How to get 360 sound on your new AirPods

The AirPods Pro and AirPods Max have just received a new feature.

The AirPods Pro and AirPods Max have just received a new feature. (Omid Armin / Unsplash /)

If you own a pair of Apple AirPods Pro or AirPods Max headphones, you’ve just gotten a great update with the arrival of iOS 14: spatial audio.

Apple developed its spatial audio feature with the goal of creating an immersive sound effect from just two audio sources: one in the left ear and one in the right. The company describes it as “cinematic sound that surrounds you from the movie or video you are watching” through your own headphones.

And it’s also pretty smart, able to recognize where your head is and where your mobile device is in 3D space, adjusting the sound effects and voice dialogue of what you see accordingly.

Of course, a pair of headphones or earphones can’t compete with a full-fledged surround speaker system, but you might be surprised at how much they can use tricks like delays and sound settings. volume to give the impression that sounds are all around. you.

What you will need

To enjoy Apple’s Space Sound System, you will need a specific combination of hardware and software. Headphones first: Like we said above, you’ll need the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max.

Your AirPods will also need to be running the latest firmware. These updates should happen automatically, but if you don’t see spatial audio as a feature, the latest patch might not have been installed. Simply put them back on charge for 30 minutes That should be enough

to force it.

Then there’s the device you’re actually watching videos on. It must be an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus from 2016, or one of the iPhones released since (this year’s iPhone 12 is definitely qualified), running iOS 14 or later.

You can also go the iPad route, as spatial audio works with iPad Pro (3rd generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), standard iPad (6th generation and later), and iPad mini ( 5th generation). For tablets, you’ll need to use iPadOS 14 or later.

And it’s not finished yet; you will also need a video application that supports spatial audio. Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t released a master list of apps that have spatial audio capabilities or not, but a quick web search will show results and tell you if the app you choose offers the functionality.

As of this writing, Disney +, Plex, HBO Max, Hulu, and of course Apple TV + support spatial audio. You will notice that Netflix is ​​not on this list, but it is rumored that it will be added in no time. Amazon Prime Video watchers are out of luck at the moment.

How to activate spatial audio

You can find the spatial audio settings in your phone settings.

You can find the spatial audio settings in your phone settings. (David Nield /)

If this is the first time you are connecting a pair of AirPods Pro or AirPods Max headphones to an iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 device, you will be prompted to turn on spatial audio during the setup process. If you don’t activate it right away, you can do it later.

To find the screen you’ll need, open Settings on your device and choose Bluetooth. Press the blue info button to the right of your AirPods, then turn the Spatial audio Turn on the switch. There is a See and hear how it works under the toggle switch if you want to see a spatial audio demo in action.

Load up a video app like Apple TV + and you’re good to go. Try moving your head and your iPhone or iPad as you watch, and the sound should adjust accordingly – place your iPhone in your right ear, for example, and most of the sound should travel to that ear.

Of course, the effects of spatial audio will depend on the video you’re watching and how the audio has been encoded in the content, but you should be able to tell the difference between spatial audio and stereo sound.

You can switch between spatial audio and stereo sound from the control center: swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to open it, then touch and hold the volume bar

for your connected headphones. Tap Spatial audio to activate and deactivate the function.

It should be borne in mind that some other audio parameters can affect spatial audio performance; These parameters include the Mono audio Yes Balanced options, which you will see if you select Accessibility in the configuration of.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *