Have you ever noticed the “Spatial Audio” setting on your iPhone and wondered if it affects binaural beats? You’re not alone. Many people ask whether this immersive audio technology enhances or disrupts the experience of brainwave entrainment.
The short answer: it’s best to keep Spatial Audio off when listening to binaural beats. If you're on an iPhone, we'll tell you how to do that further down the page.
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What is Spatial Audio?
Spatial audio is a sound technology designed to make you feel like you’re “inside” your entertainment. Instead of just hearing music or dialogue from the left and right (like in standard stereo), spatial audio places sound all around you — in front, behind, and even above.
Unlike traditional surround sound (where multiple speakers push sound at you from different directions), spatial audio uses advanced processing to simulate that 3D experience through headphones or a few speakers. The result is a cinematic, immersive soundscape that mimics real life.
How It Works
- 3D positioning: Sounds are placed in precise virtual locations around you. For example, a bird chirp might seem like it’s coming from behind your left shoulder.
- Head tracking (Apple Spatial Audio feature): As you turn your head, the sound adjusts so that voices or instruments stay “anchored” in place.
- Dolby Atmos support: Many movies, shows, and even music tracks are now mixed in Dolby Atmos, a format designed to maximize the spatial effect.
This is fantastic for movies, games, and music mixed for that purpose. But it’s not what you want when listening to binaural beats.
What Makes Binaural Beats Work
Binaural beats rely on a very specific principle: delivering two slightly different frequencies to each ear.
Example: one ear hears 200 Hz, the other hears 210 Hz.
Your brain perceives the difference (10 Hz) as a “beat,” and this frequency can influence brainwave activity. The brain follows along and produces brainwaves at this frequency. This is known as ‘Frequency Following Response'.
For this to work, the stereo separation must remain completely intact — meaning the left ear must hear its frequency exactly as delivered, and the right ear must hear its frequency exactly as delivered.
Any processing that blends, shifts, or virtually repositions the sound risks disrupting that delicate balance.
Why Spatial Audio Isn’t Ideal for Binaural Beats
Spatial Audio’s strength — manipulating and moving sound around you — is exactly why it interferes with binaural beats.
It may alter the stereo separation by “re-mixing” how the left and right channels reach your ears.
Head tracking can shift tones slightly depending on movement, which breaks the consistency binaural beats require.
The immersive effect may downplay the pure left/right difference, weakening the brainwave entrainment.
That’s why we always recommend switching Spatial Audio off when listening to our meditation programs.
Music Mixed for Dolby Atmos vs. Our Audio
It’s worth noting that some artists and producers are now creating music specifically for Dolby Atmos. In those cases, the spatial mix is intentional, and the music is meant to be experienced in 360° sound.
Our audio, however, is not mixed for Dolby Atmos. It’s created with precision stereo separation to support the binaural beat effect. Turning on Spatial Audio adds a layer of processing that the music was never designed for — and this may reduce or even negate its effectiveness.
Best Settings for Binaural Beats on iPhone & AirPods
- Turn Spatial Audio OFF
- Turn Dolby Atmos OFF
- Disable EQ and sound enhancements
- Use good quality stereo headphones (preferably over-ear. AirPods work fine)
This ensures you’re hearing the binaural beats exactly as intended.
How to Turn Off Spatial Audio on iPhone or iPad
If you’re listening to binaural beats with AirPods or AirPods Max, you’ll want to make sure Spatial Audio is completely turned off. Apple makes it easy to control this in Control Center.
Here’s how:
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone or iPad and put them in your ears.
- Open Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner of your screen).
- Press and hold the volume control (the bar showing your AirPods’ volume).
- In the lower right corner, you’ll see a Spatial Audio icon. Tap it.
- Choose Off to turn off both Spatial Audio and head tracking.
You’ll also see two other options:
- Fixed: Keeps Spatial Audio on, but without head tracking.
- Head Tracked: Keeps both Spatial Audio and head tracking enabled, making sound move as you move your head.
For binaural beats, always select Off. Your iPhone will remember this choice for each app, so you won’t need to switch it off every time.
Optional extra step: If you want to disable head tracking globally for all apps:
- Go to Settings > Accessibility > AirPods > [Your AirPods]
- Toggle off Follow [Device].
This ensures the audio stays locked in clean stereo, exactly as our programs were designed.
In Summary
Spatial Audio is incredible for movies, games, and Atmos music. But binaural beats are different — they’re not about immersion, they’re about precision. To get the full benefit of brainwave entrainment, it’s best to listen in clean stereo without any extra processing.
So, when you open your iPhone settings, make sure Spatial Audio is switched off before starting your next session.
Thank you so much for this new information understanding and application information 🌱
You’re welcome. We are so glad you found it useful.