iPhone AVAudioPlayer stopping background music

Question

So I've just noticed that on my iPod Touch, when my app triggers a short wav file to play using AVAudioPlayer, the music gets paused. Is this normal? I can't find any reference to this, and it seems like it would be noted somewhere. Is there a way to keep the music going while I play my sounds?

Thanks ever so much!

Answer 1

You can't run AVAudioPlayer and the iPod player or MPMusicPlayer or MPMoviePlayer at the same time, without doing a bit more work. If you want easy, then use Audio Toolbox's System Sounds.

If you want to do some extra work, then you should look at Audio Sessions:

kAudioSessionCategory_UserInterfaceSoundEffects For sound effects such as touch feedback, explosions, and so on.

Equivalent to the kAudioSessionCategory_AmbientSound category, which you should use instead. The kAudioSessionCategory_UserInterfaceSoundEffects category is deprecated in iPhone OS 3.0.

kAudioSessionCategory_AmbientSound For long-duration sounds such as rain, car engine noise, and so on. It is also for “play along” style applications, such a virtual piano that a user plays over iPod audio.

When you use this category, audio from built-in applications, such as the iPod, mixes with your audio. Your audio is silenced when the Ring/Silent switch is set to silent or when the screen locks.

Answer 2

You should read Apple's AudioSessionProgrammingGuide and learn more about AudioSessionCategories.