Dive into the technical aspects of audio on your device, including codecs, format support, and customization options.

Audio Documentation

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Playing periodic audio in background using AVFoundation - facing audio session startup failure
Hello everyone, I’m new to Swift development and have been working on an audio module that plays a specific sound at regular intervals - similar to a workout timer that signals switching exercises every few minutes. Following AVFoundation documentation, I’m configuring my audio session like this: let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() try session.setCategory( .playback, mode: .default, options: [.interruptSpokenAudioAndMixWithOthers, .duckOthers] ) self.engine.attach(self.player) self.engine.connect(self.player, to: self.engine.outputNode, format: self.audioFormat) try? session.setActive(true) When it’s time to play cues, I schedule playback on a DispatchQueue: // scheduleAudio uses DispatchQueue self.scheduleAudio(at: interval.start) { do { try audio.engine.start() audio.node.play() for sample in interval.samples { audio.node.scheduleBuffer(sample.buffer, at: AVAudioTime(hostTime: sample.hostTime)) } } catch { print("Audio activation failed: \(error)") } } This works perfectly in the foreground. But once the app goes into the background, the scheduled callback runs, yet the audio engine fails to start, resulting in an error with code 561015905. Interestingly, if the app is already playing audio before going to the background, the scheduled sounds continue to play as expected. I have added the required background audio mode to my Info plist file by including the key UIBackgroundModes with the value audio. Is there anything else I should configure? What is the best practice to play periodic audio when the app runs in the background? How do apps like turn-by-turn navigation handle continuous audio playback in the background? Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated!
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228
Jul ’25
occasional glitches and empty buffers when using AudioFileStream + AVAudioConverter
I'm streaming mp3 audio data using URLSession/AudioFileStream/AVAudioConverter and getting occasional silent buffers and glitches (little bleeps and whoops as opposed to clicks). The issues are present in an offline test, so this isn't an issue of underruns. Doing some buffering on the input coming from the URLSession (URLSessionDataTask) reduces the glitches/silent buffers to rather infrequent, but they do still happen occasionally. var bufferedData = Data() func parseBytes(data: Data) { bufferedData.append(data) // XXX: this buffering reduces glitching // to rather infrequent. But why? if bufferedData.count > 32768 { bufferedData.withUnsafeBytes { (bytes: UnsafeRawBufferPointer) in guard let baseAddress = bytes.baseAddress else { return } let result = AudioFileStreamParseBytes(audioStream!, UInt32(bufferedData.count), baseAddress, []) if result != noErr { print("❌ error parsing stream: \(result)") } } bufferedData = Data() } } No errors are returned by AudioFileStream or AVAudioConverter. func handlePackets(data: Data, packetDescriptions: [AudioStreamPacketDescription]) { guard let audioConverter else { return } var maxPacketSize: UInt32 = 0 for packetDescription in packetDescriptions { maxPacketSize = max(maxPacketSize, packetDescription.mDataByteSize) if packetDescription.mDataByteSize == 0 { print("EMPTY PACKET") } if Int(packetDescription.mStartOffset) + Int(packetDescription.mDataByteSize) > data.count { print("❌ Invalid packet: offset \(packetDescription.mStartOffset) + size \(packetDescription.mDataByteSize) > data.count \(data.count)") } } let bufferIn = AVAudioCompressedBuffer(format: inFormat!, packetCapacity: AVAudioPacketCount(packetDescriptions.count), maximumPacketSize: Int(maxPacketSize)) bufferIn.byteLength = UInt32(data.count) for i in 0 ..< Int(packetDescriptions.count) { bufferIn.packetDescriptions![i] = packetDescriptions[i] } bufferIn.packetCount = AVAudioPacketCount(packetDescriptions.count) _ = data.withUnsafeBytes { ptr in memcpy(bufferIn.data, ptr.baseAddress, data.count) } if verbose { print("handlePackets: \(data.count) bytes") } // Setup input provider closure var inputProvided = false let inputBlock: AVAudioConverterInputBlock = { packetCount, statusPtr in if !inputProvided { inputProvided = true statusPtr.pointee = .haveData return bufferIn } else { statusPtr.pointee = .noDataNow return nil } } // Loop until converter runs dry or is done while true { let bufferOut = AVAudioPCMBuffer(pcmFormat: outFormat, frameCapacity: 4096)! bufferOut.frameLength = 0 var error: NSError? let status = audioConverter.convert(to: bufferOut, error: &error, withInputFrom: inputBlock) switch status { case .haveData: if verbose { print("✅ convert returned haveData: \(bufferOut.frameLength) frames") } if bufferOut.frameLength > 0 { if bufferOut.isSilent { print("(haveData) SILENT BUFFER at frame \(totalFrames), pending: \(pendingFrames), inputPackets=\(bufferIn.packetCount), outputFrames=\(bufferOut.frameLength)") } outBuffers.append(bufferOut) totalFrames += Int(bufferOut.frameLength) } case .inputRanDry: if verbose { print("🔁 convert returned inputRanDry: \(bufferOut.frameLength) frames") } if bufferOut.frameLength > 0 { if bufferOut.isSilent { print("(inputRanDry) SILENT BUFFER at frame \(totalFrames), pending: \(pendingFrames), inputPackets=\(bufferIn.packetCount), outputFrames=\(bufferOut.frameLength)") } outBuffers.append(bufferOut) totalFrames += Int(bufferOut.frameLength) } return // wait for next handlePackets case .endOfStream: if verbose { print("✅ convert returned endOfStream") } return case .error: if verbose { print("❌ convert returned error") } if let error = error { print("error converting: \(error.localizedDescription)") } return @unknown default: fatalError() } } }
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567
Jul ’25
coreaudiod display sleep
hi all, as soon an audio is played in a whatever app, coreaudiod inserts a sleep prevent assertion for both, the system AND the display. can i somehow stop the insertion of the display sleep assertion? pid 223(coreaudiod): [0x00004e9e00058dc2] 00:03:18 PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep named: "com.apple.audio.AppleGFXHDAEngineOutputDP:10001:0:{B31A-08C6-00000000}.context.preventuseridledisplaysleep" Created for PID: 4145. where PID 4145 is spotify. but it doesn't matter which app is playing the audio. any help would be appreciated thanks
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84
Nov ’25
MusicKit playbackTime Accuracy
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!
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131
May ’25
Different behaviors of USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters
I bought two "Apple USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters". Upon closer inspection, they seems to be of different generations: The one with product ID 0x110a on top is working fine. The one with product ID 0x110b has two issues: There is a short but loud click noise on the headphone when I connect it to the iPad. When I play audio using AVAudioPlayer the first half of a second or so is cut off. Here's how I'm playing the audio: audioPlayer = try AVAudioPlayer(contentsOf: url) audioPlayer?.delegate = self audioPlayer?.prepareToPlay() audioPlayer?.play() Is this a known issue? Am I doing something wrong?
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340
Jul ’25
AVAudioUnitSampler Bug with Consolidated Audio Files
Hello, I've discovered a buffer initialization bug in AVAudioUnitSampler that happens when loading presets with multiple zones referencing different regions in the same audio file (monolith/concatenated samples approach). Almost all zones output silence (i.e. zeros) at the beginning of playback instead of starting with actual audio data. The Problem Setup: Single audio file (monolith) containing multiple concatenated samples Multiple zones in an .aupreset, each with different sample start and sample end values pointing to different regions of the same file All zones load successfully without errors Expected Behavior: All zones should play their respective audio regions immediately from the first sample. Actual Behavior: Last zone in the zone list: Works perfectly - plays audio immediately All other zones: Output [0, 0, 0, 0, ..., _audio_data] instead of [real_audio_data] The number of zeros varies from event to event for each zone. It can be a couple of samples (<30) up to several buffers. After the initial zeros, the correct audio plays normally, so there is no shift in audio playback, just missing samples at the beginning. Minimal Reproduction 1. Create Test Monolith Audio File Create a single Wav file with 3 concatenated 1-second samples (44.1kHz): Sample 1: frames 0-44099 (constant amplitude 0.3) Sample 2: frames 44100-88199 (constant amplitude 0.6) Sample 3: frames 88200-132299 (constant amplitude 0.9) 2. Create Test Preset Create an .aupreset with 3 zones all referencing the same file: Pseudo code <Zone array> <zone 1> start : 0, end: 44099, note: 60, waveform: ref_to_monolith.wav; <zone 2> start sample: 44100, note: 62, end sample: 88199, waveform: ref_to_monolith.wav; <zone 3> start sample: 88200, note: 64, end sample: 132299, waveform: ref_to_monolith.wav; </Zone array> 3. Load and Test // Load preset into AVAudioUnitSampler let sampler = AVAudioUnitSampler() try sampler.loadAudioFiles(from: presetURL) // Play each zone (MIDI notes C4=60, D4=62, E4=64) sampler.startNote(60, withVelocity: 64, onChannel: 0) // Zone 1 sampler.startNote(62, withVelocity: 64, onChannel: 0) // Zone 2 sampler.startNote(64, withVelocity: 64, onChannel: 0) // Zone 3 4. Observed Result Zone 1 (C4): [0, 0, 0, ..., 0.3, 0.3, 0.3] ❌ Zeros at beginning Zone 2 (D4): [0, 0, 0, ..., 0.6, 0.6, 0.6] ❌ Zeros at beginning Zone 3 (E4): [0.9, 0.9, 0.9, ...] ✅ Works correctly (last zone) What I've Extensively Tested What DOES Work Separate files per zone: Each zone references its own individual audio file All zones play correctly without zeros Problem: Not viable for iOS apps with 500+ sample libraries due to file handle limitations What DOESN'T Work (All Tested) 1. Different Audio Formats: CAF (Float32 PCM, Int16 PCM, both interleaved and non-interleaved) M4A (AAC compressed) WAV (uncompressed) SF2 (SoundFont2) Bug persists across all formats 2. CAF Region Chunks: Created CAF files with embedded region chunks defining zone boundaries Set zones with no sampleStart/sampleEnd in preset (nil values) AVAudioUnitSampler completely ignores CAF region metadata Bug persists 3. Unique Waveform IDs: Gave each zone a unique waveform ID (268435456, 268435457, 268435458) Each ID has its own file reference entry (all pointing to same physical file) Hypothesized this might trigger separate buffer initialization Bug persists - no improvement 4. Different Sample Rates: Tested: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz Bug occurs at all sample rates 5. Mono vs Stereo: Bug occurs with both mono and stereo files Environment macOS: Sonoma 14.x (tested across multiple minor versions) iOS: Tested on iOS 17.x with same results Xcode: 16.x Frameworks: AVFoundation, AudioToolbox Reproducibility: 100% reproducible with setup described above Impact & Use Case This bug severely impacts professional music applications that need: Small file sizes: Monolith files allow sharing compressed audio data (AAC/M4A) iOS file handle limits: Opening 400+ individual sample files is not viable on iOS Performance: Single file loading is much faster than hundreds of individual files Standard industry practice: Monolith/concatenated samples are used by EXS24, Kontakt, and most professional samplers Current Impact: Cannot use monolith files with AVAudioUnitSampler on iOS Forced to choose between: unusable audio (zeros at start) OR hitting iOS file limits No viable workaround exists Root Cause Hypothesis The bug appears to be in AVAudioUnitSampler's internal buffer initialization when: Multiple zones share the same source audio file Each zone specifies different sampleStart/sampleEnd offsets Key observation: The last zone in the zone array always works correctly. This is NOT related to: File permissions or security-scoped resources (separate files work fine) Audio codec issues (happens with uncompressed PCM too) Preset parsing (preset loads correctly, all zones are valid) Questions Is this a known issue? I couldn't find any documentation, bug reports, or discussions about this. Is there ANY workaround that allows monolith files to work with AVAudioUnitSampler? Alternative APIs? Is there a different API or approach for iOS that properly supports monolith sample files?
