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

Audio Documentation

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Correct way for an Audio Unit v3 to return fewer than requested number of samples given a buffer
I have an AUv3 plugin which uses an FFT - which requires n samples before it can produce any output - so, depending on the relation between the host's buffer size and the FFT window size, it may receive a several buffers of samples, producing no output, and then dumping out what it has once a sufficient number of samples have been received. This means that output is produced in fits and starts, in batches that match the FFT size (modulo oversampling) - e.g. if being fed buffers of 256 samples with an fft size of 1024, the output buffer sizes will be 0 for the first 3 buffers, and upon the fourth, the first 256 processed samples are returned and the remaining 768 cached; the next three buffers will return the remaining cached samples while processing and buffering subsequent ones, and so forth. The internal mechanics of that I have solved, caching output if the current output buffer is too small, and so forth - so it all works as advertised, and the plugin reports its latency correctly. And when run as an app in demo-mode, playback works as expected. In the plugin's render block, it captures the number of frames written, and if it is less than the number of frames passed in, adjusts the mDataByteSize of the output buffers to match the actual quantity of data being returned: unsigned int framesWritten = (unsigned int) processHelper->processWithEvents(inAudioBufferList, outAudioBufferList, timestamp, frameCount, realtimeEventListHead); if (framesWritten < frameCount) { for (UInt32 i = 0; i < outAudioBufferList->mNumberBuffers; ++i) { outAudioBufferList->mBuffers[i].mDataByteSize = framesWritten * 4; // assume 4 byte floats } } However, there are a couple of serious issues: auval -v fails it with - Render Test at 64 frames, sample rate: 22050 Hz ERROR: Output Buffer Size does not match requested When connected to Logic Pro, it appears that mDataByteSize is ignored, and the entire allocated buffer is read - audio has sections of silence snipped into it which corresponds the number of empty buffers being returned If I set Logic's buffer size to 1024 and use a 1024 sample FFT window, the plugin works correctly - but of course a plugin cannot dictate buffer size, and `1024 is too small a window size to be useful for anything but filtering very high frequencies This seems like it has to be a solvable problem, and most likely the issue is in how my code reports the number of usable samples in the returned buffer. So, what is the correct way for a plugin to report that it has no samples to return, but will, uh, real soon now? I know I could convert this plugin to be one that does offline rendering of the entire input, but this is real-time processing, just with a fixed amount of latency, so that should not be necessary.
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346
Nov ’25
AudioUnit may experience silent capture issues on iPadOS 18.4.1 or 18.5.
Among the millions of users of our online product, we have identified through data metrics that the silent audio data capture rate on iPadOS 18.4.1 or 18.5 has increased abnormally. However, we are unable to reproduce the issue. Has anyone encountered a similar issue? The parameters we used are as follows: AudioSession: category:AVAudioSessionCategoryPlayAndRecord mode:AVAudioSessionModeDefault option:77 preferredSampleRate:48000.000000 preferredIOBufferDuration:0.010000 AudioUnit format.mFormatID = kAudioFormatLinearPCM; format.mSampleRate = 48000.0; format.mChannelsPerFrame = 2; format.mBitsPerChannel = 16; format.mFramesPerPacket = 1; format.mBytesPerFrame = format.mChannelsPerFrame * 16 / 8; format.mBytesPerPacket = format.mBytesPerFrame * format.mFramesPerPacket; format.mFormatFlags = kAudioFormatFlagsNativeEndian | kLinearPCMFormatFlagIsPacked | kLinearPCMFormatFlagIsSignedInteger; component.componentType = kAudioUnitType_Output; component.componentSubType = kAudioUnitSubType_RemoteIO; component.componentManufacturer = kAudioUnitManufacturer_Apple; component.componentFlags = 0; component.componentFlagsMask = 0;
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145
Jun ’25
APNs
{ "aps": { "content-available": 1 }, "audio_file_name": "ding.caf", "audio_url": "https://example.com/audio.mp3" } When the app is in the background or killed, it receives a remote APNs push. The data format is roughly as shown above. How can I play the MP3 audio file at the specified "audio_url"? The user does not need to interact with the device when receiving the APNs. How can I play the audio file immediately after receiving it?
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230
Oct ’25
AVAudioSession automatically sets the tablet audio volume to 50% when recording audio.
