FaceTime with External Mic on iPhone/iPad

Yes, this is unfortunately true. I have submitted requests to Apple about this especially as it related to education. For example, I am a piano teacher, but I can not use an external mic on an iOS device to teach long-distance. No app that uses video conferencing such as FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, etc. will work with an external mic.

However I have created a work around that is VERY CLUNKY, expensive and requires a lot of equipment. I will post the images here for anyone who might be interested and you can, of course, contact me if you would like to brainstorm other solutions or learn more about my solution.

I use an iPad Pro, External Mic with XLR connection that fits into my iRig connector which also has headphone jack. the iRig connector then plugs into the headphone jack of the iPad allowing me to listen via headphones and transmit via mic. This is all made possible with the iPad camera connection kit which has a lightening connector for powering the iPad and also a USB port for connecting my Anker USB/Gigabit Ethernet hub. I use the hug to connect my iPad to have a wired connection to my internet for fastest possible speeds which is recommended when attempting to conduct music lessons (transmit complex sounds) over the internet via Skype or Zoom. I prefer FaceTime for quality, but Zoom is my second choice. I found Skype to be too unreliable.

This is a VERY CLUNKY set up, but it works and this is the only way to use an external mic with an iPad that has a headphone jack (iPad prior to 2018). Using an external mic or plugging a mic through the headphone jack alone would not allow you to hear what’s coming through.

It’s too bad Apple has not fixed this yet. For distance learning this is a MUST. And I hope distance learning gets more press and import over at Apple.

Please do contact me if you’d like to learn more. I hope the images are helpful.

PS...I upgraded to iPad Pro 2018 since...and this will not work now that the headphone jack is gone. The only solution I foresee is to buy a USB C type hub that also includes a headphone jack and then I will be able to use all my existing equipment. I have not tried this yet.

I also found this today on Shure's FAQ:

Question:

Can I use Motiv devices for Facetime?

Answer:

Sorry, the Apple iOS does not recognize a microphone(s) connected to the Lightning port during a Facetime session or during a phone call.

Assuming that you have an iPad with a 3.5mm Headphone jack, then you will be able to find many high quality external microphones (including standard Apple EarPods) that can connect and be directly/natively utilised by your iPad and FaceTime.

If you have a 2018 iPad Pro (lacking both Headphone and Lightning jacks) your options are currently more limited - as the USB-C connector only supports a limited sub-set of available USB devices.

Hope you find this to be of some help.

There are many very high quality analogue microphones available. Whilst I included the EarPod as an example, whilst providing good quality audio, they are designed as a noise cancelling mic.

Whilst I’m not personally familiar with mic’ devices that feature Lightning connectors, being a proprietary connectir and electrical interface, you’ll be significantly limiting your choice of devices - and you should consider that future Apple devices (such as the new 2018 iPad Pro) will not feature lighning.

yaywin,

The Shure Motiv line doesn't work either. So between Shure and Apogee not working, I'm guessing pretty much any lightning connected microphone that draws power from the iPad isn't going to work in FaceTime, Skype, or similar programs.

I can tell you I found a workaround with a program I use called Anchor, which has the exact same issue as FaceTime. I plugged in my Shure mic, plugged in a 3.5mm headset, connected with my cohost in Anchor (like a Skype call) which then the iPad used the 3.5mm jack for audio in and out, then I unplugged the 3.5mm headset and it actually connected and worked with the Shure. I imagine this trick might work with FaceTime as well, but certainly isn't ideal and you are SOL if you don't have a 3.5mm port.

I'm curious if using a camera USB/lightning connector would work, so you can charge your iPad while the Apogee is plugged in. I don't have one, but that would be my next test in my adventures to get a nice microphone working with my iPhone XR that I paid $80 for and can't use for the exact reason I bought it (Anchor, remote podcasting). Pretty frustrated with Apple here, as I understand this is an API issue for developers and Apple likes to control what input and output sources your device uses.

The plot thickens.

I will thicken it further - Up until I decided to up my mic game for my podcast, I had been using a 3.5mm headset with a boom mic, like a call center might use (with full earbuds), and it worked just fine in Anchor using the 3.5mm to lightning adapter. I don't understand why this would work but our iOS powered mics don't.

I literally just purchased a battery powered condenser mic with a 3.5mm output on Amazon, that I plan to test using the 3.5mm to lightning adapter. I'll let you know how it goes. I will say that this thing cost $35 and in no way am I expecting it to be anywhere near the quality that an Apogee or Shure iOS mic would be, but I'm curious if a mic that is designed to work with 3.5mm can be used via a lightning adapter. Unfortunately that is going to really lower (or at least limit) the ceiling of quality you can get, as a vast majority of mics nowadays are USB or XLR. I know some things can be converted to 3.5mm, but that gets tricky as well.

Another option that might work would be to look at the iRig Pre (a preamp) which has a 3.5mm out, connect that with a 3.5mm to lightning adapter, and then you can use any XLR microphone you want, including dynamic. The Pre is battery powered so it can act as phantom power for dynamic mics. You can control the gain here as well, and it has audio out for live monitoring.

Any review or setup you ever see online for someone plugging a mic into an iPhone is for like Garageband, or local recording. It's very hard to find information on mics that work with FaceTime or Skype since those apparently restrict the ability to choose your audio source.