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379
Dec ’25
iOS 26 Beta Personal Voice bug affecting AVSpeechSynthesizer
I have sent in a feedback report (FB18222398) but I have no idea if anyone has looked at it. I know from past experiences that Apple devs do look at these forums. This applies to each of the betas, 1, 2 and 3. I have created a new Personal Voice with each beta. I create a personal voice in English. When it's done processing, I tap Preview and it says in English what is expected. But after some time, an hour or a day, the language of the voice file changes languages and no longer works properly. If I press Preview it is no longer intelligible. I have a text to speech app and initially the created voice works but then when the language of the file changes, it no longer works. I have run an app on my iphone through Xcode that prints to the console the voices installed on the device with the language. Currently this is the voice file: Voice Identifier: com.apple.speech.personalvoice.AAA9C6F2-9125-475F-BA2F-22C63274991D Language: es-MX and on a second device the same personal voice is in a different language: Voice Identifier: com.apple.speech.personalvoice.AAA9C6F2-9125-475F-BA2F-22C63274991D Language: zh-CN Although, a previous personal voice file that listed as Spanish-Mexican played in English with a Spanish accent or when playing Spanish text, it sounded almost perfect. This current personal voice doesn't do that, and is unintelligible. Previous attempts have converted to Chinese. I hope someone can look into this.
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560
Dec ’25
Microphone Recording interrupts when phone ringing
I'm developing an iOS app that requires continuous audio recording. Currently, when a phone call comes in, the AVAudioSession is interrupted and recording stops completely during the ringing phase. While I understand recording should stop if the call is answered, my app needs to continue recording while the phone is merely ringing. I've observed that Apple's Voice Memos app maintains recording during incoming call rings. This indicates the hardware and iOS are capable of supporting this functionality. Request Please advise on any available AVAudioSession configurations or APIs that would allow my app to: Continue recording during an incoming call ring Only stop recording if/when the call is actually answered Impact This interruption significantly impacts the user experience and core functionality of my app. Workarounds like asking users to enable airplane mode are impractical and create a poor user experience. Questions Is there an approved way to maintain microphone access during call rings? If not currently possible, could this capability be considered for addition to a future iOS SDK? Are there any interim solutions or best practices Apple recommends for this use case? Thank you for your help. SUPPORT INFORMATION Did someone from Apple ask you to submit a code-level support request? No Do you have a focused test project that demonstrates your issue? Yes, I have a focused test project to submit with my request What code level support issue are you having? Problems with an Apple framework API in my app
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197
Jun ’25
What is the best approach to multi-channel, per-channel volume control.
I've got a setup using AVAudioEngine with several tone generator nodes, each with a chain of processing nodes, the chains then mixed into the main output. Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ➡️ .mainMixerNode ➡️ .outputNode). Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ⤴️ ... Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ⤴️ The user should be able to mute any chain individually. I've found several potential approaches to muting, but not terribly happy with any of them. Adjust the amplitudes directly in my tone generators. Issue: Consumes CPU even when completely muted. 4 generators adds ~15% cpu, even when all chains are muted. Detach/attach chains that are muted/unmuted. Issue: Causes loud clicking/popping sounds whenever muted/unmuted. Fade mixer output volume while detaching/attaching a chain (just cutting the volume immediately to 0 doesn't get rid of the clicking/popping). Issue: Causes all channels to fade during the transition, so not ideal. The rest of these ideas are variations on making volume control+detatch/attach work for individual chains, since approach #3 worked well. Add an AVAudioMixer to the end of each chain (just for volume control). Issue: Only the mixer on the final chain functions -- the others block all output. Not sure what's going on there. Use matrix mixer (for multi-input volume control). Plus detach/attach to reduce CPU if necessary. Not yet attempted, due to perceived complexity and reports of fragility in order of wiring in. A bunch of effort before I even know if it's going to work. Develop my own fader node to put on the end of each channel. Unlike the tone generator (simple AVSourceNode), developing an effect node seems complex and time consuming. Might not even fix CPU use. I'm not completely averse to the learning curve of either 5 or 6, but would rather get some guidance on best approach before diving in. They both seem likely to take more effort than I'd like for the simple behavior I'm trying to achieve.
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366
Jul ’25
When to set AVAudioSession's preferredInput?
I want the audio session to always use the built-in microphone. However, when using the setPreferredInput() method like in this example private func enableBuiltInMic() { // Get the shared audio session. let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() // Find the built-in microphone input. guard let availableInputs = session.availableInputs, let builtInMicInput = availableInputs.first(where: { $0.portType == .builtInMic }) else { print("The device must have a built-in microphone.") return } // Make the built-in microphone input the preferred input. do { try session.setPreferredInput(builtInMicInput) } catch { print("Unable to set the built-in mic as the preferred input.") } } and calling that function once in the initializer, the audio session still switches to the external microphone once one is plugged in. The session's preferredInput is nil again at that point, even if the built-in microphone is still listed in availableInputs. So, why is the preferredInput suddenly reset? when would be the appropriate time to set the preferredInput again? Observing the session’s availableInputs did not work and setting the preferredInput again in the routeChangeNotification handler seems a bad choice as it’s already a bit too late then.
