Siri for Audio Apps Reference

API reference for the App Intents Audio schema domain (iOS 27), the MediaIntents AudioSearch type, SiriKit media intents, and the Now Playing commands Siri uses, for developers adding Siri playback to a music, podcast, audiobook, or radio app. Apple's API names the schemas but not their required members, so this reference records the exact shapes the build enforces, measured against the iOS 27.1 SDK.

When to Use This Reference

Use this reference when:

• You need the exact required properties, parameters, or enum cases for an .audio.* schema
• A build fails in the App Intents metadata phase (ExtractAppIntentsMetadata) with a schema error
• You're writing the IntentValueQuery that resolves Siri's AudioSearch
• You're setting up INPlayMediaIntent for classic Siri (users without Siri AI)
• You need to know which SiriKit authorization rules apply, and which don't

Example Prompts

Questions you can ask your assistant that will draw from this reference:

• "What properties does .audio.song require?"
• "What parameters does the playAudio schema need?"
• "Why does my build say Missing required parameter 'queueLocation'?"
• "How do I declare the AudioItem union?"
• "Which AudioSearch criteria do I need to handle?"
• "What Info.plist keys does INPlayMediaIntent need?"
• "Does siriAuthorizationStatus() tell me whether App Shortcuts work with Siri?"

What's Covered

Enforcement

• The metadata build phase, and why Swift errors hide every schema error
• Exact optionality rules, allowed extra members, and the documented playAudio warning that Xcode doesn't emit
• Resolvability: which entities need IndexedEntity, EntityStringQuery, or TransientAppEntity
• Initializer ordering and memberwise initializers for schema entities
• Platform availability: Audio schemas skip watchOS and tvOS; INPlayMediaIntent skips macOS

Entities

• song, album, artist, playlist, songCollection, classicalMusicRecording
• liveRadioStation, algorithmicRadioStation, radioShow, radioShowEpisode
• podcastShow, podcastEpisode, podcastCollection, audiobook
• ambientSound, newsProvider, newsBrief, warmupAudioQueueResult

Intents

• playAudio, warmupAudioQueue, updateAudioAffinity
• addToLibrary, addToPlaylist, createStation, recognizeAudio

Enums and Unions

• playbackAttributes, queueInsertionLocation, affinityState
• invocationSource, appViewIdentifier, activity
• The AudioItem union and the playlist owner union

Resolution and Context

• AudioSearch and AudioSearch.Criteria (searchQuery, unspecified, url)
• IndexedEntity, IndexedEntityQuery, and the 10 MB entity limit
• Now Playing appEntityIdentifiers, on-screen annotations, RelevantEntities, .system.searchInApp, donations
• Gating App Shortcuts for a deployment target below iOS 27

SiriKit Media

• INPlayMediaIntent and INPlayMediaIntentHandling in the app
• INIntentsSupported, INSupportedMediaCategories, the Siri entitlement, and NSSiriUsageDescription
• INPreferences authorization, and what siriAuthorizationStatus() does not report
• INMediaSearch fields and Apple's measured mix of request shapes
• App Selection (Siri choosing your app when the user doesn't name it): donations, INMediaUserContext, Spotlight, and vocabulary

Now Playing Commands

• How Siri's "pause", "next", and "what song is this?" reach MPRemoteCommandCenter and Now Playing metadata

Build Error Reference

• Each metadata-phase and Swift error message, and its fix

Documentation Scope

This page documents the siri-audio-ref skill (in the axiom-integration suite), the reference your assistant uses for exact Audio schema shapes, AudioSearch, and SiriKit media setup. The skill holds a complete code sample, compiled against the iOS 27.1 SDK, for a music app's entities, unions, enums, intents, and queries, plus a SiriKit handler.

• For the approach and build order, see siri-audio
• For playback that builds but doesn't work, see siri-audio-diag

Related

• app-intents-ref – The App Intents framework, other schema domains, and AppIntentsTesting
• app-shortcuts-ref – App Shortcuts and their separate Siri opt-in
• core-spotlight-ref – Spotlight indexing for IndexedEntity
• now-playing – Remote commands, Now Playing metadata, and entity annotations for the content that's playing

Resources

WWDC: 2026-343, 2026-240, 2026-345, 2026-312, 2020-10060

Docs: /appintents/app-schema-domain-audio, /mediaintents/audiosearch, /appintents/intentvaluequery, /intents/inplaymediaintent, /sirikit/requesting-authorization-to-use-siri