AirPods Pro and Max will make your mobile Netflix watching even more immersive. After a Reddit user spotted the feature, Netflix announced yesterday that it is now rolling out spatial audio support for iPhone and iPad on iOS 14.
Netflix is joining streaming rivals like Disney+, HBO Max, and Peacock to enable this feature. However, other popular apps such as YouTube and Amazon Prime Video still don't have this capability. Netflix stated that the rollout will not be immediate, but users who have the update can toggle it on and off in the Control Center.
Apple has been highlighting its spatial audio features in recent years. Apple announced the availability of spatial audio for AirPods Pro in 2020 at the WWDC conference. Apple also stated that Apple Music subscribers will be able to access spatial audio and lossless streaming at no additional cost. Dynamic head tracking is available, which adjusts the sound to your head when you move it. The Android version supports lossless and spatial audio. Spotify HiFi, a premium subscription service that allows lossless audio, was announced in February. However, no information has been released since.
Netflix announced last month that it is now looking at mobile gaming, in addition to its original films and TV series. Netflix has experimented with interactive entertainment through projects such as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch or its Stranger Things games.
The company stated in its quarterly earnings report that gaming is a new category of content for them, much like our expansion into animated films and original films.
Spatial audio is very popular among videogame players. This update will improve the streaming video experience for iPad and iPhone, but you might also see this feature in future Netflix mobile games.