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883
Oct ’25
SystemAudio Capture API Fails with OSStatus error 1852797029 (kAudioCodecIllegalOperationError)
Issue Description I'm implementing a system audio capture feature using AudioHardwareCreateProcessTap and AudioHardwareCreateAggregateDevice. The app successfully creates the tap and aggregate device, but when starting the IO procedure with AudioDeviceStart, it sometimes fails with OSStatus error 1852797029. (The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error 1852797029.)) The error occurs inconsistently, which makes it particularly difficult to debug and reproduce. Questions Has anyone encountered this intermittent "nope" error code (0x6e6f7065) when working with system audio capture? Are there specific conditions or system states that might trigger this error sporadically? Are there any known workarounds for handling this intermittent failure case? Any insights or guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this specific "nope" error code (0x6e6f7065) when working with system audio capture.
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189
May ’25
Why Does WebView Audio Get Quiet During RTC Calls? (AVAudioSession Analysis)
I developed an educational app that implements audio-video communication through RTC, while using WebView to display course materials during classes. However, some users are experiencing an issue where the audio playback from WebView is very quiet. I've checked that the AVAudioSessionCategory is set by RTC to AVAudioSessionCategoryPlayAndRecord, and the AVAudioSessionCategoryOption also includes AVAudioSessionCategoryOptionMixWithOthers. What could be causing the WebView audio to be suppressed, and how can this be resolved?
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558
Jul ’25
Mic audio before and after a call is answered
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?
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75
May ’25
AVAudioEngine failing with -10877 on macOS 26 beta, no devices detected via AVFoundation but HAL works
I’m developing a macOS audio monitoring app using AVAudioEngine, and I’ve run into a critical issue on macOS 26 beta where AVFoundation fails to detect any input devices, and AVAudioEngine.start() throws the familiar error 10877. FB#: FB19024508 Strange Behavior: AVAudioEngine.inputNode shows no channels or input format on bus 0. AVAudioEngine.start() fails with -10877 (AudioUnit connection error). AVCaptureDevice.DiscoverySession returns zero audio devices. Microphone permission is granted (authorized), and the app is properly signed and sandboxed with com.apple.security.device.audio-input. However, CoreAudio HAL does detect all input/output devices: Using AudioObjectGetPropertyDataSize and AudioObjectGetPropertyData with kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices, I can enumerate 14+ devices, including AirPods, USB DACs, and BlackHole. This suggests the lower-level audio stack is functional. I have tried: Resetting CoreAudio with sudo killall coreaudiod Rebuilding and re-signing the app Clearing TCC with tccutil reset Microphone Running on Apple Silicon and testing Rosetta/native detection via sysctl.proc_translated Using a fallback mechanism that logs device info from HAL and rotates logs for submission via Feedback Assistant I have submitted logs and a reproducible test case via Feedback Assitant : FB#: FB19024508]
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466
Jul ’25
In Speech framework is SFTranscriptionSegment timing supposed to be off and speechRecognitionMetadata nil until isFinal?
I'm working in Swift/SwiftUI, running XCode 16.3 on macOS 15.4 and I've seen this when running in the iOS simulator and in a macOS app run from XCode. I've also seen this behaviour with 3 different audio files. Nothing in the documentation says that the speechRecognitionMetadata property on an SFSpeechRecognitionResult will be nil until isFinal, but that's the behaviour I'm seeing. I've stripped my class down to the following: private var isAuthed = false // I call this in a .task {} in my SwiftUI View public func requestSpeechRecognizerPermission() { SFSpeechRecognizer.requestAuthorization { authStatus in Task { self.isAuthed = authStatus == .authorized } } } public func transcribe(from url: URL) { guard isAuthed else { return } let locale = Locale(identifier: "en-US") let recognizer = SFSpeechRecognizer(locale: locale) let recognitionRequest = SFSpeechURLRecognitionRequest(url: url) // the behaviour occurs whether I set this to true or not, I recently set // it to true to see if it made a difference recognizer?.supportsOnDeviceRecognition = true recognitionRequest.shouldReportPartialResults = true recognitionRequest.addsPunctuation = true recognizer?.recognitionTask(with: recognitionRequest) { (result, error) in guard result != nil else { return } if result!.isFinal { //speechRecognitionMetadata is not nil } else { //speechRecognitionMetadata is nil } } } } Further, and this isn't documented either, the SFTranscriptionSegment values don't have correct timestamp and duration values until isFinal. The values aren't all zero, but they don't align with the timing in the audio and they change to accurate values when isFinal is true. The transcription otherwise "works", in that I get transcription text before isFinal and if I wait for isFinal the segments are correct and speechRecognitionMetadata is filled with values. The context here is I'm trying to generate a transcription that I can then highlight the spoken sections of as audio plays and I'm thinking I must be just trying to use the Speech framework in a way it does not work. I got my concept working if I pre-process the audio (i.e. run it through until isFinal and save the results I need to json), but being able to do even a rougher version of it 'on the fly' - which requires segments to have the right timestamp/duration before isFinal - is perhaps impossible?
