Uploading audio files to Firebase using SwiftUI and AVFoundation

Question

I want to upload audio files to Firebase Storage and then fetch them to play. I try to store the path of the in a global variable:

var fileURL: URL?

Currently I have the following code the record the audio using AVFoundation:

func startRecording() {
            let recordingSession = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance()
        
        do {
            try recordingSession.setCategory(.playAndRecord, mode: .default)
            try recordingSession.setActive(true)
        }
        catch {
            print("Failed to set up recording session")
        }
        
        let documentPath = FileManager.default.urls(for: .documentDirectory, in: .userDomainMask)[0]
        
        let audioFilename = documentPath.appendingPathComponent("\(Date().toString(dateFormat: "dd-MM-YY_'at'_HH:mm:ss")).m4a")
        
        self.fileURL = audioFilename
        
        let settings = [
                    AVFormatIDKey: Int(kAudioFormatMPEG4AAC),
                    AVSampleRateKey: 12000,
                    AVNumberOfChannelsKey: 1,
                    AVEncoderAudioQualityKey: AVAudioQuality.high.rawValue
                ]
        
        do {
            audioRecorder = try AVAudioRecorder(url: audioFilename, settings: settings)
            audioRecorder.record()
            
            recording = true
            
        }
        catch {
            print("Could not start recording with error: \(error)")
        }
    }

After this I want to to stop the recording but also upload to file to Firebase. Currently, I have this piece of code which I have written referring to the Firebase documentation based on uploading files form a local reference point. I am not sure how to access to the data of the audio file or what is a good way to upload it directly to Firebase Storage. Here is the full ViewModel code:

import Foundation
import AVFoundation
import SwiftUI
import Combine
import Firebase

class VoiceViewModel : NSObject ,ObservableObject {
    
    override init() {
        super.init()
        fetchRecordings()
    }
    
    
    var fileURL: URL?
    
    let objectWillChange = PassthroughSubject<VoiceViewModel, Never>()
    
    var audioRecorder: AVAudioRecorder!
    
    var recordings = [Recording]()
    
    
    
    @Published var recording = false {
            didSet {
                objectWillChange.send(self)
            }
        }
    
    func startRecording() {
            let recordingSession = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance()
        
        do {
            try recordingSession.setCategory(.playAndRecord, mode: .default)
            try recordingSession.setActive(true)
        }
        catch {
            print("Failed to set up recording session")
        }
        
        let documentPath = FileManager.default.urls(for: .documentDirectory, in: .userDomainMask)[0]
        
        let audioFilename = documentPath.appendingPathComponent("\(Date().toString(dateFormat: "dd-MM-YY_'at'_HH:mm:ss")).m4a")
        
        self.fileURL = audioFilename
        
        let settings = [
                    AVFormatIDKey: Int(kAudioFormatMPEG4AAC),
                    AVSampleRateKey: 12000,
                    AVNumberOfChannelsKey: 1,
                    AVEncoderAudioQualityKey: AVAudioQuality.high.rawValue
                ]
        
        do {
            audioRecorder = try AVAudioRecorder(url: audioFilename, settings: settings)
            audioRecorder.record()
            
            recording = true
            
        }
        catch {
            print("Could not start recording with error: \(error)")
        }
    }
    
    func stopRecording() {
        audioRecorder.stop()
        recording = false
        
        let storageRef = Storage.storage().reference()
        
        let localfile = self.fileURL ?? URL(string: "")
        
        let fileRef = storageRef.child("images/try.m4a")
        
        print(self.fileURL?.absoluteURL)
        let uploadTask = fileRef.putFile(from: localfile!, metadata: nil) { metaData, err in
            guard let metadata = metaData else { return }
            
            if let err = err {
                print(err.localizedDescription)
                return
            }
            
            fileRef.downloadURL { (url, err) in
                guard let downloadUrl = url else { return }
                
                print(downloadUrl)
            }
            
        }
        
        
        fetchRecordings()
    }
       
    
    func fetchRecordings() {
            recordings.removeAll()
            
            let fileManager = FileManager.default
            let documentDirectory = fileManager.urls(for: .documentDirectory, in: .userDomainMask)[0]
            let directoryContents = try! fileManager.contentsOfDirectory(at: documentDirectory, includingPropertiesForKeys: nil)
            for audio in directoryContents {
                let recording = Recording(fileURL: audio, createdAt: getCreationDate(for: audio))
                recordings.append(recording)
                
                recordings.sort(by: { $0.createdAt.compare($1.createdAt) == .orderedAscending})
                objectWillChange.send(self)
            }
        }    
}