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Understanding Apple Spatial Audio for AirPods

Apple Spatial Audio offers an innovative, immersive audio experience that transforms how you listen to music, watch movies, and interact with audio content. Spatial Audio is Apple’s solution to immersive sound. It is designed to add a three-dimensional, cinema-like audio experience to your everyday headphone usage. But what does this mean, and how does it work? This guide discusses details on Apple Spatial Audio, as well as Personalized Spatial Audio.

Spatial Audio uses dynamic head tracking to position sound all around you as if you’re in a movie theater. It employs directional audio filters and subtly adjusts the frequencies each ear receives to place sound sources virtually anywhere in a space. This creates a cinematic sound stage, making it feel like the audio comes from different directions. As you move your head, the audio stays fixed to the device, providing a consistent and realistic sound experience.

Spatial Audio Illustration

For instance, if a movie character speaks from the left side of the screen, it will sound as if their voice is actually coming from that direction, enhancing the realism of your viewing experience. Spatial Audio AirPods transform your listening experience from a passive to an almost tangible, interactive event.

How Spatial Audio Works

Spatial audio works in all apps that play media. 3rd party apps that support multichannel content like Netflix, Disney+ and others will use multi channel formats if the movie or show supports it. The technology is particularly effective when watching movies or TV shows that support surround sound formats, like 5.1, 7.1, or Dolby Atmos.

To use Spatial Audio on AirPods, ensure they’re connected to your iPhone or iPad.

How to set up and use spatial audio with AirPods

Compatible Devices

You’ll need compatible hardware to experience Spatial Audio. While the AirPods or headphones are crucial for Spatial Audio, the source device also plays a significant role.

  • No, AirPods 1 and 2 do not support Spatial Audio.
  • Yes, AirPods Max supports Spatial Audio.
  • All M-powered iPads are supported.
  • All M-powered Macs can play back spatial audio.

Personalized Spatial Audio

Personalized Spatial Audio will scan your head to make an HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) on your iPhone. This will allow spatial audio to use your HRTF rather than a generic one.

According to Wikipedia, “A head-related transfer function (HRTF), also known as anatomical transfer function (ATF), or a head shadow is a response that characterizes how an ear receives a sound from a point in space. This allows reflections of the sound to bounce off of walls in a virtual room giving the effect of the audio being in a living room or studio/theater.

To create a Personalized Spatial Audio profile, you will need an iPhone 10 or later.

  1. Tap on your AirPods at the top of the settings list.
  2. You will be asked to complete the front view capture.
  3. After you complete the front view capture, you will be asked to complete the right ear capture. There is no one way to complete this from my testing. My recommendation is to hold the phone out in front of you, and then turn to the left.
  4. Then, you will turn your head to the right and left until it works. That’s the best advice I can give you.
  5. Next, repeat that all over again but this time for the left ear capture. Same advice as before, you kind of have to figure it out as you go. Apples “turn your head left” and turn your head right” messages play seemingly randomly.
  6. After you complete the set up process, Personalized Spatial Audio is ready!

One thing that I’ve been noticing is that things sound very up close with personalized spatial audio turned on compared to regular spatial audio. Normal spatial audio feels much more immersive. I like the way spacial audio as a whole makes regular stereo content in apple music and YouTube have a sense of depth. Everyone’s head is not the same, so spatial audio will work better or worse by default for some people.

Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio

If you are an Apple Music subscriber, you have access to Dolby Atmos music and lossless audio. This can work in tandem with spatial audio. This is the only feature that doesn’t require AirPods, but you will have to enable it.

  • If on an iPhone, open the Music settings.
  • Under Dolby Atmos, select Always On. This setting only affects Apple Music.
  • This is where you toggle the feature on. Turning it on for one app does not affect any other apps.

Note, in iOS 17, tapping on spatial audio when no music is playing will take you back a screen. Dolby Atmos and spatial audio will now be on for supported songs. If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can play available tracks in Dolby Atmos, which creates an immersive, three-dimensional (spatial) audio experience on stereo headphones and speakers or receivers compatible with Dolby Atmos.