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171
Jul ’25
Tvos 26 beta2 not support dolby atmos Apple tv 4k 3rd
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
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190
Activity
Jul ’25
Apple Music for DJ App
Hi there, I recently launched a dj app to the mac app store, and was wondering how I could access songs for mixing purposes via Apple Music just like how serato, rekordbox, djay, and other DJ apps do? Thanks, Gunek
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354
Activity
Nov ’25
Playing periodic audio in background using AVFoundation - facing audio session startup failure
Hello everyone, I’m new to Swift development and have been working on an audio module that plays a specific sound at regular intervals - similar to a workout timer that signals switching exercises every few minutes. Following AVFoundation documentation, I’m configuring my audio session like this: let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() try session.setCategory( .playback, mode: .default, options: [.interruptSpokenAudioAndMixWithOthers, .duckOthers] ) self.engine.attach(self.player) self.engine.connect(self.player, to: self.engine.outputNode, format: self.audioFormat) try? session.setActive(true) When it’s time to play cues, I schedule playback on a DispatchQueue: // scheduleAudio uses DispatchQueue self.scheduleAudio(at: interval.start) { do { try audio.engine.start() audio.node.play() for sample in interval.samples { audio.node.scheduleBuffer(sample.buffer, at: AVAudioTime(hostTime: sample.hostTime)) } } catch { print("Audio activation failed: \(error)") } } This works perfectly in the foreground. But once the app goes into the background, the scheduled callback runs, yet the audio engine fails to start, resulting in an error with code 561015905. Interestingly, if the app is already playing audio before going to the background, the scheduled sounds continue to play as expected. I have added the required background audio mode to my Info plist file by including the key UIBackgroundModes with the value audio. Is there anything else I should configure? What is the best practice to play periodic audio when the app runs in the background? How do apps like turn-by-turn navigation handle continuous audio playback in the background? Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated!
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228
Activity
Jul ’25
occasional glitches and empty buffers when using AudioFileStream + AVAudioConverter
I'm streaming mp3 audio data using URLSession/AudioFileStream/AVAudioConverter and getting occasional silent buffers and glitches (little bleeps and whoops as opposed to clicks). The issues are present in an offline test, so this isn't an issue of underruns. Doing some buffering on the input coming from the URLSession (URLSessionDataTask) reduces the glitches/silent buffers to rather infrequent, but they do still happen occasionally. var bufferedData = Data() func parseBytes(data: Data) { bufferedData.append(data) // XXX: this buffering reduces glitching // to rather infrequent. But why? if bufferedData.count > 32768 { bufferedData.withUnsafeBytes { (bytes: UnsafeRawBufferPointer) in guard let baseAddress = bytes.baseAddress else { return } let result = AudioFileStreamParseBytes(audioStream!, UInt32(bufferedData.count), baseAddress, []) if result != noErr { print("❌ error parsing stream: \(result)") } } bufferedData = Data() } } No errors are returned by AudioFileStream or AVAudioConverter. func handlePackets(data: Data, packetDescriptions: [AudioStreamPacketDescription]) { guard let audioConverter else { return } var maxPacketSize: UInt32 = 0 for packetDescription in packetDescriptions { maxPacketSize = max(maxPacketSize, packetDescription.mDataByteSize) if packetDescription.mDataByteSize == 0 { print("EMPTY PACKET") } if Int(packetDescription.mStartOffset) + Int(packetDescription.mDataByteSize) > data.count { print("❌ Invalid packet: offset \(packetDescription.mStartOffset) + size \(packetDescription.mDataByteSize) > data.count \(data.count)") } } let bufferIn = AVAudioCompressedBuffer(format: inFormat!, packetCapacity: AVAudioPacketCount(packetDescriptions.count), maximumPacketSize: Int(maxPacketSize)) bufferIn.byteLength = UInt32(data.count) for i in 0 ..< Int(packetDescriptions.count) { bufferIn.packetDescriptions![i] = packetDescriptions[i] } bufferIn.packetCount = AVAudioPacketCount(packetDescriptions.count) _ = data.withUnsafeBytes { ptr in memcpy(bufferIn.data, ptr.baseAddress, data.count) } if verbose { print("handlePackets: \(data.count) bytes") } // Setup input provider closure var inputProvided = false let inputBlock: AVAudioConverterInputBlock = { packetCount, statusPtr in if !inputProvided { inputProvided = true statusPtr.pointee = .haveData return bufferIn } else { statusPtr.pointee = .noDataNow return nil } } // Loop until converter runs dry or is done while true { let bufferOut = AVAudioPCMBuffer(pcmFormat: outFormat, frameCapacity: 4096)! bufferOut.frameLength = 0 var error: NSError? let status = audioConverter.convert(to: bufferOut, error: &error, withInputFrom: inputBlock) switch status { case .haveData: if verbose { print("✅ convert returned haveData: \(bufferOut.frameLength) frames") } if bufferOut.frameLength > 0 { if bufferOut.isSilent { print("(haveData) SILENT BUFFER at frame \(totalFrames), pending: \(pendingFrames), inputPackets=\(bufferIn.packetCount), outputFrames=\(bufferOut.frameLength)") } outBuffers.append(bufferOut) totalFrames += Int(bufferOut.frameLength) } case .inputRanDry: if verbose { print("🔁 convert returned inputRanDry: \(bufferOut.frameLength) frames") } if bufferOut.frameLength > 0 { if bufferOut.isSilent { print("(inputRanDry) SILENT BUFFER at frame \(totalFrames), pending: \(pendingFrames), inputPackets=\(bufferIn.packetCount), outputFrames=\(bufferOut.frameLength)") } outBuffers.append(bufferOut) totalFrames += Int(bufferOut.frameLength) } return // wait for next handlePackets case .endOfStream: if verbose { print("✅ convert returned endOfStream") } return case .error: if verbose { print("❌ convert returned error") } if let error = error { print("error converting: \(error.localizedDescription)") } return @unknown default: fatalError() } } }
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567
Activity
Jul ’25
coreaudiod display sleep
hi all, as soon an audio is played in a whatever app, coreaudiod inserts a sleep prevent assertion for both, the system AND the display. can i somehow stop the insertion of the display sleep assertion? pid 223(coreaudiod): [0x00004e9e00058dc2] 00:03:18 PreventUserIdleDisplaySleep named: "com.apple.audio.AppleGFXHDAEngineOutputDP:10001:0:{B31A-08C6-00000000}.context.preventuseridledisplaysleep" Created for PID: 4145. where PID 4145 is spotify. but it doesn't matter which app is playing the audio. any help would be appreciated thanks
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84
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Nov ’25
Infrequent Sound inconsitency with Apple Music
Since MacOS 26 Apple Music has inconsitent drops to the Quality of some Tracks indiscrimantly. I don't know if others Expereinced it. It doesn't happen on the Speakers or connected via Bluetooth, but the AUX I/O has it quite often. It is more noticable on Headphones with 48kHz and higher Frequency Bandwidth. Here is the FB18062589
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184
Activity
Jul ’25
CoreMIDI: neither syslog nor unified logging works.
