Spatial audio is a sonic feature exclusive to AirPods Pro and AirPods Max that adds surround sound to Apple's premium audio wearables. By utilizing dynamic head tracking, it brings a theater-like audio experience to the movie or video you're watching, so that it seems as if the sound is coming from all around you.

spatialaudiofeature
Spatial audio uses the gyroscope and accelerometer in your ‌‌AirPods Pro‌ or ‌AirPods Max‌‌ and iOS device to track the motion of your head and the position of your ‌iPhone/iPad‌, compares the motion data, and then maps the sound field to what's happening on the screen even as you move your head or your device.

What You Need

To take advantage of spatial audio on ‌AirPods Pro‌ or ‌AirPods Max‌, you'll need an ‌iPhone‌ 7 or later or one of the ‌iPad‌ models listed below.

  • iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd generation) and later
  • ‌iPad Pro‌ 11‑inch
  • iPad Air (3rd generation)

  • ‌iPad‌ (6th generation) and later
  • iPad mini (5th generation)

You'll also need iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or later installed on your device, as well as the latest firmware on your ‌AirPods Pro‌ or ‌AirPods Max‌.

AirPods Pro

Make Sure Your AirPods Pro Firmware is Up to Date

While there's no clear cut way to upgrade the firmware of the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, with new firmware installed over-the-air when the AirPods are connected to an iOS device, putting your ‌‌AirPods‌‌ in the case, connecting them‌‌ to a power source, and then pairing the ‌‌headphones to an ‌iPhone‌ or an ‌iPad‌ should force the update after a short period of time.

Apple in September 2020 released the 3A283 firmware for ‌AirPods Pro‌ that introduced spatial audio. Apple may have released newer firmware by the time you read this, but you can check your ‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌ firmware by following these steps:

  1. Make sure the ‌‌AirPods‌‌ or ‌AirPods Max‌ are connected to your iOS device.
  2. Open the Settings app.
  3. Tap General.
  4. Tap About.
  5. Tap AirPods or AirPods Max.
  6. Look at the number next to "Firmware version."

How to Turn on Spatial Audio

  1. Make sure the ‌‌AirPods‌‌ or ‌AirPods Max‌ are connected to your iOS device.
  2. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
  3. Find your ‌AirPods Pro‌/Max in the list (Tim's ‌AirPods Pro‌, for example).
  4. Tap the info (i) button next to your AirPods.
  5. Toggle the switch next to Spatial Audio to the green ON position.

settings
You can listen to a demonstration of spatial audio by tapping See & Hear How It Works. You can then switch from stereo audio to spatial audio to hear the difference between them.

How to Turn Off Spatial Audio

  1. Make sure the ‌‌‌AirPods Pro‌/Max‌‌ are connected to your iOS device.
  2. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.
  3. Find your ‌AirPods Pro‌/Max in the list (Tim's ‌AirPods Pro‌, for example).
  4. Tap the info (i) button next to your ‌AirPods Pro‌/Max.
  5. Toggle the switch next to Spatial Audio to the grey OFF position.

settings

How to Turn Spatial Audio On and Off in Control Center

  1. Make sure the ‌‌AirPods‌‌ Pro/Max are connected to your iOS device.
  2. Launch the Control Center: On an ‌iPad‌ with a Home button, double-tap the Home button; on ‌iPhone‌ 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen; and on a 2018 ‌iPad Pro‌, 2020 ‌iPad Air‌, or ‌iPhone‌ X and later, swipe down from the upper right of the screen.
  3. Touch and hold the volume control bar.
  4. Tap the Spatial Audio button to turn it on or off.

control center
If spatial audio is enabled and active, the spatial audio button will be blue and animated with audio waves around the listener's head. If spatial audio is enabled but not active for the audio content that you're listening to, the spatial audio button will be blue but static.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...