Best Practices for Background Audio in React Native

In the world of mobile app development, background audio has become a key feature for apps in music, meditation, podcasts, fitness, and even education. Whether you’re building a meditation app like Calm, a workout tracker with guided audio, or a language learning platform, React Native gives you the power to implement background audio across both Android and iOS.

But playing audio in the background is not as straightforward as just playing a sound. To offer a seamless experience to users—and pass store reviews—you need to follow best practices.

In this article, we’ll explore the best practices for implementing background audio in React Native, along with tools, libraries, and performance tips.

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🔧 Why Background Audio Matters

Apps that can continue audio playback while the user switches screens or locks the phone provide a superior user experience. Imagine your user is doing yoga or listening to bedtime music—they don’t want the audio to stop when they press the home button.

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📦 Recommended Library: react-native-track-player

The most widely-used and stable library for background audio is react-native-track-player. It offers:

• Full background playback support
• Lock screen controls
• Remote control events (headphones, Bluetooth)
• Playlists and queue management

Installation

npm install react-native-track-player
npx pod-install

Initial Setup

Initialize the player at app start:

import TrackPlayer from 'react-native-track-player';

TrackPlayer.setupPlayer().then(() => {
  console.log('Track Player Ready');
});

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✅ Best Practices for Background Audio

Here’s a list of actionable best practices to follow:

1. Always Use a Service for Background Audio

React Native apps need to run audio logic in a background service, especially on Android. Using TrackPlayer.registerPlaybackService ensures this:

TrackPlayer.registerPlaybackService(() => require('./service'));

2. Handle Remote Events

Register handlers for events like play/pause from Bluetooth or lock screen:

TrackPlayer.addEventListener('remote-play', () => {
  TrackPlayer.play();
});
TrackPlayer.addEventListener('remote-pause', () => {
  TrackPlayer.pause();
});

3. Manage Audio Focus on Android

Make sure your app respects other apps by releasing audio focus when interrupted:

TrackPlayer.addEventListener('remote-duck', ({ paused }) => {
  if (paused) TrackPlayer.pause();
});

4. Use useTrackPlayerEvents Hook

In React components, manage playback events cleanly using the provided hooks:

useTrackPlayerEvents([Event.PlaybackQueueEnded], (event) => {
  if (event.type === Event.PlaybackQueueEnded) {
    // Handle end of playlist
  }
});

5. Enable Background Modes on iOS

Don’t forget to check the “Audio, AirPlay, and Picture in Picture” mode under Capabilities > Background Modes in Xcode.

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🧪 Testing Background Audio

To properly test:

• Lock the phone and check if audio continues.
• Switch apps and return.
• Use Bluetooth or headphone controls.
• Kill and reopen the app to test persistence.

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⚡ Performance & Optimization Tips

• Preload audio before playing to reduce lag.
• Avoid memory leaks by removing unused listeners.
• Compress audio files to reduce size without losing quality.
• Use .aac or .mp3 formats for better compatibility.

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🧠 Real-World Use Case: Meditation App

Many developers building meditation apps (e.g., Calm, Headspace) rely on react-native-track-player to play background music or guided meditations. You can also integrate with AdMob Rewarded Ads or In-App Purchases to monetize.

For example, play background music only after showing a rewarded ad using expo-ads-admob:

// Show ad
await AdMobRewarded.showAdAsync();
// Then start playback
TrackPlayer.play();

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🔁 Adding Loop and Shuffle

You can add loop and shuffle features easily using the queue API:

// Loop current track
TrackPlayer.setRepeatMode(RepeatMode.Track);

// Shuffle playlist
const shuffled = [...playlist].sort(() => Math.random() - 0.5);
TrackPlayer.add(shuffled);

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👉 If you want help with such strategies or app development, check out AB Web Tech — a fast and reliable development company using AI-powered tools to speed up your product.

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🚀 Conclusion

Implementing background audio in React Native isn’t just about playing a track—it’s about creating a reliable, user-friendly, and monetizable experience. By using the right tools and following best practices, you’ll not only avoid bugs and user complaints but also increase engagement and retention.

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💬 Have questions or want a custom audio app built? Drop us a message at AB Web Tech!