Quick Start PRO

AVCaptureSession is the low-level building block for camera and microphone capture in Scripting. It is the same API that VideoRecorder is built on top of — but exposed as discrete, composable objects so that you can assemble your own pipeline: choose a device, attach inputs and outputs, run the session, and respond to the iPhone 16 hardware Camera Control.

If you just want to "press a button and record an mp4", reach for VideoRecorder — it manages the state machine, audio session, orientation and pause/resume timeline for you. Use AVCaptureSession when you need:

QR / barcode scanning while previewing video
Custom photo capture (HEVC, flash mode, Live Photo)
A custom recording flow that does not match VideoRecorder's state machine
iPhone 16 Camera Control bindings (zoom slider, exposure slider, custom controls)
Multiple outputs simultaneously (e.g. photo + movie)

PRO is required to call startRunning(), capturePhoto() and startRecording(). Construction, configuration and canAdd* checks are free.

Pipeline at a glance

const session = new AVCaptureSession()
const camera = AVCaptureDevice.default("video")!
const input = new AVCaptureDeviceInput(camera)

session.configure(() => {
  session.sessionPreset = "photo"
  if (session.canAddInput(input)) session.addInput(input)
})

await session.startRunning()
// ... use session ...
await session.stopRunning()
session.dispose()

Permissions

You don't request camera or microphone permission yourself. session.startRunning() inspects the inputs you have attached, prompts the user the first time, and rejects the promise if they deny. Other Scripting APIs (Photos, Contacts, Location) work the same way — the API call is the permission gate.

try {
  await session.startRunning()
} catch (e) {
  // Camera (or microphone, if you added an audio input) was denied,
  // restricted, or unavailable.
}

Picking a device

AVCaptureDevice.default(mediaType) is the simplest path. For a specific lens or position use AVCaptureDevice.defaultDevice(...) or AVCaptureDevice.discoverySession(...):

// Best back camera with hardware fallback
const back = AVCaptureDevice.defaultDevice(
  "builtInWideAngleCamera", "video", "back"
)

// Enumerate every supported lens type
const session = AVCaptureDevice.discoverySession({
  deviceTypes: [
    "builtInWideAngleCamera",
    "builtInUltraWideCamera",
    "builtInTelephotoCamera",
  ],
  mediaType: "video",
  position: "back",
})
console.log(session.devices.map(d => d.localizedName))

Adding inputs and outputs

Wrap the device in an AVCaptureDeviceInput (the constructor throws if the device is busy or denied), then attach outputs. Use session.configure(...) to batch your changes — it wraps beginConfiguration() / commitConfiguration() for you.

const input = new AVCaptureDeviceInput(AVCaptureDevice.default("video")!)

const photoOutput = new AVCapturePhotoOutput()
photoOutput.maxPhotoQualityPrioritization = "quality"

session.configure(() => {
  if (session.canAddInput(input)) session.addInput(input)
  if (session.canAddOutput(photoOutput)) session.addOutput(photoOutput)
})

Calling addInput / addOutput outside of configure(...) works too, but each mutation hits the queue separately. Group them when you can.

Photo capture

await session.startRunning()
const result = await photoOutput.capturePhoto({ codec: "hevc", flashMode: "auto" })
console.log("Captured", result.image.size, result.metadata)

The resolved object has image: UIImage, metadata: Record<string, any>, and isRawPhoto: boolean.

Movie recording

const movieOutput = new AVCaptureMovieFileOutput()
movieOutput.maxRecordedDuration = 60     // seconds; 0 = unlimited
session.addOutput(movieOutput)

await session.startRunning()
const path = `${FileManager.documentsDirectory}/clip.mov`
const finalPath = await movieOutput.startRecording(path)   // resolves when stopRecording() finalizes
// ... show UI / await user tap ...
await movieOutput.stopRecording()
console.log("saved", finalPath)

startRecording resolves when the file is fully finalized; do not delete the file before the promise resolves.

QR / barcode scanning

AVCaptureMetadataOutput runs the system code detector on the live frames.

const metaOutput = new AVCaptureMetadataOutput()
session.configure(() => {
  if (session.canAddInput(input)) session.addInput(input)
  if (session.canAddOutput(metaOutput)) session.addOutput(metaOutput)
})

// Order matters — types must be set after the output is added.
metaOutput.metadataObjectTypes = ["qr", "ean13", "code128"]
metaOutput.setMetadataObjectsListener(objects => {
  for (const o of objects) {
    if (o.stringValue) console.log("scanned", o.type, o.stringValue)
  }
})

await session.startRunning()

Set rectOfInterest = { x, y, width, height } (normalized 0..1) to limit detection to a region of the frame.

Showing a preview

Use <CaptureVideoPreviewView session={session} videoDevice={camera}/> in any UI you build with Scripting's view layer. See the Preview View page for the full prop list.

Cleanup

When you are done with the session — typically in onAppear/onDisappear of your component, or before navigating away — stop and dispose:

await session.stopRunning()
session.dispose()

dispose() is idempotent. If you forget it, the wrapper is also released when the running script ends.

Putting it all together

const camera = AVCaptureDevice.default("video")!
const session = new AVCaptureSession()
const input = new AVCaptureDeviceInput(camera)
const photoOutput = new AVCapturePhotoOutput()

session.configure(() => {
  session.sessionPreset = "photo"
  if (session.canAddInput(input)) session.addInput(input)
  if (session.canAddOutput(photoOutput)) session.addOutput(photoOutput)
})

session.addRuntimeErrorListener(msg => console.error("session error:", msg))

await session.startRunning()
const photo = await photoOutput.capturePhoto({ codec: "hevc" })
await session.stopRunning()
session.dispose()

Quick Start# PRO

#Pipeline at a glance

#Permissions

#Picking a device

#Adding inputs and outputs

#Photo capture

#Movie recording

#QR / barcode scanning

#Showing a preview

#Cleanup

#Putting it all together