Since MacOS 26 Apple Music has inconsitent drops to the Quality of some Tracks indiscrimantly. I don't know if others Expereinced it. It doesn't happen on the Speakers or connected via Bluetooth, but the AUX I/O has it quite often. It is more noticable on Headphones with 48kHz and higher Frequency Bandwidth.
Here is the FB18062589
Explore the integration of media technologies within your app. Discuss working with audio, video, camera, and other media functionalities.
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Hi!
I am writing a browser extension that allows you to control the playback of media content on a music service website. Unfortunately Safari does not support tracking changes to the audible property in an event tabs.onUpdated. Is there an alternative to this event? I'm looking for a way to track when the automatic inference engine interrupts playback on a music service website.
That you.
I found some documentation about Kext, but I heard they have now moved to Dext.
So I was wondering if Dext could completely imitate the previous Kext.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/kernel/implementing_drivers_system_extensions_and_kexts
This page is written like this
Important
In macOS 11 and later, the kernel doesn’t load a kext if an equivalent DriverKit solution exists. You may continue to use kexts in macOS 10.15 and earlier.
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
General
We are currently working on a CarPlay navigation app and so far everything is working well except for speaking turn notifications.
Our TTS implementation works fine on the phone and works fine on CarPlay if the voice is spoken over the speaker in the car. If users connect a BT headset to the car and listen through that headset, then the voice commands are chopped up / stutter.
Why would users use BT headset? Well, we are working on a motorcycle app, and there are no speakers usually on a motorcycle.
It sounds like the BT channel is opened and closed repeatedly for every character / word spoken. This happens on different CarPlay devices and different Bluetooth headsets, we have reports from multiple users that they find this behavior annoying and that other apps work fine.
Is this a known issue? Are there possible workaround?
It's been well over a year since Apple added favoriting of artists back to Apple Music (the little star icon on an artist page), but yet I still haven't seen a way to get this data from an authenticated user from Music API. I was expecting to hear something about this during the WWDC, but there have been no announcements that I've caught.
Has anyone else heard anything? People assume when they provide access to their Apple Music account that we can actually get to the data in their Apple Music account, and we end up looking a little dumb not being able to get this core data.
Hello Apple Developer Community,
We are developing a music management platform for restaurants and cafes in Saudi Arabia. Our app enables businesses to schedule playlists and allows visitors to request songs via barcodes. Music playback is powered by Apple Music, and users must have their own Apple Music subscriptions to access the music. Our service charges a monthly subscription fee for these management features, not for music access itself.
Project Overview and MusicKit Role
Our app integrates MusicKit to leverage Apple Music’s catalog and playback capabilities. Users log in with their Apple Music accounts, ensuring they have an active subscription for music playback. Our platform’s value lies in its tools—playlist scheduling and song requests—which are built on top of MusicKit’s APIs. We offer these features exclusively in Saudi Arabia.
Legal Context in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, to our understanding, no special licenses are required for playing music in commercial venues like restaurants and cafes. This means our clients can use Apple Music subscriptions for playback without additional performance rights licenses. While this aligns with local laws, we recognize that Apple’s global policies may impose stricter requirements, prompting our need for clarification.
Subscription Model and Monetization Concerns
We charge a monthly subscription fee for access to our app’s features (e.g., scheduling playlists and managing song requests). This fee is separate from the Apple Music subscription, which users must maintain for playback. However, Apple’s MusicKit terms state: "You agree not to require payment for or indirectly monetize access to the Apple Music service." We’re concerned whether our subscription model might be interpreted as indirectly monetizing Apple Music access, given its reliance on MusicKit for functionality.
Scheduling Feature and Synchronization Rights
Our app allows businesses to schedule playlists for general time slots (e.g., “play this playlist from 6 PM to 8 PM”). It does not support precise scheduling, such as playing a specific song at an exact moment (e.g., “play this song at 7:30 PM”). Apple’s guidelines mention that “deeper or more complex music integration” may require additional licenses, like synchronization rights. We’re unsure if our general scheduling feature crosses this threshold or remains within MusicKit’s standard usage.
