AVFoundation

Play, capture, edit and export audio and video on every Apple platform.

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Introduced

2008

iPhone OS 2.2

Kind

Framework

Runs on

Get it from

iOS

2.2+

iPadOS

13.1+

Mac Catalyst

13.1+

macOS

10.7+

tvOS

9.0+

visionOS

1.0+

watchOS

3.0+

Works in Swift Playground ›

Overview

AVFoundation is the engine behind media on Apple devices: playback with AVPlayer, camera and microphone capture, composition and editing, and export. AVKit adds the system playback UI, from SwiftUI's VideoPlayer to picture in picture.

Recent releases added cinematic video capture, better audio recording and high resolution photos.

Playback

AVPlayer and AVKit, from streaming to picture in picture.

Capture

Camera and microphone, from photos to cinematic video.

Editing

Compose, trim and mix tracks, then export.

Metrics

Measure playback performance and stalls.

TrailerView.swift

import AVKit
import SwiftUI

struct TrailerView: View {
    let player = AVPlayer(url: URL(string: "https://example.com/trailer.m3u8")!)

    var body: some View {
        VideoPlayer(player: player)
            .aspectRatio(16 / 9, contentMode: .fit)
            .onAppear { player.play() }
    }
}

History

How it grew up.

2008

Introduced

Audio playback arrives in iPhone OS 2.2.

2010

Capture and editing

iOS 4 adds camera capture and composition.

2011

Mac

AVFoundation comes to OS X Lion.

2016

Photo capture

A new photo pipeline with Live Photos and RAW capture in iOS 10.

2025

Cinematic video

Capture Cinematic mode video in your app.

Watch and learn

Build a responsive camera app that launches quickly

Implement high resolution photo capture

Support the Center Stage front camera in your iOS app

Discover generated subtitles and subtitle styles

Capture cinematic video in your app

Enhancing your camera experience with capture controls

Create a seamless multiview playback experience

Support immersive video playback in visionOS apps

Enhance your app's audio recording capabilities

Discover media performance metrics in AVFoundation

Enhance ad experiences with HLS interstitials

Build a great Lock Screen camera capture experience

Keep colors consistent across captures

Build compelling spatial photo and video experiences

Explore multiview video playback in visionOS

Enhance the immersion of media viewing in custom environments

Create a more responsive camera experience

Support external cameras in your iPadOS app

Discover Continuity Camera for tvOS

Create a great spatial playback experience

Deliver video content for spatial experiences

Explore AirPlay with interstitials

Discover advancements in iOS camera capture: Depth, focus, and multitasking

Bring Continuity Camera to your macOS app

Create a great video playback experience

Create a more responsive media app

Display HDR video in EDR with AVFoundation and Metal

What's new in HLS Interstitials

Explore media metadata publishing and playback interactions

What's new in AVFoundation

What's new in AVKit

What's new in camera capture

Capture high-quality photos using video formats

Capture and process ProRAW images

Explore HLS variants in AVFoundation

Explore dynamic pre-rolls and mid-rolls in HLS

Deliver a great playback experience on tvOS

Edit and play back HDR video with AVFoundation

Export HDR media in your app with AVFoundation

Author fragmented MPEG-4 content with AVAssetWriter

Decode ProRes with AVFoundation and VideoToolbox

Discover how to download and play HLS offline

Master Picture in Picture on tvOS

Delivering Intuitive Media Playback with AVKit

Advances in Camera Capture & Photo Segmentation

Introducing Multi-Camera Capture for iOS

Introducing Photo Segmentation Mattes

HEVC Video with Alpha

Capturing Depth in iPhone Photography

AVCapturePhotoOutput - Beyond the Basics

Advances in iOS Photography

Build a great camera experience for iPhone Duo

Introduction to AVDisplayManager