Input mode (VAD/PTT/Always-On), VAD threshold, and the new mic gain were
applied to the core + UI but never saved, so every relaunch reset to VAD
defaults. Each client now persists them and re-applies on connect:
- iOS: UserDefaults (SessionState.loadAndApplyVoiceSettings + setter writes)
- macOS: UserDefaults via MainWindowController didSet + loadPersistedAudioSettings
(settings window also restores the VAD slider from the stored threshold)
- Windows: new Models/VoiceSettings.cs (JSON at %AppData%\VoiceCat\voice.json,
mirrors FeedbackSettings) loaded/applied in MainForm
Add global send-side mic gain API vc_set_input_gain (applied to MIC PCM in
on_capture_frame before the VAD gate, clamped to int16) + Swift/C# bindings,
and a 0-300% (default 100%) mic-volume slider on all three clients.
Fix iOS chat: ChatView called sendText(scope:.channel) with no targetId (0),
so channel messages went nowhere; now passes session.currentChannelId.
Fix iOS per-user tuning for VoiceOver: the tuning sheet was long-press
.contextMenu only (invisible to VoiceOver); UserRow now also exposes the same
buttons via .accessibilityActions (no visual change).
Verified: core builds clean; ctest 24/27 (3 pre-existing teardown crashes,
reproduced with changes stashed); VoiceCatMac + VoiceCatiOS (arm64 sim) build
SUCCEEDED; VoiceCat.Interop dotnet build succeeded. Windows App not built
(WinForms can't build on macOS) — follows existing patterns.
The iOS audio path was a hybrid: Voice-Chat-class presets ran a native
VPIO AVAudioEngine (core external) while Stereo/Studio/A2DP presets ran
the core's miniaudio devices. Nearly every "no input / no output / both"
bug lived in the seam between the two paths — the lingering miniaudio
capture unit fighting VPIO, the audioRestart ordering dance, the
route-change "glitching" loop, stereo<->mono stickiness, and
"can't hear anyone". Switching presets/routes mid-call routinely dropped
a direction.
Drive ALL iOS audio through one AVAudioEngine with the core fully
external at all times: setExternalPlayback(1) once at connect, every MIC
stream external_feed=1, mic via vc_stream_feed_pcm, playback via
vc_set_mixed_output_sink (drained by an always-on AVAudioSourceNode so
remote audio plays before joining voice). VPIO + AGC toggle per preset.
Every preset/route/interruption change funnels through one deterministic
Swift-only reconfigure (stop -> apply session config -> rebuild -> start)
— no second path to hand off to, so a change can't drop a direction.
- IOSVoiceProcessingEngine.swift -> IOSAudioEngine: always-on source-node
playback, conditional mic tap, VPIO/AGC; one rebuild() backing
startListening/stop/startMic/stopMic/reconfigure/setCaptureChannels.
- IOSAudioRouter: 7 presets -> 4 (Voice Chat / Stereo Mic / Mono Mic /
Advanced); persisted voiceProcessingEnabled + agcEnabled; setters call
IOSAudioEngine.reconfigure() instead of audioRestart/reconcileVoicePath.
- AudioSessionManager slimmed; SessionState mic lifecycle collapsed;
AppState wires external playback + listening at connect, stop at
disconnect; SettingsView shows 4 presets + Advanced VPIO/AGC toggles.
No core/ABI/test changes — relies on the already-shipped external API
(test_external_pcm, test_external_playback). xcodebuild iOS device Debug
BUILD SUCCEEDED. Updates docs/voice.md §8 and PROGRESS.md.
Add audible cues and optional spoken announcements for session events
(join/leave, channel + PM sent/recv, login, logout/connection-lost,
mic on/off, voice-activity, PTT) across all three clients, driven off
the shared C ABI vc_event stream so the mapping stays consistent.
TTS is off by default; when enabled it announces events and reads
message/PM bodies aloud. Master toggles + a sound-volume slider; the
per-utterance voice-activity and PTT cues default off. WAVs ship from
assets/sounds/.
