Apple is preparing to upgrade how users edit audio in videos with the upcoming iOS 26 update, especially for the iPhone 16 series.
According to Mac Rumors, the company is expanding its AI-powered Audio Mix feature—originally limited to the Photos app—so it can now be used in third-party apps as well.
Audio Mix includes four main sound editing options for videos:
Standard: Plays the original recorded audio.
In-Frame: Mutes voices and sounds that come from outside the video frame.
Studio: Reduces background noise and echo to give a polished, studio-like quality.
Cinematic: Puts voices in the foreground and spreads background sounds for a movie-like feel.
With iOS 26, Apple is also adding more controls for reducing background noise.
To access Audio Mix, videos must be recorded with Spatial Audio, which is automatically switched on for all iPhone 16 devices during video capture. Users can manage this feature in the Camera settings.
This update will allow app developers to integrate Audio Mix into their own tools, giving users more power to adjust sound quality using Apple’s machine learning technology.
Apple is also bringing Audio Mix to Mac devices through macOS Tahoe. This means Mac users will enjoy the same advanced audio editing functions available on iPhones.
Voice Memos and other audio-only apps will now be able to save recordings in the QuickTime audio format (QTA). This format supports multiple audio tracks and alternate groups, much like Spatial Audio.
