How To Record While Playing Music On An IPhone

In the age of podcasting and live streaming, playing music simultaneously as you record an audio or video can be a handy feature to know.

If you’re an iPhone user, you will probably notice that your device automatically stops playing music when you try to record a video or audio clip. If your goal is to add a soundtrack to your recordings, this can be a major inconvenience.

Fortunately, there is a way to fix this if you’re using an updated version of iOS.

This article will give you a step-by-step guide on how to play music and make recordings simultaneously.

Carry on reading to find out more.

iPhone: Record Audio While Playing Music

Despite being one of the most user-friendly devices available, iPhones can still face difficulties when navigating certain functions.

While iPhones work exceptionally well when listening to streaming audio, you may find yourself running into some trouble when trying to record something on top of it simultaneously.

Perhaps, you wish to stream music while conducting an audio interview with somebody. Or maybe, you’re live streaming and want to play a particular song in the background from your iPhone.

Whatever your reason is, knowing how to play music while recording audio can be handy.

It’s not entirely possible to always play music when recording (FaceTime, YouTube, and Netflix have privacy settings in place that don’t allow this feature at all). There are some recording options that may work out.

The first thing you can do is enable the ability to screen record through your Control Center. To do this:

1. Tap “Settings” from your home screen.
   
2. Select “Control Center.”
   
3. Next, hit “Customise Controls.”
4. From the list of options, choose “Screen Recording” and enable it to record.
   
5. Once this is done, you’ll be able to stream music and record audio simultaneously.
   
6. When finished, go back to the “Screen Recording” page and tap the red recording icon in the menu bar.
   
7. You’ll be able to access the recording in your Camera app.

But what if you don’t want video?

It’s possible to AirDrop the recording to a Mac computer, where you can open it on QuickTime Player. There you can head to “File,” “Export As,” then “Audio Only.”

Additionally, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of AirDropping, you can use the help of a third-party app like GarageBand or Ferrite Recording Studio. Both will let you import videos from your camera roll and convert them into exclusively audio tracks.

Head to your app store for even more options and type “multi-track recording studio” into the search bar. Several options will appear (mostly free.)

iPhone: Record Voice While Playing Music

Maybe you’ve gotten into podcasting and want to have some background music playing while addressing your audience. Being able to do this straight from your iPhone can save you a lot of time and effort. Plus, you’ll be able to take your podcast anywhere instead of being confined to your computer.

The easiest way to do this is to record your screen, then edit it in a third-party app.

1. Go to “Settings”
   
2. Next, tap on “Control Center.”
   
3. From the list of options, select “Customize Controls.”
4. Choose “Screen Recording.” Make sure the recording is switched on.
   
5. Ensure that your desired song is playing in the back, and head to the Camera app to start recording.
   
6. Head back to the “Screen Recording” page when finished.
7. Hit the red recording icon in the menu bar to end the recording.
   
8. You’ll be able to access the recording in your Camera app.

To remove the video, you will need to enlist the help of a third-party multi-track recording app, where you can convert the video into audio.

The Voice-Memo app is also a great built-in recording feature on iPhones. While it’s not possible to directly play music while recording on your iPhone, it’s possible to edit it on your Mac to add a backing track.

iPhone: Screen Record While Playing Music

Recording your iPhone screen can be an extremely helpful feature. The process is relatively straightforward whether you’re recording a how-to video or just want to record yourself playing a particular game.

Screen recording is a feature that is built-in for all iPhones.

To record your iPhone’s screen while simultaneously playing music, you’ll need to head to your Control Center.

To do this:

1. From your iPhone, head to “Settings.”
   
2. Tap “Control Center.”
   
3. Select “Customize Controls.”
4. Next, you’ll see a list of options. Choose “Screen Recording.” Make sure recording is enabled.
   
5. Once complete, you will be able to record your screen while playing music successfully.
   
6. When done, head back to the “Screen Recording” page and tap the red recording icon in the menu bar.
   
7. Your screen recording will be available in your Camera app.
   

If you have an iPhone X or above, it’s also possible to access the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen.

iPhone: Record Video While Listening to Music

The good news is that it is possible to record a video on your iPhone while listening to music simultaneously. However, this technique is only possible on iPhone models that support the QuickTake video capture feature. This is included only on the iPhone 10S and above.

Here’s how:

1. From your “Home” page, head into your Camera App.
   
2. Instead of going straight to the video section, keep your camera on the photo section.
   
3. At the same time, make sure your chosen music is turned on and playing in the background.
4. Hold down the white shutter icon you’d usually press to take a picture. It will then start recording.
   
5. You can then choose to keep holding this down or drag it to the right side of the screen to lock it in place and remove your finger for easier recording.
   
6. You’ll notice your music will still be playing in the background.
7. To end the recording, simply tap the red square in the center of the screen.
   

That said, if you wish to record videos while playing music on an older iPhone, you’ll need the help of third-party apps from the App Store. For example, Instagram lets users record videos without interrupting any background music. It’s possible to save the video into your camera roll then.

The only downside to using Instagram for this purpose is the 60 second limit to each video recorded.

iMovie is another great app for recording music over a video. This free app lets you conveniently record videos while playing the song of your choice in the background.

Let the Music Play

Learning to play music while simultaneously recording can be a bit of a lengthy process, depending on your iPhone model. Despite this, knowing how to do so can be extremely useful.

In the age of TikTok and Instagram Live, it’s exciting to be able to record a video with a song of our choice in the background.

Have you tried recording a video or voice note while playing music? Which method did you use? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.