Spatial audio is a sonic feature exclusive to AirPods Pro and AirPods Max that adds surround sound to Apple’s premium audio wearables. Using dynamic head tracking, it gives a theater-like audio experience to the movie or video you are watching, making it seem like the sound is coming from all around you.
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The feature works by comparing the gyroscope and accelerometer data from your iOS device with the data from your PAirPods Pro or AirPods Max, so that the sound field remains anchored to the device even if you move your head.
Unsurprisingly, spatial audio is not universally supported by third-party apps and services. To save you time wondering if a particular app will work with the feature, we’ve compiled a list below of all the apps that have been officially updated to support Spatial Audio, and some popular apps that don’t yet have support.
Popular apps that support spatial audio
- Air Video HD (enable Surround in audio settings)
- Apple’s TV app
- Disney +
- FE File Explorer (DTS 5.1 not supported)
- Foxtel Go (Australia)
- HBO Max
- Hulu
- Plex (enable old video player in Settings)
- Peacock
- Discovery +
- Paramount +
- Vudu
Popular apps that do not support spatial audio
- Intravenous drip
- Netflix
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- VLC
We will keep these lists up to date as soon as we learn of additional third-party apps and updates appearing to support spatial audio. In the meantime, check the following details to make sure your hardware is compatible with the feature.
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What you need to use spatial audio
To take advantage of spatial audio on AirPods Proods or AirPods Max, you need an iPhone 7 or later or one of the iPad models listed below. Note that spatial audio is not supported by any Mac or Apple TV model.
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and above
- IPad Pro 11-inch
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- IPad (6th generation) and above
- iPad mini (5th generation)
You must also have iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or later installed on your device, as well as the latest firmware on your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. To learn more about using spatial audio, check out our dedicated how-to article.