Web/API/AudioContextOptions/latencyHint

The AudioContextOptions dictionary (used when instantiating an AudioContext) may contain a property named latencyHint, which indicates the preferred maximum latency in seconds for the audio context. The value is specified either as a member of the string enum AudioContextLatencyCategory or a double-precision value.

Syntax

audioContextOptions.latencyHint = "interactive";
audioContextOptions.latencyHint = 0.2;

var latencyHint = audioContextOptions.latencyHint;

Value

The preferred maximum latency for the AudioContext. There are two ways this value can be specified.

The best way to specify the preferred latency is to use a value form the string enum AudioContextLatencyCategory. In fact, the default value of latencyHint is "interactive" (meaning the browser should try to use the lowest possible and reliable latency it can).

The value can also be specified as a double-precision floating-point value, specifying the preferred maximum latency in seconds. This provides more precise control over the balance between audio latency and device energy usage.

To determine the actual latency of the context after creating it, check the value of the context's baseLatency property.

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
Web Audio APIThe definition of 'AudioContextOptions.latencyHint' in that specification.	Working Draft	Initial definition.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`latencyHint`	Chrome Full support 60	Edge Full support ≤79	Firefox Full support 61	IE No support No	Opera ?	Safari ?	WebView Android Full support 60	Chrome Android Full support 60	Firefox Android Full support 61	Opera Android ?	Safari iOS ?	Samsung Internet Android Full support 8.0

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Compatibility unknown: Compatibility unknown