed to load audio file: \(error)")
return
}
reverb.loadFactoryPreset(.mediumHall)
reverb.wetDryMix = 50
pitch.pitch = 0 // Increase pitch by 500 cents (5 semitones)
engine.attach(playerNode)
engine.attach(pitch)
engine.attach(reverb)
engine.attach(eq)
// Connect: player -> pitch -> reverb -> output
engine.connect(playerNode, to: eq, format: audioFile?.processingFormat)
engine.connect(eq, to: pitch, format: audioFile?.processingFormat)
engine.connect(pitch, to: reverb, format: audioFile?.processingFormat)
engine.connect(reverb, to: engine.mainMixerNode, format: audioFile?.processingFormat)
}
func prepare() {
guard let audioFile else { return }
playerNode.scheduleFile(audioFile, at: nil)
}
func play() {
DispatchQueue.global().async { [weak self] in
guard let self else { return }
engine.prepare()
try? engine.start()
DispatchQueue.main.async { [weak self] in
guard let self else { return }
playerNode.play()
fadePlayPauseTask?.cancel()
playPauseCurrentFadeTime = 0
fadePlayPauseTask = Task { [weak self] in
guard let self else { return }
while true {
let volume = updateVolume(for: playPauseCurrentFadeTime / 0.1, rising: true)
// Ramp up volume until 1 is reached
if volume >= 1 { break }
engine.mainMixerNode.outputVolume = volume
try await Task.sleep(for: .milliseconds(10))
playPauseCurrentFadeTime += 0.01
}
engine.mainMixerNode.outputVolume = 1
}
}
}
}
func pause() {
fadePlayPauseTask?.cancel()
playPauseCurrentFadeTime = 0
fadePlayPauseTask = Task { [weak self] in
guard let self else { return }
while true {
let volume = updateVolume(for: playPauseCurrentFadeTime / 0.1, rising: false)
// Ramp down volume until 0 is reached
if volume <= 0 { break }
engine.mainMixerNode.outputVolume = volume
try await Task.sleep(for: .milliseconds(10))
playPauseCurrentFadeTime += 0.01
}
engine.mainMixerNode.outputVolume = 0
playerNode.pause()
// Shut down engine once ramp down completes
DispatchQueue.global().async { [weak self] in
guard let self else { return }
engine.pause()
}
}
}
private func updateVolume(for x: Double, rising: Bool) -> Float {
if rising {
// Fade in
return Float(pow(x, 2) * (3.0 - 2.0 * (x)))
} else {
// Fade out
return Float(1 - (pow(x, 2) * (3.0 - 2.0 * (x))))
}
}
func setPitch(_ value: Float) {
pitch.pitch = value
}
func setReverbMix(_ value: Float) {
reverb.wetDryMix = value
}
}
struct ContentView: View {
@State private var audioManager = AudioEngineManager()
@State private var pitch: Float = 0
@State private var reverb: Float = 0
var body: some View {
VStack(spacing: 20) {
Text("🎵 Audio Player with Reverb & Pitch")
.font(.title2)
HStack {
Button("Prepare") {
audioManager.prepare()
}
Button("Play") {
audioManager.play()
}
.padding()
.background(Color.green)
.foregroundColor(.white)
.cornerRadius(10)
Button("Pause") {
audioManager.pause()
}
.padding()
.background(Color.red)
.foregroundColor(.white)
.cornerRadius(10)
}
VStack {
Text("Pitch: \(Int(pitch)) cents")
Slider(value: $pitch, in: -2400...2400, step: 100) { _ in
audioManager.setPitch(pitch)
}
}
VStack {
Text("Reverb Mix: \(Int(reverb))%")
Slider(value: $reverb, in: 0...100, step: 1) { _ in
audioManager.setReverbMix(reverb)
}
}
}
.padding()
}
}
Is it possible to find IDR frame (CMSampleBuffer) in AVAsset h264 video file?
Hi,
I try to record audio on the iPhone with the AVAudioRecorder and Xcode 26.0.1.
Maybe the problem is that I can not record audio with the simulator. But there's a menu for audio.
In the plist I added 'Privacy - Microphone Usage Description' and I ask for permission before recording.
if await AVAudioApplication.requestRecordPermission() {
print("permission granted")
recordPermission = true
} else {
print("permission denied")
}
Permission is granted.
let settings: [String : Any] = [
AVFormatIDKey: kAudioFormatMPEG4AAC,
AVSampleRateKey: 12000,
AVNumberOfChannelsKey: 1,
AVEncoderAudioQualityKey: AVAudioQuality.high.rawValue
]
recorder = try AVAudioRecorder(url: filename, settings: settings)
let prepared = recorder.prepareToRecord()
print("prepared started: \(prepared)")
let started = recorder.record()
print("recording started: \(started)")
started is always false and I tried many settings.
Error messages
AddInstanceForFactory: No factory registered for id <CFUUID 0x600000211480> F8BB1C28-BAE8-11D6-9C31-00039315CD46
AudioConverter.cpp:1052 Failed to create a new in process converter -> from 0 ch, 12000 Hz, .... (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 0 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame to 1 ch, 12000 Hz, aac (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 1024 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame, with status -50
AudioQueueObject.cpp:1892 BuildConverter: AudioConverterNew returned -50
from: 0 ch, 12000 Hz, .... (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 0 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame
to: 1 ch, 12000 Hz, aac (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 1024 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame
prepared started: true
AudioQueueObject.cpp:7581 ConvertInput: aq@0x10381be00: AudioConverterFillComplexBuffer returned -50, packetCount 5
recording started: false
All examples I find are the same, but apparently there must be something different.