Questions for Clarification
We’d greatly appreciate expert input on the following:
Monetization: Does our subscription fee for management features (scheduling and song requests) violate Apple’s policy against indirectly monetizing Apple Music access?
Local Context: Given that Saudi Arabia requires no additional licenses for commercial music playback, does this impact our compliance with Apple’s global terms?
Scheduling: Does our playlist scheduling for general time slots (not exact moments) fall within MusicKit’s permitted scope, or does it require further licensing?
Thank you in advance for any insights or guidance to ensure our app aligns with Apple’s policies!
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
General
Tags:
Apple Music API
MusicKit
MusicKit JS
Apple Music Feed
(Note: this is part 2 of a 3 part posting. See Part 1 or Part 3)
At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Camera & Photos.
WWDC25 Camera & Photos group lab ran for one hour at 6 PM PST on Tuesday June 10th, 2025
Question 10
Can we directly integrate auto-capture triggers (e.g., when image is steady or text is detected) using Vision and AVFoundation?
Yes apps can use AVCaptureSession's VDO + AVCapturePhotoOutput, run vision on VDO buffers and capture photo when certain scene or text is detected.
Just to be careful to run Vision on VDO buffers async so it doesn't cause frame drops.
Question 11
What Camera or Photos framework features support working with images from external media, like connected cameras or SD cards? Any best practices?
The ImageCaptureCore framework supports camera devices, memory cards, scanners
read and write, where supported
check out the docs to see how to browse connected devices, folders, files, etc.
Question 12
Hi Brad, to follow up on your SwiftUI cautionary note: using AVCaptureVideoPreview inside a UIViewRepresentable, is okay, right? Thanks all for the great info!
Yes, this is totally fine.
AppKit or UIKit views inside appropriate SwiftUI representables should be equivalent performance
Question 13
What’s the “right” way to transition media in my photos app between HDR modes? When I’m in a one-up view, we use HDR, but in other contexts (like thumbnail) we don’t want HDR. Is there a nice way to tone map?
There’s a suite of new System Tone Mapper APIs in this years’ OSes
CoreImage ImageKit CoreAnimation, CoreGraphics
For example:
CoreImage: new CISystemToneMap filter.
CoreAnimation: layer.preferredDynamicRange = CADynamicRangeConstrainedHigh
Using image views (NSImageView/UIImageView/SwiftUI Image/CALayer) support animations on preferredDynamicRange
Can go from high to constrained to standard
Tone mapping is provided by the system (CISystemToneMap for controllable example)
Question 14
What is your recommendation to preprocess and upscale your depth map in order to render a realistic portrait mode image?
One way to do this: the CIEdgePreserveUpsample CIFilter can be use to upsample a lower resolution depth map by using a higher resolution RGB image as a guide.
Question 15
For buffering frames for later processing from real-time camera output should we prefer a AVSampleBufferDisplayLayer centered approach or AVCaptureVideoDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate centered approach? When would we use each?
AVSampleBufferDisplayLayer and AVCaptureVideoDataOutputSampleBufferDelegate are used hand in hand for custom camera preview.
For buffering for later processing, ensure you make copies of VDO buffers to not drop frames from the output
Question 16
Hello, my question is on Deferred Photo Processing? Say I have a photo capture app that adds a CIFilter to the capture. How can I take advantage of Deferred Photo Processing? Since I don’t know how to detect when the deferred captured photo is ready
CIFilter can be called on the final at that point
Photo will have to be re-inserted into the Photo library as adjustment
Question 17
Is digital zoom (e.g., 1.5x) before taking a photo the same as cropping the photo afterward?
digital zoom upscales the image to output dimensions and cropping will yield a smaller output image
while digital zoom will crop, it also upscales
Question 18
How do you design camera interfaces that work for both casual users and photography enthusiasts?
Progressive disclosure: Put the most common controls up front, and make it easy for pros to drill down.
