@capgo/native-audio

Native audio

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Native Audio

@capgo/native-audio

Capacitor plugin for playing sounds.

Capacitor Native Audio Plugin

Capacitor plugin for native audio engine. Capacitor V7 - ✅ Support!

Support local file, remote URL, and m3u8 stream

Click on video to see example 💥

Why Native Audio?

The only free, full-featured audio playback plugin for Capacitor:

• HLS/M3U8 streaming - Play live audio streams and adaptive bitrate content
• Remote URLs - Stream from HTTP/HTTPS sources with built-in caching
• Low-latency playback - Optimized native audio engine for sound effects and music
• Full control - Play, pause, resume, loop, seek, volume, playback rate
• Multiple channels - Play multiple audio files simultaneously
• Background playback - Continue playing when app is backgrounded
• Notification center display - Show audio metadata in iOS Control Center and Android notifications
• Position tracking - Real-time currentTime events (100ms intervals)
• Modern package management - Supports both Swift Package Manager (SPM) and CocoaPods (SPM-ready for Capacitor 8)
• Same JavaScript API - Compatible interface with paid alternatives
• Support player notification center - Play, pause, show cover for your user when long playing audio.

Perfect for music players, podcast apps, games, meditation apps, and any audio-heavy application.

Maintainers

Maintainer	GitHub	Social
Martin Donadieu	riderx	Telegram

Mainteinance Status: Actively Maintained

Preparation

All audio files must be with the rest of your source files.

First make your sound file end up in your built code folder, example in folder BUILDFOLDER/assets/sounds/FILENAME.mp3 Then use it in preload like that assets/sounds/FILENAME.mp3

Documentation

The most complete doc is available here: https://capgo.app/docs/plugins/native-audio/

Installation

To use npm

npm install @capgo/native-audio

To use yarn

yarn add @capgo/native-audio

Sync native files

npx cap sync

On iOS, Android and Web, no further steps are needed.

Swift Package Manager

You can also consume the iOS implementation via Swift Package Manager. In Xcode open File → Add Package…, point it at https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-native-audio.git, and select the CapgoNativeAudio library product. The package supports iOS 14 and newer alongside Capacitor 7.

Configuration

Optional HLS/m3u8 Streaming (Android)

By default, HLS streaming support is enabled for backward compatibility. However, it adds approximately 4MB to your Android APK size due to the media3-exoplayer-hls dependency.

If you don't need HLS/m3u8 streaming support, you can disable it to reduce your APK size:

// capacitor.config.ts
import type { CapacitorConfig } from '@capacitor/cli';

const config: CapacitorConfig = {
  appId: 'com.example.app',
  appName: 'My App',
  plugins: {
    NativeAudio: {
      hls: false  // Disable HLS to reduce APK size by ~4MB
    }
  }
};

export default config;

After changing the configuration, run:

npx cap sync

Notes:

• iOS uses native AVPlayer for HLS, so this setting only affects Android
• If HLS is disabled and you try to play an .m3u8 file, you'll get a clear error message explaining how to enable it
• The default is hls: true to maintain backward compatibility

Supported methods

Name	Android	iOS	Web
configure	✅	✅	❌
preload	✅	✅	✅
play	✅	✅	✅
pause	✅	✅	✅
resume	✅	✅	✅
loop	✅	✅	✅
stop	✅	✅	✅
unload	✅	✅	✅
setVolume	✅	✅	✅
getDuration	✅	✅	✅
getCurrentTime	✅	✅	✅
isPlaying	✅	✅	✅

Usage

Example repository

Notification Center Display (iOS & Android)

You can display audio playback information in the system notification center. This is perfect for music players, podcast apps, and any app that plays audio in the background.

⚠️ Important iOS Behavior

Enabling showNotification: true changes how your app's audio interacts with other apps on iOS:

• With notifications enabled (showNotification: true): Your audio will interrupt other apps' audio (like Spotify, Apple Music, etc.). This is required for Now Playing controls to appear in Control Center and on the lock screen.
• With notifications disabled (showNotification: false): Your audio will mix with other apps' audio, allowing background music to continue playing.