Environment→ ・Device: iPad 10th generation ・OS:**iOS18.3.2 I'm using AVAudioSession to record sound in my application. But I recently came to realize that when the app starts a recording session on a tablet, OS automatically sets the tablet volume to 50% and when after recording ends, it doesn't change back to the previous volume level before starting the recording. So I would like to know whether this is an OS default behavior or a bug? If it's a default behavior, I much appreciate if I can get a link to the documentation.
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122
Apr ’25
How can I find the user's "Favorite Songs" playlist?
It sounds simple but searching for the name "Favorite Songs" is a non-starter because it's called different names in different countries, even if I specify "&l=en_us" on the query. So is there another property, relationship or combination thereof which I can use to tell me when I've found the right playlist? Properties I've looked at so far: canEdit: will always be false so narrows things down a little inFavorites: not helpful as it depends on whether the user has favourite the favourites playlist, so not relevant hasCatalog: seems always true so again may narrow things down a bit isPublic: doesn't help Adding the catalog relationship doesn't seem to show anything immediately useful either. Can anyone help? Ideally I'd like to see this as a "kind" or "type" as it has different properties to other playlists, but frankly I'll take anything at this point.
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289
Jul ’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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109
Jan ’26
Error resuming background audio while connected to CarPlay
My app utilizes background audio to play music files. I have the audio background mode enabled and I initialize the AVAudioSession in playback mode with the mixWithOthers option. And it usually works great while the app is backgrounded. I listen for audio interruptions as well as route changes and I am able to handle them appropriately and I can usually resume my background audio no problem. I discovered an issue while connected to CarPlay though. Roughly 50% of the time when I disconnect from a phone call while connected to CarPlay I get the following error after calling the play() method of my AVAudioPlayer instance: "ATAudioSessionClientImpl.mm:281 activation failed. status = 561015905" If I instead try to start a new audio session I get a similar error: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=561015905 "Session activation failed" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Session activation failed} Like I said, this isn't reproducible 100% of the time and is so far only seen while connected to CarPlay. I don't think Im forgetting so additional capability or plist setting, but if anyone has any clues it would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise this is likely just a bug that I need to report to Apple. One very important note, and reason I believe it's just a bug, is that while I was testing I found that other music apps like Spotify will also fail to resume their audio at the same time my app fails. Another important detail is that when it works successfully I receive the audio session interruption ended notification, and when it doesn't work I only receive a route configuration change or route override notification. From there I am able to still successfully granted background time to execute code, but my call to resume audio fails with the above mentioned error codes.
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307
Dec ’25
Lightning to HDMI mirrors
I am developing a VOD playback app, but when I stream video to an external monitor connected via HDMI with Lightning on iOS 18 or later, the screen goes dark and I cannot confirm playback. The app I am developing does not detect the HDMI and display the Player separately, but simply mirrors the video. We have confirmed that the same phenomenon occurs with other services, but we were able to confirm playback with some services such as Apple TV. Please let us know if there are any other necessary settings such as video certificates required for video playback. We would also like to know if the problem occurs with iOS 18 or later.
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283
Mar ’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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97
Aug ’25
"Baking together" two audio tracks into one for drag-and-drop
Hi all, with my app ScreenFloat, you can record your screen, along with system- and microphone audio. Those two audio feeds are recorded into separate audio tracks in order to individually remove or edit them later on. Now, these recordings you create with ScreenFloat can be drag-and-dropped to other apps instantly. So far, so good, but some apps, like Slack, or VLC, or even websites like YouTube, do not play back multiple audio tracks, just one. So what I'm trying to do is, on dragging the video recording file out of ScreenFloat, instantly baking together the two individual audio tracks into one, and offering that new file as the drag and drop file, so that all audio is played in the target app. But it's slow. I mean, it's actually quite fast, but for drag and drop, it's slow. My approach is this: "Bake together" the two audio tracks into a one-track m4a audio file using AVMutableAudioMix and AVAssetExportSession Take the video track, add the new audio file as an audio track to it, and render that out using AVAssetExportSession For a quick benchmark, a 3'40'' movie, step 1 takes ~1.7 seconds, and step two adds another ~1.5 seconds, so we're at ~3.2 seconds. That's an eternity for a drag and drop, where the user might cancel if there's no immediate feedback. I could also do it in one step, but then I couldn't use the AV*Passthrough preset, and that makes it take around 32 seconds then, because I assume it touches the video data (which is unnecessary in this case, so I think the two-step approach here is the fastest). So, my question is, is there a faster way? The best idea I can come up with right now is, when initially recording the screen with system- and microphone audio as separate tracks, to also record both of them into a third, muted, "hidden" track I could use later on, basically eliminating the need for step one and just ripping the two single audio tracks out of the movie and only have the video and the "hidden" track (then unmuted), but I'd still have a ~1.5 second delay there. Also, there's the processing and data overhead (basically doubling the movie's audio data). All this would be great for an export operation (where one expects it to take a little time), but for a drag-and-drop operation, it's not ideal. I've discarded the idea of doing a promise file drag, because many apps do not accept those, and I want to keep wide compatibility with all sorts of apps. I'd appreciate any ideas or pointers. Thank you kindly, Matthias
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713
Mar ’25
issue in recording using AVAudio
Hi, In my project I am using AVFoundation for recording the audio. We are using AVAudioMixerNode class below method to record the audio packet. **func installTap( onBus bus: AVAudioNodeBus, bufferSize: AVAudioFrameCount, format: AVAudioFormat?, block tapBlock: @escaping AVAudioNodeTapBlock ) ** It works perfectly fine. But in production env some small percentage of the user we are facing issue like after recording few packets it stops automatically without stopping the audio engine. Can anyone help here that why this happens? I have also observed for mediaServicesWereResetNotification and added log on receiving this notification but when this issue happens I don't see any occurence of this log. Also is there any callback when the engine stops?
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125
Apr ’25
iOS - record audio fails to record
Hi, I try to record audio on the iPhone with the AVAudioRecorder and Xcode 26.0.1. Maybe the problem is that I can not record audio with the simulator. But there's a menu for audio. In the plist I added 'Privacy - Microphone Usage Description' and I ask for permission before recording. if await AVAudioApplication.requestRecordPermission() { print("permission granted") recordPermission = true } else { print("permission denied") } Permission is granted. let settings: [String : Any] = [ AVFormatIDKey: kAudioFormatMPEG4AAC, AVSampleRateKey: 12000, AVNumberOfChannelsKey: 1, AVEncoderAudioQualityKey: AVAudioQuality.high.rawValue ] recorder = try AVAudioRecorder(url: filename, settings: settings) let prepared = recorder.prepareToRecord() print("prepared started: \(prepared)") let started = recorder.record() print("recording started: \(started)") started is always false and I tried many settings. Error messages AddInstanceForFactory: No factory registered for id <CFUUID 0x600000211480> F8BB1C28-BAE8-11D6-9C31-00039315CD46 AudioConverter.cpp:1052 Failed to create a new in process converter -> from 0 ch, 12000 Hz, .... (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 0 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame to 1 ch, 12000 Hz, aac (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 1024 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame, with status -50 AudioQueueObject.cpp:1892 BuildConverter: AudioConverterNew returned -50 from: 0 ch, 12000 Hz, .... (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 0 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame to: 1 ch, 12000 Hz, aac (0x00000000) 0 bits/channel, 0 bytes/packet, 1024 frames/packet, 0 bytes/frame prepared started: true AudioQueueObject.cpp:7581 ConvertInput: aq@0x10381be00: AudioConverterFillComplexBuffer returned -50, packetCount 5 recording started: false All examples I find are the same, but apparently there must be something different.
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332
Oct ’25
MIDI output form Standalone MIDI Processor Demo App to DAW
I am trying to get MIDI output from the AU Host demo app using the recent MIDI processor example. The processor works correctly in Logic Pro, but I cannot send MIDI from the AUv3 extension in standalone mode using the default host app to another program (e.g., Ableton). The MIDI manager, which is part of the standalone host app, works fine, and I can send MIDI using it directly—Ableton receives it without issues. I have already set the midiOutputNames in the extension, and the midiOutBlock is mapped. However, the MIDI data from the AUv3 extension does not reach Ableton in standalone mode. I suspect the issue is that midiOutBlock might never be called in the plugin, or perhaps an input to the plugin is missing, which prevents it from sending MIDI. I am currently using the default routing. I have modified the MIDI manager such that it works well as described above. Here is a part of my code for SimplePlayEngine.swift and my MIDIManager.swift for reference: @MainActor @Observable public class SimplePlayEngine { private let midiOutBlock: AUMIDIOutputEventBlock = { sampleTime, cable, length, data in return noErr } var scheduleMIDIEventListBlock: AUMIDIEventListBlock? = nil public init() { engine.attach(player) engine.prepare() setupMIDI() } private func setupMIDI() { if !MIDIManager.shared.setupPort(midiProtocol: MIDIProtocolID._2_0, receiveBlock: { [weak self] eventList, _ in if let scheduleMIDIEventListBlock = self?.scheduleMIDIEventListBlock { _ = scheduleMIDIEventListBlock(AUEventSampleTimeImmediate, 0, eventList) } }) { fatalError("Failed to setup Core MIDI") } } func initComponent(type: String, subType: String, manufacturer: String) async -> ViewController? { reset() guard let component = AVAudioUnit.findComponent(type: type, subType: subType, manufacturer: manufacturer) else { fatalError("Failed to find component with type: \(type), subtype: \(subType), manufacturer: \(manufacturer))" ) } do { let audioUnit = try await AVAudioUnit.instantiate( with: component.audioComponentDescription, options: AudioComponentInstantiationOptions.loadOutOfProcess) self.avAudioUnit = audioUnit self.connect(avAudioUnit: audioUnit) return await audioUnit.loadAudioUnitViewController() } catch { return nil } } private func startPlayingInternal() { guard let avAudioUnit = self.avAudioUnit else { return } setSessionActive(true) if avAudioUnit.wantsAudioInput { scheduleEffectLoop() } let hardwareFormat = engine.outputNode.outputFormat(forBus: 0) engine.connect(engine.mainMixerNode, to: engine.outputNode, format: hardwareFormat) do { try engine.start() } catch { isPlaying = false fatalError("Could not start engine. error: \(error).") } if avAudioUnit.wantsAudioInput { player.play() } isPlaying = true } private func resetAudioLoop() { guard let avAudioUnit = self.avAudioUnit else { return } if avAudioUnit.wantsAudioInput { guard let format = file?.processingFormat else { fatalError("No AVAudioFile defined.") } engine.connect(player, to: engine.mainMixerNode, format: format) } } public func connect(avAudioUnit: AVAudioUnit?, completion: @escaping (() -> Void) = {}) { guard let avAudioUnit = self.avAudioUnit else { return } engine.disconnectNodeInput(engine.mainMixerNode) resetAudioLoop() engine.detach(avAudioUnit) func rewiringComplete() { scheduleMIDIEventListBlock = auAudioUnit.scheduleMIDIEventListBlock if isPlaying { player.play() } completion() } let hardwareFormat = engine.outputNode.outputFormat(forBus: 0) engine.connect(engine.mainMixerNode, to: engine.outputNode, format: hardwareFormat) if isPlaying { player.pause() } let auAudioUnit = avAudioUnit.auAudioUnit if !auAudioUnit.midiOutputNames.isEmpty { auAudioUnit.midiOutputEventBlock = midiOutBlock } engine.attach(avAudioUnit) if avAudioUnit.wantsAudioInput { engine.disconnectNodeInput(engine.mainMixerNode) if let format = file?.processingFormat { engine.connect(player, to: avAudioUnit, format: format) engine.connect(avAudioUnit, to: engine.mainMixerNode, format: format) } } else { let stereoFormat = AVAudioFormat(standardFormatWithSampleRate: hardwareFormat.sampleRate, channels: 2) engine.connect(avAudioUnit, to: engine.mainMixerNode, format: stereoFormat) } rewiringComplete() } } and my MIDI Manager @MainActor class MIDIManager: Identifiable, ObservableObject { func setupPort(midiProtocol: MIDIProtocolID, receiveBlock: @escaping @Sendable MIDIReceiveBlock) -> Bool { guard setupClient() else { return false } if MIDIInputPortCreateWithProtocol(client, portName, midiProtocol, &port, receiveBlock) != noErr { return false } for source in self.sources { if MIDIPortConnectSource(port, source, nil) != noErr { print("Failed to connect to source \(source)") return false } } setupVirtualMIDIOutput() return true } private func setupVirtualMIDIOutput() { let virtualStatus = MIDISourceCreate(client, virtualSourceName, &virtualSource) if virtualStatus != noErr { print("❌ Failed to create virtual MIDI source: \(virtualStatus)") } else { print("✅ Created virtual MIDI source: \(virtualSourceName)") } } func sendMIDIData(_ data: [UInt8]) { print("hey") var packetList = MIDIPacketList() withUnsafeMutablePointer(to: &packetList) { ptr in let pkt = MIDIPacketListInit(ptr) _ = MIDIPacketListAdd(ptr, 1024, pkt, 0, data.count, data) if virtualSource != 0 { let status = MIDIReceived(virtualSource, ptr) if status != noErr { print("❌ Failed to send MIDI data: \(status)") } else { print("✅ Sent MIDI data: \(data)") } } } } }
