Using MPMediaItems with AVAudioPlayer

Question

Is it possible to pick media items using MPMediaPickerController and then load them into an AVAudioPlayer object?

score 48 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 23 '12 at 08:39

If MPMusicPlayerController doesn't meet your needs, you can copy the audio to your local bundle so you can use AVAudioPlayer.

EDIT

You basically have three options for playing audio from the user's iPod library: MPMediaPlayer, AVPlayer and AVAudioPlayer.

Here are examples for MPMediaPlayer and AVPlayer:

- (void) mediaPicker: (MPMediaPickerController *) mediaPicker
   didPickMediaItems: (MPMediaItemCollection *) collection {


    MPMediaItem *item = [[collection items] objectAtIndex:0];
    NSURL *url = [item valueForProperty:MPMediaItemPropertyAssetURL];

    [self dismissModalViewControllerAnimated: YES];

    // Play the item using MPMusicPlayer

    MPMusicPlayerController* appMusicPlayer = [MPMusicPlayerController applicationMusicPlayer];

    [appMusicPlayer setQueueWithItemCollection:collection];
    [appMusicPlayer play];


    // Play the item using AVPlayer

    AVPlayerItem *playerItem = [[AVPlayerItem alloc] initWithURL:url];
    AVPlayer *player = [[AVPlayer alloc] initWithPlayerItem:playerItem];
    [player play];  

}

If you need to use AVAudioPlayer for some reason, or you need access to the audio file's actual audio data, you have to first copy the audio file to your app's directory and then work with it there. The AVAsset + AVPlayer stuff is the closest analogy to ALAsset if you're used to working with photos and videos.

So audio assets in the form of AVAssets are used like ALAssets? — some_id, Mar 07 '11 at 18:16
I am trying to play music at host side, connected joins hear same music which is playing on host side. From host side i try to send media item to join side through connected sessions but media item not sending. Kindly tell me how i send media item from host to join (client) side? By the way i successfully send media title and media artwork. Thanks. — Adeel Ishaq, Jun 24 '15 at 02:14
Link probably should be updated — either to [archival version](https://web.archive.org/web/20130603064710/http://blog.tapsquare.com/post/803301658/ipod-library-access) or straight to the [bitbucket repo](https://bitbucket.org/artgillespie/tslibraryimport) it refers to. — Jari Keinänen, Apr 12 '16 at 13:09
By using this: MPMediaItem *item = [[collection items] objectAtIndex:0]; NSURL *url = [item valueForProperty:MPMediaItemPropertyAssetURL]; It shows me, URL is null. — Parthpatel1105, Jul 29 '16 at 12:14

nvrtd frst · Answer 2 · 2013-10-31T06:23:08.803

16

Just wanted to say that it appears that in iOS 6 and 7, AVAudioPlayer can play file URLs directly from the iPod without having to copy the audio data into your app directory as Art suggested.

- (void) mediaPicker: (MPMediaPickerController *) mediaPicker didPickMediaItems: (MPMediaItemCollection *) collection {


    MPMediaItem *item = [[collection items] objectAtIndex:0];
    NSURL *url = [item valueForProperty:MPMediaItemPropertyAssetURL];

    // Play the item using AVPlayer
    self.avAudioPlayer = [[AVAudioPlayer alloc] initWithContentsOfURL:url error:nil];
    [self.avAudioPlayer play];
}

edited Oct 31 '13 at 06:23

answered Feb 17 '13 at 22:39

nvrtd frst

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it couse -43 NSOSStatusErrorDomain when using media query – Andrii Tishchenko Mar 21 '13 at 15:23
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Can someone verify that AVAudioPlayer can really play a song from the iPod library? It's become more important now that setVolume is deprecated on the MPMusicPlayerController. – Richard Lovejoy Oct 29 '13 at 18:23
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i use AVAudioPlayer to play iPod songs in both iOS 6 and 7. It works. – nvrtd frst Oct 31 '13 at 06:22
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Some songs don't work - in particular I've noticed some songs that were purchased >6 years ago don't work for me - I assume the DRM does not allow them to be played outside of the Music app... – Ephemera Nov 30 '14 at 06:56

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 17 '15 at 15:36

I wanted to add (and I can't comment on SO yet) that it seems like in iOS 8, and perhaps before, songs that are stored on iCloud do not have a value for the property assetURL and return null for [npItem valueForProperty:MPMediaItemPropertyAssetURL].

Here is a sample output:

MPMediaItem *npItem = self.musicPlayerController.nowPlayingItem;
NSLog(@"Song Title: %@\n assetURL: %@\n Cloud Item: %d", npItem.title, [npItem valueForProperty:MPMediaItemPropertyAssetURL], npItem.cloudItem)


// Log Output
Song Title: Time We Had
assetURL: (null)
Cloud Item: 1

Song Title: The Quiet
assetURL: ipod-library://item/item.m4a?id=1529654720874100371
Cloud Item: 0

Is there a way to distinguish between the "old" DRM protected songs and songs on the iCloud? — Ing. Ron, Oct 24 '16 at 11:35

score -3 · Answer 4 · edited Aug 23 '12 at 09:47

-3

I think you'll find that the [NSBundle mainBundle] is READ-ONLY. It's not possible to write files into the APP, therefore AVAudioPlayer will not work for iPod-Library MPMediaItems!

edited Aug 23 '12 at 09:47

Mick MacCallum

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answered Jan 04 '12 at 21:35

tomoan74

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Using MPMediaItems with AVAudioPlayer

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