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AVAssetWriterInput.PixelBufferReceiver.append hangs indefinitely (suspends and never resumes)
I’ve been struggling with a very frustrating issue using the new iOS 26 Swift Concurrency APIs for video processing. My pipeline reads frames using AVAssetReader, processes them via CIContext (Lanczos upscale), and then appends the result to an AVAssetWriter using the new PixelBufferReceiver. The Problem: The execution randomly stops at the ]await append(...)] call. The task suspends and never resumes. It is completely unpredictable: It might hang on the very first run, or it might work fine for 4-5 runs and then hang on the next one. It is independent of video duration: It happens with 5-second clips just as often as with long videos. No feedback from the system: There is no crash, no error thrown, and CPU usage drops to zero. The thread just stays in the suspended state indefinitely. If I manually cancel the operation and restart the VideoEngine, it usually starts working again for a few more attempts, which makes me suspect some internal resource exhaustion or a deadlock between the GPU context and the writer's input. The Code: Here is a simplified version of my processing loop: private func proccessVideoPipeline( readerOutputProvider: AVAssetReaderOutput.Provider<CMReadySampleBuffer<CMSampleBuffer.DynamicContent>>, pixelBufferReceiver: AVAssetWriterInput.PixelBufferReceiver, nominalFrameRate: Float, targetSize: CGSize ) async throws { while !Task.isCancelled, let payload = try await readerOutputProvider.next() { let sampleBufferInfo: (imageBuffer: CVPixelBuffer?, presentationTimeStamp: CMTime) = payload.withUnsafeSampleBuffer { sampleBuffer in return (sampleBuffer.imageBuffer, sampleBuffer.presentationTimeStamp) } guard let currentPixelBuffer = sampleBufferInfo.imageBuffer else { throw AsyncFrameProcessorError.missingImageBuffer } guard let pixelBufferPool = pixelBufferReceiver.pixelBufferPool else { throw NSError(domain: "PixelBufferPool", code: -1, userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "No pixel buffer pool available"]) } let newPixelBuffer = try pixelBufferPool.makeMutablePixelBuffer() let newCVPixelBuffer = newPixelBuffer.withUnsafeBuffer({ $0 }) try upscale(currentPixelBuffer, outputPixelBuffer: newCVPixelBuffer, targetSize: targetSize ) let presentationTime = sampleBufferInfo.presentationTimeStamp try await pixelBufferReceiver.append(.init(unsafeBuffer: newCVPixelBuffer), with: presentationTime) } } Does anyone know how to fix it?
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114
Jan ’26
Apple Music API no longer returns standalone singles as “single” albums
I’ve been using Apple Music API for quite a while now and a recent change must have happened which is quite disruptive. On many occasions, artists release singles from an album as part of promoting this album. For recent examples, Harry Styles released “Aperture” (a single) to promote his upcoming album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally“. Similarly, Bruno Mars released “I Just Might”, a single from the upcoming album “The Romantic”. Previously, those would return at the endpoint ”artists/{artist_id}/albums” with a “- Single” suffix. But it seems a recent change happens where they only appear as playable tracks inside the album. This behavior is also evident in the Apple Music app itself. Those singles no longer appear under “Singles & EPs”. Instead, they would only be visible if the single becomes popular enough to be shown on “Top Songs“. Otherwise one would have to know to tap on the (future) album to discover if there are released singles. Meanwhile Spotify’s API returns those as singles properly, just like Apple Music API used to. This change must be recent but the question is if it’s intentional, and if so, how can the API be used from here on out to “extract” those singles and represent them?
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219
Jan ’26
Camera Shutter Sound Control on iOS (Programmatic Query)
Hi Apple Developer Support Team, We are developing an iOS application using a camera package within a hybrid (cross-platform) framework, and we would like to confirm whether it is possible to disable the camera shutter sound programmatically. As per our understanding, the shutter sound on iOS is system-controlled and depends on the device’s silent/ring mode, and there is no App Store–approved API available to force-disable this sound. Kindly confirm whether this understanding is correct or if any supported alternative approach exists for hybrid or native implementations. Thank you for your clarification. Best regards, ParkhyaSolutions
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Jan ’26
FairPlay Client Question
The ASk is used by the KSM to derive the dASk, which is then used to decrypt the SK...R1. If the only thing we give the client is the certificate, how does it encrypt the SK...R1 so the server is able to process it. Would be nice to know it it works generally, because I've been getting questions about it and can't provide a helpful answer. Thanks in advance.
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Jan ’26
AVCaptureDevice.RotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture: behavior is different with iPhone 17
The front facing camera on iPhone 16 (and every model previous) gives the following values for AVCaptureDevice.RotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture: 90 degrees portrait 180 degrees landscape left 270 degrees for upside-down 0 degrees for landscape right Using these values a transform is calculated: var transform: CGAffineTransform { let degrees = rotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture let radians = degrees * .pi / 180.0 return CGAffineTransform(rotationAngle: radians) } And then applied to the AVAssetInput: videoInput = AVAssetWriterInput(mediaType: .video, outputSettings: videoSettings, sourceFormatHint: videoFormatDescription) videoInput.transform = transform And this ensures the correct transform is added to the metadata so that the recorded video plays in the correct orientation. However, with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max front facing cameras, AVCaptureDevice.RotationCoordinator.videoRotationAngleForHorizonLevelCapture return the different values: 0 degrees portrait 90 degrees landscape left 180 degrees for upside-down 270 degrees for landscape right So this approach breaks down, and the video orientation is incorrect. How is this intended to be handled?
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Jan ’26
Facing issue with fairplay Streaming server SDK 26.0.0
I am trying to Build server for testing on Linux(Alma linux 9 VM) NAME="AlmaLinux" VERSION="9.7 (Moss Jungle Cat)" ID="almalinux" ID_LIKE="rhel centos fedora" VERSION_ID="9.7" PLATFORM_ID="platform:el9" PRETTY_NAME="AlmaLinux 9.7 (Moss Jungle Cat)" ANSI_COLOR="0;34" [azuki@AlmaDevVM ~]$ uname -m x86_64 I have tried the following steps: Before starting, ensured that Swift 6 installed. Referred https://www.swift.org/install/ for instructions. Build the library In Terminal, uses the following commands to compile the Swift library: cd Development/Key_Server_Module/Swift swift build -Xbuild-tools-swiftc -DTEST_CREDENTIALS After building the library, ran test cases to ensure the library behaves as expected. ALL unit tests are passing with the development credentials. • Since I was using an x86_64 machine: export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=./Sources/prebuilt/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/ Run all tests: swift test -Xbuild-tools-swiftc -DTEST_CREDENTIALS --disable-swift-testing Build the server Build the server: Apache Before starting, ensured the following: a. Installed Apache HTTPD and the dev tools. Using the following command for installation: yum install httpd httpd-devel redhat-rpm-config b. After this, integrated it into the Apache server environment with swift library that was built above. Used the following command to build the server using apxs: • Since I was using an x86_64 machine: apxs -i -a -c -Wl,-L${PWD}/.build/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug/ -Wl,-lswift_fpssdk -Wl,-L${PWD}/Sources/prebuilt/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu -lfpscrypto -Wl,-R${PWD}/.build/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug server_setup/mod_fps.c c. Next, copied the dependent libraries to the Apache modules folder using these commands: • If using an x86_64 machine: cp Sources/prebuilt/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/libfpscrypto.so /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/libfpscrypto.so cp .build/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/debug/libswift_fpssdk.so /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/libswift_fpssdk.so d. Configuring Apache HTTPD Configured Apache HTTPD by adding the module and handler to your Apache HTTPD configuration (/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf). Note that the apxs command may automatically add the LoadModule line in the previous step. Listen 8080 LoadFile /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/libfpscrypto.so LoadFile /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/libswift_fpssdk.so LoadModule fps_module /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/mod_fps.so <Location "/fps"> SetHandler fps_handler Copy the credentials to the Apache modules folder. cp -r ../credentials /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/ export FPS_CERT_PATH= /usr/lib64/httpd/modules/credentials/test_certificates.json e. Run your server You can run the Apache HTTPD server with the configured module by using the following command: httpd -D FOREGROUND No issues see till step. Get SDK version [azuki@AlmaDevVM Key_Server_Module]$ curl localhost:8080/fps/v 26.0.0 But when i try to generate license [azuki@AlmaDevVM Key_Server_Module]$ curl -d ../Test_Inputs/iOS/spc_ios_hd_lease_2048.json localhost:8080/fps {"fairplay-streaming-response":{"create-ckc":[{"id":1,"status":-42601}]}} Can you please suggest what i might be missing here?
