Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

How to use Personalized Spatial Audio for Apple AirPods

apple airpods 3 pro deal amazon december 2021 model wearing
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple’s Spatial Audio performs a neat trick with the right devices, like AirPods: It can adjust audio as you move around your device, giving it a more environmental feeling by using Dolby Atmos audio data. It gives your sound a more cinematic feeling, like it’s emanating from the device itself rather than your headphones. Along with iOS 16 and related updates like iPadOS 16.1, Apple made some important changes to this tech.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • Compatible AirPods or Beats Fit Pro

  • iPhone with iOS 16 or iPad with iPadOS 16.1

  • Alternative: Apple Watch with watchOS 9, Apple TV with tvOS 16, or a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip and macOS Ventura

Normal Spatial Audio tracks your head movements, but it can only do so much. For a much more accurate version of the technology, you need to program Personalized Spatial Audio on your device. Fortunately, Apple makes this quite easy as long as you have all the right hardware. Here’s exactly what you need to do to upgrade your Spatial Audio experience.

Person listening to spatial audio using Apple AirPods Max headphones.
Apple

How to enable Personalized Spatial Audio

Step 1: Make sure you have the right devices and updates. This is going to be the hardest part for many people because there are a number of requirements based on what device you tend to listen to movies or music with.

First, you’ll need a newer version of AirPods. The first- or second-generation AirPods Pro will work, as will the AirPods Max and the AirPods 3rd-gen, but nothing earlier. The Beats Fit Pro also has the necessary technology to support this upgrade.

Then, you’ll need a device to play your audio from. That has to be either an iPhone or iPod Touch that supports iOS 16 or an iPad with iPadOS 16.1 (which is set to arrive in October 2022). You could also use an Apple Watch with watchOS 9, an Apple TV with tvOS 16, or an M1/M2 Mac with macOS Ventura.

Finally, you’ll need an app that supports the capability like Apple Music and audio files that include Dolby Atmos, usually signified by the Atmos logo next to a song or title. With all that set up, the next steps shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Step 2: On your Apple device (it’s very highly recommended to use an iPhone unless you have a patient partner who can hold your iPad), head to Settings. Go to Bluetooth to manage your linked AirPods or similar device. Make sure they are connected. If they aren’t connected, popping open your charging case nearby typically forces a connection.

Personalize Spatial Audio Steps.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: Select the blue “i” next to your earbuds to open up their settings menu.

Step 4: Under the Spatial Audio section, select Personalized Spatial Audio. In the next screen, select Personalize Spatial Audio…

Step 5: For this next part, it’s a good idea to be alone and have some space, next to a simple environment like a wall with good lighting. Select Continue to get started. Then, select Start front view capture.

This will turn on the camera and facial recognition, the same tech used to create your Face ID profile and the updates that we saw during COVID-19. Once the app recognizes your face, move your head in circles so your iPhone can get a look at it from all angles and get a good idea of what’s needed.

Personalize Spatial Audio Steps for ears.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 6: The next part is a little trickier. Select Continue, and you’ll be prompted to start ear analysis, beginning with your right ear. This is going to be more difficult for those with long or shaggy hair, so make sure your hair is tied or brushed aside to get a good angle and remove anything that may obstruct the view (don’t wear your AirPods during this step, for example).

Hold your iPhone 10 to 20 inches away from your right ear, roughly level to it. When the iPhone identifies an ear, it will make a small pinging noise. This can take several tries, as ear-recognition technology doesn’t seem quite as intuitive as Face ID. Once your ear is recognized, move your iPhone about 45 degrees right while slowly moving your head to the left. The idea here is to create a scan of the shape of your ear that Apple can use for personalization data. If it doesn’t work at first, just keep rotating your iPhone and head until you hear the confirmation noise.

Step 7: Repeat the step with your left ear as prompted. All the same instructions apply. Again, don’t worry if you have to try a couple of times to get the positioning right.

Step 8: Your profile should now be complete and saved. You can visit your Bluetooth settings and disable your personalized version of Spatial Audio any time that you want.

Step 9: If you feel a little nervous about Apple getting such a good look at your head and ears, it may not be as bad as you think. Apple designed this technology to keep profile data on your phone, and the actual images aren’t saved. The data will sync to your other Apple devices via iCloud with end-to-end encryption, so you don’t need to do the steps over again.

Tyler Lacoma
Former Digital Trends Contributor
If it can be streamed, voice-activated, made better with an app, or beaten by mashing buttons, Tyler's into it. When he's not…
Apple AirPods 4: everything you need to know about the latest earbuds
The AirPods 4.

The Apple AirPods 4 are here. And before you go any further be sure to read our full AirPods 4 with ANC review. That'll take care of the upper end of the AirPods 4 landscape. But the important thing up front is that there actually are two versions of AirPods 4, with a mere $50 separating them. But that bit of cash belies a pretty big delta in specs.

So what's new? What's different? And which should you spend your money on?

Read more
Best AirPods deals: Save on AirPods and AirPods Pro
Apple airpods pro.

Apple just announced the forthcoming AirPods 4, and one of our favorite times to land some deals is just after new tech is announced. But definitely check out our full AirPods 4 review before you dip down a generation.

Previous AirPods versions will likely see significant discounts and perhaps even outright price drops over the coming months, and we’ve tracked down all of the best AirPods deals you can shop right now. AirPods are always some of the best Apple deals and regulars among the best headphone deals, and today we’re seeing some impressive prices across the lineup. Read onward for all of the details on how to save, and if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for you can also see what Beats headphone deals, Sony headphone deals, Bose headphone deals, and Samsung Galaxy Buds deals have to offer.
Apple AirPods 2 — $90, was $130

Read more
Apple AirPods Max 2: what we know, what we want, and how much it will cost
Apple AirPods Max with USB-C in Orange.

Apple's first set of wireless headphones -- the AirPods Max -- launched to great fanfare in 2020. At $549, the aluminum-clad cans raised eyebrows due to their price and design. But despite their cost and some odd design decisions (like the lack of an off switch), reviewers were nearly unanimous with their praise, especially for the Max's standout features: active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode. Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.

Originally, we had hoped to see the AirPods Max 2 debut in the fall of 2023. When that didn't happen, we shifted our focus to Apple's iPhone 16 launch on September 9, 2024. That event brought big updates for the AirPods range: new AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC, and plans to give the AirPods Pro 2 new hearing health and hearing aid capabilities. However, the AirPods Max portion of the announcement proved to be a disappointment: Other than a new USB-C charging port and some new colors, Apple's flagship headphones remain unchanged. Call them AirPods Max 1.5, if you must.

Read more