# iPhone app plays video and audio in iOS’s own player

> Video and audio files in the iPhone app now play in iOS’s own player, with fullscreen, Picture in Picture, AirPlay, and lock screen controls.

Oct 26, 2026. Topics: Mobile. https://www.generalinput.com/changelog/2026-10-26-iphone-native-media-player

Opening a video or audio file in the General Input [iPhone app](/mobile) used to show a small web player inside the preview. It now plays in iOS's own player, so it behaves like media everywhere else on your phone. Videos fill the screen under a simple control bar, turn sideways in fullscreen, keep playing in Picture in Picture while you use other apps, and play on an Apple TV or speaker over AirPlay. Audio, like a meeting recording or a voice note a workflow produced, keeps playing when you lock the phone or switch apps, with play, pause, and skip on the lock screen and in Control Center.

### How it works

- **One control bar.** A progress line runs the width of the screen and shows how much has loaded; drag anywhere on it to jump. Under it sit play, the time left, speed from 0.5× to 2×, and for videos mute, fullscreen, and Picture in Picture. Tap a video to hide the controls.
- **Starts right away.** The player streams the file from a short-lived signed link and fetches only the parts you play, so a long recording starts in moments.
- **Plays on silent.** Video and audio you open play with the ring switch set to silent, as other media apps do.
- **Every format still opens.** WebM and Ogg files, and any file iOS's player can't open, play in the in-app preview as before. An MP3 saved as `.m4a` is served as an MP3, so it plays on iPhone and in Safari too.

### Also shipped

- Audio files on the web play in the same kind of player: a card with play, the time, speed, mute, and a progress line you can drag or step with the arrow keys.