New AirPods features for iOS 14: Spatial audio, improved automatic switching of devices, battery alerts, and more

For those that need help with sounds and frequencies, Apple built iOS 14 with many new features that enhance how AirPods and AirPods Pro operate with iPhones and iPads, including spatial audio, smoother system switching, battery alerts, and Headphone Accommodations.

Spatial Audio (AirPods Pro Only)

During the Worldwide Developers Conference, when Apple revealed space audio, it was a feature that was a big surprise and one that sounded like something from a science fiction movie. Instead of coming from headphones, spatial audio makes audio sound like it's coming straight from your device, offering a special listening experience.


Apple incorporates dynamic head tracking and iPhone positioning with spatial audio to get the AirPods Pro a movie theatre surround sound experience. Spatial audio is able to position sounds anywhere in space for a more immersive audio experience while watching TV shows and movies by using directional audio philtres and slight changes to the frequencies that each ear receives.

In the AirPods Pro and iPhone, spatial audio will take advantage of the gyroscope and accelerometer to track head movement and system position, compare motion data and reshape the sound field on the fly so that it remains fixed to the iPhone even as the head travels around.


    Via a firmware update released in September, spatial audio was activated, and using the function needs the firmware update along with the iOS or iPadOS 14 update. Spatial audio on the iPhone fits with the iPhone 7 and later.

    The iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and later, the iPad Pro 11-inch, the iPad Air (3rd generation), the iPad (6th generation) and later, and the iPad mini (5th generation) work with spatial audio on the iPad.

    Automatic Device Switching

    For devices where you have signed in with your iCloud account, AirPods and AirPods Pro already feature fast and easy device switching, but iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, watchOS 7, and macOS Big Sur make switching devices even easier.

    With the updates enabled, AirPods and AirPods Pro turn between your devices that are paired with the same iCloud account automatically. So, if you listen to music on your iPhone but turn to watching a video on your Mac, your AirPods can connect to the Mac seamlessly.

    You can switch easily right now, but if the 'AirPods' are already connected to a primary device, you need to access the Bluetooth settings for your secondary device on most devices.

    Automatic system switching includes an iCloud account and operates with the new software versions 
    installed on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple Watch. Automatic switching operates with 
    the 'AirPods Pro' and 'AirPods' of the second generation and is not compatible with the original 
    'AirPods.' It also deals with Powerbeats, Beats Solo Pro, and Powerbeats Pro.

    Battery Notifications


    If your AirPods are low on battery and need to be charged, your iPhone or iPad will let you 

    know with a notification so that before they fully die, you can charge them up.


    Optimized Charging


    Apple has added a new Optimized Battery Charging feature in iOS 14 to increase the 

    durability of the [AirPods]. Optimized Battery Charging helps the AirPods to learn your daily 

    charging routine and will wait until they are required to finish charging past 80 percent.


    To maximise the overall battery life of the devices, Apple utilises a similar battery 

    optimization feature for iPhones and Macs. It can be safer to sustain battery health over time 

    by avoiding constantly holding a lithium ion battery at full power.



    Headphones 


    Accommodations



    For those that are hard of hearing, Headphones Accommodations is an accessibility feature, 

    which can enhance soft sounds and change frequencies to make music , movies, calls, and 

    more sound more crisp and clear.


    In the Accessibility section of the Settings app, you can access the Headphones 

    Accommodations feature by tapping 'AirPods' > Audio Accessibility Settings > Headphone 

    Accommodations.


    From there, you can access all the various options available, such as Balanced Tone, Vocal 

    Range, or Brightness tuning audio, or changing the volume of soft sounds to be louder.


    In order to decide whether you have unique audio requirements that should be compensated 

    for with the Headphone Accommodations feature, there is also a Custom Audio Setup that 

    goes through a test with soft speech and various songs.





    Headphone Accommodations also works on AirPods Pro with the Transparency mode, 

    rendering silent voices quieter and tuning the sounds of the world around you to suit your 

    audio needs.


    Hearing Health



    In iOS 14 and watchOS 7, Apple enhanced hearing health safeguards and the iPhone now 

    sends alerts to the Apple Watch when you listen to music too loud and can reduce the 

    volume of your headphones to a reasonable level until you have achieved the prescribed safe 

    weekly listening dose of the World Health Organization.



    You can allow Minimize Noisy Noises, a new function under Sounds & Haptics, to monitor 

    audio from headphones and decrease any sound that is above a certain decibel level that you 

    can set yourself. These features and other headphone options work with the 'AirPods' and 

    'AirPods Pro'.


    Control Center Volume 


    Monitor


    When you listen to music with the "AirPods" or other headphones, whether you have the 

    "Hearing" function added to the Control Center, you will see a live volume level metre to 

    ensure that the decibel level is protected.


    Only swipe down from the Control Center to see the live reading by clicking on the ear icon 

    (after it has been applied to the Control Center).


    AirPods Pro Motion API


    For the AirPods Pro, Apple developed a Motion API which developers can take advantage of. 

    The Motion API, which is useful for fitness apps and games, enables developers to access 

    orientation, user acceleration and rotational speeds.

    Developers will build the API into applications that can be downloaded by the owners of 

    AirPods Pro.

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