Does Spotify Have Spatial Audio?
Music streaming platforms like Spotify have recently made significant changes to enhance the listening experience of users. One of the latest advancements that has captured the attention of both audiophiles and casual listeners alike is spatial audio.
Spatial audio is a revolutionary audio technology that aims to create a more immersive and three-dimensional listening experience. Although Spotify has adopted various cutting-edge technologies, it is only using the Spatial Audio partially.
Does Spotify Have Spatial Audio?
No. Spatial Audio is not available natively on Spotify. You can experience Dolby with Head Tracking via Apple Music. Alternatively, you can use Spatialized Stereo while wearing Air Pods Pro, 3rd Gen, or Max on iOS 15+.
Although Spotify does not officially support Spatial Audio, there are some songs on the platform offering this feature. However, the experience is not at par with Apple Music.
In June 2021, Apple Music became the first music streaming platform to introduce spatial audio in collaboration with Dolby Atmos.
What is Spatial Audio?
Spatial Audio, also called 3D audio is a technology that replicates the sounds as we perceive them in the real world. When we watch a movie in a physical environment, our brain processes the direction and distance of the sound, creating a sense of immersion and depth.
Spatial audio also seeks to recreate the same experience, allowing listeners to experience music in a more immersive manner. It makes the sound appear closer or farther away, and it gives direction to the sound sources.
Spatial audio can make audio content sound more realistic and cinematic, enhancing the enjoyment of music and movies.
Spatial Audio on Spotify
In 2021, Spotify announced plans to introduce spatial audio to its platform. The company recognized the growing interest in this technology and began experimenting with spatial audio features.
At the time of the announcement, Spotify introduced a feature called “Spotify HiFi,” which aimed to provide high-quality audio streaming, including support for spatial audio. The goal was to offer a more premium audio experience to its users, rivaling other high-fidelity streaming services like Tidal and Apple Music.
Spotify HiFi was to deliver music in quality greater than 320kbit/s. However, it didn’t happen. In 2023, co-president of Spotify Gustav Söderström again announced that Spotify would be including this feature, but it’s still a far-fetched dream.
While Spotify has introduced Spatial Audio as a feature on some of its songs, its experience falls short compared to Apple Music. In comparison, Spotify’s spatial audio is less immersive and of low quality.
How to Enable Spotify Spatial Audio?
Users can optimize their audio settings on Spotify to enjoy spatial audio. You can adjust the music equalizer settings on your PC, and phone to change the audio.
Apple users with iOS 15 and AirPods can also utilize Spotify’s spatial audio. Follow these steps to enable spatial audio on Spotify:
- The first step is to connect your AirPods to your Phone.
- From the Control Centre, long-press the volume button. It will bring up the audio settings.
- Select the option, “Specialised Stereo Head Tracked.”
When you activate this feature, the audio adjusts with your head movements, making the entire experience more immersive.
Spotify Spatial Audio vs Apple Music
If you have not tried both music apps, here is the main difference between the Spatial audio feature offered by Spotify and Apple Music:
- Spatial Audio on Apple Music is free of cost and is available to all users. Spotify only offers limited spatial audio on a handful of tracks.
- Apple Music’s spatial audio is more immersive, while Spotify’s spatial audio uses the less advanced Ogg Vorbis format, which is limited in terms of quality.
- Apple Music supports this feature on more than 100 million songs. Spotify on the other hand offers this feature on a handful of songs.
Also read: How to connect Spotify to Fitbit.
Conclusion
Spatial audio is a groundbreaking technology that aims to transform the way we experience music and audio content. While Spotify announced its plans to introduce spatial audio through Spotify HiFi, the availability of this feature is still unknown.
As the audio industry continues to innovate and embrace spatial audio, it’s an exciting time for music enthusiasts and audiophiles. The potential for a more immersive and lifelike listening experience holds promise for the future of audio entertainment.
For now, we can only hope that Spotify introduces Spatial Audio soon.
