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

Audio Documentation

Posts under Audio subtopic

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Logic Pro cannot load v3 audio unit with framework compiled with Swift 6
Sequoia 15.4.1 (24E263) XCode: 16.3 (16E140) Logic Pro: 11.2.1 I’ve been developing a complex audio unit for Mac OS that works perfectly well in its own bespoke host app and is now well into its beta testing stage. It did take some effort to get it to work well in Logic Pro however and all was fine and working well until: The AU part is an empty app extension with a framework containing its code. The framework contains Swift code for the UI and C code for the DSP parts. When the framework is compiled using the Swift 5 compiler the AU will run in Logic with no problems. (I should also mention that AU passes the most strict auval tests). But… when the framework is compiled with Swift 6 Logic Pro cannot load it. Logic displays a message saying the audio unit could not be loaded and to contact the developer. My own host app loads the AU perfectly well with the Swift 6 version, so I know there’s nothing wrong with the audio unit. I cannot find any differences in any of the built output files except, of course, the actual binary code in the framework. I’ve worked for hours on this and cannot find a solution other than to build the framework in Swift 5. (I worked hard to get all the async code updated and working with Swift 6! so I feel a little cheated!) What is happening? Is this a bug in Logic? Is this a bug in Swift 6 compiler/linker? I’m at the Duh! hands in the air, tearing out hair stage! ( once again!)
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546
Jul ’25
coreaudio-api mailing list search broken
Hello, The search functionality of the coreaudio-api mailing list archive has been broken for a very long time. Several of the lower-level audio APIs have only been discussed on this mailing list, making it critical for those of us maintaining old audio code. Steps to reproduce: Open https://lists.apple.com/archives/list/coreaudio-api@lists.apple.com/ in your web browser. Enter a search term in the "Search this list" field in the top-right corner of the page. The search will eventually time out with "502 Bad Gateway" Can somebody please forward this information to the current maintainer? I've tried to contact developer support but they weren't sure what to do. Thanks!
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210
Feb ’26
Mixing ScreenCaptureKit audio with microphone audio
Hi, I'm new to AVAudioEngine(and macOS programming in general). I'm trying to mix microphone audio with ScreenCaptureKit audio using AVAudioEngine without playing it back. I've created a AVAudioPlayerNode and scheduling buffers in my SCStream handler: playerNode.scheduleBuffer(samples) and have connected the playerNode to the mainMixerNode. audioEngine.connect(audioEngine.inputNode, to: audioEngine.mainMixerNode, format: micFormat) audioEngine.connect(playerNode, to: audioEngine.mainMixerNode, format: format) The problem is that mainMixerNode plays the audio to the speaker creating a feedback loop. How can I prevent the mixer output from being played back. Also: Is this the best way of mixing microphone input with some other input? I ran into AVAudioEngine's manual rendering mode, which seems like the way to go for mixing audio without playing it back. However, I couldn't figure out how to connect microphone input to the AVAudioEngine in manual rendering mode?
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1.2k
1w
Start and stop recording Voice Memos with Siri
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.
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189
Dec ’25
How can third-party iOS apps obtain real-time waveform / spectrogram data for Apple Music tracks (similar to djay & other DJ apps)?
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.
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651
Dec ’25
iPhone 14 Pro: External USB mic not available in AVAudioSession for call apps, but works in Voice Memos & Instagram Live
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?
