Now if we can just get it on the regular airpods...really don't care for the isolated style of the pros (ears itch).
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New AirPods Pro Firmware Introduces Spatial Audio Support and Automatic Switching
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I definitely hear a more enveloping sound with Spatial Audio enabled, but I am not getting the effect when I turn my head or walk around my phone. When I turn my head, nothing changes, at all. I have the latest firmware on my Airpod Pros and iOS on my iPhone 8. I have tried a few different things in Apple TV+, but I can't get the gyroscopic effect to work. Any advice?
You are very incorrect. Spatial audio IS how the engineer intended. This works with content like Dolby Atmos, which is specifically used to allow for experiences like this. This isn’t “twisting a stereo mix” as Spatial Audio wouldn’t work properly with a simple stereo mix.
Spoken as an audio engineer.
I totally agree with this (also as an audio engineer) however the people in this thread were asking for it to be added to Apple Music...where it makes no sense at all.
Now I’ve got iOS 14 and tried it out, I’ve no idea why people were finding it so hard to describe what it does. It’s very simply taking the center channel from a surround mix and gluing its position to the screen (where the voices are) whilst the rest of the mix stays in the stereo spectrum and doesn’t move. It’s both simple and clever. Hopefully apps like Plex can add support for it soon.
Try as I might, I can never get the automatic switching to work!
I’ve got an iPhone X and an iPad Pro 11”, both with iOS/iPadOS 14. The Airpods pro are in firmware 3A283. They only ever connect to one device and are shown as “not connected” on the other. I’ve tried restarting, reinitilising the Airpods, signing into iCloud again etc. with no avail. Anyone‘s got any idea why this might be?
Spatial audio works well on both devices though.
I’ve got an iPhone X and an iPad Pro 11”, both with iOS/iPadOS 14. The Airpods pro are in firmware 3A283. They only ever connect to one device and are shown as “not connected” on the other. I’ve tried restarting, reinitilising the Airpods, signing into iCloud again etc. with no avail. Anyone‘s got any idea why this might be?
Spatial audio works well on both devices though.
The way it works for me is this:
1. Lock device one
2. Unlock device two
There's no step three, it connects at unlock. Do you not see a notification on top about it?
If not, I've got no idea what it could be, and it sounds like an increasing amount of reset-and-reinstall procedures is what Apple Support would end up recommending. That's how they work with me anyway, when I find myself in a deep enough ditch with updates.
Yes, it's been covered repeatedly in the thread. Spatial Audio is an iOS 14 feature which requires a iPhone 7 or later.
Looking for help... I have updated the AirPod Pros to the latest firmware and my iPhone 8 to iOS 14, and I have the Spatial Audio controls. My problem is it does not work. I have played a couple of shows and movies from AppleTV+, but nothing happens when I turn my head.
I also have conflicting indications.... While the Spatial Audio icon has the pulsing waves, the text at the top says the content does not support Spatial Audio. I have read in this thread, however, that the text might be a bug as others, for whom it works, see it also.
I also have conflicting indications.... While the Spatial Audio icon has the pulsing waves, the text at the top says the content does not support Spatial Audio. I have read in this thread, however, that the text might be a bug as others, for whom it works, see it also.
I don't understand why the device would need a gyro and accelerometer either, I believe it only needs the ones in the AirPods itself. I don't know if there is any info anywhere that explains exactly how the technology works, but I imagine they use the U1 chip in the iPhone and iPad, which is why it doesn't work on the Mac or Apple TV yet, so maybe that will be a feature in the next Apple TV and iMacs. This would really be killer on an Apple TV.
Perhaps they could do the surround calculation with regular Airpods, but a gyro is definitely needed for the head-turn feature. I can understand that surround alone would be desirable for Airpods owners. So, we’ve got to presume that the Product Positioning and Marketing depts have decided that it’s all-or-nothing and would prefer everyone to buy the more expensive Pro model to get Spatial Audio. 😂
That can't be it either, since iPhone 7/8/SE2 support spatial audio but don't have a U1 chip.
Wasted about an hour trying to get the AirPod Pro upgrade. What finally worked for me was 1) plug in the AirPod Pro to an Apple charging cable, 2) Made sure my iPhone was connected to these AirPods, 3) Put the iPhone on its charging stand. At this point I kept losing connectivity between the AirPod and the iPhone (as they weren't in my ear) so 4) with everything still connected to power pressed the button on the back of the closed AirPod Pro case. Waited 20 minutes. The firmware was upgraded to 3A283.
Found one, watching the latest episode of Lower Decks. At around 1:12, a character goes offscreen to the right, you hear the footfalls recede to the right and behind you. If you turn your head towards that sound, it’s perceived as coming from “center” while the other sounds are still coming from your left side (which is now pointed towards the screen).
Does auto switching work when you’re connected to your Apple TV & someone calls you? Mine didn’t work yesterday.
Because most audio isn’t meant to have extreme shifts, the best way to hear the “surround” is using the demo. Settings -> Bluetooth -> then tap the (i) next to your AirPod Pro. Scroll down and choose “See & Hear How It Works...” under the Spatial Audio button. There’s a sensation of directed audio from the instruments, with some seeming to come from behind left and behind right.
Unless it's some planned obsolescence to promote sales of the next Apple TV.
They can screw right off with that -- if that's the plan..
The only thing that would get me to upgrade my AppleTV at this point would be an actually ergonomic remote.
I'm to the point of possibly jumping ship on AppleTV given the cost and frustrations with the remotes
What would be nice as they are sold as ‘pros’ is an eq setting with presets and customisation. It should be the case that what ever app you are using for listening to music or podcasts you should be able to have the sound as you like it....as everyone has a different preference.