# Playing audio

Source: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/playing-audio
Skill: hig-patterns
Snapshot: 2025-02-02

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<!-- hig-doctor:attribution -->
> **Source**: Apple Inc. Canonical content at https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/playing-audio.
> This file is a structured index of that content, snapshot 2025-02-02.
> Apple HIG text and imagery are © Apple Inc.; this repository provides organization and cross-referencing for AI agent consumption only.

# Playing audio

**Silence.**

**Volume.**

**Headphones.**

## Best practices

**Adjust levels automatically when necessary — don’t adjust the overall volume.**

**Permit rerouting of audio when possible.**

**Use the system-provided volume view to let people make audio adjustments.**

**Choose an audio category that fits the way your app or game uses sound.**

**Respond to audio controls only when it makes sense.**

**Avoid repurposing audio controls.**

**Consider creating custom audio player controls only if you need to offer commands that the system doesn’t support.**

**Let other apps know when your app finishes playing temporary audio.**

## Handling interruptions

**Determine how to respond to audio-session interruptions.**

**When an interruption ends, determine whether to resume audio playback automatically.**

## Platform considerations

### iOS, iPadOS

**Use the system’s sound services to play short sounds and vibrations.**

### visionOS

**Prefer playing sound.**

**Design custom sounds for custom UI elements.**

**Use Spatial Audio to create an intuitive, engaging experience.**

**Consider defining a range of places from which your app sounds can originate.**

**Consider varying sounds that people could perceive as repetitive over time.**

**Decide whether you need to play sound that’s fixed to the wearer or tracked by the wearer.**

### watchOS

**Use the recommended encoding values for media assets.**

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For the complete guidance, including worked examples and illustrations, see the canonical page: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/playing-audio