Sensible Defaults: Choose defaults that work well for casual users, but allow those defaults to be modified for photography enthusiasts
A good philosophy is: Keep the simple things easy, make the hard things possible
Question 19
Recent iPhone models introduced macro mode which automatically switch between lenses to take into account of the focal distance difference. Is there official API to implement this, or should I implement them myself using LiDAR values.
Using builtInTripleCamera and builtInDualWideCamera will automatically switch to macro when available
Question 20
a couple of years ago at WWDC, the option of replacing a camera with a virtual camera was mentioned. How does one do that - make the “physical” camera effectively disappear, so only the virtual camera is accessible to the user?
You can't prevent the built-in camera from being available to the user
Question 21
Can developers now integrate custom Core ML models with Vision for on-device photo analysis more seamlessly?
Yes they can, use CoreMLRequest , provide their model container
Been supported for a while (iOS 18/macOS 15)
For more details go to Machine Learning & AI group lab Thursday
use smaller images for better performance
Question 22
What would you recommend for capture of the new immersive and spatial formats?
To capture Spatial Video use AVCaptureMovieFileOutput’s spatialVideoCaptureEnabled property
Not all device formats support spatial capture, check AVCaptureDevice.activeFormat.spatialVideoCaptureSupported
See WWDC 2024 talk “Build compelling spatial photo and video experiences” for more details
Question 23
You mentioned JPEG-XL. What is the current status of support on iOS and macOS for encoding and decoding?
For decoding, we support JPEG-XL files in all our OSes, regular SDR files, as well as ISO HDR files.
For encoding, we only support JPEG-XL for ProRAW DNG capture in the Camera app or via third-party AVFoundation APIs.
If you have any requests for improvement or new features related to JPEG-XL, please file a Feedback request using the Feedback Assistant.
(Note: this is part 2 of a 3 part posting. See Part 1 or Part 3)
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Photos & Camera
Tags:
Image I/O
Photos and Imaging
PhotoKit
Core Image
I need to implement a solution through an API or custom driver to completely block out the built-in speakers and microphone of Mac, because I need other apps to use specified external devices as audio input and output. Is there a way to achieve this requirement? What I mean is that even in system preferences, it should not be possible to choose the built-in microphone and speakers; only my external device can be used.
(Note: this is part 3 of a 3 part posting. See Part 1 or Part 2)
At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Camera & Photos.
WWDC25 Camera & Photos group lab ran for one hour at 6 PM PST on Tuesday June 10th, 2025
Question 24
What’s the best approach for optimizing barcode scanning using AVFoundation or Vision in low-light or angled scenarios
Turn on flash in low-light scenarios
Lower framerate to improve exposure and reduce noise
Wait until the capture is in focus/notify your user that they need to get closer
Question 25
Recent iPhone models introduced macro mode which automatically switch between lenses to take into account of the focal distance difference. Is there official API to implement this, or should I implement them myself using LiDAR values.
Using builtInTripleCamera and builtInDualWideCamera will automatically switch to macro when available
Question 26
Is there a way to quickly create a thumbnail after the user selects an image with PhotosPicker?
File provider API
Additional questions from the WWDC25 in-person labs that occurred later in the WWDC week
Question 1
When should I build my custom photo picker instead of using the system one?
Always start with the system picker -> try embeddable customization APIs -> fallback to custom picker for very special needs
Question 2
I'm building a new camera app for pros and I want to give my users the most un-processed image possible, and the most control over the capture as possible. How can I do that with AVCapture?
If stills, Brief Bayer RAW capture overview, or Pro RAW if you want Apple's processing and dynamic range
If video, talk about prores LOG.
Custom exposure settings are available throguh the apis
maybe global/local tonemapping discussion?
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Photos & Camera
Tags:
Image I/O
Photos and Imaging
PhotoKit
Core Image
Hey everyone,
I'm encountering an issue with audio sample rate conversion that I'm hoping someone can help with. Here's the breakdown:
Issue Description:
I've installed a tap on an input device to convert audio to an optimal sample rate.
There's a converter node added on top of this setup.
The problem arises when joining Zoom or FaceTime calls—the converter gets deallocated from memory, causing the program to crash.
