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Capture audio from iOS devices in SoundSource

SoundSource makes it easy to configure any iPhone or iPad as an audio input for your computer. The Mac can receive 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 SoundSource.

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 SoundSource.

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 SoundSource.

Selecting your iPhone or iPad as an input via SoundSource

Once your device is connected to your Mac, SoundSource can configure and control it. In SoundSource's main window, you can click the Input Device pop-up to set your device as your Mac's default input device.

Any application which uses the Mac's default input device will then receive audio from the iOS device’s microphone.

For more options, click the Audio Devices icon in the top right corner of SoundSource’s main window. You’ll now see the Audio Devices window.

From here, you can assign a nickname to your device, as well as a custom icon.

This makes it easier to recognize your device when choosing it within SoundSource. You can also configure a dedicated global keyboard shortcut to use the device as your default input.

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