iPhone (SDK 2.2): adusting playback volume while NOT actively playing music w/ AVFoundation?

Question

So I have an app which plays many short sound clips. I need to know when the sounds are finished playing, and I need to use mp3s, so I'm using AVFoundation for the sound playback.

When a sound is actively playing, and the user uses the hardware volume buttons, the playback volume changes. Problem is, the app is NOT constantly playing sounds, and when it's not, and the hardware buttons are used, the RINGER volume gets adjusted instead.

How do I set it up so, as long as the app is running, the user can adjust the playback volume?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Start an AudioSession and don't stop it when you're not playing sounds.

Answer 2

Turns out this can be accomplished by allocating an AVAudioPlayer with any valid sound file and calling the prepareToPlay method, without ever calling the play method.

Works perfectly.

Answer 3

You might be able to accomplish this by constantly playing a 0 volume sound as long as your app is running. You could then play your sound clips over it.

• How do I play multiple sounds simultaneously?

Answer 4

so you want to disable ringer playback volume as long as the app is running? therefore the hardware controls will only adjust the app playback sounds?

i dont think this is possible unless you are "always playing sound" for example, many games are always playing background music or what have you.