How to Set Up and Customise Personalised Spatial Audio on iPhone for AirPods

Spatial Audio on Apple devices transforms traditional stereo sound into a three-dimensional acoustic space, placing sound sources all around you to mirror a cinema-like listening experience. However, because everyone’s head size, ear geometry, and ear canal structure are uniquely shaped, sound waves interact with individual ears differently. To address this biological variation, Apple introduced Personalised Spatial Audio.

By utilising the TrueDepth camera system on your iPhone, Personalised Spatial Audio creates a custom acoustic profile—known in audio engineering as a Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF). This bespoke profile fine-tunes audio frequencies and spatial delays precisely for your ear anatomy, ensuring dialogue clarity, pinpoint directional tracking, and rich atmospheric resonance. This guide covers how to set up, calibrate, customise, and troubleshoot Personalised Spatial Audio on iPhone across compatible AirPods and Beats headphones.

How Personalised Spatial Audio Works

Traditional multi-channel downmixing uses generic mathematical algorithms to simulate surround sound. While effective for casual listening, generic HRTF models can cause audio phasing, muffled dialogue, or inaccurate directional cues for individuals whose ear dimensions diverge from the acoustic average.

During calibration, the TrueDepth camera projects thousands of invisible infrared dots across your face and ears. It measures:

• Interaural Distance: The exact distance between your left and right ears, determining how sound arrives with microsecond phase differences.
• Pinna Geometry: The shape and folds of your outer ear cartilage, which filter high-frequency sounds to help your brain determine whether a sound originates from above, behind, or in front of you.
• Facial Contours: The acoustic reflections off your cheekbones and jawline that shape midrange frequency perception.

Step 1: Preparing for the TrueDepth Scan

To ensure a swift and error-free scan, prepare your physical environment and appearance before starting:

1. Ensure Adequate Lighting: Sit in an evenly lit room. Avoid harsh backlighting or direct sunlight pointing toward the camera sensor.
2. Clear Your Ears: Tuck your hair completely behind your ears. Remove earrings, hats, eyeglasses, and face coverings that could obscure your outer ear structure.
3. Wear Your AirPods: Place your compatible AirPods or Beats earbuds in your ears and ensure they are connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone.

Step 2: Calibrating Personalised Spatial Audio on iPhone

Follow these steps to generate your personal acoustic profile:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Near the top of the main Settings menu, tap the name of your connected AirPods (or navigate to Bluetooth, tap the More Info (i) icon next to your device).
3. Scroll down to the Spatial Audio section and tap Personalised Spatial Audio.
4. Tap Personalise Spatial Audio… to initiate the setup wizard.
5. Tap Continue on the introductory screen.
6. Front View Capture: Hold your iPhone approximately 12 inches (30 cm) directly in front of your face. Move your head slowly in a circle to fill the green circular guide on the screen, just like setting up Face ID.
7. Right Ear Capture: Turn your head to the left by about 45 degrees so your right ear faces the TrueDepth camera. Move the iPhone slightly from side to side until the camera detects your ear. You will hear an audible chime indicating the scan has commenced. Rotate your head slightly in small circular motions until the chime sequence completes.
8. Left Ear Capture: Shift the phone to your left side. Turn your head to the right by about 45 degrees to expose your left ear to the camera. Follow the on-screen audio tones until you hear the confirmation sound.
9. Tap Done once calibration is complete.

Step 3: Customising Spatial Audio Modes

With your personal profile active, you can customise how Spatial Audio behaves across different listening contexts:

Switching Between Fixed and Head Tracked Audio

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen to open Control Centre.
2. Touch and hold the Volume Slider.
3. Tap the Spatialize Stereo or Spatial Audio button in the bottom right corner.
4. Choose your preferred listening mode:
   • Off: Disables spatial processing and plays standard two-channel stereo.
   • Fixed: Delivers a three-dimensional acoustic stage that moves with you as you turn your head. This is ideal when walking, running, or working out.
   • Head Tracked: Anchors audio sources to your device’s physical screen. When you turn your head to the left, sound appears to remain positioned directly on the screen in front of you. This mode provides the most cinematic immersion when watching movies or video presentations.

Step 4: Testing and Auditing the Spatial Soundstage

To verify the acoustic difference before and after calibration:

1. Go to Settings > [Your AirPods] > Personalised Spatial Audio.
2. Tap See & Hear How It Works.
3. Toggle between Stereo Audio and Spatial Audio while listening to the built-in reference track to notice how the soundstage widens and instrument separation improves.

Troubleshooting Personalised Spatial Audio Issues

If you encounter difficulties during scanning or audio playback, refer to these common solutions:

Issue Encountered	Probable Cause	Recommended Solution
Camera fails to detect ear during scan	Hair, bulky clothing, or poor ambient lighting	Tuck hair firmly behind ears; ensure your room has diffused lighting without bright backlights.
Scan process loops repeatedly	Moving phone too quickly or incorrect angle	Hold phone at eye level 12 inches away and rotate your head slowly rather than moving the handset.
Option missing in AirPods settings	Unsupported AirPods or outdated iOS version	Verify your listening device is AirPods Pro, Max, 3rd/4th gen; ensure iPhone runs iOS 16 or later.
Audio sounds muffled or phased	Inaccurate ear geometry capture	Open AirPods settings, tap Stop Using Personalised Spatial Audio, and recalibrate fresh.
Profile not syncing to Mac or iPad	iCloud Keychain synchronisation disabled	Go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Passwords & Keychain and verify syncing is switched On.

Managing or Removing Your Acoustic Profile

If multiple people share your AirPods or if you prefer the standard default acoustic processing:

1. Navigate to Settings > [Your AirPods].
2. Select Personalised Spatial Audio.
3. Tap Stop Using Personalised Spatial Audio and confirm your choice.
4. Your custom ear geometry data will be purged from your device and associated iCloud profile immediately.