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Tom's Guide
iOS 18 finally lets you record videos with background music — here’s how to do it
By Richard Priday,
2 days ago
iOS 18 has changed, or maybe fixed, a long-standing rule when recording video on iPhones, which has made it much easier to add an impromptu soundtrack to anything you're capturing.
Before, any music you played on your iPhone would be halted the moment you opened the Video tab in the Camera app. The way around this was to use the quick capture function in the regular Photo mode , but this limits the settings you can use while recording. Now though, an automatically-enabled new setting means music will continue to play when recording video, allowing access to all your usual options like resolution, format, stabilization mode and the option to switch sensors mid-record.
If you're not using the iOS 18 beta on your iPhone yet, our guide on how to download the iOS 18 beta will show you how. If that's not something you want to do or can do on your current iPhone, check our previous guide on how to add music to a video on iPhone . Otherwise, let's get on with our music video.
The setting you need to enable music playback while recording was enabled by default for me, but in case you're not sure, open Settings , then Camera , and finally Record Sound , and check that the Allow Audio Playback toggle is on (green).
You can quickly start your music by using the media controls in Control Center , or with the Dynamic Island if your iPhone has one. Once you've dropped the needle, tap the shutter button and start your recording.
That's all there is to it! You can then check your video in the new Photos app. Bear in mind that because your iPhone's recording audio from its own speakers, it won't sound as clean as if you added the track with a proper video editing app. But for everyday use, it's more than adequate.
Now you're using iOS 18, we have more things to recommend that you try before everyone else gets the final version in fall of this year.
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