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What Is Spatial Audio?
Spatial Audio utilizes complex computational audio algorithms to add a more dynamic range to your music and videos. While using Spatial Audio, your content will always sound like you have the best seat in the house, whether it be a concert for your favorite artist or the next Hollywood blockbuster in IMAX. You can even level up your Spatial Audio experience with head tracking and personalized audio profiles tailored specifically to your ears. This tutorial shows you how to enable Spatial Audio on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Which Earbuds Support Spatial Audio?
You can take advantage of Spatial Audio by connecting any of the following headphones to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. You must be running iOS/iPadOS 15.1 to enjoy Spatial Audio on your iPhone or iPad with earbuds. If you wish to use Spatial Audio on Apple TV, you need an Apple TV 4K running tvOS 15 or later. Finally, if you plan on toggling Spatial Audio from your Mac, you must be running macOS Big Sur 11.4 or later. The following headphone models support both Spatial Audio and dynamic Spatial Audio with head tracking:
AirPods (3rd generation)AirPods Pro (1st & 2nd generation)AirPods MaxBeats Fit Pro
How to Test Run Spatial Audio Before Enabling It
While Spatial Audio offers a whole new take on sound for day-to-day media playback, it is not for everybody. You may want to assess the difference between stereo and Spatial Audio before you adjust the settings on your AirPods or Beats headphones by taking Spatial Audio for a test drive. Tip: to guarantee a smooth listening experience, make sure you clean your AirPods properly before use.
How to Enable Spatial Audio
The process to activate Spatial Audio varies based on which device you are using. Thankfully, once you know where the software controls are hiding, enabling Spatial Audio is quite straightforward.
Understanding Spatial Audio Options
Fixed Spatial Audio offers a greater dynamic range for audio, while Head Tracked Spatial Audio shifts sound from one earbud to the other for an enveloping auditory soundscape. Head-tracking data is used to illustrate the impression that sound is coming from your device instead of your earbuds. Each Spatial Audio toggle will enable: Fixed: turns on Spatial Audio without enabling head tracking. Head Tracked: turns on Spatial Audio and head tracking. Off: turns off Spatial Audio and head tracking.
Enable Spatial Audio on iPhone and iPad
Learn how to customize your Mac’s sound settings to improve your audio experience further.
Enable Spatial Audio on Mac
Note: Spatial Audio with head tracking is only available on Mac computers with Apple Silicon running macOS Monterey 12.3 or later.
Enable Spatial Audio on Apple TV
Tip: if you’re on macOS Ventura, turn on live captions to follow the audio in your app more easily.
What Is Personalized Spatial Audio?
Personalized Spatial Audio allows you to use the TrueDepth camera array, the same set of sensors that enable Face ID on iPhone X and later, to three-dimensionally scan the outer geometries of your ear. Your iPhone then uses this data to create a unique Spatial Audio sound profile that is customized for your ears.
How to Create a Personalized Profile on iPhone
If you are running iOS 16 or later on an iPhone with Face ID, you can tune your listening experience specifically for your ears using Personalized Spatial Audio. The camera data that is used to develop your unique audio profile utilizes on-device processing and does not store any actual images of your ears on your iPhone. Follow the steps below to set it up. Note: do not place your AirPods or Beats headphones in/over your ears while performing the ear scan. This will prevent the system from being able to conduct an accurate scan. Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Brahm Shank. Discover how to customize the Menu Bar in macOS to learn more about making your favorite controls more easily accessible throughout the system.
