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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watchOS longFormAudio cannot de active
My workout watch app supports audio playback during exercise sessions. When users carry both Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods, with AirPods connected to the iPhone, I want to route audio from Apple Watch to AirPods for playback. I've implemented this functionality using the following code. try? session.setCategory(.playback, mode: .default, policy: .longFormAudio, options: []) try await session.activate() When users are playing music on iPhone and trigger my code in the watch app, Apple Watch correctly guides users to select AirPods, pauses the iPhone's music, and plays my audio. However, when playback finishes and I end the session using the code below: try session.setActive(false, options:[.notifyOthersOnDeactivation]) the iPhone doesn't automatically resume the previously interrupted music playback—it requires manual intervention. Is this expected behavior, or am I missing other important steps in my code?
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304
Nov ’25
Best way to stream audio from file system
I am trying to stream audio from local filesystem. For that, I am trying to use an AVAssetResourceLoaderDelegate for an AVURLAsset. However, Content-Length is not known at the start. To overcome this, I tried several methods: Set content length as nil, in the AVAssetResourceLoadingContentInformationRequest Set content length to -1, in the ContentInformationRequest Both of these cause the AVPlayerItem to fail with an error. I also tried setting Content-Length as INT_MAX, and setting a renewalDate = Date(timeIntervalSinceNow: 5). However, that seems to be buggy. Even after updating the Content-Length to the correct value (e.g. X bytes) and finishing that loading request, the resource loader keeps getting requests with requestedOffset = X with dataRequest.requestsAllDataToEndOfResource = true. These requests keep coming indefinitely, and as a result it seems that the next item in the queue does not get played. Also, .AVPlayerItemDidPlayToEndTime notification does not get called. I wanted to check if this is an expected behavior or is there a bug in this implementation. Also, what is the recommended way to stream audio of unknown initial length from local file system? Thanks!
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172
Mar ’25
Why does AVAudioRecorder show 8 kHz when iPhone hardware is 48 kHz?
Hi everyone, I’m testing audio recording on an iPhone 15 Plus using AVFoundation. Here’s a simplified version of my setup: let settings: [String: Any] = [ AVFormatIDKey: Int(kAudioFormatLinearPCM), AVSampleRateKey: 8000, AVNumberOfChannelsKey: 1, AVLinearPCMBitDepthKey: 16, AVLinearPCMIsFloatKey: false ] audioRecorder = try AVAudioRecorder(url: fileURL, settings: settings) audioRecorder?.record() When I check the recorded file’s sample rate, it logs: Actual sample rate: 8000.0 However, when I inspect the hardware sample rate: try session.setCategory(.playAndRecord, mode: .default) try session.setActive(true) print("Hardware sample rate:", session.sampleRate) I consistently get: `Hardware sample rate: 48000.0 My questions are: Is the iPhone mic actually capturing at 8 kHz, or is it recording at 48 kHz and then downsampling to 8 kHz internally? Is there any way to force the hardware to record natively at 8 kHz? If not, what’s the recommended approach for telephony-quality audio (true 8 kHz) on iOS devices? Thanks in advance for your guidance!
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242
Sep ’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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300
Sep ’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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73
May ’25
How to safely switch between mic configurations on iOS?
I have an iPadOS M-processor application with two different running configurations. In config1, the shared AVAudioSession is configured for .videoChat mode using the built-in microphone. The input/output nodes of the AVAudioEngine are configured with voice processing enabled. The built-in mic is formatted for 1 channel at 48KHz. In config2, the shared AVAudioSession is configured for .measurement mode using an external USB microphone. The input/output nodes of the AVAudioEngine are configured with voice processing disabled. The external mic is formatted for 2 channels at 44.1KHz I've written a configuration manager designed to safely switch between these two configurations. It works by stopping AVAudioEngine and detaching all but the input and output nodes, updating the shared audio session for the desired mic and sample-rates, and setting the appropriate state for voice processing to either true or false as required by the configuration. Finally the new audio graph is constructed by attaching appropriate nodes, connecting them, and re-starting AVAudioEngine I'm experiencing what I believe is a race-condition between switching voice processing on or off and then trying to re-build and start the new audio graph. Even though notifications, which are dumped to the console indicate that my requested input and sample-rate settings are in place, I crash when trying to start the audio engine because the sample-rate is wrong. Investigating further it looks like the switch from remote I/O to voice-processing I/O or vice-versa has not yet actually completed. I introduced a 100ms second delay and that seems to help but is obviously not a reliable way to build software that must work consistently. How can I make sure that what are apparently asynchronous configuration changes to the shared audio session and the input/output nodes have completed before I go on? I tried using route change notifications from the shared AVAudioSession but these lie. They say my preferred mic input and sample-rate setting is in place but when I dump the AVAudioEngine graph to the debugger console, I still see the wrong sample rate assigned to the input/output nodes. Also these are the wrong AU nodes. That is, VPIO is still in place when RIO should be, or vice-versa. How can I make the switch reliable without arbitrary time delays? Is my configuration manager approach appropriate (question for Apple engineers)?
