Personalized Spatial Audio is a new audio feature available with compatible AirPods, in iOS 16. It allows you to listen to spatial audio content in a personalized way, as the iPhone is able to map your ear geometry and so provide a unique audio experience.
What is Custom Spatial Audio?
Spatial Audio is a technique for creating sound 360 degrees around the listener for a more immersive experience.
Apple is able to customize the Spatial Audio experience using AirPods and an iPhone, iPad or Mac. It practically needs a camera to be able to map the geometry of your ears and record your unique spatial audio profile.
Personalized Spatial Audio delivers enhanced sound that can follow your iPhone’s movement, so you can listen to movies and TV shows rendered in immersive, three-dimensional fashion.
How to set up custom spatial sound
The first time you connect AirPods Pro, AirPods 3, or AirPods Max to an iPhone/iPad running iOS 16/iPadOS 16, you are prompted to Custom spatial audio setup screen:
- Faucet Continue and be sure to remove the AirPods, as the iPhone camera needs a clear view of your ears.
- Perform the Front view scan positioning your face in the camera frame. So. move your head in a circle like you would when setting up Face ID.
- Faucet Continue if the Capturing the front view succeeds, to capture the side angles and complete the custom spatial audio setup.
- Capture of the right ear is the first. Position the right side of your head in the camera frame, with an unobstructed view of your ear (don’t wear a hat, headband, or anything else). Then gently move your head left and right to capture all angles of the right ear.
If everything is OK the Capture of the right ear is confirmed and you are invited to Continue.
- Capture of the left ear works the same way. Gently move your head to the right and to the left. Keep the side profile view, do not look at the camera. A confirmation sound is played when all angles are covered.
That’s it, you should now be done setting up custom spatial audio!
Point: You can also manually initiate custom spatial audio setup in SSettings -> AirPods [name] -> Custom spatial audio
How to Test Custom Spatial Audio
Now it’s time to hear the difference:
- Wear the AirPods and navigate to the new AirPods menu at the top of the settings home screen.
- Tap it and scroll for it. Spatial audio section. Press on See and hear how it works…
- On the Spatial Audio test screen, compare the sound in Stereo audio vs spatial audio. Notice the difference?
- Faucet Do to stop the test.
How to Use AirPods Custom Spatial Audio
To take full advantage of the Custom Spatial Audio feature, you must listen to audio encoded in Dolby Atmos.
Point: To enable Dolby Atmos for Apple Music, you need to visit Settings -> Music -> Dolby Atmos
Open Apple Music and press the Spatial audio Category. It should be available at the top of the Look for tongue.
Choose a featured playlist of: Designed for spatial audio, Success in spatial audio, Pop in Spatial Audio, Rock in Spatial Audio etc
Custom Spatial Audio in Control Center
You can easily enable and disable spatial audio in Control Center:
- Long press the AirPods volume controls.
- Press on Spatial audio.
- Easily switch between Stopped, Fixed and Head tracked.
Do: Audio cuts out for a split second when changing Spatial Audio playback mode.
Do you like the new custom spatial audio feature of AirPods? Do you have any questions? Share your feedback in the comments.
Related: Here’s how to enable Spatial Audio music playback on HomePod.