Hi, macOS (latest macOS, latest HW, but doesn't matter) seems to prevent CoreMIDI driver logging with standard logging procedures (syslog, unified logging). The only chance to log something is writing to a file at one of the rare write-accessible locations for CoreMIDI. How is this supposed to work? Any hint is highly appreciated. Thanks!
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345
Activity
Oct ’25
MusicKit playbackTime Accuracy
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!
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131
Activity
May ’25
Different behaviors of USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters
I bought two "Apple USB-C to Headphone Jack Adapters". Upon closer inspection, they seems to be of different generations: The one with product ID 0x110a on top is working fine. The one with product ID 0x110b has two issues: There is a short but loud click noise on the headphone when I connect it to the iPad. When I play audio using AVAudioPlayer the first half of a second or so is cut off. Here's how I'm playing the audio: audioPlayer = try AVAudioPlayer(contentsOf: url) audioPlayer?.delegate = self audioPlayer?.prepareToPlay() audioPlayer?.play() Is this a known issue? Am I doing something wrong?
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340
Activity
Jul ’25
AVAudioUnitSampler Bug with Consolidated Audio Files
Hello, I've discovered a buffer initialization bug in AVAudioUnitSampler that happens when loading presets with multiple zones referencing different regions in the same audio file (monolith/concatenated samples approach). Almost all zones output silence (i.e. zeros) at the beginning of playback instead of starting with actual audio data. The Problem Setup: Single audio file (monolith) containing multiple concatenated samples Multiple zones in an .aupreset, each with different sample start and sample end values pointing to different regions of the same file All zones load successfully without errors Expected Behavior: All zones should play their respective audio regions immediately from the first sample. Actual Behavior: Last zone in the zone list: Works perfectly - plays audio immediately All other zones: Output [0, 0, 0, 0, ..., _audio_data] instead of [real_audio_data] The number of zeros varies from event to event for each zone. It can be a couple of samples (<30) up to several buffers. After the initial zeros, the correct audio plays normally, so there is no shift in audio playback, just missing samples at the beginning. Minimal Reproduction 1. Create Test Monolith Audio File Create a single Wav file with 3 concatenated 1-second samples (44.1kHz): Sample 1: frames 0-44099 (constant amplitude 0.3) Sample 2: frames 44100-88199 (constant amplitude 0.6) Sample 3: frames 88200-132299 (constant amplitude 0.9) 2. Create Test Preset Create an .aupreset with 3 zones all referencing the same file: Pseudo code <Zone array> <zone 1> start : 0, end: 44099, note: 60, waveform: ref_to_monolith.wav; <zone 2> start sample: 44100, note: 62, end sample: 88199, waveform: ref_to_monolith.wav; <zone 3> start sample: 88200, note: 64, end sample: 132299, waveform: ref_to_monolith.wav; </Zone array> 3. Load and Test // Load preset into AVAudioUnitSampler let sampler = AVAudioUnitSampler() try sampler.loadAudioFiles(from: presetURL) // Play each zone (MIDI notes C4=60, D4=62, E4=64) sampler.startNote(60, withVelocity: 64, onChannel: 0) // Zone 1 sampler.startNote(62, withVelocity: 64, onChannel: 0) // Zone 2 sampler.startNote(64, withVelocity: 64, onChannel: 0) // Zone 3 4. Observed Result Zone 1 (C4): [0, 0, 0, ..., 0.3, 0.3, 0.3] ❌ Zeros at beginning Zone 2 (D4): [0, 0, 0, ..., 0.6, 0.6, 0.6] ❌ Zeros at beginning Zone 3 (E4): [0.9, 0.9, 0.9, ...] ✅ Works correctly (last zone) What I've Extensively Tested What DOES Work Separate files per zone: Each zone references its own individual audio file All zones play correctly without zeros Problem: Not viable for iOS apps with 500+ sample libraries due to file handle limitations What DOESN'T Work (All Tested) 1. Different Audio Formats: CAF (Float32 PCM, Int16 PCM, both interleaved and non-interleaved) M4A (AAC compressed) WAV (uncompressed) SF2 (SoundFont2) Bug persists across all formats 2. CAF Region Chunks: Created CAF files with embedded region chunks defining zone boundaries Set zones with no sampleStart/sampleEnd in preset (nil values) AVAudioUnitSampler completely ignores CAF region metadata Bug persists 3. Unique Waveform IDs: Gave each zone a unique waveform ID (268435456, 268435457, 268435458) Each ID has its own file reference entry (all pointing to same physical file) Hypothesized this might trigger separate buffer initialization Bug persists - no improvement 4. Different Sample Rates: Tested: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 96kHz Bug occurs at all sample rates 5. Mono vs Stereo: Bug occurs with both mono and stereo files Environment macOS: Sonoma 14.x (tested across multiple minor versions) iOS: Tested on iOS 17.x with same results Xcode: 16.x Frameworks: AVFoundation, AudioToolbox Reproducibility: 100% reproducible with setup described above Impact & Use Case This bug severely impacts professional music applications that need: Small file sizes: Monolith files allow sharing compressed audio data (AAC/M4A) iOS file handle limits: Opening 400+ individual sample files is not viable on iOS Performance: Single file loading is much faster than hundreds of individual files Standard industry practice: Monolith/concatenated samples are used by EXS24, Kontakt, and most professional samplers Current Impact: Cannot use monolith files with AVAudioUnitSampler on iOS Forced to choose between: unusable audio (zeros at start) OR hitting iOS file limits No viable workaround exists Root Cause Hypothesis The bug appears to be in AVAudioUnitSampler's internal buffer initialization when: Multiple zones share the same source audio file Each zone specifies different sampleStart/sampleEnd offsets Key observation: The last zone in the zone array always works correctly. This is NOT related to: File permissions or security-scoped resources (separate files work fine) Audio codec issues (happens with uncompressed PCM too) Preset parsing (preset loads correctly, all zones are valid) Questions Is this a known issue? I couldn't find any documentation, bug reports, or discussions about this. Is there ANY workaround that allows monolith files to work with AVAudioUnitSampler? Alternative APIs? Is there a different API or approach for iOS that properly supports monolith sample files?