Windows (built + verified): new VoiceCat.App/Notifications/ layer
(FeedbackSettings -> %AppData%\VoiceCat\feedback.json, SoundPlayerPool
via System.Media.SoundPlayer, SpeechAnnouncer via Prismatoid 0.3.0,
EventFeedback dispatcher); MainForm hooks; NotificationSettingsForm
under Settings > Notifications; csproj adds the Prismatoid PackageRef
and copies the WAVs into sounds\.
macOS + iOS (written, not yet built -- needs a Mac): shared
VoiceCatCore/Feedback/ (SoundEvent, EventFeedback = AVAudioPlayer pool
+ native AVSpeechSynthesizer, FeedbackSettings over UserDefaults); WAVs
bundled via Package.swift resources (.process). Hooks in SessionState/
AppState (iOS) and MainWindowController (macOS); settings UI in
SettingsView (iOS) and SettingsWindowController (macOS).
No core/server code touched; ctest --preset dev unaffected.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
iOS "voice chat" had echo and no noise suppression: real iOS AEC/NS/AGC
come only from Apple's Voice-Processing I/O unit (VPIO), but the core
plays/captures via miniaudio's plain RemoteIO units, so .voiceChat mode
alone never engaged AEC.
Core (ABI PATCH 1->2):
- vc_set_mixed_output_sink + vc_set_external_playback. In external mode the
AudioEngine opens no hardware playback device; a mixer-timer thread drives
on_playback (decode+mix) on a ~20ms cadence and ships the final mix to the
sink. start() also skips the hardware capture device when the MIC stream is
external_feed (AudioParams.external_capture).
- New white-box test test_external_playback (drives the timer with no hw).
iOS/Swift:
- StreamDescriptor.externalFeed; VoiceCatClient.setMixedOutputSink /
setExternalPlayback wrappers.
- IOSVoiceProcessingEngine: AVAudioEngine + setVoiceProcessingEnabled; mic
tap -> feedPcm, mixed-sink lock-free ring -> AVAudioSourceNode (both share
the VPIO unit so AEC has its reference signal).
- IOSAudioRouter.currentConfigUsesVoiceProcessing scopes VPIO to the AEC
presets; SessionState join/leave + reconcileVoicePath() switch paths;
Voice Chat defaults to speaker; Settings surfaces AEC/NS state.
Known: pending on-device verification; a few bugs to fix afterward.
Add a "speaker output" override so users can route audio to the built-in
speaker instead of the earpiece when no headphones/Bluetooth are connected.
Previously the receiver was the only fallback on the default Voice Chat preset.
The toggle inserts .defaultToSpeaker into the AVAudioSession category options
(skipped for the A2DP mode, where it would break Bluetooth routing). It yields
to connected BT/wired output and is orthogonal to preset matching. Exposed both
as a call-bar button in VoiceControlsView and a persisted Settings toggle.
Diagnosed by comparing against TeamTalk5 (Client/iTeamTalk), which
achieves stereo mic + A2DP output. Five fixes:
1. configureStereoCapture now calls setPreferredInput +
setInputDataSource (mirroring TeamTalk5's SoundDevicesModel).
Previously omitted based on incorrect diagnosis that
setPreferredInput collapsed A2DP — the real culprit was
setPreferredInputNumberOfChannels(2), which neither project uses.
2. New C ABI: vc_audio_restart (full stop + re-init, unlike
suspend/resume which only stop/start). Swift wrapper added.
The withAudioSuspend wrapper that used it was removed after
on-device testing showed it killed all audio (including
VoiceOver) when switching presets — the core's
set_capture_channels handles engine restart internally.
3. Bluetooth options: Voice Chat preset now includes BOTH
.allowBluetoothHFP AND .allowBluetoothA2DP (matching TeamTalk5's
UtilSound.swift:228). Previously HFP-only blocked A2DP headphones.
4. Capture channels now reset when switching stereo→mono via
selectCaptureChannels/applyPreset. AudioSessionManager tracks
activeMicStreamId (set by SessionState on join/leave voice).