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Jan ’26
PHImageManager.requestImageDataAndOrientation callback is never called
I occasionally receive reports from users that photo import from the Photos library gets stuck and the progress appears to stop indefinitely. I’m using the following APIs: func fetchAsset(_ asset: PHAsset) { let options = PHImageRequestOptions() options.deliveryMode = .highQualityFormat options.resizeMode = .exact options.isSynchronous = false options.isNetworkAccessAllowed = true options.progressHandler = { (progress, error, stop, info) in // 🚨 never called } let requestId = PHImageManager.default().requestImageDataAndOrientation( for: asset, options: options ) { data, _, _, info in // 🚨 never called } } Due to repeated reports, I added detailed logs inside the callback closures. Based on the logs, it looks like the request keeps waiting without any callbacks being invoked — neither the progressHandler nor the completion block of requestImageDataAndOrientation is called. This happens not only with the PHImageManager approach, but also when using PHAsset with PHContentEditingInputRequestOptions — the completion callback is not invoked as well. func fetchAssetByContentEditingInput(_ asset: PHAsset) { let options = PHContentEditingInputRequestOptions() options.isNetworkAccessAllowed = true asset.requestContentEditingInput(with: nil) { contentEditingInput, info in // 🚨 never called } } I suspect this is related to iCloud Photos. Here is what I confirmed from affected users: Using the native picker (My app also provides the native picker as an alternative option for attaching photos), iCloud download proceeds normally and the photo can be attached. However, using the PHImageManager-based approach in my app, the same photo cannot be attached. Even after verifying that the photo has been fully downloaded from iCloud (e.g., by trying “Export Unmodified Originals” in the Photos app as described here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111762, and confirming the iCloud download progress completed), the callback is still not invoked for that asset. Detailed flow for (1): I asked the user to attach the problematic photo (the one where callbacks never fire) using the native photo picker (UIImagePickerController). The UI showed “Downloading from iCloud” progress. The progress advanced and the photo was attached successfully. Then I asked the user to attach the same photo again using my custom photo picker (which uses the PHImageManager APIs mentioned above). The progress did not advance (No callbacks were invoked). The operation waited indefinitely and never completed. Workaround / current behavior: If I ask users to reboot the device and try again, about 6 out of 10 users can attach successfully afterward. The remaining ~4 out of 10 users still cannot attach even after rebooting. For users who are not fixed immediately after reboot, it seems to resolve naturally after some time. I’ve seen similar reports elsewhere, so I’m wondering if Apple is already aware of an internal issue related to this. If there is any known information, guidance, or recommended workaround, I would appreciate it. I also logged the properties of affected PHAssets (metadata) when the issue occurs, and I can share them below if that helps troubleshooting: [size=3.91MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 528)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (4284x5712) | adjusted=true] [size=3.91MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 528)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (4284x5712) | adjusted=true] [size=2.72MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true] [size=2.72MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true] [size=2.49MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true] [size=2.49MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true]
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Jan ’26
PHImageManager.requestImageDataAndOrientation callback is never called
