Hey there! Let's work through this problem together—totally get why your previous attempts with AVAudioSession didn't give you the result you wanted. Let's break down the right steps to disable just the microphone while keeping your speaker output working, and get rid of that persistent orange dot.

Why Your Previous Methods Didn't Work #

• Calling setActive(false) on the audio session deactivates the entire session, which cuts off both input and output—hence why your speaker stopped working.
• Setting the category to .playback is on the right track, but the orange dot means your app (or another process) is still actively using the microphone somewhere else in your code.

Step 1: Configure the Audio Session for Playback Only #

First, make sure your AVAudioSession is set to a category that prioritizes playback and doesn't enable microphone input. The .playback category is designed exactly for this—it's meant for apps that only need to play audio, not record it.

Here's the code to set this up correctly:

import AVFoundation

func configurePlaybackOnlySession() {
    let audioSession = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance()
    do {
        // Set category to playback (output-only by default)
        try audioSession.setCategory(.playback, mode: .default)
        // Activate the session to apply the settings
        try audioSession.setActive(true)
    } catch {
        print("Failed to configure audio session: \(error.localizedDescription)")
    }
}

This configuration tells the system your app only needs to output audio, so it won't reserve or use the microphone by default.

Step 2: Stop All Microphone Capture Operations in Your App #

If the orange dot is still showing up, there's almost certainly code in your app that's actively capturing audio from the microphone. Common culprits are AVCaptureSession (used for audio/video recording) or AVAudioRecorder. You'll need to stop these processes and clean up their inputs:

For AVCaptureSession:

// Assume you have an existing AVCaptureSession instance
func stopMicrophoneCapture() {
    if captureSession.isRunning {
        captureSession.stopRunning()
    }
    // Remove any audio inputs from the session
    for input in captureSession.inputs {
        guard let deviceInput = input as? AVCaptureDeviceInput else { continue }
        if deviceInput.device.hasMediaType(.audio) {
            captureSession.removeInput(deviceInput)
        }
    }
}

For AVAudioRecorder:

// If you're using AVAudioRecorder, make sure to stop and release it
audioRecorder?.stop()
audioRecorder = nil

Step 3: Check for System-Wide Microphone Usage #

The orange dot is a system-level indicator—if your app is fully configured for playback only but the dot is still there, another app or process on the device might be using the microphone. Ask users to check their background apps (like voice recorders, video calls, etc.) and close any that might be accessing the mic.

Bonus: Limit Microphone Permissions #

If your app doesn't need microphone access at all, remove the NSMicrophoneUsageDescription key from your Info.plist. This tells the system your app doesn't require mic access, so it won't grant permission in the first place—eliminating any chance of the mic being used accidentally.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Soulintha Hongchith