Audio

tapflow streams the device's audio to the browser alongside video, so your whole team hears the app — not just sees it. App sound, web audio (e.g. a video playing in the in-app browser), and system sounds all come through.

On by default

Audio is on by default on both iOS and Android. When a viewer opens a device in the browser, its audio plays in that browser tab.

Opt out per agent with an environment variable:

TAPFLOW_AUDIO=off tapflow agent start

That disables audio capture on both platforms; the video path is unchanged either way.

Requirements

• iOS — macOS 14.2+ on the agent Mac (Core Audio process taps). Below that, iOS audio is unavailable; video is unaffected.
• Android — captured through the emulator's stream; no extra requirement.

Permission (one-time)

Both iOS audio capture and the Android host-mute below use a macOS audio-recording permission, so the first time it's needed macOS shows a one-time prompt.

tapflow agent start (and tapflow setup ios) request it up front, so an unattended operator can grant it while present instead of missing it at first boot. If browser audio is silent, re-run tapflow agent start — the prompt appears again.

TIP

The agent operator (whoever runs the Mac), not the dashboard viewer, grants this permission.

The agent Mac stays quiet

When audio is on, the device's sound plays only in the browser — the agent Mac's own speakers stay silent, so there's no echo or noise on a shared or unattended Mac:

• iOS — the audio is muted at the capture source.
• Android (macOS 14.2+) — a mute-only tap silences the emulator's host output. Below macOS 14.2 the emulator is audible on the agent Mac; lower the Mac's volume.

Other apps on the agent Mac are unaffected.

Volume

The device's own volume is reflected in what the browser hears — change the simulator/emulator volume and the streamed audio follows.

Troubleshooting

No audio in the browser

• Re-run tapflow agent start to re-trigger the permission prompt, then click Allow.
• iOS: confirm the agent Mac is on macOS 14.2 or later.
• Confirm TAPFLOW_AUDIO isn't set to off.

The agent Mac plays the emulator's sound (Android)

• Expected below macOS 14.2 — lower the Mac's volume. On macOS 14.2+ it's muted automatically.

See also: Streaming Quality.