Symptoms:
The converter node is being deallocated during video calls.
The program crashes entirely when this happens.
Traditional methods of monitoring sample rate changes (tracking nominal or actual sample rates) aren't working as expected.
The Big Challenge:
I can't figure out how to properly monitor sample rate changes.
Listeners set up to track these changes don't trigger when the device joins a Zoom or FaceTime call.
Please, if anyone has experience with this or knows a solution, I'd really appreciate your help. Thanks in advance!
I've been trying to use AVMIDIControlChangeEvent with a bankSelect message type to change the instrument the sequencer uses on a AVMusicTrack with no luck.
I started with the Apple AVAEMixerSample, converting the initial setup/loading and portions dealing with the sequencer to Swift. I got that working and playing the "bluesyRiff" and then modified it to play individual notes. So my createAndSetupSequencer looked like
func createAndSetupSequencer() {
sequencer = AVAudioSequencer(audioEngine: engine)
// guard let midiFileURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "bluesyRiff", withExtension: "mid") else {
// print (" failed guard trying to get URL for bluesyRiff")
// return
// }
let track = sequencer.createAndAppendTrack()
var currTime = 1.0
for i: UInt32 in 0...8 {
let newNoteEvent = AVMIDINoteEvent(channel: 0, key: 60+i, velocity: 64, duration: 2.0)
track.addEvent(newNoteEvent, at: AVMusicTimeStamp(currTime))
currTime += 2.0
}
The notes played, so then I also replaced the gs_instruments sound bank with GeneralUser GS MuseScore v1.442 first by trying
guard let soundBankURL = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "GeneralUser GS MuseScore v1.442", withExtension: "sf2") else {
return}
do {
try sampler.loadSoundBankInstrument(at: soundBankURL, program: 0x001C, bankMSB: 0x79, bankLSB: 0x08)
} catch{....
}
This appears to work, the instrument (8 which is "Funk Guitar") plays. If I change to bankLSB: 0x00 I get the "Palm Muted guitar". So I know that the soundfont has these instruments
Stuff goes off the rails when I try to change the instruments in createAndSetupSequencer. Putting
let programChange = AVMIDIProgramChangeEvent(channel: 0, programNumber: 0x001C)
let bankChange = AVMIDIControlChangeEvent(channel: 0, messageType: AVMIDIControlChangeEvent.MessageType.bankSelect, value: 0x00)
track.addEvent(programChange, at: AVMusicTimeStamp(1.0))
track.addEvent(bankChange, at: AVMusicTimeStamp(1.0))
just before my add note loop doesn't produce any change. Loading bankLSB 8 (Funk) in sampler.loadSoundBankInstrument and trying to change with bankSelect 0 (Palm muted) in createAndSetupSequencer results in instrument 8 (Funk) playing not Palm Muted.
Loading bankLSB 0 (Palm muted) and trying to change with bankSelect 8 (Funk) doesn't work, 0 (Palm muted) plays
I also tried sampler.loadInstrument(at: soundBankURL) and then I always get the first instrument in the sound font file (piano)no matter what values I put in my programChange/bankChange
I've also changed the time in the track.addEvent to be 0, 1.0, 3.0 etc to no success
The sampler.loadSoundBankInstrument specifies two UInt8 parameters, bankMSB and BankLSB while the AVMIDIControlChangeEvent bankSelect value is UInt32 suggesting it might be some combination of bankMSB and BankLSB. But the documentation makes no mention of what this should look like. I tried various combinations of 0x7908, 0X0879 etc to no avail
I will also point out that I am able to successfully execute other control change events
For example adding
if i == 1 {
let portamentoOnEvent = AVMIDIControlChangeEvent(channel: 0, messageType: AVMIDIControlChangeEvent.MessageType.portamento, value: 0xFF)
track.addEvent(portamentoOnEvent, at: AVMusicTimeStamp(currTime))
let portamentoRateEvent = AVMIDIControlChangeEvent(channel: 0, messageType: AVMIDIControlChangeEvent.MessageType.portamentoTime, value: 64)
track.addEvent(portamentoRateEvent, at: AVMusicTimeStamp(currTime))
}
does produce a change in the sound. (As an aside, a definition of what portamento time is, other than "the rate of portamento" would be welcome. is it notes/seconds? freq/minute? beats/hour?)
