fix: update docs around macOS & desktopCapturer
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🍏 : This page was outdated since ~macOS 13 when Apple added ways to capture audio w/o signed kernel extension. Apple's latest [`CoreAudio Tap API `](https://github.com/insidegui/AudioCap) also has some [relevant nuances](electron/electron#49607) worth mentioning.
…eam Chromium pivot in native Apple API usage 🍏 : Affects macOS >=14.2 electron apps starting in `v39.0.0-beta4`. Full triage of issue available [here](electron/electron#49607).
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desktopCapturer
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desktopCapturerdesktopCapturer
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nikwen
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Feb 9, 2026
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nikwen
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Thank you so much for your work on this!
Could you please add "Refs electron/electron#49607" at the beginning of the PR? That makes it easier for maintainers to find the related issue quickly.
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Great feedback @nikwen 👍 really appreciate the maintainer support on this! Curious is there a way to preview changes made to documentation markdown in the main electron repo? I had assumed doc changes flowed in the opposite direction so changes could be easily previewed with local instance of the doc website when being drafted/added. |
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Description of Change
Refs electron/electron#49607
PR contains big update for
desktopCapturerdocumentation and related nuance on macOS. Notably:Clarify macOS
desktopCapturefor audio has been available since macOS 13 and higher. Prior to this it was only via signed kernel extension & not supported by Chromium/Electron directly.More recently, Chromium switched to use Apple's newer native API for audio capture.
NSAudioCaptureUsageDescriptionin the App's Info.plist. Thus electron apps now require the same to usedesktopCapturerproperly on macOS >=14.2 where Apple introduced the API.Screen & System Audio Recordingpermissions system if the newer API fails. Meaning electron apps that don't have the newNSAudioCaptureUsageDescriptionkey will seedesktopCapturerbreak on version jumpv39.0.0-beta.3tov39.0.0-beta.4. In that version jump is where we see Chromium enables the newCoreAudio Tap APIby default.In addition to doc bump for
desktopCapturerthis PR also adds a note about the relevant breaking change to the Electron 39.0.0 Release Blog.A lot of the findings added in this PR came from my triage/investigation in this issue
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