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379
Activity
Dec ’25
iOS 26 Beta Personal Voice bug affecting AVSpeechSynthesizer
I have sent in a feedback report (FB18222398) but I have no idea if anyone has looked at it. I know from past experiences that Apple devs do look at these forums. This applies to each of the betas, 1, 2 and 3. I have created a new Personal Voice with each beta. I create a personal voice in English. When it's done processing, I tap Preview and it says in English what is expected. But after some time, an hour or a day, the language of the voice file changes languages and no longer works properly. If I press Preview it is no longer intelligible. I have a text to speech app and initially the created voice works but then when the language of the file changes, it no longer works. I have run an app on my iphone through Xcode that prints to the console the voices installed on the device with the language. Currently this is the voice file: Voice Identifier: com.apple.speech.personalvoice.AAA9C6F2-9125-475F-BA2F-22C63274991D Language: es-MX and on a second device the same personal voice is in a different language: Voice Identifier: com.apple.speech.personalvoice.AAA9C6F2-9125-475F-BA2F-22C63274991D Language: zh-CN Although, a previous personal voice file that listed as Spanish-Mexican played in English with a Spanish accent or when playing Spanish text, it sounded almost perfect. This current personal voice doesn't do that, and is unintelligible. Previous attempts have converted to Chinese. I hope someone can look into this.
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560
Activity
Dec ’25
Microphone Recording interrupts when phone ringing
I'm developing an iOS app that requires continuous audio recording. Currently, when a phone call comes in, the AVAudioSession is interrupted and recording stops completely during the ringing phase. While I understand recording should stop if the call is answered, my app needs to continue recording while the phone is merely ringing. I've observed that Apple's Voice Memos app maintains recording during incoming call rings. This indicates the hardware and iOS are capable of supporting this functionality. Request Please advise on any available AVAudioSession configurations or APIs that would allow my app to: Continue recording during an incoming call ring Only stop recording if/when the call is actually answered Impact This interruption significantly impacts the user experience and core functionality of my app. Workarounds like asking users to enable airplane mode are impractical and create a poor user experience. Questions Is there an approved way to maintain microphone access during call rings? If not currently possible, could this capability be considered for addition to a future iOS SDK? Are there any interim solutions or best practices Apple recommends for this use case? Thank you for your help. SUPPORT INFORMATION Did someone from Apple ask you to submit a code-level support request? No Do you have a focused test project that demonstrates your issue? Yes, I have a focused test project to submit with my request What code level support issue are you having? Problems with an Apple framework API in my app
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197
Activity
Jun ’25
What is the best approach to multi-channel, per-channel volume control.
I've got a setup using AVAudioEngine with several tone generator nodes, each with a chain of processing nodes, the chains then mixed into the main output. Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ➡️ .mainMixerNode ➡️ .outputNode). Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ⤴️ ... Generator ➡️ Effect ➡️... ⤴️ The user should be able to mute any chain individually. I've found several potential approaches to muting, but not terribly happy with any of them. Adjust the amplitudes directly in my tone generators. Issue: Consumes CPU even when completely muted. 4 generators adds ~15% cpu, even when all chains are muted. Detach/attach chains that are muted/unmuted. Issue: Causes loud clicking/popping sounds whenever muted/unmuted. Fade mixer output volume while detaching/attaching a chain (just cutting the volume immediately to 0 doesn't get rid of the clicking/popping). Issue: Causes all channels to fade during the transition, so not ideal. The rest of these ideas are variations on making volume control+detatch/attach work for individual chains, since approach #3 worked well. Add an AVAudioMixer to the end of each chain (just for volume control). Issue: Only the mixer on the final chain functions -- the others block all output. Not sure what's going on there. Use matrix mixer (for multi-input volume control). Plus detach/attach to reduce CPU if necessary. Not yet attempted, due to perceived complexity and reports of fragility in order of wiring in. A bunch of effort before I even know if it's going to work. Develop my own fader node to put on the end of each channel. Unlike the tone generator (simple AVSourceNode), developing an effect node seems complex and time consuming. Might not even fix CPU use. I'm not completely averse to the learning curve of either 5 or 6, but would rather get some guidance on best approach before diving in. They both seem likely to take more effort than I'd like for the simple behavior I'm trying to achieve.
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366
Activity
Jul ’25
When to set AVAudioSession's preferredInput?
