Does Apple Music automatically play Dolby Atmos?
Apple Music is Apple’s music streaming service that gives users access to over 90 million songs. In June 2021, Apple Music introduced support for Dolby Atmos, an immersive audio technology that creates a three-dimensional soundscape for a more enveloping listening experience.
Dolby Atmos achieves this effect by using object-based audio mixing that lets sounds be dynamically placed and moved anywhere in the three-dimensional space. This provides more clarity, depth, and realism compared to standard stereo audio.
With Dolby Atmos support, Apple Music aims to provide users with a more engaging and lifelike listening experience, allowing them to connect with music in new ways. Apple has been working with artists and labels to add Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos mixes of popular tracks on Apple Music.
What is Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio technology developed by Dolby Laboratories that expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be precisely placed and moved in three-dimensional space. This creates an immersive listening experience where listeners feel like they are inside the sound field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Atmos).
With Dolby Atmos, sound objects are independent of speaker channels, giving audio engineers more flexibility and control. Sounds can be placed anywhere in a 3D space, including overhead, to match the desired artistic intent. This provides a more enveloping experience than standard surround sound (https://www.soundguys.com/what-is-dolby-atmos-25191/).
Dolby Atmos achieves this immersive experience by adding height channels, advanced object-based audio, and sophisticated processing. The goal is to create an audio experience where listeners feel surrounded by sound, enhancing the impact and realism.
Dolby Atmos on Apple Music
Apple Music began offering select songs in Dolby Atmos in June 2021. Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio technology that creates a multi-dimensional listening experience. On Apple Music, Dolby Atmos allows songs to play in Spatial Audio on supported devices, surrounding the listener with sound from all directions.
Not all devices support Dolby Atmos playback on Apple Music. It requires an iPhone, iPad, or Mac running the latest iOS, iPadOS, or macOS. Specifically, Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is supported on iPhone 7 or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch, iPad Air (3rd generation and later), and iPad mini (5th generation and later). Macs need to be running macOS Monterey or later.
Additionally, Dolby Atmos songs require headphones or speakers that are compatible with Spatial Audio to get the full immersive experience. AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip support Spatial Audio on Apple devices. Select third-party headphones also work. Without compatible audio hardware, Dolby Atmos songs will playback as stereo audio.
While Dolby Atmos is only available for Apple Music subscribers, it does not require any additional fees or purchases. As long as you have a compatible device and headphones, you can listen to thousands of Dolby Atmos songs on Apple Music at no extra cost.
Enabling Dolby Atmos
Enabling Dolby Atmos on Apple Music is simple. Here are the steps:
1. Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone or other Apple device.
2. Tap on the “Settings” icon, which looks like a gear.
3. Scroll down and tap on “Dolby Atmos”.
4. Toggle Dolby Atmos to “Always On”. You can also choose “Automatic” which will play Dolby Atmos content when available.
5. Make sure you have the latest version of iOS installed for full Dolby Atmos support. According to Apple’s support page, you’ll need iOS 14.6 or later.
That’s it! Dolby Atmos is now enabled in your Apple Music app. Any tracks that have spatial audio or Dolby Atmos will automatically play in that format. Enjoy the immersive listening experience!
Automatic Dolby Atmos Playback
Apple Music can automatically play songs in Dolby Atmos when certain conditions are met. To enable this feature, go to Settings > Music > Dolby Atmos and select “Automatic.” With this setting on, Apple Music will automatically play songs in Dolby Atmos if:
- The song has an available Dolby Atmos mix.
- You are using compatible headphones such as AirPods, Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, or supported wired headphones connected to an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV 4K.
- Your device is running iOS 14.6 or later, iPadOS 14.6 or later, macOS 11.4 or later, or tvOS 14.6 or later.
If these conditions are met, the Dolby Atmos mix will automatically play without the need to manually select it. You’ll see a Dolby Atmos badge on compatible songs. If you switch headphones or audio outputs to something non-compatible, Apple Music will revert back to a stereo mix.
So in summary, yes Apple Music can automatically play songs in Dolby Atmos given the right headphones, device OS version, and available Dolby Atmos mix. The “Automatic” setting handles the switching seamlessly.
Manually Selecting Dolby Atmos
While Apple Music will automatically play the Dolby Atmos version of a song if available, you can also manually select the Dolby Atmos version if desired. Here’s how:
- Open the Apple Music app and find the song you want to play in Dolby Atmos.
