iOS 26 to Enable iPhone 16's Audio Mix Feature Beyond the Photos App

June 23, 2025 June 23, 2025

iPhone 16's Audio Mix: Now Available Beyond the Photos App

iPhone 16's Audio Mix: Enhanced Sound Editing Capabilities

The iPhone 16 series introduces a powerful new feature: Audio Mix. Initially available within the Photos app, this tool allows you to significantly enhance the audio quality of your videos after recording. Imagine easily reducing distracting background noise to make voices clearer and more professional-sounding. All five iPhone 16 models offer this innovative capability.

Audio Mix: Beyond the Photos App

Apple is taking Audio Mix further with the release of iOS 26. This update opens the door for third-party app developers to integrate the same powerful Audio Mix controls directly into their applications. This means even more flexibility and creative potential for video editing and audio enhancements.

Understanding Audio Mix Modes

Audio Mix leverages the power of machine learning to offer four distinct audio processing modes:

Standard: This mode plays back the original audio recording exactly as captured. It's your baseline for comparison.
In-Frame: This is ideal for isolating the sounds within the visible area of your video frame. It effectively reduces or eliminates noise and voices originating from outside the frame, focusing on the key subjects.
Studio: This mode transforms your audio by minimizing background sounds and reverb. The result is a cleaner, more polished audio track, similar to what you'd achieve in a professional recording studio.
Cinematic: Designed to mimic the immersive sound of movie theaters, this mode places all voices onto a front-facing audio track, while keeping ambient environmental sounds in surround sound. This creates a more engaging and professional feel.

iOS 26 also expands the capabilities of Audio Mix with additional options for controlling background noise, giving users more granular control over their audio.

Spatial Audio and Audio Mix

To utilize Audio Mix, your videos must be recorded with Spatial Audio enabled. Fortunately, all iPhone 16 models automatically enable Spatial Audio for video recording by default. However, you can always check and adjust this setting. To do so, navigate to your device's Settings app, tap on Camera, and then select Record Sound.

Audio Mix on macOS

Apple's commitment to consistent user experience extends to macOS. Starting with macOS Tahoe, third-party Mac applications will also gain access to Audio Mix controls, providing a seamless workflow for users who edit videos across both iOS and macOS.

QuickTime Audio Format (QTA) for Audio-Only Apps

In related news, Apple has improved audio-only app functionality. Apps such as Voice Memos can now save audio files in the QuickTime audio format (QTA). Apple describes QTA as supporting multiple audio tracks with alternate track groups, similar to the structure of Spatial Audio files. This allows for more complex audio arrangements within these apps. More information on this change was presented in a WWDC 2025 session.

Conclusion

The Audio Mix feature represents a significant advancement in mobile video editing. Its accessibility through the Photos app on iPhone 16 models, combined with the iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe expansion to third-party apps, makes high-quality audio enhancement available to a broader range of users. The integration with Spatial Audio and the introduction of QTA format for audio-only apps further solidifies Apple's commitment to enhancing audio capabilities across its ecosystem.