Easily Record Streaming Audio on iPhone or iPad Without TuneIn Pro
TuneIn Pro previously let you record streaming audio and save it to your device for later playback. It handily had a timer, too, to stop recordings after a time limit.
I used this feature for years to record music shows that air late at night. These shows do not offer podcasts due to music copyright concerns so recording the streams was my only option. I had hours and hours of these shows recorded and listened to them while traveling. It was a perfect solution.
Then TuneIn lost a court case in 2020, and had to remove the feature.
I also lost access to all those recordings. They removed the playback feature altogether and TuneIn files cannot be exported. No more on-the-go listening when I had time to hear them. No more scheduled recordings. I wanted my shows back!
(If you know how to unlock the TuneIn proprietary format, leave a comment below.)
I explored options like Audacity for recording my audio streams with a timer but the software is dated. Plus, my computer doesn’t want to go to sleep while Audacity is recording…and my home office is in my bedroom. Not a good situation when you record after going to bed.
So now what?
After some exploration and testing, this is the workaround I have cobbled together. While it is not one-click easy, it’s free and not too difficult.
What I will explain below is:
- How to create a recording on your iPad or iPhone (iOS 11 or later).
- How to set a timer to stop the recording (no method yet found to start the recording at a set time).
- How to remove the video portion of the recording to get audio-only files.
- How to import the recording to your Music library for playback.
Please note that these instructions should be used only to create recordings for your own use and enjoyment. Sharing or distributing these recordings can invite copyright infringement claims that will get you in trouble.
Create Your Recording on Your iPad or iPhone
With iOS 11 or later, your Apple device can record your screen. This is helpful if you are creating a video for teaching, recording a conference call for later playback, or similar needs.
You can also use this to record streaming audio at quality listening levels.
To start, enable the Screen Recording function on your device:
- Open Settings.
- Go into Control Center.
- Scroll down to the lower set of choices and click the + by Screen Recording.
- This adds the screen recording capabilities when you pull down from the top of the screen for these options.
- Next, open your browser or streaming playback software to the stream you want to record.
- Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top of the screen. Press and hold down on the Screen Recording button. Choose Photos as the place to save your recording.
In the steps further below, I will explain how to remove the video recording of your screen and get just the audio portion.
- Go back to your streaming source. Start the playback in your browser or streaming software when ready to start recording.
- Go back to the Control Center. Open the Screen Recording option by holding down on the icon.
- In Screen Recording, tap on Start Recording. Be sure that the Microphone icon says “off” so you don’t inadvertently record sounds via your device’s microphone.
I recommend placing your device somewhere no one will disturb it and connecting it to a power source. Go to Display and disable the Auto-Lock feature. You do not want the device going to sleep or it will stop recording. Also, turn off all notifications to avoid any alert sounds disrupting your audio recording. Alternately, you can put your device in Do Not Disturb mode. In short, keep it plugged in and turned on with no notifications to disrupt your recording.
Your device is now recording everything happening on its screen and all audio playing through it until you stop recording.
How to Stop Recording Using a Timer
If you are recording at odd hours like I am, being able to stop the recording when your show concludes is very helpful. Here’s how to do that.
- To stop the recording after a certain number of minutes and/or hours, open the Clock app on your device. Select the Timer option at the bottom of the screen. Select the number of minutes and/or hours you want the timer to run. Be sure to change the option for When Timer Ends to the option of Stop Playing. This will stop the stream when the timer reaches 00:00:00.
- If you don’t do this step, the recording will run until the device runs out of storage space or you manually stop it.
How to Remove Video From Your Recording
Since you want to create an audio file for playback in your Music app (the easiest way to manage music on your Apple device), you will also want to remove the video portion and relocate it from the Photos app to the Music app.
To remove the video, you will use this Shortcut to separate video from audio. This includes the steps for choosing where to store the audio-only file after separation.
Complete instructions for using this Shortcut step are here.
How to Add the Recording to Your Music App
With your audio file now relocated after separating video from audio, you can easily import it into your iTunes library as a new file. Then you synchronize your device with iTunes so that the new music file appears in your Music app.
In iTunes on your computer, click on File then Add File to Library. Navigate to the location of your recording, then select the recording and click OK to import.
Note that you will need this capability to do the import, unless you want to play the audio file from the location you selected instead. You cannot import directly on the Apple device into the Music app.
I recommend creating a playlist for your streaming recordings and add each new episode to that playlist. This makes syncing easier, especially if you record the same shows each week as I do.
Summary
Hopefully, this tutorial helped you learn how to record audio streams online using your iPhone or iPad, and how to save recorded audio streams for playback on your device.
If you have tips on how to make this easier, please add them in the comments below.