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139
Jan ’26
AVSpeechSynthesizer system voices (SLA clarification)
Hello, I am building an iOS-only, commercial app that uses AVSpeechSynthesizer with system voices, strictly using the APIs provided by Apple. Before distributing the app, I want to ensure that my current implementation does not conflict with the iOS Software License Agreement (SLA) and is aligned with Apple’s intended usage. For a better playback experience (more accurate estimation of utterance duration and smoother skip forward/backward during playback), I currently synthesize speech using: AVSpeechSynthesizer.write(_:toBufferCallback:) Converting the received AVAudioPCMBuffer buffers into audio data Storing the audio inside the app sandbox Playing it back using AVAudioPlayer / AVAudioEngine The cached audio is: Generated fully on-device using system voices Stored only inside the app’s private container Used only for internal playback controls (timeline, seek, skip ±5 seconds) Never shared, exported, uploaded, or exposed outside the app The alternative approaches would be: Keeping the generated audio entirely in memory (RAM) for playback purposes, without writing it to the file system at any point Or using AVSpeechSynthesizer.speak(_:) and playing speech strictly in real time which has a poorer user experience compared to my approach I have reviewed the current iOS Software License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/iOS18_iPadOS18.pdf In particular, section (f) mentions restrictions around System Characters, Live Captions, and Personal Voice, including the following excerpt: “…use … only for your personal, non-commercial use… No other creation or use of the System Characters, Live Captions, or Personal Voice is permitted by this License, including but not limited to the use, reproduction, display, performance, recording, publishing or redistribution in a … commercial context.” I do not see a specific reference in the SLA to system text-to-speech voices used via AVSpeechSynthesizer, and I want to be certain that temporarily caching synthesized speech for internal, non-exported playback is acceptable in a commercial app. My question is: Is caching AVSpeechSynthesizer system-voice output inside the app sandbox for internal playback acceptable, or is Apple’s recommended approach to rely only on real-time playback (speak(_:)) or strictly in-memory buffering without file storage? If this question falls outside DTS technical scope and is instead a policy or licensing matter, I would appreciate guidance on the authoritative Apple documentation or the correct Apple team/contact. Thank you.
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451
Feb ’26
It crashes when AVAssetReader is released
Thread 5 Crashed: 0 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7b038 objc_msgSend + 56 1 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdb618 cow_cleanup + 135 2 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdb6fc -[__NSDictionaryM dealloc] + 147 3 MediaToolbox 0x1b167636c FigRemotePropertyCacheTeardown + 31 4 MediaToolbox 0x1b1c5b648 remoteXPCAsset_Finalize + 107 5 CoreMedia 0x1b1e9166c FigBaseObjectFinalize + 275 6 CoreFoundation 0x19dfcc5ec _CFRelease + 295 7 AVFCore 0x1b1054d64 -[AVFigAssetTrackInspector dealloc] + 151 8 AVFCore 0x1b0f818d8 -[AVAssetTrack dealloc] + 63 9 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdba28 RELEASE_OBJECTS_IN_THE_ARRAY + 115 10 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdb7e0 -[__NSArrayM dealloc] + 147 11 AVFCore 0x1b0f52e04 -[AVURLAsset dealloc] + 167 12 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af821f8 object_cxxDestructFromClass(objc_object*, objc_class*) + 115 13 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7df20 objc_destructInstance_nonnull_realized(objc_object*) + 75 14 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7d4a4 _objc_rootDealloc + 71 15 AVFCore 0x1b0fef988 -[AVAssetReaderOutput dealloc] + 415 16 AVFCore 0x1b0ff11ec -[AVAssetReaderTrackOutput dealloc] + 127 17 CoreFoundation 0x19dfe20a4 -[__NSSingleObjectArrayI dealloc] + 63 18 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7d3f8 AutoreleasePoolPage::releaseUntil(objc_object**) + 203
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293
Jan ’26
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
SpeechAnalyzer.start(inputSequence:) fails with _GenericObjCError nilError, while the same WAV succeeds with start(inputAudioFile:)
I'm trying to use the new Speech framework for streaming transcription on macOS 26.3, and I can reproduce a failure with SpeechAnalyzer.start(inputSequence:). What is working: SpeechAnalyzer + SpeechTranscriber offline path using start(inputAudioFile:finishAfterFile:) same Spanish WAV file transcribes successfully and returns a coherent final result What is not working: SpeechAnalyzer + SpeechTranscriber stream path using start(inputSequence:) same WAV, replayed as AnalyzerInput(buffer:bufferStartTime:) fails once replay starts with: _GenericObjCError domain=Foundation._GenericObjCError code=0 detail=nilError I also tried: DictationTranscriber instead of SpeechTranscriber no realtime pacing during replay Both still fail in stream mode with the same error. So this does not currently look like a ScreenCaptureKit issue or a Python integration issue. I reduced it to a pure Swift CLI repro. Environment: macOS 26.3 (25D122) Xcode 26.3 Swift 6.2.4 Apple Silicon Mac Has anyone here gotten SpeechAnalyzer.start(inputSequence:) working reliably on macOS 26.x? If so, I'd be interested in any workaround or any detail that differs from the obvious setup: prepareToAnalyze(in:) bestAvailableAudioFormat(...) AnalyzerInput(buffer:bufferStartTime:) replaying a known-good WAV in chunks I already filed Feedback Assistant: FB22149971
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2w
Hybrid Wired-to-Wireless Audio Mode Using AirPods Charging Case
Many Apple users own both Bluetooth earphones (AirPods) and traditional wired earphones. While Bluetooth audio provides freedom of movement, some users still prefer wired earphones for comfort, sound profile, or personal preference. However, plugging wired earphones directly into an iPhone can feel restrictive and inconvenient during daily use. This proposal suggests a hybrid audio approach where wired earphones can be connected to a Bluetooth-enabled AirPods charging case (or a similar Apple-designed module), allowing users to enjoy wired earphones without a physical connection to the iPhone. #Problem Statement *Wired earphones offer consistent audio quality and zero latency *Bluetooth earphones provide freedom from cables *Users must currently choose one or the other *Plugging wired earphones into an iPhone limits movement and can feel intrusive in daily scenarios (walking, commuting, working) There is no native Apple solution that allows wired earphones to function wirelessly while maintaining Apple’s audio experience standards. #Proposed Solution Introduce a Wired-to-Wireless Audio Mode through the AirPods charging case or a dedicated Apple Bluetooth audio bridge. How it works: User plugs wired earphones into the AirPods case (or a future AirPods accessory port) The case acts as a Bluetooth audio transmitter Audio is streamed wirelessly from iPhone to the case The case outputs audio to the wired earphones #User experiences: No cable connected to the iPhone Familiar wired earphone sound Freedom of movement similar to Bluetooth earbuds User Experience (UX Flow) Plug wired earphones into the AirPods case iPhone automatically detects: “Wired Earphones via AirPods Case” Seamless pairing using existing AirPods framework Audio controls, volume, and switching handled through iOS No additional apps required #Key Benefits Combines wired sound reliability with wireless convenience Reduces physical cable disturbance during use Extends usefulness of existing wired earphones Minimal learning curve for users Fits naturally into Apple’s ecosystem and design philosophy #Privacy & Performance Considerations On-device audio processing only No cloud involvement Low-latency audio using Apple’s proprietary Bluetooth codecs Power-efficient usage leveraging AirPods case battery #Target Users Users who prefer wired earphones but want wireless freedom Commuters and walkers Developers and professionals who multitask Users sensitive to Bluetooth earbud fit or comfort #Ecosystem Fit Builds on existing AirPods pairing and audio stack Aligns with Apple’s focus on seamless UX Could be implemented via: New AirPods hardware Firmware update + accessory Dedicated Apple audio bridge
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312
Jan ’26
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
How to get PID from AudioObjectID on macOS pre Sonoma
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?
