Requirements

The biggest thing to note with this is that it doesn’t work on all iPhone models. For one, you need to be on iOS 13 or newer. There are some reports this doesn’t work on “older” iPhone devices, but anyone with an iPhone 11 or 12 series device as well as the iPhone SE (second generation) should have no issues with this workaround. Outside of your iPhone and music, there are no other requirements to make this work – no third-party apps, no shortcuts and definitely no jailbreaks are required. Apple undoubtedly stops any music playback from surfacing during video mode to avoid any copyright risks. It’s a smart play and one that makes total sense, but they also haven’t made it difficult to get around it. Just know that if you do use a song and post it to your social media channels, it could be deleted if you are violating copyright laws, particularly in YouTube.

Play some music

Open Camera App

Open the camera app and stay in “Photo” mode. Don’t go over to “Video” mode, otherwise the background music will stop playing. The key with this trick is to make sure you remain in Photo mode. 

Record Video with Music

With the music playing in the background and your iPhone camera open to “Photo,” tap and hold the shutter button to start recording video. When you are done recording, just remove your finger from the shutter button. This trick applies for both the rear and selfie cameras. The video will immediately save into your Photo Album/Camera Roll as usual.

Photo Album

Having recorded your video with music, jump into your Photos app and check the playback of the video. It’s worth noting that the audio on the song won’t be the same quality as it would if you were playing through the iPhone’s speaker. Remember, the music is being recorded by the microphone on your iPhone, so it won’t be perfect but is definitely more than functional.

Final Thoughts

While it is easy to record video with music on your iPhone, it requires a workaround, making it a worthwhile trick any iPhone owner should know. Have you checked out this list of the best iPhone camera apps?