- Tap on the song to open it.
- In the playback screen, tap the “Dolby Atmos” badge below the album artwork if it is present.
- This will open a menu allowing you to select the Dolby Atmos version. Tap on it to select it.
- The song will now play in Dolby Atmos instead of the standard stereo version.
This allows you to easily switch between the Dolby Atmos and regular versions of a song. It’s useful if you want to compare the two versions side by side.
Sound Check and Volume Leveling
Sound Check is an Apple Music feature that automatically adjusts the playback volume of songs to make them a similar loudness. This can be useful when listening to playlists or albums with a mix of older and newer recordings that have varying volume levels.
However, Sound Check may impact the playback of Dolby Atmos tracks. Dolby Atmos is a 3D immersive audio technology that allows sounds to be placed and moved in a 3D space. The spatial separation of sounds is an important creative element of Dolby Atmos mixes.
Enabling Sound Check can negatively affect the spatial imaging of Dolby Atmos tracks by boosting or reducing certain frequency ranges to normalize loudness. This can diminish the sense of space and audio objects moving around the listener 1.
Apple recommends keeping Sound Check disabled when listening critically in Dolby Atmos to preserve the artistic intent. However, Sound Check can be left on when listening casually for convenience 2. Users have the option to quickly toggle Sound Check on/off while playing a Dolby Atmos track.
In summary, Sound Check can impact the spatial imaging of Dolby Atmos mixes. Critical listeners may want to disable it, while casual listeners may appreciate the volume normalization it provides across songs.
Spatial Audio
Spatial Audio is Apple’s branded implementation of immersive audio technologies like Dolby Atmos for Apple devices. While Dolby Atmos is an object-based audio format that allows for immersive 3D sound environments, Spatial Audio refers more broadly to Apple’s approach to delivering an immersive listening experience on devices like the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max headphones.
The key difference between Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio is that Spatial Audio is Apple’s end-to-end solution for immersive audio playback. It combines hardware, software, and content support across Apple devices. Dolby Atmos is the underlying audio technology, while Spatial Audio brings an enhanced experience to Apple Music listeners.
For example, Spatial Audio adds features like dynamic head tracking on AirPods to create the effect that audio is coming from all directions, even as you turn your head. It also allows for immersive audio on devices like the iPhone and iPad by using their built-in speakers and motion sensors.
In summary, Dolby Atmos enables immersive audio content creation while Spatial Audio brings that content to life with a more immersive listening experience on Apple devices. The technologies work together, with Dolby Atmos as the audio format and Spatial Audio as the broader delivery method.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are experiencing issues with Dolby Atmos playback on Apple Music, here are some troubleshooting tips that may help:
One common issue is that Dolby Atmos tracks do not play automatically. There is a known bug where Dolby Atmos tracks must be added to your library first, then played from your library for Atmos to engage. Simply streaming the tracks will not trigger Atmos playback (Source).
Another fix is to restart the track you are trying to play in Atmos. Using the scrubber bar, fast forward/rewind, or skip back and forward seem to re-trigger Atmos mode (Source).
Check that the Dolby Atmos setting is enabled in your Apple Music settings. Go to Settings > Music > Dolby Atmos and toggle it on. You may need to disable and re-enable Atmos playback (Source).
Make sure your Apple device and headphones/speakers support Dolby Atmos. Check Apple’s support page for a list of compatible devices and requirements.
If you still cannot get Atmos working, try rebooting your device or reinstalling the Apple Music app to reset the audio system.
Summary
In summary, Apple Music can automatically play songs in Dolby Atmos for users that have compatible devices and settings enabled. This includes using AirPods Pro or Max, Beats Fit Pro, latest versions of iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K hooked up to a Dolby Atmos supported audio system. The key is having ‘Dolby Atmos’ enabled under Audio Settings, and ‘Automatic’ chosen for Dolby Atmos playback. With these configured, Apple Music will automatically play songs in Dolby Atmos spatial audio when available, without the user needing to manually select it each time.
For older devices or audio equipment without Dolby Atmos support, Apple Music will play the standard stereo or surround mix. Dolby Atmos spatial audio brings an immersive listening experience, but requires specific hardware and OS versions. Check your device and settings to ensure Dolby Atmos playback is enabled if desired. Overall, Apple Music provides a seamless way to enjoy Dolby Atmos music when compatible components are configured.