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377
Sep ’25
Users experiencing frequent media services reset interruptions
I work on an iOS app that records video and audio. We've been getting reports for a while from users who are experiencing their video recordings being cut off. After investigating, I found that many users are receiving the AVAudioSessionMediaServicesWereResetNotification (.mediaServicesWereResetNotification) notification while recording. It's associated with the AVFoundationErrorDomain[-11819] error, which seems to indicate that the system audio daemon crashed. We have a handler registered to end the recording, show the user a prompt, and restart our AV sessions. However, from our logs this looks to be happening to hundreds of users every day and it's not an ideal user experience, so I would like to figure out why this is happening and if it's due to something that we're doing wrong. The debug menu option to trigger the audio session reset is not of much use, because it can't be triggered unless you leave the app and go to system settings. So our app can't be recording video when the debug reset is triggered. So far I haven't found a way to reproduced the issue locally, but I can see that it's happening to users from logs. I've found some posts online from developers experiencing similar issues, but none of them seem to directly address our issue. The system error doesn't include a userInfo dictionary, and as far as I can tell it's a system daemon crash so any logs would need to be captured from the OS. Is there any way that I could get more information about what may be causing this error that I may have missed?
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99
Apr ’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
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
Audio driver based on AudioDriverKit sometimes hangs after sleep
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
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198
Aug ’25
Incorrect 5.1 / Atmos channel mapping on Apple TV 4K (2022)
I ran 5.1 audio tests in both YouTube and Apple Music, and I noticed that when sound is supposed to play from the rear or front surround speakers, it’s also duplicated in the front left and right channels. I’m absolutely sure the issue is with the Apple TV, because I played the same video directly through my TV’s native system, and the channel separation was correct. Everything used to work perfectly before, so this must be a software issue. I’m currently on tvOS 26 Developer Beta 5, but I’m certain the problem also existed on the stable tvOS 18.5. I’ve already reset and updated my Apple TV, and I also tried switching the audio format to forced Dolby Atmos 5.1. On the forums, I mostly see complaints about Dolby Atmos not working at all — in my case, everything technically works, but not the way it’s supposed to.
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100
Aug ’25
Logic Pro cannot load v3 audio unit with framework compiled with Swift 6
Sequoia 15.4.1 (24E263) XCode: 16.3 (16E140) Logic Pro: 11.2.1 I’ve been developing a complex audio unit for Mac OS that works perfectly well in its own bespoke host app and is now well into its beta testing stage. It did take some effort to get it to work well in Logic Pro however and all was fine and working well until: The AU part is an empty app extension with a framework containing its code. The framework contains Swift code for the UI and C code for the DSP parts. When the framework is compiled using the Swift 5 compiler the AU will run in Logic with no problems. (I should also mention that AU passes the most strict auval tests). But… when the framework is compiled with Swift 6 Logic Pro cannot load it. Logic displays a message saying the audio unit could not be loaded and to contact the developer. My own host app loads the AU perfectly well with the Swift 6 version, so I know there’s nothing wrong with the audio unit. I cannot find any differences in any of the built output files except, of course, the actual binary code in the framework. I’ve worked for hours on this and cannot find a solution other than to build the framework in Swift 5. (I worked hard to get all the async code updated and working with Swift 6! so I feel a little cheated!) What is happening? Is this a bug in Logic? Is this a bug in Swift 6 compiler/linker? I’m at the Duh! hands in the air, tearing out hair stage! ( once again!)
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546
Activity
Jul ’25
Audio System Trace: Zero Time Stamp
In Instruments, I'm seeing "Zero Time Stamp" events in the "Audio Server" lane. What does that mean?
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1
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0
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180
Activity
Mar ’26
coreaudio-api mailing list search broken
Hello, The search functionality of the coreaudio-api mailing list archive has been broken for a very long time. Several of the lower-level audio APIs have only been discussed on this mailing list, making it critical for those of us maintaining old audio code. Steps to reproduce: Open https://lists.apple.com/archives/list/coreaudio-api@lists.apple.com/ in your web browser. Enter a search term in the "Search this list" field in the top-right corner of the page. The search will eventually time out with "502 Bad Gateway" Can somebody please forward this information to the current maintainer? I've tried to contact developer support but they weren't sure what to do. Thanks!
