YouTube suddenly has spatial audio

[simaka]

Few days ago, while I was listening to something on youtube, it suddenly switched to spatial audio. I immediately noticed it, as I was moving around the kitchen with a static phone on the counter. I have double-checked a few times turning it on and off to be sure, even did it right now before posting. Googled and I don't see any articles about it.

I have youtube premium, could be a premium-only feature, or maybe they are testing it on a subset of the users before full roll-out.

Anyone else out there noticing the same?

 

[Julien]

Do you mean Dolby Atmos (Spatial) or just head tracking or both?

 

[johntw]

It’s spatialized stereo with iOS 15, and it can be enabled/disabled in Control Center.

 

[Julien]

It’s spatialized stereo with iOS 15, and it can be enabled/disabled in Control Center.

Not sure what you are seeing but Spatial audio is Apple's name for Dolby Atmos. Here is the correct info.

About Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music - Apple Support

If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can listen to select songs in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. Learn which devices support Dolby Atmos, how to change settings for Dolby Atmos, and find answers to common questions so you can start listening.

support.apple.com

 

[johntw]

Not sure what you are seeing but Spatial audio is Apple's name for Dolby Atmos. Here is the correct info.

About Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in Apple Music - Apple Support

If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can listen to select songs in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. Learn which devices support Dolby Atmos, how to change settings for Dolby Atmos, and find answers to common questions so you can start listening.

support.apple.com

That has nothing to do with YouTube.

'Spatialize Stereo' Feature in iOS 15 and macOS Monterey Simulates Spatial Audio for Non-Dolby Content

In iOS 15 and macOS Monterey betas, Apple has quietly included a new audio feature called "Spatialize Stereo" that takes any non-Dolby stereo...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Julien]

That MacRumors jogged my memory. I originally got beta on my iPad but NOT my iPhone and it didn’t work so I completely forgot about it thinking Apple just didn’t implement it. I can’t find where Apple officially mentions it at all. Also it seems to be iPhone only. So no iPad, Mac or Apple TV. So you can only experience Spatialized stereo (not Spatial audio witch is different altogether) on the iPhone.

Not sure if the OP was referring to iPhone YouTube viewing. Also looks to just be universal to ANY stereo track on the iPhone and not YouTube specific.

iOS 18

iOS 18 makes iPhone even more personal, with deeper customization, new ways to connect, easier-to-find photos, and support for Apple Intelligence.

www.apple.com

 

[BeatCrazy]

I swear I was hearing head tracking last night with my AirPods Pro + YouTube app. I'm not a premium YouTube subscriber.

EDIT - this was on my M1 iPad Pro.

 

[JeffPerrin]

"Non-premium" YouTube and regular user content is, and always has been stereo only.

 

[bigshot]

This was answered correctly by Johntw. With iOS 15 there is an option to apply a DSP to regular stereo sources to "spatialize" them. It's basically just head tracking.

Spatial audio is based on Dolby technology, and it uses Dolby Atmos tracks, but it isn't surround sound. The only way to do that at this point is the Smyth Realiser, which uses HRTF calibration to create a simulated sound field.

 

[zhoubolin]

After getting a pair of AirPods max I was so excited to hear the spatial audio, somehow I couldn't hear it the spatial audio until I start to pair it with bluetooth on my M1 MacBook Pro that I see the "spatialize stereo" options and therefore I finally hear the spatial audio watching Youtube streaming.

I was feeling skeptical so I go back try to pair on any of the Intel MacBook Pros from 2013-2016 MacBook Pros and it doesn't show the "spatialize stereo" options, and I couldn't find a way to hear spatial audio

is this spatialize stereo only works on M1 MacBook Pro or later 2021 MacBook Pro?