I occasionally receive reports from users that photo import from the Photos library gets stuck and the progress appears to stop indefinitely. I’m using the following APIs (code to be added): func fetchAsset(_ asset: PHAsset) { let options = PHImageRequestOptions() options.deliveryMode = .highQualityFormat options.resizeMode = .exact options.isSynchronous = false options.isNetworkAccessAllowed = true options.progressHandler = { (progress, error, stop, info) in // 🚨 never called } let requestId = PHImageManager.default().requestImageDataAndOrientation( for: asset, options: options ) { data, _, _, info in // 🚨 never called } } Due to repeated reports, I added detailed logs inside the callback closures. Based on the logs, it looks like the request keeps waiting without any callbacks being invoked — neither the progressHandler nor the completion block of requestImageDataAndOrientation is called. This happens not only with the PHImageManager approach, but also when using PHAsset with PHContentEditingInputRequestOptions — the completion callback is not invoked as well. func fetchAssetByContentEditingInput(_ asset: PHAsset) { let options = PHContentEditingInputRequestOptions() options.isNetworkAccessAllowed = true asset.requestContentEditingInput(with: nil) { contentEditingInput, info in // 🚨 never called } } I suspect this is related to iCloud Photos. Here is what I confirmed from affected users: 1. Using the native picker, iCloud download proceeds normally and the photo can be attached. However, using the PHImageManager-based approach in my app, the same photo cannot be attached. 2. Even after verifying that the photo has been fully downloaded from iCloud (e.g., by trying “Export Unmodified Originals” in the Photos app as described here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/111762, and confirming the iCloud download progress completed), the callback is still not invoked for that asset. Detailed flow for (1): • I asked the user to attach the problematic photo (the one where callbacks never fire) using the native photo picker (UIImagePickerController). • The UI showed “Downloading from iCloud” progress. • The progress advanced and the photo was attached successfully. • Then I asked the user to attach the same photo again using my custom photo picker (which uses the PHImageManager APIs mentioned above). • The progress did not advance. • No callbacks were invoked. • The operation waited indefinitely and never completed. Workaround / current behavior: • If I ask users to force-quit and relaunch the app and try again, about 6 out of 10 users can attach successfully afterward. • The remaining ~4 out of 10 users still cannot attach even after relaunching. • For users who are not fixed immediately after relaunch, it seems to resolve naturally after some time. I’ve seen similar reports elsewhere, so I’m wondering if Apple is already aware of an internal issue related to this. If there is any known information, guidance, or recommended workaround, I would appreciate it. I also logged the properties of affected PHAssets (metadata) when the issue occurs, and I can share them below if that helps troubleshooting: [size=3.91MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 528)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (4284x5712) | adjusted=true] [size=3.91MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 528)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (4284x5712) | adjusted=true] [size=2.72MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true] [size=2.72MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true] [size=2.49MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true] [size=2.49MB] [PHAssetMediaSubtype(rawValue: 16)+DepthEffect | userLibrary | (3024x4032) | adjusted=true]
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Jan ’26
Question about Apple Vision Pro audio input sampling rate for research
I am a graduate student conducting research in speech/audio signal processing and multimodal interaction. Apple Vision Pro is widely recognized as a multimodal interactive system supporting voice, eye, and gesture inputs. However, I could not find detailed specifications or documentation about the audio input sampling rate used by the device’s built-in microphone array when capturing user audio. Specifically, I would like to understand: What is the default audio input sampling rate (e.g., 16 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, etc.) for the Vision Pro’s microphones? When developing with visionOS / AVAudioSession / AVAudioEngine, is there a documented or recommended sampling rate for audio capture? Are there any best practices or settings for enabling high-quality voice capture on Vision Pro (especially for voice research tasks)? For context, my work involves voice processing, analysis, and possibly on-device real-time speech recognition. Any pointers to relevant APIs, documentation or examples (especially regarding audio capture buffer size or available formats on visionOS) would be very helpful. Thank you in advance! Best regards.
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169
Jan ’26
AVAudioSession setActive(true) fails after phone call when app is in background
I’m seeing what appears to be an iOS audio-session issue that occurs only when a phone call happens while the app is in the background. API: AVAudioSession, AVAudioRecorder Background Modes: Audio enabled (UIBackgroundModes = audio) Category: .playAndRecord Microphone permission: granted Expected Behavior If the app is recording audio in the background and a phone call interrupts it: AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification(.began) fires Call ends AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification(.ended) fires App should be able to re-activate its audio session and resume or restart recording Apple documentation suggests this should be supported for background audio apps. Actual Behavior When the app is in the background and phone call is ended: AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification(.ended) does fire Attempting to reactivate the audio session always fails: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=560557684 ("!int") "Session activation failed" The session appears to remain permanently “interrupted” Retrying activation (with delays) does not help Recreating AVAudioRecorder does not help Reactivation works only after the app is opened again
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154
Jan ’26
AVAudioSession.outputVolume does not reflect system volume changes made while app is in background
I have a question regarding the behavior of AVAudioSession.sharedInstance().outputVolume. Observed behavior: When the app is in the foreground, I read audioSession.outputVolume (for example, 0.1). The app is then moved to the background. While the app is in the background, the user changes the system volume using the hardware buttons (for example, to 0.5). When the app returns to the foreground, audioSession.outputVolume still reports the previous value (0.1). From my testing, outputVolume only seems to update when the system volume is changed while the app is in the foreground. Volume changes made while the app is in the background are not reflected when the app returns to the foreground. Questions: According to Apple’s documentation for AVAudioSession.outputVolume: “The systemwide output volume set by the user.” https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfaudio/avaudiosession/outputvolume However, based on our testing on iOS 18.6.2 and iOS 18.1, the observed behavior seems to differ from this description. Questions: The documentation states that outputVolume represents the system-wide volume set by the user. In our testing, the value does not reflect volume changes made while the app is in the background and only updates when the app is in the foreground.Is this the expected behavior of AVAudioSession.outputVolume? Is there any other recommended way in Swift to retrieve the current system volume that reflects user changes made both while the app is in the foreground and while it is in the background? Any clarification on the intended behavior or recommended handling would be greatly appreciated.
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Jan ’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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184
Jan ’26
Apple Music playlist create/delete works but DELETE returns 401 — and MusicKit write APIs are macOS‑unavailable. How to build a playlist editor on macOS?
I’m trying to build a playlist editor on macOS. I can create playlists via the Apple Music HTTP API, but DELETE always returns 401 even immediately after creation with the same tokens. Minimal repro: #!/usr/bin/env bash set -euo pipefail BASE_URL="https://api.music.apple.com/v1" PLAYLIST_NAME="${PLAYLIST_NAME:-blah}" : "${APPLE_MUSIC_DEV_TOKEN:?}" : "${APPLE_MUSIC_USER_TOKEN:?}" create_body="$(mktemp)" delete_body="$(mktemp)" trap 'rm -f "$create_body" "$delete_body"' EXIT curl -sS --compressed -o "$create_body" -w "Create status: %{http_code}\n" \ -X POST "${BASE_URL}/me/library/playlists" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${APPLE_MUSIC_DEV_TOKEN}" \ -H "Music-User-Token: ${APPLE_MUSIC_USER_TOKEN}" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d "{\"attributes\":{\"name\":\"${PLAYLIST_NAME}\"}}" playlist_id="$(python3 - "$create_body" <<'PY' import json, sys with open(sys.argv[1], "r", encoding="utf-8") as f: data = json.load(f) print(data["data"][0]["id"]) PY )" curl -sS --compressed -o "$delete_body" -w "Delete status: %{http_code}\n" \ -X DELETE "${BASE_URL}/me/library/playlists/${playlist_id}" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ${APPLE_MUSIC_DEV_TOKEN}" \ -H "Music-User-Token: ${APPLE_MUSIC_USER_TOKEN}" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" I capture the response bodies like this: cat "$create_body" cat "$delete_body" Result: Create: 201 Delete: 401 I also checked the latest macOS SDK’s MusicKit interfaces and MusicLibrary.createPlaylist/edit/add(to:) are marked @available(macOS, unavailable), so I can’t create/ delete via MusicKit on macOS either. Question: How can I implement a playlist editor on macOS (create/delete/modify) if: MusicKit write APIs are unavailable on macOS, and The HTTP API can create but DELETE returns 401? Any guidance or official workaround would be hugely appreciated.