When to use each:

• ✅ Use showNotification: true for: Music players, podcast apps, audiobook players (primary audio source)
• ❌ Use showNotification: false for: Sound effects, notification sounds, secondary audio where mixing is preferred

See Issue #202 for technical details.

Step 1: Configure the plugin with notification support

import { NativeAudio } from '@capgo/native-audio'

// Enable notification center display
await NativeAudio.configure({
  showNotification: true,
  background: true  // Also enable background playback
});

Step 2: Preload audio with metadata

await NativeAudio.preload({
  assetId: 'song1',
  assetPath: 'https://example.com/song.mp3',
  isUrl: true,
  notificationMetadata: {
    title: 'My Song Title',
    artist: 'Artist Name',
    album: 'Album Name',
    artworkUrl: 'https://example.com/artwork.jpg'  // Can be local or remote URL
  }
});

Step 3: Play the audio

// When you play the audio, it will automatically appear in the notification center
await NativeAudio.play({ assetId: 'song1' });

The notification will:

• Show the title, artist, and album information
• Display the artwork/album art (if provided)
• Include media controls (play/pause/stop buttons)
• Automatically update when audio is paused/resumed
• Automatically clear when audio is stopped
• Work on both iOS and Android

Media Controls: Users can control playback directly from:

• iOS: Control Center, Lock Screen, CarPlay
• Android: Notification tray, Lock Screen, Android Auto

The media control buttons automatically handle:

• Play - Resumes paused audio
• Pause - Pauses playing audio
• Stop - Stops audio and clears the notification

Notes:

• All metadata fields are optional
• Artwork can be a local file path or remote URL
• The notification only appears when showNotification: true is set in configure()
• ⚠️ iOS: Enabling notifications will interrupt other apps' audio (see warning above)
• iOS: Uses MPNowPlayingInfoCenter with MPRemoteCommandCenter
• Android: Uses MediaSession with NotificationCompat.MediaStyle

Android Background Playback @since 8.2.0

By default, Android apps pause audio when the app is backgrounded or the screen is locked. To enable continuous audio playback in the background (for meditation apps, music players, podcast players, etc.), use the backgroundPlayback flag.

⚠️ Important Android Requirements

To use background playback on Android, your app must meet these requirements:

• Declare the required permissions in AndroidManifest.xml
• Start an Android Foreground Service with a media notification
• Configure the plugin with backgroundPlayback: true

Step 1: Add required permissions to AndroidManifest.xml

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <!-- Required for background audio playback -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
    
    <application>
        <!-- Your app configuration -->
    </application>
</manifest>

Step 2: Configure the plugin with background playback enabled

import { NativeAudio } from '@capgo/native-audio';

// Enable background playback and notification center
await NativeAudio.configure({
  backgroundPlayback: true,  // Prevent automatic pause when backgrounded
  showNotification: true,    // Show playback controls in notification
  focus: true                // Request audio focus (optional but recommended)
});

Step 3: Start a Foreground Service (your responsibility)

The plugin does NOT automatically create or manage the Android Foreground Service. You must create and start your own foreground service using a Capacitor plugin like @capacitor/local-notifications or a custom Android service.

Here's a conceptual example:

// 1. Configure the audio plugin
await NativeAudio.configure({
  backgroundPlayback: true,
  showNotification: true
});

// 2. Start your foreground service (implementation depends on your app)
// This is typically done with a native Android service or a plugin
// that provides foreground service capabilities
await startForegroundService();

// 3. Preload and play audio as normal
await NativeAudio.preload({
  assetId: 'meditation',
  assetPath: 'audio/meditation.mp3',
  notificationMetadata: {
    title: 'Meditation Session',
    artist: 'Your App Name'
  }
});

await NativeAudio.play({ assetId: 'meditation' });

// Audio will continue playing when app is backgrounded
// The foreground service ensures Android allows background playback