{
"aps": { "content-available": 1 },
"audio_file_name": "ding.caf",
"audio_url": "https://example.com/audio.mp3"
}
When the app is in the background or killed, it receives a remote APNs push. The data format is roughly as shown above. How can I play the MP3 audio file at the specified "audio_url"? The user does not need to interact with the device when receiving the APNs. How can I play the audio file immediately after receiving it?
Hello All,
It seems that it's "very easy" (😬) to implement a little Swift code inside the prepared AU using Xcode 16.2 on Sequoia 15.1.1 and a Mac Studio M1 Ultra, but my issue is that I finally don't know... where.
The documentation says that I've to find the AudioUnitViewController.swift file and then modify the render block :
audioUnit.renderBlock = { (numFrames, ioData) in
// Process audio here
}
in the Xcode project automatically generated, but I didn't find such a file...
If somebody can help me in showing where is the file to be modified, I'll be very grateful !
Thank you very much.
J
Hi everyone,
I'm running into an issue with AVAudioRecorder when handling interruptions such as phone calls or alarms.
Problem:
When the app is recording audio and an interruption occurs:
I handle the interruption with audioRecorder?.pause() inside AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification (on .began).
On .ended, I check for .shouldResume and call audioRecorder?.record() again.
The recorder resumes successfully, but only the audio recorded after the interruption is saved. The audio recorded before the interruption is lost, even though I'm using the same file URL and not recreating the recorder.
Repro:
Start a recording with AVAudioRecorder
Simulate a system interruption (e.g., incoming call)
Resume recording after the interruption
Stop and inspect the output audio file
Expected: Full audio (before and after interruption) should be saved.
Actual: Only the audio after interruption is saved; the earlier part is missing
Notes:
According to the documentation, calling .record() after .pause() should resume recording into the same file.
I confirmed that the file URL does not change, and I do not recreate the recorder instance.
No error is thrown by the system during this process.
This behavior happens consistently when the app is interrupted and resumed.
Question:
Is this a known issue? Is there a recommended workaround for preserving the full recording when interruptions happen?
Thanks in advance!
Hi everyone,
I wanted to bring up a question about Core Audio and its potential for future updates or improvements, specifically regarding latency optimization. As someone who relies on Core Audio for real-time audio processing, any enhancements in this area would be incredibly beneficial for professionals in the industry.
Does anyone know if Apple has shared any plans or updates regarding Core Audio’s performance, particularly for low-latency applications? I’d appreciate any insights or advice from the community!
Thanks so much!
Best,
Michael
Hi I'm new to the forum,
I'm planning an app just for Apple watch, I would like to use bluetooth audio in background, how can I do it?
The messages I send via bluetooth stop as soon as the watch display turns off.
Thank you!
Nax
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!
Hi,
I am creating an app that can include videos or images in it's data. While
@Attribute(.externalStorage)
helps with images, with AVAssets I actually would like access to the URL behind that data. (as it would be stupid to load and then save the data again just to have a URL)
One key component is to keep all of this clean enough so that I can use (private) CloudKit syncing with the resulting model.
All the best
Christoph
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 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.
I'm experiencing a significant limitation with MusicKit's Dolby Atmos implementation on macOS and would appreciate clarification on whether this is intended behavior or if there are solutions available.
When streaming Dolby Atmos content through MusicKit's ApplicationMusicPlayer, the output is limited to 2-channel stereo, even when:
Audio MIDI Setup is configured for 7.1.4 (12-channel) output
The same tracks play in full multichannel through the native Apple Music app
Dolby Atmos is set to "Automatic" in Apple Music preferences
Please let me know if there is anyway to enable this. If not, is this documented anywhere? Thanks!
I'm using an AVAudioConverter object to decode an OPUS stream for VoIP. The decoding itself works well, however, whenever the stream stalls (no more audio packet is available to decode because of network instability) this can be heard in crackling / abrupt stop in decoded audio. OPUS can mitigate this by indicating packet loss by passing a null pointer in the C-library to
int opus_decode_float (OpusDecoder * st, const unsigned char * data, opus_int32 len, float * pcm, int frame_size, int decode_fec), see https://opus-codec.org/docs/opus_api-1.2/group__opus__decoder.html#ga9c554b8c0214e24733a299fe53bb3bd2.
However, with AVAudioConverter using Swift I'm constructing an AVAudioCompressedBuffer like so:
let compressedBuffer = AVAudioCompressedBuffer(
format: VoiceEncoder.Constants.networkFormat,
packetCapacity: 1,
maximumPacketSize: data.count
)
compressedBuffer.byteLength = UInt32(data.count)
compressedBuffer.packetCount = 1
compressedBuffer.packetDescriptions!
.pointee.mDataByteSize = UInt32(data.count)
data.copyBytes(
to: compressedBuffer.data
.assumingMemoryBound(to: UInt8.self),
count: data.count
)
where data: Data contains the raw OPUS frame to be decoded.
How can I specify data loss in this context and cause the AVAudioConverter to output PCM data whenever no more input data is available?
More context:
I'm specifying the audio format like this:
static let frameSize: UInt32 = 960
static let sampleRate: Float64 = 48000.0
static var networkFormatStreamDescription =
AudioStreamBasicDescription(
mSampleRate: sampleRate,
mFormatID: kAudioFormatOpus,
mFormatFlags: 0,
mBytesPerPacket: 0,
mFramesPerPacket: frameSize,
mBytesPerFrame: 0,
mChannelsPerFrame: 1,
mBitsPerChannel: 0,
mReserved: 0
)
static let networkFormat =
AVAudioFormat(
streamDescription:
&networkFormatStreamDescription
)!
I've tried 1) setting byteLength and packetCount to zero and 2) returning nil but setting .haveData in the AVAudioConverterInputBlock I'm using with no success.