Apple has fully committed to improving the audio quality in its headphones when playing certain multimedia content. That is why they presented the spatial audio technology that has surprised more than one. In this article we tell you everything you need to know about it.
What is spatial audio?
Normally when using headphones while viewing multimedia content such as a series or a movie, you only have two audio tracks. Sound is received from both left and right evenly, something that can make the experience not as satisfactory as possible. Spatial audio seeks to achieve an experience much more similar to that of a cinema by having different audio tracks that surround the person who is viewing the film.
In other words, spatial audio has the mission of enveloping the user, receiving different audio tracks from all locations. You do not only receive the audio from the right or left side but it is also received from the front or the back even if you do not have any type of speaker in that area. This means that you can get much more involved in a specific series or movie, providing an incredible experience. Both the gyroscope and the accelerometer that are included in the compatible AirPods allow to know the position of the head at all times to take it as a reference to apply the directional filters that are used. What is truly impressive is that in a device with such a small size, this type of immersive experience can be achieved when playing content.
Requirements to bear in mind
Obviously, not all equipment is compatible with this technology. A number of requirements have to be met both at the hardware and software level. Specifically, the iPhone to which they are linked must have iOS 14 or any higher version installed. In addition, not all AirPods that have been released to the market have this necessary technology, being limited to AirPods Pro. This is why if you have AirPods 2 or first generation, unfortunately you will not be able to have this function even though you have installed iOS 14 or higher.
To these requirements must be added the need to always have the firmware of the AirPods updated. It may seem like something that does not imply any kind of importance, but just as the operating system such as iOS must be updated, the firmware must be in the latest version available.
Enable spatial audio
Once you have realized that you meet all these requirements to use spatial audio technology, you must activate it. You just have to follow these steps:
- Make sure the AirPods are configured on the iPhone.
- Access Settings.
- Scroll to the ‘Bluetooth’ section.
- Next to the AirPods Pro you will see a button to access its settings.
- Here you can activate the spatial audio option.
In addition, you can activate or deactivate this technology in the control center of the iPhone. You will simply have to unfold it and make a long press on the volume slider. At the bottom you will see the button that you can activate or deactivate called ‘Spatial Audio‘. This is next to the option associated with noise cancellation.
Importance of compatible content
Unfortunately not all content is compatible with this form of playback. The movies must be adapted to 5.1 and Dolby Atmos which little by little is something quite common that you will be able to find. Right now Apple TV + is doing an important job to have this type of surround sound in its multimedia content. In order to see if a movie can be played with this type of surround sound, simply in the content tab next to the languages, you can make this type of query. The truth is that this is to be appreciated, not only for the AirPods, but to be able to enjoy movies with speakers that also allow you to enjoy this surround sound.