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220
Jan ’26
Are White Balance gains applied before or after ADC?
At which point in the image processing pipeline does iOS apply the white balance gains which can be set via AVCaptureDevice.setWhiteBalanceModeLocked(with:completionHandler:)? Are those gains applied in the analog part of the camera pipeline, before the pixel voltage gets converted via the ADC to digital values? Or does the camera first convert the pixel voltages to digital values and then the gains are applied to the digital values? Is this consistent across devices or can the behavior vary from device to device?
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326
Jan ’26
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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295
Jan ’26
How To Integrating iOS 26 Spatial Photos Feature into Third-Party iPhone App
Dear Apple Technical Support Team, Greetings! I am an iOS app developer, currently upgrading the functions of the photo app I developed Recently, I noticed the new Spatial Photos feature added in the iOS 26 system, which brings an immersive 3D photo experience to users. We hope to integrate similar capabilities into our own app to provide users with a richer photo viewing experience. Through technical research, we found that on Apple Vision devices, the similar spatial photo display effect can be achieved through the ImagePresentationComponent.Spatial3DImage interface. However, our tests show that this interface only supports visionOS and cannot be called in the iOS system. At present, iOS 26 already natively supports the Spatial Photos feature, and we hope to know how to enable third-party photo apps to also have this capability. Here, we sincerely request your team to provide relevant technical support, mainly to understand the following questions: Are there any official APIs, SDKs, or development frameworks applicable to the iOS 26 system that can support third-party apps to implement core functions such as the generation and display of spatial photos? If there are no public adaptive interfaces available at present, are there any other compliant technical solutions or alternative paths to achieve similar effects? For third-party apps to integrate the spatial photo feature, are there any relevant development documents, technical specifications, or review requirements that need to be followed? We have completed the basic function iteration of the app and have the technical capability to quickly adapt to new functions. We hope to receive guidance and support from your team to help us bring a better product experience to iOS users. Attached are the relevant information of our app and the detailed report on interface compatibility during the test for your reference. If you need any further supplementary information, please feel free to inform us. Thank you for reviewing this email in your busy schedule, and we look forward to your reply!
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210
Jan ’26
Any way to trigger cameraLensSmudgeDetectionStatus to change?
Looking to implement to UI to tell the user to clean their lens in our app. Implemented the KVO for the cameraLensSmudgeDetectionStatus but I'm having issues reliably triggering it in, both in our app and the main camera app. Tried to get inventive by putting tupperware over the lens, but I think the model driving this or the LiDAR sensor might be smart enough to detect there is something close to the lens. Is there any way to trigger this change in a similar way we can trigger thermal changes in debug? Thanks.
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411
Jan ’26
Camera Permissions Popup
We have a very strange issue that I am trying to solve or find the best practice for. We have a SwiftUI View that uses the Camera to preview. So as suggested in Apples Docs we check authorisation status and then if it's not determined we request authorisation. We also have the privacy entry in the info.plist case .notDetermined: AVCaptureDevice.requestAccess(for: .video) { accessStatusAuthorised in if !accessStatusAuthorised { self.cameraStatus = .notAuthorised } else { self.isAuthorized = true self.cameraStatus = .authorised self.startCameraSession(cameraPosition: cameraPosition) } } case .restricted: cameraStatus = .notAuthorised isAuthorized = false case .denied: cameraStatus = .notAuthorised isAuthorized = false case .authorized: cameraStatus = .authorised isAuthorized = true startCameraSession(cameraPosition: cameraPosition) break @unknown default: isAuthorized = true cameraStatus = .notAuthorised } However when we call this code it freezes the Camera feed, even when allow has been tapped. However and this is the confusing part. If we do not call the code above, we still get the permission for camera access pop up and the camera works fine after allowing. What im concerned about is changing the code to do this and its a possible apple bug that gets fixed and hey then none of the Apps allow the camera function. I cannot see any where that the process has changed for iOS 26 / Xcode 26. Can anyone shed any light on this or had similar experience ?
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Jan ’26