Apple has made 2 announcements about their Spatial Audio platform, one is good news for consumers and extends the number of consumers who can enjoy Apple Music in Dolby Atmos and the other is a clarification, which will mean some Apple users will not be able to enjoy Spatial Audio. We have the details.
The Bad News - Spatial Audio Doesn’t Work With Some Apple Devices
Apple has had to revise the list of devices that support Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos through the built-in speakers and update the Apple Music Spatial Audio Support document.
When Apple announced Spatial Audio the support document said this…
“The built-in speakers on an iPhone XR or later (except iPhone SE), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro 11-inch, iPad (6th generation or later), iPad Air (3rd generation or later), or iPad mini (5th generation).”
Now the updated support document says…
“The built-in speakers on an iPhone XS or later (except iPhone SE), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro 11-inch, or iPad Air (4th generation).”
The devices that are no longer supported for playing spatial audio through their built-in speakers are largely the older devices, the iPhone XR, the iPad mini 5, the iPad Air 3, and the 6th to 8th-generation iPads.
Does It Matter?
Because it’s not clear how Apple’s Spatial Audio or Dolby Atmos might be delivered through a pair of internal speakers on an Apple device, this change may be largely academic, especially when it comes to Dolby Atmos content.
Headphones Not Affected
Note that this doesn’t affect their ability to play Spatial Audio Dolby Atmos content through their headphones. Users with older iPhones and iPads can still access spatial audio with several headphone options including AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Beats X, Beats Solo3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro, or Beats Studio Buds.
But you don't need a pair of Apple or Beats headphones in order to listen to Dolby Atmos tracks from an iPhone or iPad – any headphones will work, as long as you enable a specific setting.
Once you've got the iOS/iPadOS 14.6 update, if you go into Settings on your iPhone or iPad and then to Music, a new Dolby Atmos option will be available. This is set to Automatic by default, however, if you switch this option to ‘Always On’, even these non-Apple headphones will playback the Dolby Atmos tracks correctly.
The Good News - Apple Update Its Android Apple Music App For Spatial Audio And Lossless Audio
Apple has updated its Android version of the Apple Music app. Users with Android devices can now enjoy music played from lossless files and music encoded in Dolby Atmos and delivered using Apple’s Spatial Audio platform. In the release notes, Apple says…
“In this update, Apple Music adds a spatial listening experience on compatible devices, with thousands of tracks in Dolby Atmos available at launch.
Other updates include:
Lossless Audio, a new way to experience uncompromised sound, with bit-for-bit accuracy.
Automatic Crossfade, a new way to listen that blends each song into the next for a seamless experience.
Search enhancements to library, which allow you to more easily find your favorite music with in-line search.”
To listen to Dolby Atmos on your Android device, you will need an Android device that supports Dolby Atmos. You will also need to update the Apple Music app to the latest version. To turn Dolby Atmos on or off, you should open your Android Apple Music app and do the following…
Tap the More button, the one with 3 vertical dots.
Tap Settings.
Tap Dolby Atmos to turn it on or off.
This would appear to be the same as the ‘Always On’ option in the iOS app which should mean Android users will be able to enjoy Dolby Atmos on their favourite headphones plugged into their Andriod phones or tablets.
As to which devices are supported, Apple recommends… “to see if your Android device is supported, check with your device's manufacturer.”
What Impact Will This Have On How Many People Can Now Enjoy Dolby Atmos Content On Their Smart Devices?
This is potentially huge. We understand that Android has over 2.5 billion active users spanning over 190 countries. According to data from Statcounter, Android is responsible for 71% of all smartphone users in the first quarter of 2021. That said, Android has been falling slightly in market share in the past two years, as Apple’s iPhone 11 and 12 were both well received by customers.
However, this trend isn’t repeated evenly across the world. In the first quarter of 2021, in the US the ratio is 65% to 35% in favour of Android, whereas in the UK it is 53% to 47% in favour of Apple.
All of this is great news for the music and post industries, opening up a huge worldwide delivery platform and user base for content delivered in Dolby Atmos as long as the production sector recognises that producing content in Dolby Atmos requires an investment in both hardware and skill and so needs to pay a higher price for content delivered in Dolby Atmos.