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.
Channel create/edit UIs only surfaced a subset of the core's vc_audio_config,
and DRED was exposed nowhere. While adding it, found a latent ABI mismatch:
both Swift AudioConfig and the C# VcAudioConfigNative blittable struct were one
int short of the native vc_audio_config (missing the trailing `dred`), so native
read past the managed struct in vc_create_channel/vc_edit_channel.
- core marshaling: thread `dred` through Swift (Models/Marshaling/toNative) and
C# (Structs/Models/Marshaling/VoiceCatClient) -- fixes the ABI gap + enables it
- windows: add the one missing DRED checkbox to ChannelEditDialog
- macos: ChannelEditSheet now exposes application, sample rate, packet loss,
complexity, and DRED (was stereo/bitrate/frame/FEC/DTX only)
- ios: rebuild ChannelEditView into a full create+edit form (all params); add
SessionState.editChannel + an admin Edit swipe action (iOS had no edit UI)
- guest nickname: add a dedicated `nickname` to SavedServer on macOS+iOS
(backward-compatible Codable), shown in Guest mode, wired into the guest auth
path -- guests could not set a display name on either before (only Windows)
Verified: macOS + iOS (sim, arm64) xcodebuild BUILD SUCCEEDED; core ctest 22/23
(only external_pcm aborts on a pre-existing shutdown mutex race; no C++ changed).
Mirrors the Windows client's UI overhaul (commit 97fa659 + 540ec13) adapted to
Mac-native conventions. The main window is now just toolbar + channels + users
+ chat; audio device settings moved to a modeless Settings window.
- NSToolbar: Join Voice, Share Screen Audio, Mute, Deafen (SF Symbol toggle
buttons) + Output Volume slider (NSSlider 0-100, default 80). Voice actions,
mute/deafen, and output volume moved out of the bottom panel into the toolbar
- Audio device settings (input mode, VAD sensitivity, PTT key, device picker,
level meter) moved to a new SettingsWindowController -- a modeless window
opened via the app menu's "Settings..." (Cmd+,) item. Source-of-truth for
audio state lives in MainWindowController so voice start applies settings even
before the window has been opened; SettingsWindowController reads from /
writes back to those properties and applies changes live when voice is active.
Level meter forwarded from handleLevel -> updateLevel(rms:)
- Unified log: chat NSTextView + activity NSTableView collapsed into a single
NSTextView -- activity events in secondaryLabelColor (gray), chat in default
- Private messaging: scope dropdown removed; compose always sends to the
current channel. Each PM conversation opens in its own modeless
PrivateMessageWindowController. Incoming .textMessage with .private scope
routed to the right window; outgoing PMs echoed by server arrive through the
same path. "Send Private Message..." added to user context menu.
- Messages menu: "New Private Message..." (Cmd+Shift+N) opens a UserPickerSheet
listing all server users so you can PM anyone on the server
- Channel tree now shows live user counts, e.g. "General (3)"; refreshChannelTree
called on .userJoined/.userLeft (was missing)
- Voice menu: Join Voice (Cmd+Shift+V), Share Screen Audio (Cmd+Shift+S),
Mute (Cmd+Shift+M), Deafen (Cmd+Shift+D) -- NSMenuItem key equivalents with
[.command, .shift] mask, dispatched by the responder chain
- setOutputVolume(_:) wrapper added to VoiceCatClient.swift (was missing -- the
C ABI + C# wrapper shipped in commit 97fa659 but the Swift wrapper was never
added); wired end-to-end: toolbar slider -> client.setOutputVolume(gain)
Part A -- fixed and verified the previously-uncompiled Swift from the external
PCM feed/tap commit (615d2a8):
- Rebuilt the macOS xcframework slice (regenerated the module map from current
voicecat.h, exposing vc_pcm_sink_cb / vc_stream_feed_pcm / vc_set_pcm_sink)
- Fixed feedPcm type bug: size_t imports as Int in Swift not UInt; the original
UInt(samplesPerChannel) was wrong
- Added VoiceCatPcmSinkCallback typealias -- a Swift-idiomatic public alias for
the C vc_pcm_sink_cb so consumers (tests, the macOS app) can declare a sink
callback without directly importing the VoiceCatC C module. Mirrors the C#
VcPcmSinkCallback delegate
- keyCodeName helper deduplicated (was in PttKeyCaptureSheet.swift +
MainWindowController.swift -- now shared)
Platform-specific adaptations (vs. Windows): NSToolbar instead of ToolStrip;
global menu bar + NSMenuItem key equivalents (Cmd not Ctrl, responder-chain
dispatched, no custom key monitor needed); PM windows as modeless NSWindows;
picker as Mac sheet; gray = secondaryLabelColor; SF Symbols for toolbar icons.