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205
Nov ’25
Improving Speech Analyzer Transcription for technical terms
I am developing an app with transcription and I am exploring ways to improve the transcription from the SpeechAnalyzer/Transcriber for technical terms. SFSpeech... recognition had the capability of being augmented by contextualStrings. Does something similar exist for SpeechAnalyzer/Transcriber? If so please point me towards the documentation and any sample code that may exist for this. If there are other options, please let me know.
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269
Sep ’25
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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2w
AVAudioRecorder loses audio recorded before interruption
Hi everyone, I'm running into an issue with AVAudioRecorder when handling interruptions such as phone calls or alarms. Problem: When the app is recording audio and an interruption occurs: I handle the interruption with audioRecorder?.pause() inside AVAudioSession.interruptionNotification (on .began). On .ended, I check for .shouldResume and call audioRecorder?.record() again. The recorder resumes successfully, but only the audio recorded after the interruption is saved. The audio recorded before the interruption is lost, even though I'm using the same file URL and not recreating the recorder. Repro: Start a recording with AVAudioRecorder Simulate a system interruption (e.g., incoming call) Resume recording after the interruption Stop and inspect the output audio file Expected: Full audio (before and after interruption) should be saved. Actual: Only the audio after interruption is saved; the earlier part is missing Notes: According to the documentation, calling .record() after .pause() should resume recording into the same file. I confirmed that the file URL does not change, and I do not recreate the recorder instance. No error is thrown by the system during this process. This behavior happens consistently when the app is interrupted and resumed. Question: Is this a known issue? Is there a recommended workaround for preserving the full recording when interruptions happen? Thanks in advance!
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304
Dec ’25
[AVPlayerItemVideoOutput initWithPixelBufferAttributes:] output attributes setting not work
My app want Converting iphone12 HDR Video to SDR,to edit。 follow the doc Apple-HDR-Convert. My code setting the pixBuffAttributes        [pixBuffAttributes setObject:(id)(kCVImageBufferYCbCrMatrix_ITU_R_709_2) forKey:(id)kCVImageBufferYCbCrMatrixKey];       [pixBuffAttributes setObject:(id)(kCVImageBufferColorPrimaries_ITU_R_709_2) forKey:(id)kCVImageBufferColorPrimariesKey];       [pixBuffAttributes setObject:(id)kCVImageBufferTransferFunction_ITU_R_709_2 forKey:(id)kCVImageBufferTransferFunctionKey];       playerItemOutput = [[AVPlayerItemVideoOutput alloc] initWithPixelBufferAttributes:pixBuffAttributes]; but I get the playerItemOutput's output buffer   CFTypeRef colorAttachments = CVBufferGetAttachment(pixelBuffer, kCVImageBufferYCbCrMatrixKey, NULL);     CFTypeRef colorPrimaries = CVBufferGetAttachment(pixelBuffer, kCVImageBufferColorPrimariesKey, NULL);     CFTypeRef colorTransFunc = CVBufferGetAttachment(pixelBuffer, kCVImageBufferTransferFunctionKey, NULL);      NSLog(@"colorAttachments = %@", colorAttachments);     NSLog(@"colorPrimaries = %@", colorPrimaries);     NSLog(@"colorTransFunc = %@", colorTransFunc); log output: colorAttachments = ITU_R_2020 colorPrimaries = ITU_R_2020 colorTransFunc = ITU_R_2100_HLG pixBuffAttributes setting output format invalid,please help!
