Apple iOS 6 to offer 'inter app audio'

Apple iOS 6 will be released later this year.
Apple iOS 6 will be released later this year. (Image credit: Image courtesy of Apple)

Apple has unveiled iOS 6, the latest version of its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad operating system. Its new features were showcased last night at the WWDC in San Francisco, and one of them could turn out to be particularly significant for music makers.

Eagle-eyed observers have noted that a slide shown by Apple listing new iOS 6 features contained the words 'inter app audio'. This suggests that apps will now be able to share audio with each other.

This could be a major boost for iOS musicians, who are used to having to use all of their apps independently of each other. Up to now, they've had to rely on copy/paste functionality to shuttle audio between them.

It could also have ramifications for Audiobus, a new third-party iOS project that was announced earlier this year. This is designed for users who want to mix audio from various apps into a single project.

How the inter app audio functionality will manifest itself remains to be seen, but developers now have access to the iOS 6 beta so we shouldn't have to wait too long to find out.

iOS 6 will be released in the Autumn. For full details of what's new, go to the Apple website.

(Via Palm Sounds)

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.