I want the audio session to always use the built-in microphone. However, when using the setPreferredInput() method like in this example private func enableBuiltInMic() { // Get the shared audio session. let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance() // Find the built-in microphone input. guard let availableInputs = session.availableInputs, let builtInMicInput = availableInputs.first(where: { $0.portType == .builtInMic }) else { print("The device must have a built-in microphone.") return } // Make the built-in microphone input the preferred input. do { try session.setPreferredInput(builtInMicInput) } catch { print("Unable to set the built-in mic as the preferred input.") } } and calling that function once in the initializer, the audio session still switches to the external microphone once one is plugged in. The session's preferredInput is nil again at that point, even if the built-in microphone is still listed in availableInputs. So, why is the preferredInput suddenly reset? when would be the appropriate time to set the preferredInput again? Observing the session’s availableInputs did not work and setting the preferredInput again in the routeChangeNotification handler seems a bad choice as it’s already a bit too late then.
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883
Activity
Oct ’25
Find IDR in AVAsset
Is it possible to find IDR frame (CMSampleBuffer) in AVAsset h264 video file?
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596
Activity
Nov ’25
SystemAudio Capture API Fails with OSStatus error 1852797029 (kAudioCodecIllegalOperationError)
Issue Description I'm implementing a system audio capture feature using AudioHardwareCreateProcessTap and AudioHardwareCreateAggregateDevice. The app successfully creates the tap and aggregate device, but when starting the IO procedure with AudioDeviceStart, it sometimes fails with OSStatus error 1852797029. (The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error 1852797029.)) The error occurs inconsistently, which makes it particularly difficult to debug and reproduce. Questions Has anyone encountered this intermittent "nope" error code (0x6e6f7065) when working with system audio capture? Are there specific conditions or system states that might trigger this error sporadically? Are there any known workarounds for handling this intermittent failure case? Any insights or guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered this specific "nope" error code (0x6e6f7065) when working with system audio capture.
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189
Activity
May ’25
Why Does WebView Audio Get Quiet During RTC Calls? (AVAudioSession Analysis)
I developed an educational app that implements audio-video communication through RTC, while using WebView to display course materials during classes. However, some users are experiencing an issue where the audio playback from WebView is very quiet. I've checked that the AVAudioSessionCategory is set by RTC to AVAudioSessionCategoryPlayAndRecord, and the AVAudioSessionCategoryOption also includes AVAudioSessionCategoryOptionMixWithOthers. What could be causing the WebView audio to be suppressed, and how can this be resolved?
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558
Activity
Jul ’25
Mic audio before and after a call is answered
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?
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75
Activity
May ’25
AVAudioEngine failing with -10877 on macOS 26 beta, no devices detected via AVFoundation but HAL works
I’m developing a macOS audio monitoring app using AVAudioEngine, and I’ve run into a critical issue on macOS 26 beta where AVFoundation fails to detect any input devices, and AVAudioEngine.start() throws the familiar error 10877. FB#: FB19024508 Strange Behavior: AVAudioEngine.inputNode shows no channels or input format on bus 0. AVAudioEngine.start() fails with -10877 (AudioUnit connection error). AVCaptureDevice.DiscoverySession returns zero audio devices. Microphone permission is granted (authorized), and the app is properly signed and sandboxed with com.apple.security.device.audio-input. However, CoreAudio HAL does detect all input/output devices: Using AudioObjectGetPropertyDataSize and AudioObjectGetPropertyData with kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices, I can enumerate 14+ devices, including AirPods, USB DACs, and BlackHole. This suggests the lower-level audio stack is functional. I have tried: Resetting CoreAudio with sudo killall coreaudiod Rebuilding and re-signing the app Clearing TCC with tccutil reset Microphone Running on Apple Silicon and testing Rosetta/native detection via sysctl.proc_translated Using a fallback mechanism that logs device info from HAL and rotates logs for submission via Feedback Assistant I have submitted logs and a reproducible test case via Feedback Assitant : FB#: FB19024508]
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466
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Jul ’25
In Speech framework is SFTranscriptionSegment timing supposed to be off and speechRecognitionMetadata nil until isFinal?
I'm working in Swift/SwiftUI, running XCode 16.3 on macOS 15.4 and I've seen this when running in the iOS simulator and in a macOS app run from XCode. I've also seen this behaviour with 3 different audio files. Nothing in the documentation says that the speechRecognitionMetadata property on an SFSpeechRecognitionResult will be nil until isFinal, but that's the behaviour I'm seeing. I've stripped my class down to the following: private var isAuthed = false // I call this in a .task {} in my SwiftUI View public func requestSpeechRecognizerPermission() { SFSpeechRecognizer.requestAuthorization { authStatus in Task { self.isAuthed = authStatus == .authorized } } } public func transcribe(from url: URL) { guard isAuthed else { return } let locale = Locale(identifier: "en-US") let recognizer = SFSpeechRecognizer(locale: locale) let recognitionRequest = SFSpeechURLRecognitionRequest(url: url) // the behaviour occurs whether I set this to true or not, I recently set // it to true to see if it made a difference recognizer?.supportsOnDeviceRecognition = true recognitionRequest.shouldReportPartialResults = true recognitionRequest.addsPunctuation = true recognizer?.recognitionTask(with: recognitionRequest) { (result, error) in guard result != nil else { return } if result!.isFinal { //speechRecognitionMetadata is not nil } else { //speechRecognitionMetadata is nil } } } } Further, and this isn't documented either, the SFTranscriptionSegment values don't have correct timestamp and duration values until isFinal. The values aren't all zero, but they don't align with the timing in the audio and they change to accurate values when isFinal is true. The transcription otherwise "works", in that I get transcription text before isFinal and if I wait for isFinal the segments are correct and speechRecognitionMetadata is filled with values. The context here is I'm trying to generate a transcription that I can then highlight the spoken sections of as audio plays and I'm thinking I must be just trying to use the Speech framework in a way it does not work. I got my concept working if I pre-process the audio (i.e. run it through until isFinal and save the results I need to json), but being able to do even a rougher version of it 'on the fly' - which requires segments to have the right timestamp/duration before isFinal - is perhaps impossible?
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171
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Jul ’25