--- title: "Blankie - Play Blankie Alongside Music, Podcasts or Audiobooks" description: "Run Blankie's rain, fireplace or coffee shop sounds underneath your music, podcasts or audiobooks on iPhone, iPad and Mac." canonical: "https://blankie.rest/guides/mix-with-other-audio/" --- > For an index of every page on this site, see [llms.txt](https://blankie.rest/llms.txt). Every page also has a Markdown version like this one. [Blankie Basics](https://blankie.rest/guides/) # Play Blankie Alongside Music, Podcasts or Audiobooks Run Blankie's rain, fireplace or coffee shop sounds underneath your music, podcasts or audiobooks on iPhone, iPad and Mac. 2 min read Updated October 2026 All Platforms On iPhone and iPad, Blankie behaves like a music app. Starting it pauses whatever else was playing, and Blankie takes over the Lock Screen, Control Center and your headphone buttons. Want rain under an audiobook or podcast instead? Turn on Mix with Other Audio and Blankie plays alongside your other apps. ## On iPhone and iPad: Mix with Other Audio 1. Open **Settings** (the gear button in your Library). 2. Under **Playback & Sounds**, turn on **Mix with Other Audio**. With **Mix with Other Audio** turned on: * **Blankie plays alongside other apps.** Starting a podcast, audiobook or song won't pause your mix, and starting Blankie won't interrupt your other app. * **The volume slider controls Blankie directly.** Instead of changing your phone's system volume, the slider on Blankie's Now Playing screen sets Blankie's own volume so you can lower rain or static underneath a narrator's voice. Turning this on also turns on Blankie's **Set Volume** action in [Shortcuts](https://blankie.rest/guides/control-blankie-anywhere/). [![Blankie's Settings on iPhone with Mix with Other Audio turned on and Blankie Volume with Media at 50%.](https://blankie.rest/_astro/iphone-settings-mix.O0jF6KJ9_Zv8GWj.webp)](https://blankie.rest/%5Fastro/iphone-settings-mix.O0jF6KJ9%5FZv8GWj.webp) NOTE While **Mix with Other Audio** is on, iOS gives the Lock Screen, Control Center and AirPods playback controls to your other media app. Turn **Mix with Other Audio** back off whenever you want Blankie back on the Lock Screen and headphone buttons. Connecting to [CarPlay](https://blankie.rest/guides/blankie-carplay/) pauses mixing automatically while you drive so dashboard controls stay dedicated to Blankie. ## On Mac macOS lets apps play audio at the same time by default, so there's no setting to toggle. To balance Blankie underneath another app on your Mac: * Use the volume slider in the bottom control bar (or inside Blankie's menu bar popover) to lower Blankie's overall volume beneath your music or video app. * Each sound tile keeps its own relative volume inside your mix. * If you want your mix to start as soon as you launch the app, turn on **Autoplay on Open** in **Settings → Playback & Sounds**. ## Continuous playback in Now Playing On iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27, Blankie reports ambient loops to the system as continuous playback. That hides the looping progress bar in Now Playing and on the Lock Screen, while still showing a countdown bar whenever a [sleep timer](https://blankie.rest/guides/sleep-timer/) is running. To bring the looping progress bar back, turn off **Show Playback as Continuous** in **Settings → Playback & Sounds**. ## Keep reading [Blankie BasicsControl Blankie from AnywhereControl Blankie with widgets, Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight, the Mac menu bar, headphones, media keys, the Lock Screen, Control Center and CarPlay.Read the guide ](https://blankie.rest/guides/control-blankie-anywhere/)[Blankie BasicsFall Asleep with the Sleep TimerDrift off to rain, waves or white noise and let Blankie pause for you. Set the sleep timer on Mac, iPhone or iPad and it stops on its own.Read the guide ](https://blankie.rest/guides/sleep-timer/)[Blankie BasicsQuick Mix, Single Sounds and PresetsHow Blankie's presets, Quick Mix soundboard and single-sound playback work, and how to switch between them without overwriting your saved mixes.Read the guide ](https://blankie.rest/guides/quick-mix-and-single-sounds/) ## Blankie is free, forever. No ads, no paywalls and no privacy tradeoffs. Mix adjustable ambient sounds into your own soundscapes for sleep, rest and focus on iPhone, iPad, CarPlay and Mac. [![Download on the App Store](https://blankie.rest/_astro/app-store-badge.f_0GEMIJ_1y0B2z.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blankie/id6740096581?itscg=30200&itsct=apps%5Fbox%5Fbadge&mttnsubad=6740096581) Download Source: https://blankie.rest/guides/mix-with-other-audio/