swift test 10/10 (4 ExternalPcmTests + 6 VoiceCatClientSmokeTests against a
live server); xcodebuild Debug + Release BUILD SUCCEEDED with 0 Swift warnings.
After the stereo-mic/A2DP debugging settled, the iOS audio code carried
leftover TeamTalk5 comparison notes, source-line citations, TEMP DIAGNOSTIC
markers, and "this was the bug" narratives that no longer help. Reworded
those to state the current rules; kept the comments that document real
constraints (the setPreferredInputNumberOfChannels(2) trap, the re-entrancy
guard, the ma_context no-session-management config).
Comment-only — no behavior change. core builds, ctest --preset dev 21/21.
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.
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.
Lays the groundwork for the macOS (AppKit) and iOS (SwiftUI) clients with a shared
Swift core wrapping the C ABI, mirroring the proven Windows VoiceCat.Interop layer.
Architecture decision: macOS UI = AppKit (not SwiftUI) for the most mature VoiceOver
accessibility story — same rationale as the Windows client's WinForms-over-WinUI-3
decision. iOS stays SwiftUI. Recorded in docs/roadmap.md §2.
Build infrastructure (Phase 0):
- clients/apple/scripts/build-xcframework.sh: runs cmake --preset apple-dev, merges
libvoicecat.a + 107 vcpkg static deps into a single ~30 MB fat static library
(libvoicecat-fat.a) via libtool -static (SPM binary targets link one .a per slice),
stages voicecat.h + a generated module.modulemap (module VoiceCatC) into the headers,
runs xcodebuild -create-xcframework -> clients/apple/VoiceCatCore.xcframework.
VoiceCatCore Swift Package (Phase 1):
- Package.swift: binary target (VoiceCatCoreXCF) + library (VoiceCatCore) + test target.
- Sources/VoiceCatCore/: 7 files mirroring the C# VoiceCat.Interop patterns adapted to
Swift native C interop — Enums (9 Swift mirrors of C enums, UInt32-backed), Config,
Event (copies ev.text to String inside the callback — the #1 lifetime rule), Models
(10 Swift value types), Marshaling (C arrays -> Swift + immediate vc_free_*),
Callbacks (@convention(c) + Unmanaged.passUnretained, the Swift analog of C#'s
[UnmanagedCallersOnly] + GCHandle), VoiceCatClient (owns vc_client* as OpaquePointer,
all 38 C ABI functions, deinit -> vc_client_destroy then frees config CStrings, event
delivery on main queue via coalesced DispatchQueue.main drain).
Tests — 6/6 green (swift test against a real voicecat-server):
- testConnectTofuAuthListChannelsRoundTrips, testAdminChannelCrudAccountCrudRoundTrips,
testScreenAudioStreamStartsAndStops, testPerStreamRecvControlsRoundTrip, plus two
static smoke tests. Catches Swift-specific interop bugs (@convention(c) callback
lifetime, Unmanaged pointer resolution, CString memory management, enum raw-value
bridging, struct layout) that C++ ctest cannot. C++ suite still 21/21 green.
Docs updated (house rule): tech-stack.md §2, architecture.md §4, roadmap.md M4 + §2,
clients/apple/README.md (full rewrite), PROGRESS.md, .gitignore.