Important timing notes:

• The foreground service should be started before the app enters the background
• Start the service immediately after configuring the audio plugin and before playing audio
• If the foreground service is not running, Android may still kill your audio playback

How it works:

• Without backgroundPlayback: true: The plugin automatically pauses all audio when the app enters the background
• With backgroundPlayback: true: The plugin skips automatic pause/resume, allowing continuous playback

Important notes:

• This flag is Android-only (iOS already supports background playback via AVAudioSession)
• You must start an Android Foreground Service separately (plugin does not handle this)
• Combine with showNotification: true to display playback controls
• Starting Android 14+, foreground services require the FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK permission type

Alternative approach: If you need a complete solution including foreground service management, consider using a dedicated media playback plugin or implementing a custom Android service in your app's native code.

Play Once (Fire-and-Forget) @since 7.11.0

For simple one-shot audio playback (sound effects, notifications, etc.), use playOnce() which handles the entire asset lifecycle automatically:

// Basic usage - automatic cleanup after playback
await NativeAudio.playOnce({
  assetPath: 'audio/notification.mp3',
});

// With volume control
await NativeAudio.playOnce({
  assetPath: 'audio/beep.wav',
  volume: 0.8,
});

// Remote audio with notification metadata
await NativeAudio.playOnce({
  assetPath: 'https://example.com/audio.mp3',
  isUrl: true,
  autoPlay: true,
  notificationMetadata: {
    title: 'Song Name',
    artist: 'Artist Name',
  }
});

// Temporary file with automatic deletion
await NativeAudio.playOnce({
  assetPath: 'file:///path/to/temp-audio.wav',
  deleteAfterPlay: true, // File deleted after playback completes
  volume: 0.5,
});

Advanced: Manual Control

If you need to control playback timing, set autoPlay: false and use the returned assetId:

const { assetId } = await NativeAudio.playOnce({
  assetPath: 'audio/sound.wav',
  autoPlay: false,
});

// Play later when needed
await NativeAudio.play({ assetId });

// Stop if needed (will auto-cleanup)
await NativeAudio.stop({ assetId });

Key Features:

• ✅ Automatic asset loading and unloading
• ✅ Cleanup on completion or error
• ✅ Optional file deletion after playback
• ✅ Notification metadata support
• ✅ Works with local files and remote URLs

Notes:

• Assets are automatically cleaned up after playback completes or on error
• deleteAfterPlay only works for local file:// URLs, not remote URLs
• The returned assetId can be used with play(), stop(), unload() methods
• Manual cleanup via stop() or unload() is optional but supported

Example app

This repository now ships with an interactive Capacitor project under example/ that exercises the main APIs on web, iOS, and Android shells.

cd example
npm install
npm run dev      # start the web playground
npm run sync     # optional: generate iOS/Android platforms
npm run ios      # open the iOS shell app
npm run android  # open the Android shell app

The UI demonstrates local asset preloading, remote streaming, playback controls, looping, live position updates, and cache clearing for remote audio.

import {NativeAudio} from '@capgo/native-audio'


/**
 * This method will load more optimized audio files for background into memory.
 * @param assetPath - relative path of the file, absolute url (file://) or remote url (https://)
 *        assetId - unique identifier of the file
 *        audioChannelNum - number of audio channels
 *        isUrl - pass true if assetPath is a `file://` url
 * @returns void
 */
NativeAudio.preload({
    assetId: "fire",
    assetPath: "assets/sounds/fire.mp3",
    audioChannelNum: 1,
    isUrl: false
});

/**
 * This method will play the loaded audio file if present in the memory.
 * @param assetId - identifier of the asset
 * @param time - (optional) play with seek. example: 6.0 - start playing track from 6 sec
 * @returns void
 */
NativeAudio.play({
    assetId: 'fire',
    // time: 6.0 - seek time
});

/**
 * This method will loop the audio file for playback.
 * @param assetId - identifier of the asset
 * @returns void
 */
NativeAudio.loop({
  assetId: 'fire',
});


