Discover the power of spatial audio

Spatial audio is the future of sound. It provides an immersive experience that puts you in the middle of the action. Hear a plane fly overhead in the movie you’re streaming. Or hear a car speed past you. Read on to discover what spatial audio is and how you can use it.

What is spatial audio?

Spatial audio is 3D sound. This technology makes music sound as if it is being played around you. This makes it seem as if you are right in the middle of the music. Do you want a concert experience with your favorite songs? With spatial audio, it feels like you are really there. It also gives a cinema experience, so that you are completely absorbed in your favorite movie. 

Spatial audio has many names. Apple calls it spatial audio, but other brands have their own terms, such as:

• Sony: 360 Reality Audio.
• Bose: Bose Immersive Audio.
• JBL: JBL Spatial Sound.
• Samsung: 360 Audio.

How does spatial audio work?

Spatial audio uses a technique that tricks your brain. For example, the sound of an airplane flying overhead seems to come from above, but is actually playing through your headphones. With normal speakers, this effect often does not work or works much less well. 

This is because your ears and brain use reflections of sound on objects, such as walls, to determine where the sound is coming from. Spatial audio is a technique that mimics this.

How does spatial audio work on your AirPods?

More and more Apple earphones have spatial audio. Like all AirPods Pro and AirPods Max models. From the AirPods 3, all Apple earphones have spatial audio. Apple’s spatial audio uses special algorithms to process the sound and adapt it to your ears. It even takes into account the position of your head in relation to the device. This way you ‘hear’ a 3D sound that seems to come from different directions.

Here’s how to turn on spatial audio for AirPods on your iPhone.

1. Connect your AirPods to your iPhone.
2. Play video or sound through your earphones.
3. Swipe down from the top right of the screen.
4. Press and hold the volume control.
5. Press Make Stereo Spatial .
6. You get 3 choices for the sound:
   1. Out .
   2. Fixed . Choose this if you want spatial audio.
   3. Head Tracked . Choose this if you want spatial audio that adapts to your head movements.