5. Docs synced: voice.md, tech-stack.md, architecture.md,
PROGRESS.md. Removed stale setPreferredInputNumberOfChannels(2)
references.
Verified: ctest --preset dev 21/21 green, iOS client builds.
Stereo mic + A2DP output still needs on-device debugging — the
core recipe is correct but iOS 26 route behavior requires
hands-on testing with a debugger.
Presets reorganized to give users choice at every level:
Always available (work with any output route):
- Voice Chat: AEC/AGC/HPF on, mono, system picks best route (BT HFP,
wired, or speaker). The standard iOS VoIP experience.
- Stereo Mic: Stereo built-in mic (front+back capsules), A2DP output
if BT connected else speaker/wired. Standard processing.
- Studio (No Processing): Stereo mic, no AEC/AGC/HPF (raw mode).
Maximum fidelity. Echo risk on speaker.
When Bluetooth connected:
- Bluetooth Headset (HFP): BT mic + BT output, AEC on, mono.
- BT Headphones + Mono Mic: A2DP output + built-in mic, mono, no AEC.
- BT Headphones + Stereo Mic: A2DP output + stereo built-in mic.
When wired headset/earpods connected:
- Wired Headset: Wired output + wired/built-in mic, AEC on, mono.
Always:
- Custom: shown when advanced settings don't match any preset.
Key changes from previous version:
- Stereo Mic is no longer gated behind Bluetooth — it's always available
and uses A2DP output if BT is connected, else speaker/wired.
- Wired headset detection (headphones/headsetMic/usbAudio port types)
with a dedicated preset.
- Voice Chat preset always available with AEC — the safe default.
- activePreset checks device-specific presets first so e.g. when BT is
connected and settings match 'Bluetooth Headset', it returns that
instead of the equivalent 'Voice Chat'.
- detectAudioDevices() replaces detectBluetooth(), detects both BT and
wired devices from currentRoute + availableInputs.
Replaces the flat list of audio settings with a preset picker that shows
context-appropriate options based on whether a Bluetooth device is connected.
Presets:
- Default (Phone Speaker): built-in mic + speaker, standard, mono
- Bluetooth Headset (HFP): BT mic + BT output, standard, mono — only shown
when a BT device is connected
- BT Headphones + Phone Mic: A2DP stereo output + built-in mic, standard,
mono — only shown when BT connected
- BT Headphones + Stereo Mic: A2DP stereo output + built-in mic stereo
(front+back capsules), standard, stereo — only shown when BT connected
- Custom: shown when advanced settings don't match any preset
When no Bluetooth device is connected, only 'Default' and 'Custom' appear,
with a hint to connect Bluetooth headphones for more options.
All granular controls (input port, orientation, polar pattern, mic mode,
channels, bluetooth mode, output route, AirPlay) are now under an
'Advanced Audio' disclosure group, collapsed by default.
IOSAudioRouter gains:
- AudioPreset enum with bluetoothMode/captureChannels/micMode/usesBuiltInMic
- hasBluetoothDevice detection (checks currentRoute + availableInputs for
bluetoothA2DP/bluetoothHFP port types)
- availablePresets (filtered by BT connection state)
- activePreset (computed from current settings)
- applyPreset() (sets all individual settings + finds built-in mic port UID)
Three bugs causing no audio output and no mic input:
1. .voiceChat mode + A2DP = output muted. The .voiceChat mode uses hardware
AEC/AGC/HPF but requires HFP-compatible routes. A2DP is NOT HFP — iOS
mutes the output because it can't set up the voice processing pipeline on
an A2DP route. Fix: use .default mode for Standard+A2DP (no hardware AEC,
but audio routes correctly). .voiceChat kept for HFP and speaker modes.
Added info warning in Settings UI for A2DP no-AEC.
2. Session lifecycle broken. stopMicStream() called deactivateAfterStreaming()
which deactivated the AVAudioSession — but the AudioEngine keeps running for
remote audio playback, so leaving voice killed all remote audio. And the
session was never activated when a remote user started talking (only on
Join Voice), so you couldn't hear anyone before joining voice. Fix:
- ensureSessionActive() replaces activateForStreaming() — idempotent, called
on Join Voice AND on .streamStarted (remote user starts talking).