Albums and songs available in Dolby Atmos have the Dolby icon next to them. If a track is playing in Dolby Atmos, the icon also appears on the Now Playing screen.

Note: Apple Music and Dolby Atmos aren’t available in all countries or regions. See the Apple Support article Availability of Apple Media Services.

Turn on Dolby Atmos

  1. Go to Settings > Apps > Music.
  2. Tap Dolby Atmos, then choose Automatic or Always On.

Automatic: Plays Dolby Atmos whenever iPhone is connected to compatible headphones such as AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max, or to speakers or receivers compatible with Dolby Atmos.

Always On: Plays Dolby Atmos on any headphones or speakers. The Music app will attempt to play Dolby Atmos tracks on any headphones or speakers connected to iPhone.

Dolby Atmos will play on any headphones, but not all speakers will play Dolby Atmos as intended.

Controlling Spatial Audio and Head Tracking

Head tracked, Dynamic head tracking will make the sound seem like it changes direction if you move your head. For example, if your iPhone is stationary on a flat surface and you turn your head to the right, the sound will move to the left. If personalized spatial audio is turned on, head tracking also works for the up and down motion of your head. For example, if you tilt your head back, the sound will sound like it is getting lower and farther away.

On iPhone or iPad

You can control Spatial Audio and head tracking for each supported app in Control Center.

  1. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your device.
  2. Open Control Center, touch and hold the volume control, then tap Spatial Audio at the lower right.
  3. Tap one of the following:
    • Off: Turns off both Spatial Audio and head tracking.
    • Fixed: Turns on Spatial Audio without head tracking.
    • Head Tracked: Turns on both Spatial Audio and head tracking. The audio you’re listening to will sound like it’s coming from your iPhone or Mac.

The settings you choose are saved and applied automatically the next time you use that app. For example, if you tap Fixed while listening to a song in the Music app , the Fixed setting is automatically used the next time you play a song in that app.

Note: To disable head tracking for all apps on your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings app , then tap Accessibility. Tap AirPods, tap the name of your AirPods, then turn off Follow [device].

On Mac

You can use Spatial Audio and head tracking to make supported shows, movies, and music sound like they’re coming from all around you (on Mac computers with Apple silicon and macOS 12.3 or later). You can turn Spatial Audio and head tracking on or off for each supported app.

  1. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your Mac.
  2. Click the AirPods icon in the menu bar.
  3. If the AirPods icon isn’t in the menu bar, go to the System Settings app , then click Menu Bar in the sidebar. Below Menu Bar Controls, select Sound . (You may need to scroll down.)
  4. Choose one of the following below Spatial Audio:
    • Off: Turns off both Spatial Audio and head tracking.
    • Fixed: Turns on Spatial Audio without head tracking.
    • Head Tracked: Turns on both Spatial Audio and head tracking. This allows the sound to follow the movement of your head.

On Apple TV 4K

You can customize the Spatial Audio settings for each supported app using Control Center on Apple TV 4K. You can also turn head tracking on or off for all apps. (tvOS 15.1 or later required.)

  1. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your Apple TV 4K.
  2. While watching a movie or TV show or listening to music, open Control Center, then navigate to the AirPods icon at the top of the screen (next to the time display).
  3. Navigate to Spatial Audio, then select an option.

The settings you choose are saved and applied automatically the next time you use that app. For example, if you turn on Spatial Audio while using the Apple TV app with your AirPods, Spatial Audio automatically turns on the next time you use the app with your AirPods.

Note: To disable dynamic head tracking for all apps on Apple TV 4K, double-click on the Siri Remote, then go to the Settings app .

Troubleshooting

You may see a “Spatial Audio Not Available” message for a few reasons:

  • Content: Spatial Audio works with content that supports surround sound formats.
  • Mono Audio: Check if your device’s Mono Audio is enabled by going to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual.