Most people are excited over macOS Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and much more due to the many announcements at the Apple WWDC keynote that happened recently, but Apple hasn't forgotten about their wireless earbuds line-up of the AirPods.
If you're an owner of a second-generation pair of Apple AirPods or an owner of a pair of Apple AirPods Pro, then your AirPods will update sometime in the next few weeks. This upcoming update will improve your listening experience by making it more fun to listen to what you normally listen to.
What Is Apple Adding To The AirPods?
If you're the owner of an AirPods Pro, a second-generation AirPods, a Powerbeats, a Powerbeats Pro, or Beats Solo Pro earbuds, you can use the new automatic switching feature. The automatic switching feature automatically switches between your Apple devices while you use them.
If you own an AirPods Pro, you will get the exclusive new feature that is the addition of the Dolby spatial audio experience. You can use the spatial sound feature when you update your devices to iOS, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, tvOS, as well as watchOS 7.
Here are explanations of the two major features that Apple is implementing into the AirPods:
Seamless Automatic Switching
Switching seamlessly between your different Apple devices automatically is possible if you own AirPods or the Powerbeats headsets mentioned above. This will work with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
The way that the seamless automatic switching works are by checking if your iCloud-connected devices are being used and it connects your AirPods to it automatically when it is needed. However, this means your devices all need to be signed in to the same iCloud account for it to work.
An example of how seamless automatic switching works is when you're watching a video on your iPad but then you get a call on your iPhone, which is when your AirPods switch from your iPad to your iPhone. This process won't hinder anything and it won't cause any disturbance.
Spatial Audio For AirPods Pro
If you own a pair of AirPods Pro, Spatial Audio will soon be implemented into it. What this feature brings is 3D audio aimed to provide a theatrical hearing experience.
The feature provides filters for directional audio and those sound frequencies that get sent to your ears are adjusted so that the sounds you hear feel immersive and it's coming from around you. Apple has stated that the feature will constantly adjust for your head position moving as well as your device's position and angle.
When you watch any content that supports Dolby 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound audio, then Spatial Audio will turn itself on so that your experience is streamlined.
Other Miscellaneous Features
A new helpful feature is sharing audio from any of the streaming services on your Apple TV. This feature lets two people with their AirPods enjoy the same movie with each other without letting others hear what they're watching.
Another neat feature is getting better battery notifications that give more details. These notifications will let you know earlier when you have to charge your AirPods ahead of when you need them.