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1
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0
Views
210
Activity
Feb ’26
Mixing ScreenCaptureKit audio with microphone audio
Hi, I'm new to AVAudioEngine(and macOS programming in general). I'm trying to mix microphone audio with ScreenCaptureKit audio using AVAudioEngine without playing it back. I've created a AVAudioPlayerNode and scheduling buffers in my SCStream handler: playerNode.scheduleBuffer(samples) and have connected the playerNode to the mainMixerNode. audioEngine.connect(audioEngine.inputNode, to: audioEngine.mainMixerNode, format: micFormat) audioEngine.connect(playerNode, to: audioEngine.mainMixerNode, format: format) The problem is that mainMixerNode plays the audio to the speaker creating a feedback loop. How can I prevent the mixer output from being played back. Also: Is this the best way of mixing microphone input with some other input? I ran into AVAudioEngine's manual rendering mode, which seems like the way to go for mixing audio without playing it back. However, I couldn't figure out how to connect microphone input to the AVAudioEngine in manual rendering mode?
Replies
1
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1.2k
Activity
1w
Start and stop recording Voice Memos with Siri
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.
Replies
1
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0
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189
Activity
Dec ’25
How can third-party iOS apps obtain real-time waveform / spectrogram data for Apple Music tracks (similar to djay & other DJ apps)?
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.
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1
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651
Activity
Dec ’25
iPhone 14 Pro: External USB mic not available in AVAudioSession for call apps, but works in Voice Memos & Instagram Live
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?
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139
Activity
Jan ’26
AVSpeechSynthesizer system voices (SLA clarification)
Hello, I am building an iOS-only, commercial app that uses AVSpeechSynthesizer with system voices, strictly using the APIs provided by Apple. Before distributing the app, I want to ensure that my current implementation does not conflict with the iOS Software License Agreement (SLA) and is aligned with Apple’s intended usage. For a better playback experience (more accurate estimation of utterance duration and smoother skip forward/backward during playback), I currently synthesize speech using: AVSpeechSynthesizer.write(_:toBufferCallback:) Converting the received AVAudioPCMBuffer buffers into audio data Storing the audio inside the app sandbox Playing it back using AVAudioPlayer / AVAudioEngine The cached audio is: Generated fully on-device using system voices Stored only inside the app’s private container Used only for internal playback controls (timeline, seek, skip ±5 seconds) Never shared, exported, uploaded, or exposed outside the app The alternative approaches would be: Keeping the generated audio entirely in memory (RAM) for playback purposes, without writing it to the file system at any point Or using AVSpeechSynthesizer.speak(_:) and playing speech strictly in real time which has a poorer user experience compared to my approach I have reviewed the current iOS Software License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/iOS18_iPadOS18.pdf In particular, section (f) mentions restrictions around System Characters, Live Captions, and Personal Voice, including the following excerpt: “…use … only for your personal, non-commercial use… No other creation or use of the System Characters, Live Captions, or Personal Voice is permitted by this License, including but not limited to the use, reproduction, display, performance, recording, publishing or redistribution in a … commercial context.” I do not see a specific reference in the SLA to system text-to-speech voices used via AVSpeechSynthesizer, and I want to be certain that temporarily caching synthesized speech for internal, non-exported playback is acceptable in a commercial app. My question is: Is caching AVSpeechSynthesizer system-voice output inside the app sandbox for internal playback acceptable, or is Apple’s recommended approach to rely only on real-time playback (speak(_:)) or strictly in-memory buffering without file storage? If this question falls outside DTS technical scope and is instead a policy or licensing matter, I would appreciate guidance on the authoritative Apple documentation or the correct Apple team/contact. Thank you.