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483
Aug ’25
Switching default input/output channels using Core Audio
I wrote a Swift macOS app to control a PCI audio device. The code switches between the default output and input channels. As soon as I launch the Audio-Midi Setup utility, channel switching stops working. The driver properties allow switching, but the system doesn't respond. I have to delete the contents of /Library/Preferences/Audio and reset Core Audio. What am I missing? func setDefaultChannelsOutput() { guard let deviceID = getDeviceIDByName(deviceName: "PCI-424") else { return } let selectedIndex = DefaultChannelsOutput.indexOfSelectedItem if selectedIndex < 0 || selectedIndex >= 24 { return } let channel1 = UInt32(selectedIndex * 2 + 1) let channel2 = UInt32(selectedIndex * 2 + 2) var channels: [UInt32] = [channel1, channel2] var propertyAddress = AudioObjectPropertyAddress( mSelector: kAudioDevicePropertyPreferredChannelsForStereo, mScope: kAudioDevicePropertyScopeOutput, mElement: kAudioObjectPropertyElementWildcard ) let dataSize = UInt32(MemoryLayout<UInt32>.size * channels.count) let status = AudioObjectSetPropertyData(deviceID, &propertyAddress, 0, nil, dataSize, &channels) if status != noErr { print("Error setting default output channels: \(status)") } }
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293
Dec ’25
Potential Documentation Error in kAudioAggregateDevicePropertyTapList Sample Code
Hi, I believe I've found a potential error in the sample code on the documentation page for creating and using a process tap with an aggregate device. The issue is in the section explaining how to add a tap to the aggregate device. I have already filed a Feedback Assistant ticket on this (ID: FB17411663) but haven't heard back for months. Capturing system audio with Core Audio taps The sample code for modifying the kAudioAggregateDevicePropertyTapList incorrectly uses the tapID as the target AudioObjectID when calling AudioObjectSetPropertyData. // (Code to get the list and potentially modify listAsArray) if var listAsArray = list as? [CFString] { // ... (modification logic) ... // Set the list back on the aggregate device. <--- The comment is correct list = listAsArray as CFArray _ = withUnsafeMutablePointer(to: &list) { list in // INCORRECT: This call uses tapID as the target object. AudioObjectSetPropertyData(tapID, &propertyAddress, 0, nil, propertySize, list) } } The kAudioAggregateDevicePropertyTapList is a property that belongs to the aggregate device, not the individual tap. Therefore, to set this property, the AudioObjectSetPropertyData function must target the AudioObjectID of the aggregate device itself. Using tapID as the first argument is logically incorrect for this operation and will not update the aggregate device as intended. Furthermore, the preceding AudioObjectGetPropertyData call to fetch the list also appears to use the incorrect tapID as its target in the sample. The AudioObjectID for both getting and setting this property should be the ID of the aggregate device. _ = AudioObjectGetPropertyData(aggregateDeviceID, &propertyAddress, 0, nil, &propertySize, &list) _ = AudioObjectSetPropertyData(aggregateDeviceID, &propertyAddress, 0, nil, propertySize, newList) Thank you!
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444
Sep ’25
Handling AVAudioEngine Configuration Change
Hi all, I have been quite stumped on this behavior for a little bit now, so thought it best to share here and see if someone more experience with AVAudioEngine / AVAudioSession can weigh in. Right now I have a AVAudioEngine that I am using to perform some voice chat with and give buffers to play. This works perfectly until route changes start to occur, which causes the AVAudioEngine to reset itself, which then causes all players attached to this engine to be stopped. Once a AVPlayerNode gets stopped due to this (but also any other time), all samples that were scheduled to be played then get purged. Where this becomes confusing for me is the completion handler gets called every time regardless of the sound actually being played. Is there a reliable way to know if a sample needs to be rescheduled after a player has been reset? I am not quite sure in my case what my observer of AVAudioEngineConfigurationChange needs to be doing, as this engine only handles output. All input is through a separate engine for simplicity. Currently I am storing a queue of samples as they get sent to the AVPlayerNode for playback, and after that completion checking if the player isPlaying or not. If it's playing I assume that the sound actually was played- and if not then I leave it in the queue and assume that an observer on the route change or the configuration change will realize there are samples in the queue and reset them Thanks for any feedback!
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905
Oct ’25