- stopMicStream() no longer deactivates the session.
- deactivateSession() called only on disconnect from server.
- isSessionActive flag tracks state, updated by interruption handler.
3. setPreferredInputNumberOfChannels(1) called for mono — unnecessary (1 is
the default) and may put the session in a bad state on some devices. Fix:
only call it when stereo is explicitly selected. Also handle empty input
port ID (selecting 'Default' in the picker) correctly.
Added comprehensive route logging — after activation, logs the current output
and input route names so issues can be diagnosed from Console.app.
Three iOS client problems fixed plus a new core stereo-mic capture ABI:
1. Channel-id sync bug (mic button permanently dimmed): SessionState never
synced currentChannelId from the self user's channelId on connect, so the
mic button (gated on currentChannelId == 0) stayed dimmed. Added
syncSelfChannel() (mirrors macOS MainWindowController.swift:461,491,522);
called from init/.channelList/.userJoined/.userLeft/.userUpdated/.joinResult.
Added applyServerMuteState() + serverMuted/serverDeafened to VoiceState.
2. Join/Leave Voice button: replaced icon-only mic toggle with explicit
text button (parity with macOS). Mute/deafen disable when not in voice.
3. IOSAudioRouter.swift (new): full AVAudioSession routing layer — input
port selection, built-in mic orientation/polar patterns, Bluetooth
HFP/A2DP/Off modes, Standard/Raw mic processing, stereo capture, AirPlay,
UserDefaults persistence. AudioSessionManager delegates to it.
4. Core stereo-mic capture (append-only ABI): vc_set_capture_channels()
lets the core open the mic device in stereo (2-ch interleaved). LocalStream
gains capture_channels; ensure_audio_running reads it; audio_engine.cpp
capture_accum_ + on_capture updated to channel-aware accumulation. Test
test_stereo_mic_capture (headless, L!=R stereo round-trip). Swift wrapper
VoiceCatClient.setCaptureChannels.
5. Settings UI rework: AVAudioSession-derived input/output tree replaces
miniaudio device picker.
6. iOS deployment target raised to 18.0 (Package.swift + project.pbxproj).
swift-tools-version 6.0 with swiftLanguageModes .v5.
Docs: tech-stack.md, architecture.md, voice.md, roadmap.md, building.md
updated; stale 'vc_audio_suspend/resume deferred' claims corrected.
Verified: ctest --preset dev 21/21 green; swift test 6/6 green;
xcodebuild -target VoiceCatiOS -sdk iphonesimulator BUILD SUCCEEDED.
Full SwiftUI app at clients/apple/iOS/VoiceCatiOS.xcodeproj:
- 24 Swift source files: AppState + SessionState (@Observable @MainActor),
AudioSessionManager (AVAudioSession owner + interruption/route handling),
ServerListStore/SavedServer (App Group container + Keychain sharing),
and 14 SwiftUI views covering the full feature set
- NavigationSplitView on iPad, TabView on iPhone (horizontalSizeClass)
- Channel tree via OutlineGroup, user list with context menu admin actions
- PTT via DragGesture(minimumDistance: 0) + @GestureState
- onEvent closures hop to MainActor via Task { @MainActor in ... }
- App Group: group.cat.voice.VoiceCat (shared with future ReplayKit extension)
C ABI: add vc_audio_suspend / vc_audio_resume (AudioEngine::suspend/resume)
called by AudioSessionManager on AVAudioSession interruption events.
XCFramework: add ios-arm64 and ios-arm64-simulator slices to build-xcframework.sh;
Package.swift gains .iOS(.v17) platform; CMakePresets.json adds apple-ios /
apple-ios-sim presets with arm64-ios / arm64-ios-simulator vcpkg triplets.
Verified: xcodebuild -target VoiceCatiOS -sdk iphonesimulator26.5 BUILD SUCCEEDED.