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451
Activity
Feb ’26
It crashes when AVAssetReader is released
Thread 5 Crashed: 0 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7b038 objc_msgSend + 56 1 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdb618 cow_cleanup + 135 2 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdb6fc -[__NSDictionaryM dealloc] + 147 3 MediaToolbox 0x1b167636c FigRemotePropertyCacheTeardown + 31 4 MediaToolbox 0x1b1c5b648 remoteXPCAsset_Finalize + 107 5 CoreMedia 0x1b1e9166c FigBaseObjectFinalize + 275 6 CoreFoundation 0x19dfcc5ec _CFRelease + 295 7 AVFCore 0x1b1054d64 -[AVFigAssetTrackInspector dealloc] + 151 8 AVFCore 0x1b0f818d8 -[AVAssetTrack dealloc] + 63 9 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdba28 RELEASE_OBJECTS_IN_THE_ARRAY + 115 10 CoreFoundation 0x19dfdb7e0 -[__NSArrayM dealloc] + 147 11 AVFCore 0x1b0f52e04 -[AVURLAsset dealloc] + 167 12 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af821f8 object_cxxDestructFromClass(objc_object*, objc_class*) + 115 13 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7df20 objc_destructInstance_nonnull_realized(objc_object*) + 75 14 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7d4a4 _objc_rootDealloc + 71 15 AVFCore 0x1b0fef988 -[AVAssetReaderOutput dealloc] + 415 16 AVFCore 0x1b0ff11ec -[AVAssetReaderTrackOutput dealloc] + 127 17 CoreFoundation 0x19dfe20a4 -[__NSSingleObjectArrayI dealloc] + 63 18 libobjc.A.dylib 0x19af7d3f8 AutoreleasePoolPage::releaseUntil(objc_object**) + 203
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293
Activity
Jan ’26
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
SpeechAnalyzer.start(inputSequence:) fails with _GenericObjCError nilError, while the same WAV succeeds with start(inputAudioFile:)
I'm trying to use the new Speech framework for streaming transcription on macOS 26.3, and I can reproduce a failure with SpeechAnalyzer.start(inputSequence:). What is working: SpeechAnalyzer + SpeechTranscriber offline path using start(inputAudioFile:finishAfterFile:) same Spanish WAV file transcribes successfully and returns a coherent final result What is not working: SpeechAnalyzer + SpeechTranscriber stream path using start(inputSequence:) same WAV, replayed as AnalyzerInput(buffer:bufferStartTime:) fails once replay starts with: _GenericObjCError domain=Foundation._GenericObjCError code=0 detail=nilError I also tried: DictationTranscriber instead of SpeechTranscriber no realtime pacing during replay Both still fail in stream mode with the same error. So this does not currently look like a ScreenCaptureKit issue or a Python integration issue. I reduced it to a pure Swift CLI repro. Environment: macOS 26.3 (25D122) Xcode 26.3 Swift 6.2.4 Apple Silicon Mac Has anyone here gotten SpeechAnalyzer.start(inputSequence:) working reliably on macOS 26.x? If so, I'd be interested in any workaround or any detail that differs from the obvious setup: prepareToAnalyze(in:) bestAvailableAudioFormat(...) AnalyzerInput(buffer:bufferStartTime:) replaying a known-good WAV in chunks I already filed Feedback Assistant: FB22149971
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358
Activity
2w
Hybrid Wired-to-Wireless Audio Mode Using AirPods Charging Case
Many Apple users own both Bluetooth earphones (AirPods) and traditional wired earphones. While Bluetooth audio provides freedom of movement, some users still prefer wired earphones for comfort, sound profile, or personal preference. However, plugging wired earphones directly into an iPhone can feel restrictive and inconvenient during daily use. This proposal suggests a hybrid audio approach where wired earphones can be connected to a Bluetooth-enabled AirPods charging case (or a similar Apple-designed module), allowing users to enjoy wired earphones without a physical connection to the iPhone. #Problem Statement *Wired earphones offer consistent audio quality and zero latency *Bluetooth earphones provide freedom from cables *Users must currently choose one or the other *Plugging wired earphones into an iPhone limits movement and can feel intrusive in daily scenarios (walking, commuting, working) There is no native Apple solution that allows wired earphones to function wirelessly while maintaining Apple’s audio experience standards. #Proposed Solution Introduce a Wired-to-Wireless Audio Mode through the AirPods charging case or a dedicated Apple Bluetooth audio bridge. How it works: User plugs wired earphones into the AirPods case (or a future AirPods accessory port) The case acts as a Bluetooth audio transmitter Audio is streamed