iOS 26 to Enable iPhone 16's Audio Mix Feature Beyond the Photos App

All five iPhone 16 models offer an Audio Mix feature in the Photos app that lets you edit the sound of a video after it is recorded. For example, you can reduce the background noise in a video, so that the person speaking on camera sounds more clear.

iphone 16 pro video audio mix
Starting with iOS 26, Apple is allowing third-party apps to offer the same Audio Mix controls as the Photos app does on the iPhone 16 and newer.

Audio Mix, powered by machine learning, offers four primary options:

  • Standard: Play the original audio you recorded.
  • In-Frame: Reduce sounds and voices from sources not visible in the video frame.
  • Studio: Reduce background sounds and reverb, to make it sound more like you are recording in a professional studio.
  • Cinematic: Put all the voices onto a front-facing track and leave environmental noises in surround, like the audio in movies.

iOS 26 introduces some additional Audio Mix options for background noise.

In order to use Audio Mix, the video must have been recorded with Spatial Audio. On all iPhone 16 models, Spatial Audio is automatically turned on when you record video. To adjust this setting, open the Settings app and tap on Camera → Record Sound.

Apple is also allowing third-party Mac apps to offer Audio Mix controls starting with macOS Tahoe.

On a related note to Spatial Audio, Apple says that audio-only apps like Voice Memos now have the option to save audio in the QuickTime audio format QTA.

"Similar to QuickTime movies or MPEG files, the QTA format supports multiple audio tracks with alternate track groups, just like how Spatial Audio files are composed," said Apple, in a WWDC 2025 session explaining these Audio Mix and Spatial Audio changes.

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Top Rated Comments

Joe Rossignol Avatar
3 weeks ago

There are 5 iPhone 16 models.

Excluding the iPhone 16E?
Thanks @EugW, I forgot about the iPhone 16e, which does support Spatial Audio with Audio Mix. Article updated.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thiscatisfat Avatar
3 weeks ago
Why only 16?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
3 weeks ago
All four iPhone 16 models offer an Audio Mix feature in the Photos app that lets you edit the sound of a video after it is recorded.
There are 5 iPhone 16 models.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
3 weeks ago

Excluding the iPhone 16E?
AFAIK, iPhone 16e is not excluded.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
3 weeks ago
Surprised to see Apple allowing 3rd party apps. Nice to see these changes in the new software.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EugW Avatar
3 weeks ago
It seems the 16e is getting a lot of love that the 15 isn’t getting. It's not just this feature, but other features too.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)