It is reported that Netflix is testing support for Apple’s Spatial Audio feature, which currently works on real AirPods Pro wireless headsets and AirPods Max headphones. Most users, even with a high-end Netflix account and a supported headset, will not be able to access the feature yet, as it is still at the authentication stage. However, this suggests that the feature could go live in the coming weeks, and users will find a content store that is particularly useful and rich to try out what Apple is touting as a key feature on the phones new AirPods Max.
The report comes via the French release of iPhoneSoft, which cites an anonymous Netflix developer who says the feature is being tested. As pointed out in a story with 9to5Mac, it wouldn’t take much effort for Netflix to enable the feature on supported devices, as the service already has a large library of audio content around it, which will be Spatial Audio switching to virtual surround sound experience on iOS 14. For now, Spatial Audio only works on Apple TV streaming service for selected content.
There is no word on whether support will be limited to some iOS devices, but it can be assumed that it will be rolled out to all modern iOS 14 devices including its most standard iPhone and iPad models. We tried this by using Netflix with a high-end account on iPhone 12 mini (Review) and iPad mini (2019) with both the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, but did not find support for Spatial Audio, so it seems to be limited for now.
The feature allows Netflix users to enable virtual surround sound when watching supported content on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 14, along with head-up detection features to allow the sound to move over the channels are based on the position of the user’s head compared to the device. For now, it works heavily with content backed by Apple TV, using headphones and smartphone sensors to detect headsets. The virtual surround sound itself works similar to technologies such as Dolby Atmos, which is widely supported on Netflix.
The feature is supported on the Apple AirPods Pro, as well as the recently launched AirPods Max. In addition to Spatial Audio, both of these headphones and the company’s H1 chip have active sound suppression for a smoother and faster connection across multiple Apple devices. The AirPods Max was launched in India at Rs. 59,900, while the AirPods Pro sells at Rs. 24,900.
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