diff --git a/Gruntfile.js b/Gruntfile.js
index 82ab664f..0e97715d 100644
--- a/Gruntfile.js
+++ b/Gruntfile.js
@@ -44,6 +44,20 @@ module.exports = function(grunt) {
                   }
                 }
               });
+            } else if (path.indexOf('node_modules/startaudiocontext') > -1) {
+              // return '/** StartAudioContext.js by Yotam Mann, MIT License 2017 https://github.com/tambien/StartAudioContext http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT **/\n' +
+              return require('amdclean').clean({
+                code: contents,
+                escodegen: {
+                  comment: false,
+                  format: {
+                    indent: {
+                      style: '  ',
+                      adjustMultiLineComment: true
+                    }
+                  }
+                }
+              });
             } else {
               return require('amdclean').clean({
                 'code':contents,
@@ -63,6 +77,7 @@ module.exports = function(grunt) {
           out: 'lib/p5.sound.js',
           paths: {
             'Tone' : 'node_modules/tone/Tone',
+            'StartAudioContext' : 'node_modules/startaudiocontext/StartAudioContext',
             'automation-timeline': 'node_modules/web-audio-automation-timeline/build/automation-timeline-amd',
             'panner' : 'src/panner',
             'shims': 'src/shims',
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e8e08cd7..91d39d1b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     "grunt-open": "^0.2.3"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "startaudiocontext": "^1.2.1",
     "tone": "0.10.0"
   },
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/src/audiocontext.js b/src/audiocontext.js
index ec43d34c..28ac40dd 100644
--- a/src/audiocontext.js
+++ b/src/audiocontext.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 'use strict';
 
-define(function () {
+define(['StartAudioContext'], function (require, StartAudioContext) {
   // Create the Audio Context
   var audiocontext = new window.AudioContext();
 
@@ -42,34 +42,57 @@ define(function () {
     return audiocontext;
   };
 
-  // if it is iOS, we have to have a user interaction to start Web Audio
-  // http://paulbakaus.com/tutorials/html5/web-audio-on-ios/
-  var iOS =  navigator.userAgent.match(/(iPad|iPhone|iPod)/g) ? true : false ;
-  if (iOS) {
-    var iosStarted = false;
-    var startIOS = function() {
-      if (iosStarted) return;
 
-      // create empty buffer
-      var buffer = audiocontext.createBuffer(1, 1, 22050);
-      var source = audiocontext.createBufferSource();
-      source.buffer = buffer;
-
-      // connect to output (your speakers)
-      source.connect(audiocontext.destination);
-      // play the file
-      source.start(0);
-      console.log('start ios!');
-
-      if (audiocontext.state === 'running') {
-        iosStarted = true;
-      }
-    };
-    document.addEventListener('touchend', startIOS, false);
-    document.addEventListener('touchstart', startIOS, false);
-
-    // TO DO: fake touch event so that audio will just start
-  }
+  /**
+   *  <p>It is a good practice to give users control over starting audio playback.
+   *  This practice is enforced by Google Chrome's autoplay policy as of r70
+   *  (<a href="https://goo.gl/7K7WLu">info</a>), iOS Safari, and other browsers.
+   *  </p>
+   *
+   *  <p>
+   *  userStartAudio() starts the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/AudioContext"
+   *  target="_blank" title="Audio Context @ MDN">Audio Context</a> on a user gesture. It utilizes
+   *  the <a href="https://github.com/tambien/StartAudioContext">StartAudioContext</a> library by
+   *  Yotam Mann (MIT Licence, 2016). Read more at https://github.com/tambien/StartAudioContext.
+   *  </p>
+   *
+   *  <p>Starting the audio context on a user gesture can be as simple as <code>userStartAudio()</code>.
+   *  Optional parameters let you decide on a specific element that will start the audio context,
+   *  and/or call a function once the audio context is started.</p>
+   *  @param  {Element|Array}   [element(s)] This argument can be an Element,
+   *                                Selector String, NodeList, p5.Element,
+   *                                jQuery Element, or an Array of any of those.
+   *  @param  {Function} [callback] Callback to invoke when the AudioContext has started
+   *  @return {Promise}            Returns a Promise which is resolved when
+   *                                       the AudioContext state is 'running'
+   * @method userStartAudio
+   *  @example
+   *  <div><code>
+   *  function setup() {
+   *    var myDiv = createDiv('click to start audio');
+   *    myDiv.position(0, 0);
+   *
+   *    var mySynth = new p5.MonoSynth();
+   * 
+   *    // This won't play until the context has started
+   *    mySynth.play('A6');
+   *
+   *    // Start the audio context on a click/touch event
+   *    userStartAudio().then(function() {
+   *       myDiv.remove();
+   *     });
+   *  }
+   *  </code></div>
+   */
+  p5.prototype.userStartAudio = function(elements, callback) {
+    var elt = elements;
+    if (elements instanceof p5.Element) {
+      elt = elements.elt;
+    } else if (elements instanceof Array && elements[0] instanceof p5.Element ) {
+      elt = elements.map(function(e) { return e.elt});
+    }
+    return StartAudioContext(audiocontext, elt, callback);
+  };
 
   return audiocontext;
 });