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Spatial Audio Troubleshooting: A Comprehensive Guide

Spatial Audio for Apple Music was launched in June 2021, making use of Dolby Atmos recordings to create an immersive, surround sound experience. When you watch or play a supported show, movie, song, or game, or make a FaceTime call on your device, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max use Spatial Audio and head tracking to create an immersive theater-like environment with sound that surrounds you.

This article provides a comprehensive guide to troubleshooting common issues with spatial audio on Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TV 4K.

Spatial Audio is a technology that aims to create a more realistic and immersive audio experience. This is achieved through:

  • Creating a specific audio mix that includes multiple channels.
  • “Up-mixing”, which involves creating an artificial effect based on the provided stereo sound.
  • Head tracking, meaning that, as you turn your head, the sound source remains at the same point rather than moving with you, which is what happens with a traditional headphone set-up.
Spatial Audio Setup
Spatial Audio Setup Example

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Spatial Audio Not Working on iPhone/iPad

If you're experiencing issues with spatial audio on your iPhone or iPad, here are some steps to troubleshoot:

  1. Check Dolby Atmos Compatibility: Ensure you're playing audio specifically designed for Spatial Audio. On your iPhone or iPad, launch Apple Music and play some music that is labelled with “Dolby Atmos”.
  2. Verify Spatial Audio Settings: Head into Control Centre. You should have this set to either Automatic or Always On. Automatic will only make use of Dolby Atmos when the connecting hardware supports it and Always On will switch it on irrespective of the headphones.
  3. Mono Audio: Is Mono Audio switched on? If so, turn it off. On your phone go to settings-accessibility-audio/visual. Then turn off the slider for ‘Mono Audio’.

2. Spatial Audio Not Available

Some users have reported that spatial audio is not available even after updating their devices and headphones. Here's what you can check:

  1. Headphone Firmware: Ensure your headphone firmware is up to date.
  2. Device Compatibility: Confirm that both your device (e.g., iPhone 11 Pro) and headphones (e.g., AirPods Pro) support spatial audio.

3. Control Spatial Audio and Head Tracking 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].

Spatial Audio Settings
Spatial Audio Settings on iPhone

4. Control Spatial Audio and Head Tracking 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. 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.

Note: Spatial Audio isn’t available for all apps or content.

5. Control Spatial Audio and Head Tracking 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.

  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 .

How to Enable and Troubleshoot Spatial Audio on Apple Devices

6. Using Personalized Spatial Audio

You can use your iPhone X or later to create a representation of your ear and head shape for Personalized Spatial Audio. Your Spatial Audio profile customizes audio to better match how you hear sound and syncs across your Apple devices with iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS 13, tvOS 16, or later, where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

To set up Personalized Spatial Audio:

  1. Open the case lid with your AirPods inside, hold the case close to your iPhone, then follow the onscreen instructions.
  2. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your device. On your iPhone, go to the Settings app , then tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen. Tap Personalized Spatial Audio, then tap Personalize Spatial Audio.

To learn more about how to set up Personalized Spatial Audio, see the Apple Support article Listen with Personalized Spatial Audio for AirPods and Beats.

To stop using Personalized Spatial Audio:

Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your device.

iPhone or iPad: Go to the Settings app , then tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen. Tap Personalized Spatial Audio, then tap Stop Using Personalized Spatial Audio.

Mac: Go to the System Settings app , click the name of your AirPods in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), then click Stop Using Personalized Spatial Audio.

To use Personalized Spatial Audio again, you can set it up on your iPhone.

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If you're still experiencing issues, here are some additional steps you can try:

  • Reboot: Restart your system.
  • Audio Spatialization Apps: Download and run the audio spatialization through either the Dolby Access app or DTS Sound Unbound; both of these have free trials.

Table: Spatial Audio Troubleshooting Summary

Problem Solution
Spatial Audio not working on iPhone/iPad Check Dolby Atmos compatibility, verify Spatial Audio settings, disable Mono Audio.
Spatial Audio not available Update headphone firmware, confirm device compatibility.
General issues Reboot device, try Dolby Access or DTS Sound Unbound apps.