iOS27 converts mp3 sent in messages to m4a (and is not playable).

I am a musician/producer and I hate this bug that will not allow mp3s to be sent in Messages. The only way to get around it, for myself, is put it on my iCloud Drive and then use my device to fetch it from my iCloud Drive. Yes, useless steps to transport an mp3, but it has worked for me. Don’t send it through Messages and go direct. I do hope this is a bug and not feature.

Hope this helps.

Welcome and thank you for reaching out. 🤗

You’ll need to provide Product Feedback.

That would be the best method to ensure that your concern is addressed in a future update.

Good luck! 👋🏼😉

Smiliñ 😎 Brian | Community Volunteer

Apparently, this shrinkage may not be new.

Here’s a report with iOS 26:

• How do I prevent iMessage from converting… - Apple Community

Probably from iOS 18:

• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/78756015/why-does-a-sound-file-sent-by-imessage-change-the-file-name

Probably at least as far back as iOS 14, based on some other discussions.

One possibility is mentioned in a couple of places indicates the transfer is via MMS, and the files are getting shrunk using 3GPP. Which reportedly makes for very small and lossy transfers.

Or it’s different and an iOS 27 bug (and not MMS), and you’ll want to log feedback.

I’m experiencing the same issue…

I am a music producer who constantly sends MP3s to artist and producers.

I just updated my phone yesterday and now anything I send won’t open for the person receiving the mp3 because it keeps opening as a m4a.

If anyone knows a solution to this issue that would be amazing!

one thing I noticed is that it allows me to send as an mp3 on my MacBook and the person who receives it gets it as an mp3 as well + it open.

If the bug continues, just start using google drive and send it via email. It works sending with gmail. Use a google messaging app…I don’t know any offhand. I think it’s Google Messages. I’m sure you can send mp3s through Google Messages. It works with Signal, I’m sure it work with Google platform.

Im having the same issue. Im a music producer and I have to send files through drop box instead of imessage now because people are saying that their files won't open when I send from my mac to their phones

Was wondering why ppl said the loops and beats I was sending thru text were unplayable. I tested it by sending an mp3 from my macbook (mac os 27) Nd downloading the resulting m4a on my phone, unplayable of course. I changed the extension to .mp3 and it worked immediately. The fact that a multi-trillion dollar company can break smth like this is crazy. For now im exporting everything in m4a anyway so I hope they’re happy, but people are starting to move to telegram.

It’s a really annoying bug. It’s a slightly longer process than before but a work- around is, if the receiver saves the mpeg-4 file to files and then renames the extension to mp3 it will reindex it as an mp3

iOS 27 is not a conversion software:

Not every issue an individual encounters on their device can be attributed to an iOS update. iOS 27 or later may have coincided with what you are experiencing, but that does not mean the issue was triggered by iOS. Coincidence in timing is not, by itself, evidence of causation.

If the update itself were the root cause, then every device running that same version of iOS would exhibit the identical problem. In such a scenario, the forums would be flooded with countless posts reporting the same malfunction, creating an unmistakable wave of complaints that no one could possibly overlook.

The absence of such widespread reports strongly indicates that the issue is not a general, system-wide problem with iOS 27 or later, but rather something specific to the individual device, its configuration, installed apps, settings, hardware, or another interacting factor.

In short: iOS 27 or later may be a coincidence in timing, but there is no basis to conclude that iOS itself triggered the problem simply because the issue appeared after the update.

See what each update does: About iOS 27 Updates, About iOS 26 Updates, About iOS 18 Updates, About iOS 17 Updates, About iOS 16 Updates, About iOS 15 Updates, About iOS 14 Updates, About iOS 13 Updates, About iOS 12 Updates, and so on...

When you send an MP3 file to another person through email, AirDrop or iMessage, the file is generally transferred in its original format. iOS does not automatically convert an MP3 file into an M4A file simply because it is being shared or received.

Where the received MP3 file is stored depends on the app you use to open or save it.

By default, iOS provides the Files app as a location where you can save and manage MP3 files. However, the Files app is not the only option. You can also open an MP3 file using a compatible third-party audio player or music application, provided that the app supports the format and offers a suitable storage or import facility.

If an MP3 file is being converted to M4A, the conversion is most likely being performed by the application handling or importing the file, rather than by iOS itself. Some music and audio applications may convert imported audio into their preferred format as part of their import or library-management process.

You have not mentioned which application you are using to receive, open or store these MP3 files. That information is important because the behaviour can vary from one application to another.

Regarding Apple Music:

You can add your own MP3 files to your Apple Music library, but this is not the same as directly transferring an MP3 file into the Apple Music app through AirDrop, email or iMessage.

The usual procedure is:

1. Import the MP3 files into the Music app on a Mac or into the Apple Music app on a Windows PC.

2. If you have Sync Library enabled with an eligible Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription, your music library can sync across your supported Apple devices.

3. You can then access the synced music through the Music app on your iPhone.

In short: iOS does not inherently convert MP3 files to M4A during file sharing. Before identifying the cause, please specify which application you are using to receive and store the MP3 files. That will help establish where and why the conversion is taking place.

When loading and sending an MP3 on Apple Messages, it delivers as an unplayable Apple MPEG-4. How does one fix this?

I figured it out, you just need to export and send files in .wav. They do open that way.

Good workaround but WAV takes up more space