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Nov ’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, using ApplicationMusicPlayer. 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: Does MusicKit (or any public framework) expose real-time audio buffers, FFT bins, or beat markers for streaming Apple Music content? 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? 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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Jul ’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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413
Jul ’25
AirPods with H2 and studio-quality recording - how to replicate Camera video capture
Using an iPhone Pro 12 running iOS 26.0.1, with AirPods Pro 3. Camera app does capture video with what seems to be "Studio Quality Recording". Am trying to replicate that SQR with my own Camera like app, and while I can pull audio in from the APP3 mic, and my video capture app is recording a 48,000Hz high-bitrate video, the audio still sounds non-SQR. I'm seeing bluetoothA2DP , bluetoothLE , bluetoothHFP as portType, and not sure if SQR depends on one of those? Is there sample code demonstrating a SQR capture? Nevermind video and camera, just audio even? Also, I don't understand what SQR is doing between the APP3 and the iPhone. What codec is that? What bitrate is that? If I capture video using Capture and inspect the audio stream I see mono 74.14 kbit/s MPEG-4 AAC, 48000 Hz. But I assume that's been recompressed and not really giving me any insight into the APP3 H2 transmission?
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147
Oct ’25
Appleデバイスの内蔵楽器音について
iPhoneやiPadにおいて、画面上のボタンなどをタップした際に、特定の楽器音を発音させる方法をご存知の方いらっしゃいませんか? 現在音楽学習アプリを作成途中で、画面上の鍵盤や指板のボタン状のframeに、単音又は和音を割当て発音させる事を考えております SwiftUIのcodeのみで実現できないでしょうか 嘗て、MIDIのlevel1の楽器の発音機能があった様に記憶していますが、現在のOS上では同様の機能を実装してないように思えます 皆様のお知恵をお貸しください
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404
Mar ’25
Is AVAudioPCMFormatFloat32 required for playing a buffer with AVAudioEngine / AVAudioPlayerNode
I have a PCM audio buffer (AVAudioPCMFormatInt16). When I try to play it using AVPlayerNode / AVAudioEngine an exception is thrown: "[[busArray objectAtIndexedSubscript:(NSUInteger)element] setFormat:format error:&nsErr]: returned false, error Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-10868 (related thread https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/700497?answerId=780530022#780530022) If I convert the buffer to AVAudioPCMFormatFloat32 playback works. My questions are: Does AVAudioEngine / AVPlayerNode require AVAudioPCMBuffer to be in the Float32 format? Is there a way I can configure it to accept another format instead for my application? If 1 is YES is this documented anywhere? If 1 is YES is this required format subject to change at any point? Thanks! I was looking to watch the "AVAudioEngine in Practice" session video from WWDC 2014 but I can't find it anywhere (https://forums.developer.apple.com/forums/thread/747008).
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1k
Oct ’25
Music in iOS 26.2
I’m running the iOS 26.2 Public Beta update and my album artwork is missing from the music app (I’m not using Apple Music). I use google to get my album artwork. Do I need to wait for a new update?
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157
Nov ’25
WebM audio playback
Is it possible to play WebM audio on iOS? Either with AVPlayer, AVAudioEngine, or some other API? Safari has supported this for a few releases now, and I'm wondering if I missed something about how to do this. By default these APIs don't seem to work (nor does ExtAudioFileOpen). Our usecase is making it possible for iOS users to play back audio recorded in our webapp (desktop versions of Chrome & Firefox only support webm as a destination format for MediaRecorder)
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492
Mar ’25
failed to set category, reason: 未能完成操作。(OSStatus错误4097。)
When using the [AVAudioSession setCategory:withOptions:error:] API, the call hangs for a long time and eventually returns an error.This issue occurs on iOS 16, and did not appear in earlier versions. Thread 135: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000002478e3cd4 _mach_msg2_trap :8 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 1 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000002478e7214 _mach_msg_overwrite :428 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 2 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000002478e705c _mach_msg :24 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63ffe84 __dispatch_mach_send_and_wait_for_reply :548 (in libdispatch.dylib) 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d6400224 _dispatch_mach_send_with_result_and_wait_for_reply :60 (in libdispatch.dylib) 5 libxpc.dylib 0x00000001b2114e04 _xpc_connection_send_message_with_reply_sync :256 (in libxpc.dylib) 6 Foundation 0x000000019b6249f0 ___NSXPCCONNECTION_IS_WAITING_FOR_A_SYNCHRONOUS_REPLY__ :16 (in Foundation) 7 Foundation 0x000000019c06d1b4 -[NSXPCConnection _sendInvocation:orArguments:count:methodSignature:selector:withProxy:] :2100 (in Foundation) 8 CoreFoundation 0x000000019dfcb1cc ____forwarding___ :1072 (in CoreFoundation) 9 CoreFoundation 0x000000019dfd3200 ___forwarding_prep_0___ :96 (in CoreFoundation) 10 AudioSession 0x00000001c77498b0 __ZN4avas6client11SessionCore10HandlePingEv :192 (in AudioSession) 11 AudioSession 0x00000001c77497b0 ____ZN4avas6client11SessionCore12DispatchPingEv_block_invoke :52 (in AudioSession) 12 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63e4adc __dispatch_call_block_and_release :32 (in libdispatch.dylib) 13 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63fe7ec __dispatch_client_callout :16 (in libdispatch.dylib) 14 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63ed468 __dispatch_lane_serial_drain :740 (in libdispatch.dylib) 15 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63edf78 __dispatch_lane_invoke :440 (in libdispatch.dylib) 16 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63f6f48 __dispatch_root_queue_drain :364 (in libdispatch.dylib) 17 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63f6d08 __dispatch_worker_thread :268 (in libdispatch.dylib) 18 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00000001f9ff144c __pthread_start :136 (in libsystem_pthread.dylib) 19 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00000001f9fed8cc _thread_start :8 (in libsystem_pthread.dylib) Thread 132: 0 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000002478e3cd4 _mach_msg2_trap :8 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 1 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000002478e7214 _mach_msg_overwrite :428 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 2 libsystem_kernel.dylib 0x00000002478e705c _mach_msg :24 (in libsystem_kernel.dylib) 3 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63ffe84 __dispatch_mach_send_and_wait_for_reply :548 (in libdispatch.dylib) 4 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d6400224 _dispatch_mach_send_with_result_and_wait_for_reply :60 (in libdispatch.dylib) 5 libxpc.dylib 0x00000001b2114e04 _xpc_connection_send_message_with_reply_sync :256 (in libxpc.dylib) 6 Foundation 0x000000019b6249f0 ___NSXPCCONNECTION_IS_WAITING_FOR_A_SYNCHRONOUS_REPLY__ :16 (in Foundation) 7 Foundation 0x000000019c06d1b4 -[NSXPCConnection _sendInvocation:orArguments:count:methodSignature:selector:withProxy:] :2100 (in Foundation) 8 CoreFoundation 0x000000019dfcb1cc ____forwarding___ :1072 (in CoreFoundation) 9 CoreFoundation 0x000000019dfd3200 ___forwarding_prep_0___ :96 (in CoreFoundation) 10 AudioSession 0x00000001c7754198 __ZNK4avas6client11SessionCore18SetBatchPropertiesEP12NSDictionaryIP8NSStringPU25objcproto14NSSecureCoding11objc_objectEPU15__autoreleasingP7NSArrayIPS2_IS4_P8NSNumberEENS_30AVAudioSessionBatchSetStrategyEbb :548 (in AudioSession) 11 AudioSession 0x00000001c7753e58 __ZNK4avas6client11SessionCore20SetBatchPropertiesMXEP12NSDictionaryIP8NSStringPU25objcproto14NSSecureCoding11objc_objectE :92 (in AudioSession) 12 AudioSession 0x00000001c775179c __ZN4avas6client11SessionCore11setCategoryEP8NSStringS3_32AVAudioSessionRouteSharingPolicym :472 (in AudioSession) 13 AudioSession 0x00000001c7768f88 -[AVAudioSession setCategory:withOptions:error:] :68 (in AudioSession) 14 AlipayWallet 0x000000010140580c -[AVAudioSession(APMHook) apmhook_setCategory:withOptions:error:] APMHookAudioSession.m:35 (in AlipayWallet) 15 AlipayWallet 0x00000001014001a4 -[APMAudioSessionManager resume] APMAudioSessionManager.m:718 (in AlipayWallet) 16 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63e4adc __dispatch_call_block_and_release :32 (in libdispatch.dylib) 17 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63fe7ec __dispatch_client_callout :16 (in libdispatch.dylib) 18 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63ed468 __dispatch_lane_serial_drain :740 (in libdispatch.dylib) 19 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63edf44 __dispatch_lane_invoke :388 (in libdispatch.dylib) 20 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63f83ec __dispatch_root_queue_drain_deferred_wlh :292 (in libdispatch.dylib) 21 libdispatch.dylib 0x00000001d63f7ce4 __dispatch_workloop_worker_thread :692 (in libdispatch.dylib) 22 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00000001f9fee3b8 __pthread_wqthread :292 (in libsystem_pthread.dylib) 23 libsystem_pthread.dylib 0x00000001f9fed8c0 _start_wqthread :8 (in libsystem_pthread.dylib)
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