Everything about spatial audio
Since the iPhone 7, the iPhone has had stereo speakers: one speaker is located at the bottom right, the other above the screen in the ear speaker. If you hold your iPhone in landscape mode, you will hear the sound coming from both the left and right. But with spatial audio (English: Spatial Audio) on the iPhone and AirPods it sounds even fuller and (as the name suggests) more spacious. Which Apple devices exactly does Spatial Audio work on and what do you need for it?
- Explanation
- devices
- Switch
- Suitable apps and services
- Advantages
There are two types of spatial audio: listening to films and series via the built-in speakers or suitable music on Apple Music in Dolby Atmos. In this article we explain both forms.
Which Apple devices support spatial audio?
Spatial audio is available on various Apple devices. For films and series with spatial audio via the built-in speakers, you need these models:
- iPhone 11 series and newer
- iPad Pro 2018 and newer
- iPad Air 2019 and newer
- iPad 2018 and newer
- iPad mini 2019 and newer
AirPods are also equipped with spatial audio. You can listen to spatial audio in combination with a suitable iPhone or iPad. This applies to these AirPods models:
- AirPods 3 (2021)
- AirPods Pro (all models)
- AirPods Max
- Beats Fit Pro
Spatial audio with Apple Music
Different conditions apply for listening to Apple Music in spatial audio. You need this for that, with iOS 14.6 and newer:
- Via headphones with an iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV (can be enabled separately via settings)
- Apple and Beats headphones (AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, BeatsX, Beats Solo 3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro; automatic without further setting)
- Built-in speakers of suitable iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. Eligible models include iPhone
- Apple TV 4K with a suitable TV or audio receiver.
You can read more about this in our tip about listening to Apple Music in Dolby Atmos/spatial audio.
Apple’s official list can be found here. So it does not work on the iPhone SE 2020 and some older iPads. Apple Music for Android has also supported spatial audio since July 2021, but Apple does not indicate on which devices it works. The aforementioned support document states that you should check with the manufacturer of your device whether Dolby Atmos is supported.
Since 2019, Apple has added spatial audio to the iPhone speakers for watching movies and series and since iOS 14 and the associated AirPods firmware update, we also find this function on the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Max headphones and AirPods 3 have it built in as standard.
Because the AirPods only have one speaker per ear, Apple has created all kinds of algorithms that imitate the surround sound. Apple has also used special technology for the AirPods 3, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. Because you move your head regularly, the sound rotates with the AirPods. Apple uses the accelerometer and gyroscope to register movement with your head and thus link the sound to the position of your device. This means that the sound coming from the left always comes from the left. Even if you turn your head to the left or right. This is also called dynamic head tracking on AirPods.
What is spatial audio (Spatial Audio)?
There are all kinds of standards for creating spatial audio. There is Dolby Atmos for televisions and speakers. The Apple TV 4K supports Dolby Atmos, but iPhones can also play the content. Such stands create surround sound, without having to place speakers all around you. Spatial audio on the iPhone and AirPods works much the same way. It seems as if all kinds of sounds are coming from behind, above, below, left and right, even though you only have two speakers. This puts you right in the middle of the action, which is especially useful for movies. Another term that is often used is 3D audio.
The video below from Apple explains how it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf4o0I30nAg
Enable spatial audio
First of all, it is important that you watch a video that is suitable for spatial audio. Spatial audio works with content encoded with 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos audio. On suitable iPhones you don’t have to do anything else for this, because there is no setting to enable or disable it.
This applies to the AirPods 3, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max:
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone. Make sure you have something playing.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Press and hold the volume control.
- At the bottom of Spatial audio, choose Off, Fixed or Main tracked.
You can also test the audio by connecting your AirPods and going to Settings > Bluetooth. Then tap the i icon behind your connected AirPods and tap the blue text Spatial audio.
To try Spatial Audio, it is best to watch a movie or series from Apple TV+ or Disney+. Most content from these streaming video services includes spatial audio. Whether it works can be recognized by the icons below.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Press and hold the volume control to see the status icon.
These apps work with Spatial Audio
Not all apps are suitable for spatial audio, but this one certainly is:
- Apple TV app
- Disney+
- Plex (see also this trick)
- TIDAL (some songs)
- Air Video HD
- Ziggo Go (only with Mediabox Next in live channels)
- Netflix
- Infusion
- VLC
Support may be limited, meaning that not all films and series can be listened to with spatial audio.
These apps have not yet been adapted for spatial audio:
- Amazon Prime Video
- YouTube (proprietary format, but not compatible with Apple)
- Vimeo
What are the benefits of spatial audio?
The biggest advantage is that it seems as if the sound comes from all sides, without having to use multiple speakers. This makes films and documentaries sound more realistic. Think of an action movie, where a car comes rushing from the rear left to the front right of the screen. The sound then corresponds much more closely to the image.
Spatial audio has already proven itself on the iPhone. In a nature documentary on Netflix you can really hear the jungle sounds around you, as if you were standing in the middle of a rainforest. Chirping birds, creaking branches and more sound a lot more realistic. The largest application is therefore for films and much less for music via streaming services.
There are actually no disadvantages on the iPhone. For example, it does not use more battery, so you don’t have to worry about your iPhone running out of power faster. This also applies to the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, because the battery lasts about as long with the function on or off. With the AirPods 3, the use of spatial audio does make a difference to the battery life. If you listen exclusively with spatial audio, the battery will last an hour less.
