While first spotted on Reddit, Netflix later confirmed to 9to5Mac that spatial audio support is indeed coming to Apple’s mobile devices. According to several user accounts in the initial Reddit post, you won’t even have to upgrade to iOS 15 to use the new feature. The catch, however, is it only work will with a pair of AirPods Pro or AirPods Max—without either you’ll have the same audio experience as always. With spatial audio support (and the requisite pair of AirPods), you’ll be able to stream movies and TV shows on your iPhone or iPad with simulated surround sound. The difference here is that instead of using several speakers, everything is simulated through the earpieces. So if you start to watch a movie that supports it, you’ll hear sounds in front of, behind, above, and below you. Keep in mind that, in addition to needing a pair of either AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, spatial audio won’t work on older iPhone or iPad models. Anything that predates an iPhone 7, 3rd generation iPad Pro or Air, 6th generation iPad, or 5th generation iPad Mini isn’t compatible. Also be aware that spatial audio requires more from your hardware than typical audio processing, so it’ll drain your batteries faster. The rollout for spatial audio support on Netflix’s iPhone and iPad apps already has begun, and should wrap up over the next few weeks.
