Why can't JavaScript .play() audio files on iPhone safari?

Question

I\'ve got a JavaScript web app working that plays some audio periodically like this:

var SOUND_SUCCESS = new Audio(\'success.mp3\');
SOUND_SUCCESS.play();
         


        

Answer 1

iOS disables autoplay, instead requiring that play be initiated as part of a user interaction (e.g., you can start playback within a touchstart listener). There's a bit of documentation about this on Apple's developer documentation. There's also this article Overcoming iOS HTML5 audio limitations on IBM's developer site that has examples and more detail.