I was able to get the instrument to change in a different program using MusicPlayer and a series of MusicTrackNewMIDIChannelEvent on a track but these operate on a MusicTrack not the AVMusicTrack which the sequencer uses.
Has anyone been successful in switching instruments through an AVMIDIControlChangeEvent or have any feedback on how to do this?
Hello Apple Developer Community,
I am trying to play an HLS stream using the React Native Video player (underneath it's using AvPlayer). I am able to play the stream smoothly, but in some cases the player can not play the stream properly.
Behaviour:
react-native-video: I am getting the below error.
Error details from react-native-video player:
Error Code: -12971
Domain: CoreMediaErrorDomain
Localised Description: The operation couldn’t be completed. (CoreMediaErrorDomain error -12971.)
Target: 2457
The error does not provide a specific failure reason or recovery suggestion, which makes troubleshooting challenging.
AvPlayer on native iOS project: Video playback stopped after playing a few seconds.
AVPlayer configuration:
player.currentItem?.preferredForwardBufferDuration = 1
player.automaticallyWaitsToMinimizeStalling = true
N.B.: The same buffer duration is working perfectly for others.
Stream properties:
video resolution: 1280 x 720
I have attached an overview report generated from MediaStreamValidator.
I would appreciate any insights or suggestions on how to address this error. Has anyone in the community experienced a similar issue or have any advice on potential solutions?
Thank you for your help!
On Apple TV 4K 3rd generation, with tvOS 26 beta 2, when two HomePod 2 are paired to the device, music and movie sources with Dolby Atmos can only be listened to in stereo. dolby atmos not supported
Topic:
Media Technologies
SubTopic:
Audio
I am following the Apple sample code and trying to add a manual focus lens position slider:
@available(iOS 18.0, *)
private func addCameraControls() {
if !self.session.controls.isEmpty {
for control in self.session.controls {
self.session.removeControl(control)
}
}
self.cameraControlFocusSlider = nil
//Focus Slider
if self.videoDevice!.isLockingFocusWithCustomLensPositionSupported {
self.cameraControlFocusSlider = AVCaptureSlider("Focus", symbolName: "dot.square", in: 0.0...1.0)
self.cameraControlFocusSlider!.setActionQueue(self.sessionQueue) { focusValue in
//Do manual focus
}
if self.session.canAddControl(self.cameraControlFocusSlider!) {
self.session.addControl(self.cameraControlFocusSlider!)
}
}
}
So there are these AVCaptureSessionControlsDelegate methods:
final func sessionControlsDidBecomeActive(_ session: AVCaptureSession) {
print ("sessionControlsDidBecomeActive")
}
final func sessionControlsWillEnterFullscreenAppearance(_ session: AVCaptureSession) {
print ("sessionControlsWillEnterFullscreenAppearance")
}
final func sessionControlsWillExitFullscreenAppearance(_ session: AVCaptureSession) {
print ("sessionControlsWillExitFullscreenAppearance")
}
final func sessionControlsDidBecomeInactive(_ session: AVCaptureSession) {
print ("sessionControlsDidBecomeInactive")
}
So when self.cameraControlFocusSlider is presented, I have to show the current value of the lense position. Lens position can change from auto focus and also from manual focus by the user using the app UI. Is there a way to see if self.cameraControlFocusSlider is active or being used?
Please note that I will have more than one AVCaptureSlider in the final code.
Hello. My app uses AVAudioRecorder to generate recording files, which are consistently only 4kb in size. Most users generate audio files normally, with only a few users experiencing this phenomenon occasionally. After uninstalling and installing the app, it will work normally, but it will reappear after a period of time. I have compared that the problematic audio files generated each time are fixed and cannot be played. Added the audioRecorderDidFinishRecording proxy method, which shows that the recording was completed normally. The user also reported that the recording is normal, but there is a problem with the generated file. How should I handle this issue? Look forward to your reply.
- (void)startRecordWithOrderID:(NSString *)orderID {
AVAudioSession *audioSession = [AVAudioSession sharedInstance];
[audioSession setCategory:AVAudioSessionCategoryRecord error:nil];
[audioSession setActive:YES error:nil];
NSMutableDictionary *settings = [[NSMutableDictionary alloc] init];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithFloat: 8000.0] forKey:AVSampleRateKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt: kAudioFormatLinearPCM] forKey:AVFormatIDKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt:16] forKey:AVLinearPCMBitDepthKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithInt: 1] forKey:AVNumberOfChannelsKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithBool:NO] forKey:AVLinearPCMIsBigEndianKey];
[settings setObject:[NSNumber numberWithBool:NO] forKey:AVLinearPCMIsFloatKey];
NSString *path = [WDUtility createDirInDocument:@"audios" withOrderID:orderID withPathExtension:@"wav"];
NSURL *tmpFile = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:path];
recorder = [[AVAudioRecorder alloc] initWithURL:tmpFile settings:settings error:nil];
[recorder setDelegate:self];
[recorder prepareToRecord];
[recorder record];
}
Hello.
My team and I think we have an issue where our app is asked to gracefully shutdown with a following SIGTERM. As we’ve learned, this is normally not an issue. However, it seems to also be happening while our app (an audio streamer) is actively playing in the background.
From our perspective, starting playback is indicating strong user intent. We understand that there can be extreme circumstances where the background audio needs to be killed, but should it be considered part of normal operation? We hope that’s not the case.
All we see in the logs is the graceful shutdown request. We can say with high certainty that it’s happening though, as we know that playback is running within 0.5 seconds of the crash, without any other tracked user interaction.
Can you verify if this is intended behavior, and if there’s something we can do about it from our end. From our logs it doesn’t look to be related to either memory usage within the app, or the system as a whole.
Best,
John
I'm creating an app that uses AVCaptureSession to pass camera input to AVCaptureMetadataOutput type set [metaout setMetadataObjectTypes:@[AVMetadataObjectTypeFace]] and scan Face.
After updating to OS 26 Beta2 and iOS 26 Beta2, an issue has occurred where the delegate method of AVCaptureMetadataOutputObjectsDelegate is not called on some devices. The following devices are experiencing this issue.
iPad (9th Gen)
iPad air (4th Gen)
iPhone 15
This issue has not occur on any other devices I have.
I tried running the AVFoundation sample code on the Apple Developer site on the above device. The same problem still occurs. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/capture_setup/avcambarcode_detecting_barcodes_and_faces
Are any additional settings required after OS 26 beta and iOS 26 beta? Or is there some problem on the OS side?
Hi everyone,
I’m trying to use AVAssetResourceLoaderDelegate to handle a live radio stream (e.g. Icecast/HTTP stream). My goal is to have access to the last 30 seconds of audio data during playback, so I can analyze it for specific audio patterns in near-real-time.
I’ve implemented a custom resource loader that works fine for podcasts and static files, where the file size and content length are known. However, for infinite live streams, my current implementation stops receiving new loading requests after the first one is served. As a result, the playback either stalls or fails to continue.
Has anyone successfully used AVAssetResourceLoaderDelegate with a continuous radio stream? Or maybe you can suggest betterapproach for buffering and analyzing live audio?
Any tips, examples, or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Is there a way to permanently disable PHASE SDK logging? It seems to be a lot chattier than Apple's other SDKs.
While developing a RealityKit app that uses AudioPlaybackController, I must manually hide the PHASE SDK log output several times each day so I can see my app's log messages.
Thank you.
For devices that are still on ios17, playing Fairplay encrypted content still works fine. For devices that I've upgraded to ios26 playing the same content in the same app no longer works. I can advance and see the stream frames by tapping +10 scrubbing so I know that the content is being decrypted but tapping the play button of AVPlayer for an AVPlayerItem now does nothing in ios26. Is this a breaking change or is there a stricter requirement that I now have to implement?