/**
 * This method will stop the audio file if it's currently playing.
 * @param assetId - identifier of the asset
 * @returns void
 */
NativeAudio.stop({
  assetId: 'fire',
});

/**
 * This method will unload the audio file from the memory.
 * @param assetId - identifier of the asset
 * @returns void
 */
NativeAudio.unload({
  assetId: 'fire',
});

/**
 * This method will set the new volume for a audio file.
 * @param assetId - identifier of the asset
 *        volume - numerical value of the volume between 0.1 - 1.0 default 1.0
 * @returns void
 */
NativeAudio.setVolume({
  assetId: 'fire',
  volume: 0.4,
});

/**
 * this method will get the duration of an audio file.
 * only works if channels == 1
 */
NativeAudio.getDuration({
  assetId: 'fire'
})
.then(result => {
  console.log(result.duration);
})

/**
 * this method will get the current time of a playing audio file.
 * only works if channels == 1
 */
NativeAudio.getCurrentTime({
  assetId: 'fire'
});
.then(result => {
  console.log(result.currentTime);
})

/**
 * This method will return false if audio is paused or not loaded.
 * @param assetId - identifier of the asset
 * @returns {isPlaying: boolean}
 */
NativeAudio.isPlaying({
  assetId: 'fire'
})
.then(result => {
  console.log(result.isPlaying);
})

API

configure(...)

configure(options: ConfigureOptions) => Promise<void>

Configure the audio player

Param	Type
options	ConfigureOptions

Since: 5.0.0

preload(...)

preload(options: PreloadOptions) => Promise<void>

Load an audio file

Param	Type
options	PreloadOptions

Since: 5.0.0

playOnce(...)

playOnce(options: PlayOnceOptions) => Promise<PlayOnceResult>

Play an audio file once with automatic cleanup

Method designed for simple, single-shot audio playback, such as notification sounds, UI feedback, or other short audio clips that don't require manual state management.

Key Features:

• Fire-and-forget: No need to manually preload, play, stop, or unload
• Auto-cleanup: Asset is automatically unloaded after playback completes
• Optional file deletion: Can delete local files after playback (useful for temp files)
• Returns assetId: Can still control playback if needed (pause, stop, etc.)

Use Cases:

• Notification sounds
• UI sound effects (button clicks, alerts)
• Short audio clips that play once
• Temporary audio files that should be cleaned up

Comparison with regular play():

• play(): Requires manual preload, play, and unload steps
• playOnce(): Handles everything automatically with a single call

Param	Type
options	PlayOnceOptions

Returns: Promise<PlayOnceResult>

Since: 7.11.0

isPreloaded(...)

isPreloaded(options: PreloadOptions) => Promise<{ found: boolean; }>

Check if an audio file is preloaded

Param	Type
options	PreloadOptions

Returns: Promise<{ found: boolean; }>

Since: 6.1.0

play(...)

play(options: { assetId: string; time?: number; delay?: number; }) => Promise<void>

Play an audio file

Param	Type
options	{ assetId: string; time?: number; delay?: number; }

Since: 5.0.0

pause(...)

pause(options: Assets) => Promise<void>

Pause an audio file

Param	Type
options	Assets

Since: 5.0.0

resume(...)

resume(options: Assets) => Promise<void>

Resume an audio file

Param	Type
options	Assets

Since: 5.0.0

loop(...)

loop(options: Assets) => Promise<void>

Stop an audio file

Param	Type
options	Assets

Since: 5.0.0

stop(...)

stop(options: Assets) => Promise<void>

Stop an audio file

Param	Type
options	Assets

Since: 5.0.0

unload(...)

unload(options: Assets) => Promise<void>

Unload an audio file

Param	Type
options	Assets

Since: 5.0.0

setVolume(...)

setVolume(options: { assetId: string; volume: number; }) => Promise<void>

Set the volume of an audio file

Param	Type
options	{ assetId: string; volume: number; }

Since: 5.0.0

setRate(...)

setRate(options: { assetId: string; rate: number; }) => Promise<void>

Set the rate of an audio file

Param	Type
options	{ assetId: string; rate: number; }

Since: 5.0.0

setCurrentTime(...)

setCurrentTime(options: { assetId: string; time: number; }) => Promise<void>

Set the current time of an audio file

Param	Type
options	{ assetId: string; time: number; }

Since: 6.5.0

getCurrentTime(...)

getCurrentTime(options: { assetId: string; }) => Promise<{ currentTime: number; }>

Get the current time of an audio file

Param	Type
options	{ assetId: string; }

Returns: Promise<{ currentTime: number; }>

Since: 5.0.0

getDuration(...)

getDuration(options: Assets) => Promise<{ duration: number; }>

Get the duration of an audio file

Param	Type
options	Assets

Returns: Promise<{ duration: number; }>

Since: 5.0.0

isPlaying(...)

isPlaying(options: Assets) => Promise<{ isPlaying: boolean; }>

Check if an audio file is playing

Param	Type
options	Assets

Returns: Promise<{ isPlaying: boolean; }>

Since: 5.0.0

addListener('complete', ...)

addListener(eventName: 'complete', listenerFunc: CompletedListener) => Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Listen for complete event

Param	Type
eventName	'complete'
listenerFunc	CompletedListener

Returns: Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Since: 5.0.0 return {@link CompletedEvent}

addListener('currentTime', ...)

addListener(eventName: 'currentTime', listenerFunc: CurrentTimeListener) => Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Listen for current time updates Emits every 100ms while audio is playing

Param	Type
eventName	'currentTime'
listenerFunc	CurrentTimeListener

Returns: Promise<PluginListenerHandle>

Since: 6.5.0 return {@link CurrentTimeEvent}

clearCache()

clearCache() => Promise<void>

Clear the audio cache for remote audio files

Since: 6.5.0

getPluginVersion()

getPluginVersion() => Promise<{ version: string; }>

Get the native Capacitor plugin version

Returns: Promise<{ version: string; }>

deinitPlugin()

deinitPlugin() => Promise<void>

Deinitialize the plugin and restore original audio session settings This method stops all playing audio and reverts any audio session changes made by the plugin Use this when you need to ensure compatibility with other audio plugins

Since: 7.7.0

Interfaces

ConfigureOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Default	Since
fade	boolean	Play the audio with Fade effect, only available for IOS
focus	boolean	focus the audio with Audio Focus
background	boolean	Play the audio in the background
ignoreSilent	boolean	Ignore silent mode, works only on iOS setting this will nuke other audio apps
showNotification	boolean	Show audio playback in the notification center (iOS and Android) When enabled, displays audio metadata (title, artist, album, artwork) in the system notification and Control Center (iOS) or lock screen. Important iOS Behavior: Enabling this option changes the audio session category to .playback with .default mode, which means your app's audio will interrupt other apps' audio (like background music from Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) instead of mixing with it. This is required for the Now Playing info to appear in Control Center and on the lock screen. Trade-offs: - showNotification: true → Shows Now Playing controls, but interrupts other audio - showNotification: false → Audio mixes with other apps, but no Now Playing controls Use this when your app is the primary audio source (music players, podcast apps, etc.). Disable this for secondary audio like sound effects or notification sounds where mixing with background music is preferred.
backgroundPlayback	boolean	Enable background audio playback (Android only) When enabled, audio will continue playing when the app is backgrounded or the screen is locked. The plugin will skip the automatic pause/resume logic that normally occurs when the app enters the background or returns to the foreground. Important Android Requirements: To use background playback on Android, your app must: 1. Declare the required permissions in AndroidManifest.xml: - <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE" /> - <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK" /> - <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" /> 2. Start a Foreground Service with a media-style notification before backgrounding (the plugin does not automatically create or manage the foreground service) 3. Use showNotification: true to display playback controls in the notification Usage Example: typescript await NativeAudio.configure({ backgroundPlayback: true, showNotification: true }); // Start your foreground service here // Then preload and play audio as normal	false	8.2.0

PreloadOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Since
assetPath	string	Path to the audio file, relative path of the file, absolute url (file://) or remote url (https://) Supported formats: - MP3, WAV (all platforms) - M3U8/HLS streams (iOS and Android)
assetId	string	Asset Id, unique identifier of the file
volume	number	Volume of the audio, between 0.1 and 1.0
audioChannelNum	number	Audio channel number, default is 1
isUrl	boolean	Is the audio file a URL, pass true if assetPath is a file:// url or a streaming URL (m3u8)
notificationMetadata	NotificationMetadata	Metadata to display in the notification center when audio is playing. Only used when showNotification: true is set in configure(). See {@link ConfigureOptions.showNotification} for important details about how this affects audio mixing behavior on iOS.
headers	Record<string, string>	Custom HTTP headers to include when fetching remote audio files. Only used when isUrl is true and assetPath is a remote URL (http/https). Example: { 'x-api-key': 'abc123', 'Authorization': 'Bearer token' }	7.10.0

NotificationMetadata

Metadata to display in the notification center, Control Center (iOS), and lock screen when showNotification is enabled in configure().

Note: This metadata will only be displayed if showNotification: true is set in the configure() method. See {@link ConfigureOptions.showNotification} for important behavior details about audio mixing on iOS.

Prop	Type	Description
title	string	The title to display in the notification center
artist	string	The artist name to display in the notification center
album	string	The album name to display in the notification center
artworkUrl	string	URL or local path to the artwork/album art image

PlayOnceResult

Prop	Type	Description
assetId	string	The internally generated asset ID for this playback Can be used to control playback (pause, stop, etc.) before completion

PlayOnceOptions

Prop	Type	Description	Default	Since
assetPath	string	Path to the audio file, relative path of the file, absolute url (file://) or remote url (https://) Supported formats: - MP3, WAV (all platforms) - M3U8/HLS streams (iOS and Android)
volume	number	Volume of the audio, between 0.1 and 1.0	1.0
isUrl	boolean	Is the audio file a URL, pass true if assetPath is a file:// url or a streaming URL (m3u8)	false
autoPlay	boolean	Automatically start playback after loading	true
deleteAfterPlay	boolean	Delete the audio file from disk after playback completes Only works for local files (file:// URLs), ignored for remote URLs	false	7.11.0
notificationMetadata	NotificationMetadata	Metadata to display in the notification center when audio is playing. Only used when showNotification: true is set in configure(). See {@link ConfigureOptions.showNotification} for important details about how this affects audio mixing behavior on iOS.		7.10.0
headers	Record<string, string>	Custom HTTP headers to include when fetching remote audio files. Only used when isUrl is true and assetPath is a remote URL (http/https). Example: { 'x-api-key': 'abc123', 'Authorization': 'Bearer token' }		7.10.0

Assets

Prop	Type	Description
assetId	string	Asset Id, unique identifier of the file

PluginListenerHandle

Prop	Type
remove	() => Promise<void>

CompletedEvent

Prop	Type	Description	Since
assetId	string	Emit when a play completes	5.0.0

CurrentTimeEvent

Prop	Type	Description	Since
currentTime	number	Current time of the audio in seconds	6.5.0
assetId	string	Asset Id of the audio	6.5.0

Type Aliases

Record

Construct a type with a set of properties K of type T

{ [P in K]: T; }

CompletedListener

(state: CompletedEvent): void

CurrentTimeListener

(state: CurrentTimeEvent): void

Development and Testing

Building

npm run build

Testing

This plugin includes a comprehensive test suite for iOS:

• Open the iOS project in Xcode: npx cap open ios
• Navigate to the PluginTests directory
• Run tests using Product > Test (⌘+U)

The tests cover core functionality including audio asset initialization, playback, volume control, fade effects, and more. See the test documentation for more details.