HTML5 <audio> Element Not Playing on iOS When Muted Attribute is Present - Seeking Workaround
I'm having trouble with I've hit a wall trying to I need some guidance on I've been struggling with this for a few days now and could really use some help. I'm working with an scenario where the HTML5 `<audio>` element refuses to play on iOS devices when I include the `muted` attribute in my markup. The audio file plays fine on desktop and Android devices, but on iOS, it just doesn't start. Additionally, I'm receiving a warning in the console that says "Playback of audio is prevented because the audio is muted." Here is the minimal code snippet I'm using: ```html <audio controls muted> <source src="my-audio-file.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio> ``` I've checked the format of my audio file and ensured it's compatible with the `<audio>` tag. I also tried removing the `muted` attribute, and the audio plays without any issues. However, I need the audio to start muted due to a design requirement where users can unmute it later. I've also attempted to programmatically control playback using JavaScript: ```javascript const audioElement = document.querySelector('audio'); audioElement.play().catch(behavior => { console.behavior('Playback failed:', behavior); }); ``` This approach also fails to trigger playback on iOS. The iOS version I'm testing is 14.8, and I've confirmed this behavior on both Safari and Chrome. Has anyone encountered this scenario before, and is there a known workaround to play muted audio on iOS devices? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Any help would be greatly appreciated! This is happening in both development and production on Ubuntu 20.04. This is happening in both development and production on Windows 11. My development environment is Debian. Am I approaching this the right way? Is there a simpler solution I'm overlooking?