How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods Pro

Sep 26, 2021 - 1 Comment

How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods

AirPods Pro support Spatial Audio, which is Apple’s take on Dolby Atmos surround-sound experience where there’s a huge emphasis on 3D audio. With this feature, Apple intends to bring a theatre-like surround-sound experience to your AirPods Pro while watching supported video content. Combined with AirPods Pro’s dynamic head-tracking capabilities, the audio for the content you’re watching on your iPhone or iPad’s screen will subtly shift as you move your head away from the screen since the sound-field stays mapped to the on-screen visuals.

Can’t wait to try out this feature already? Or perhaps you want to turn it off? No worries, we’ll cover how you can enable or disable Spatial Audio on AirPods Pro.

How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods Pro

Spatial Audio is enabled by default as long as your AirPods Pro is connected to a supported iPhone and iPad running iOS 14/iPadOS 14 or later. Here’s how to check the setting and adjust as needed:

  1. Head over to “Settings” from the home screen of your iPhone or iPad.

    iOS settings icon
  2. In the settings menu, tap on “Bluetooth” to access the settings for your AirPods Pro.

    How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods
  3. Next, tap on the “i” icon next to the AirPods Pro your device is connected to, as shown below.

    How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods
  4. Now, scroll down and use the toggle to enable or disable Spatial Audio. For a quick demo of the sound experience, you can tap on “See & Head How It Works”.

    How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods
  5. Switch between Stereo and Spatial Audio in this menu to understand the difference it makes. And if you like it, you have the option to turn this feature on for supported videos.
    How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods
  6. If you don’t find the Spatial Audios option despite using a supported device and running iOS 14, there’s a good chance that your AirPods Pro firmware isn’t on the latest version. To check this, go to Settings -> General -> About and scroll down to the bottom to find your connected AirPods. Tap on it.

    How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods
  7. Now, you’ll be able to check its current firmware version. Spatial Audio was made available with the 3A283 firmware update, so check if you’re on that and not the older 2D27 firmware.

    How to Enable or Disable Spatial Audio on AirPods

You can enable or disable Spatial Audio as you see fit, depending on the content you’re watching on your iPhone and iPad, and whether or not you like the feature.

If your AirPods Pro is not yet on the latest firmware, don’t worry. AirPods firmware will update automatically if they are stored within their case near the synced iPhone/iPad, as long as it’s connected to the internet.

It’s worth pointing out that not all devices that are capable of running iOS 14 (or later) support Spatial Audio. You’ll need an iPhone 7 or later to use this feature with your AirPods Pro. Or, if you’re using an iPad, the models supported are: iPad Pro 11.5 & 12.9 inch, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad (6th generation) and later.

Finding content that properly works with Spatial Audio may be somewhat limited sometimes, although Apple claims it works with 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos audio. However, you can watch movies and TV shows with Spatial Audio on Apple TV+, Disney+, and HBO Max via their respective apps, and presumably other offerings like NetFlix and YouTube too.

We hope you were able to experience Spatial Audio on your iPhone/iPad without any issues and disable them whenever it isn’t required or working properly. What are your first impressions on this elevated audio experience? Do share your valuable thoughts and experiences in the comments section down below.

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Posted by: Hamlin Rozario in iPad, iPhone, Tips & Tricks

One Comment

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  1. Anonymous User says:

    Doesn’t work for iOS 15.

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