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Capture audio from iOS devices in Audio Hijack

Audio Hijack can be used to record audio from any iPhone or iPad. That includes audio picked up by your device’s microphone or audio played within an application on iOS. Read on for more details.

Two different types of audio from your iOS device

Your iOS device can provide two distinct types of audio to your Mac.

Application audio: Audio playing within any app on the iPhone or iPad can be passed through to the Mac.

Microphone audio: The physical microphone within an iPhone can serve as the microphone input to your Mac. Note that at present, Apple does not extend this functionality to iPads.

The audio you wish to capture will determine how you should connect your device.

To capture application audio, use a wired connection

To capture audio playing within an app on your iPhone or iPad, start by physically connecting the device to your Mac with a USB-C or Lightning cable. If this is your first time connecting the device to your computer, you may need to follow prompts on the device so that it trusts your Mac.

Next, launch the Audio MIDI Setup application which can be found in the Utilities folder inside the main Applications folder. You’ll see a window that looks similar to this:

You should see your device’s custom name (“Ammo’s iPhone”, in this example) in the sidebar. Click the Enable button found there, and the device will now appear as a standard audio input on your Mac. MacOS does not use the device’s custom name outside of Audio MIDI Setup. Instead, the device will be named after the type of hardware that’s connected. You will see it reported as as “iPhone”, “iPad”, or “iPod touch”.

This source can now be selected as an input anywhere on your Mac, including in Audio Hijack.

To capture microphone audio, wirelessly use Continuity Camera

MacOS’s “Continuity Camera” feature allows an iPhone (but not an iPad) to serve as a microphone within applications in MacOS. Once configured, the iPhone will be selectable as a microphone input within Audio Hijack.

Continuity Camera is likely already enabled on your iPhone, but you can check on the device. Open the Settings app and navigate to the General section, then the AirPlay & Continuity section. Ensure the switch next to Continuity Camera is enabled, and you should be set. Additional details on the requirements for configuring Continuity Camera can be found in this Apple Support article.

With Continuity Camera properly enabled, your iPhone will automatically be listed in the Sound section of the System Settings app. As seen above, it will be listed with your device’s custom name, followed by the word “Microphone”.

This source will also appear as an input device within Audio Hijack.

Capturing and recording from your iPhone or iPad with Audio Hijack

Once your device is connected to your Mac, you can use Audio Hijack to capture and record audio from it.

Create your Audio Hijack session

Start by launching Audio Hijack and create a new session. The Input Device template is a good place to start. Click the Input Device Block, and select your device as the input source.

Capture your audio

You’re now ready to capture audio playback from your device. Start the session, and audio will flow from the iPhone or iPad into Audio Hijack, where it will be recorded.

If you want to hear this audio as you record, just add an Output Device block to the end of the chain:

That’s it! You can now use Audio Hijack to capture and record application audio or microphone audio from your iPhone or iPad.

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