Basically, you can record iPhone audio with the iPhone's own screen recording. This creates a movie that captures the video and audio recording of the iPhone screen. However, if you only want the audio, you can solve this by recording the iPhone audio with the Mac – then you actually get just an audio file.
The whole procedure works with the iPad just as it does with the iPhone. For simplicity, I'll mostly just write about the iPhone in this guide.
Record iPhone/iPad Audio on Mac
- Connect iPhone and Mac via Lightning or USB-C cable
- Unlock iPhone
- On Mac, go to Applications → Utilities → Audio MIDI Setup
- In this program, click on the iPhone or iPad in the left sidebar
- Now a message appears that you need to "Enable" the iPhone
- To do this, click on the small "Enable" button directly below the iPhone entry in the Audio MIDI Setup app
- Now a new entry appears in the list that just says "iPhone" and has the note "2 inputs / 0 outputs" – you don't need to do anything, it's just important that this entry has appeared
- Now open an audio recording software like Audacity (free)
- In the software, select the iPhone as the recording device
- The record button starts recording the audio signal coming from the iPhone
Detailed Instructions with Screenshots
1. Connect iPhone/iPad to Mac
The first requirement is that your two devices are connected via cable. It's best to use the charging cable that Apple supplied with your iPhone or iPad.
2. Unlock iPhone/iPad and Open Audio MIDI Setup
Next, unlock the iPhone or iPad. At this point, the iPhone or Mac may ask if it should trust the other device. This question only appears once and the devices usually remember this decision.
Once that's done, go to the "Go" menu in Finder at the top and select "Utilities" from the list. In this folder there's a program called "Audio MIDI Setup" – please open it.
Now focus on the left sidebar, where many devices appear (at least for me). Among them should be an iPhone with the complete model name like "iPhone 15 Pro Max". Click on this.
In the larger field on the right, a note now appears that you need to enable the iPhone. This is done directly in the sidebar to the left under the "iPhone XYZ" entry. There's a very small button that says "Enable". Please click on this.
3. Start Audio Recording Software of Your Choice
Now we get to the part where we actually record the audio. For this to work, we need a program on the Mac that records audio. This can be Audacity, for example, as this app is free and open source. Plus, it's relatively easy to use.
First, we need to select the iPhone, which is now connected to the Mac via cable, as the audio source. In Audacity, this is done via the large "Audio Setup" button. Click on it, then select "Recording Device" and choose the iPhone or iPad connected to the Mac. For me, it's the item "iPhone".
Important: There may also be an entry "Microphone from iPhone/iPad" here, but this is just the "Continuity Camera" function that would allow you to use the iPhone/iPad microphone as an input source. However, we don't want the microphone as a source since we want to record the iPhone's internal audio.
Once the iPhone is selected, you can start recording with the red button in Audacity and you should see spikes in the audio curve (if the iPhone is playing audio).
Conclusion
By the way, this way you can even record audio from movies, Apple Music or other apps that otherwise don't provide data via normal screen recording because they exclude copyrighted material from screen recording.
What doesn't work is recording phone calls made through the iPhone. Even if you start recording on the Mac, the sound from the phone call is not transmitted to the Mac. So you only have a recording without an audio signal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I record calls from my iPhone through the Mac?
No, this doesn't work through the method described here. Direct recording of phone calls is often problematic for legal reasons.
Can I use multiple iOS devices simultaneously on Mac for audio recording?
Yes, this works in the Audio MIDI Setup program by clicking the plus icon at the bottom left of the sidebar and selecting "New Aggregate Device". In the following window, you can then select the devices you want to combine in this aggregate device.
What should I do if my Mac doesn't recognize the connected iPhone as an audio device?
If your Mac doesn't recognize the iPhone, first try changing the cable or using a different USB port. Make sure your macOS and iOS are up to date. Sometimes restarting both devices also helps. Something should help, otherwise feel free to contact us.