Netflix has found yet another way to enhance users’ viewing and listening experience while streaming their favorite shows and movies. The streaming service is now offering spatial audio support for iPhone and iPad users with AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. A Netflix spokesperson has confirmed to 9to5Mac that spatial audio is now being rolled out with iOS 14 on iPhone and iPad.
Spatial audio provides users with a theater-like, surround-sound, immersive listening experience by using directional audio filters. The gyroscope and accelerometer in AirPods Pro and AirPods Max track the position of your head and your device as you move. The sound field remains coupled to the device, while the voice remains in sync with the actor or on-screen action.
You can find the spatial audio support feature in the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. For now, this is only available on select devices and you must be using either AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. You may need to update your Netflix app to access this new feature. Because this is a slow rollout, it may be several weeks before you are able to use spatial audio.
For now, if you’re using iOS 14, this feature is only available with certain Netflix titles. If you have iOS 15, you can use the spatialize stereo option to watch and listen to non-Dolby content, including videos in your photo library and music. This feature was introduced in June.
In January, it was reported that Netflix was testing spatial audio for AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. At the time, it looked like spatial audio could be launched in the spring, but it’s only now becoming available for iPad and iPhone users.
Netflix is continuing to push the boundaries of technical achievement as it looks for a differentiator with growing competition from the likes of Disney+ and HBO Max.