Netflix has started to test support for Apple’s Spatial Audio feature which at present works on AirPods true wireless earphones and AirPods Max headphones. Many users, even with a premium Netflix account and supported headset will not be able to access the feature for now because it is still in the testing phase. But, this suggests that the feature might be released in the upcoming weeks and people will be able find a useful and rich source of content to try what Apple is touting as an important feature on the new AirPods Max headphones.
The report came through a French publication iPhoneSoft that cites an unnamed Netflix developer who says that the feature is being tested. As stated in a story by 9to5Mac, it will not take much effort for Netflix to enable this feature on supported devices because the service already has a huge library of content in surround sound which is converted to virtualized surround sound experience on iOS 14 by Spatial Audio. At present, Spatial Audio works only at Apple TV streaming service for selected content.
There is no word about if the support will be limited to some iOS devices but it can be predicted that it will roll out in all modern iOS 14 devices which includes many present iPhone and iPad models. A few have tried this using Netflix with a top-tier account on an iPhone 12 Mini and an iPad Mini with AirPods Pro as well as AirPods Max but were not able to find support for Spatial Audio, so it is surely limited for now.
The feature will allow users of Netflix to activate virtualized sound while watching supported content on iPhone or iPad running on iOS 14 with head-tracking features to allow the sound to move across the channels on the basis of the position of the user’s head relative to the device. At present, it works well with supported content from Apple TV and uses sensors on the headphones and smartphone for head-tracking. the virtualized surround sound works same to technologies like Dolby Atmos that is supported on Netflix.
The feature is supported at Apple AirPods Pro and also in the recently launched AirPods Max. Along with Spatial Audio, both the headsets have active noise cancellation and the company’s H1 chip for smooth and fast connectivity among multiple Apple devices. AirPods Max has been launched in India at a price of Rs.59,900 and AirPods Pro retail has been priced at Rs.24,900.