wirelessly from iPhone to the case The case outputs audio to the wired earphones #User experiences: No cable connected to the iPhone Familiar wired earphone sound Freedom of movement similar to Bluetooth earbuds User Experience (UX Flow) Plug wired earphones into the AirPods case iPhone automatically detects: “Wired Earphones via AirPods Case” Seamless pairing using existing AirPods framework Audio controls, volume, and switching handled through iOS No additional apps required #Key Benefits Combines wired sound reliability with wireless convenience Reduces physical cable disturbance during use Extends usefulness of existing wired earphones Minimal learning curve for users Fits naturally into Apple’s ecosystem and design philosophy #Privacy & Performance Considerations On-device audio processing only No cloud involvement Low-latency audio using Apple’s proprietary Bluetooth codecs Power-efficient usage leveraging AirPods case battery #Target Users Users who prefer wired earphones but want wireless freedom Commuters and walkers Developers and professionals who multitask Users sensitive to Bluetooth earbud fit or comfort #Ecosystem Fit Builds on existing AirPods pairing and audio stack Aligns with Apple’s focus on seamless UX Could be implemented via: New AirPods hardware Firmware update + accessory Dedicated Apple audio bridge
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312
Activity
Jan ’26
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
How to get PID from AudioObjectID on macOS pre Sonoma
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?
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377
Activity
Sep ’25
Users experiencing frequent media services reset interruptions
I work on an iOS app that records video and audio. We've been getting reports for a while from users who are experiencing their video recordings being cut off. After investigating, I found that many users are receiving the AVAudioSessionMediaServicesWereResetNotification (.mediaServicesWereResetNotification) notification while recording. It's associated with the AVFoundationErrorDomain[-11819] error, which seems to indicate that the system audio daemon crashed. We have a handler registered to end the recording, show the user a prompt, and restart our AV sessions. However, from our logs this looks to be happening to hundreds of users every day and it's not an ideal user experience, so I would like to figure out why this is happening and if it's due to something that we're doing wrong. The debug menu option to trigger the audio session reset is not of much use, because it can't be triggered unless you leave the app and go to system settings. So our app can't be recording video when the debug reset is triggered. So far I haven't found a way to reproduced the issue locally, but I can see that it's happening to users from logs. I've found some posts online from developers experiencing similar issues, but none of them seem to directly address our issue. The system error doesn't include a userInfo dictionary, and as far as I can tell it's a system daemon crash so any logs would need to be captured from the OS. Is there any way that I could get more information about what may be causing this error that I may have missed?
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99
Activity
Apr ’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
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
Activity
Jul ’25
Audio driver based on AudioDriverKit sometimes hangs after sleep
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
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198
Activity
Aug ’25
Incorrect 5.1 / Atmos channel mapping on Apple TV 4K (2022)
I ran 5.1 audio tests in both YouTube and Apple Music, and I noticed that when sound is supposed to play from the rear or front surround speakers, it’s also duplicated in the front left and right channels. I’m absolutely sure the issue is with the Apple TV, because I played the same video directly through my TV’s native system, and the channel separation was correct. Everything used to work perfectly before, so this must be a software issue. I’m currently on tvOS 26 Developer Beta 5, but I’m certain the problem also existed on the stable tvOS 18.5. I’ve already reset and updated my Apple TV, and I also tried switching the audio format to forced Dolby Atmos 5.1. On the forums, I mostly see complaints about Dolby Atmos not working at all — in my case, everything technically works, but not the way it’s supposed to.
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100
Activity
Aug ’25