Does MacBook Air M1 have Dolby Atmos?

If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can listen to available tracks in Dolby Atmos, which creates an immersive, three-dimensional (spatial) audio experience on stereo headphones or built-in speakers.

Albums and songs available in Dolby Atmos have the Dolby button

On a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 12 or later, you can use AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro or AirPods Max to listen to music with spatial audio and head tracking (where sound stays fixed to the device as you move your head). See Use AirPods with your Mac.

Open Music for me

Choose Dolby Atmos (spatial) audio quality settings

1. In the Music app

   on your Mac, choose Music > Settings.

2. Do any of the following:

   • Play supported songs in a Dolby Atmos audio format: Click Playback, then choose one of the options from the Dolby Atmos pop-up menu.

   • Choose Dolby Atmos audio quality when downloading songs: Click General, then select the Download Dolby Atmos tick box.

Change the Dolby Atmos (spatial) audio quality for a song

1. In the Music app

   on your Mac, stream a song from Apple Music.

   Note: A song needs to be playing before you can change its audio quality.

2. Click the Dolby button

   in the playback controls to turn Spatial Audio on or off.

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If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can listen to select songs in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos. Find out which devices support Dolby Atmos, how to change settings for Dolby Atmos and find answers to common questions so you can start listening.

• Listen to Dolby Atmos on iPhone or iPad
• Listen to Dolby Atmos on Mac
• Listen to Dolby Atmos on HomePod
• Listen to Dolby Atmos on Apple TV
• Listen to Dolby Atmos on Android
• Frequently asked questions 
   

Choose how to listen to Dolby Atmos on your iPhone or iPad

1. Update your iPhone or iPad to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Tap Music.
4. Under Audio, tap Dolby Atmos. 
5. Choose Automatic, Always On, or Off.

If you choose Automatic, here's what you'll need

Supported songs will play in Dolby Atmos automatically when you're listening using:

• AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, AirPods (3rd generation) or Beats Fit Pro with Spatial Audio turned on
• AirPods (1st or 2nd generation)
• BeatsX, Beats Solo3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro or Beats Studio Buds
• Any Bluetooth headphones that you categorize as headphones on your iPhone or iPad
• The built-in speakers on an iPhone XS or later (except iPhone SE), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later), iPad Pro 11-inch, or iPad Air (4th generation or later)

If you choose Always On, here's what you'll need

If you want to use wired headphones, choose Always On.
 

Choose how to listen to Dolby Atmos on your Mac

1. Update your Mac to the latest version of macOS.
2. Open the Apple Music app.
3. In the menu bar, choose Music > Preferences.
4. Click the Playback tab. 
5. Choose Automatic, Always On, or Off.

If you choose Automatic, here's what you'll need

Supported songs will play in Dolby Atmos automatically when you're listening using:

• AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, AirPods (3rd generation) or Beats Fit Pro with Spatial Audio turned on
• AirPods (1st or 2nd generation)
• BeatsX, Beats Solo3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo Pro or Beats Studio Buds
• The built-in speakers on a MacBook Pro (2018 model or later), MacBook Air (2018 model or later) or iMac (2021 model)

If you choose Always On, here's what you'll need

If you want to use other headphones that don't support automatic playback, choose Always On.
 

How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your HomePod

• Update your HomePod to the latest software version.
• You need the Home app on the iPhone or iPad that you used to set up your HomePod.

Turn Dolby Atmos on or off

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Home app.
2. Tap the Home button 
   .
3. Tap Home Settings.
4. Under People, tap your name.
5. Tap Apple Music.
6. Turn Dolby Atmos on or off.
    

How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your Apple TV 4K

Turn Dolby Atmos on or off

1. On your Apple TV, go to Settings > Apps.
2. Select Music.
3. Select Dolby Atmos to change it to Automatic or Off.
    

How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your Android device

• You need an Android device that supports Dolby Atmos. To see if your Android device is supported, check with your device's manufacturer.
• Update the Apple Music app to the latest version.

Turn Dolby Atmos on or off

1. Open the Apple Music app.
2. Tap the More button 
   
   .
3. Tap Settings.
4. Tap Dolby Atmos to turn it on or off.
    

Frequently asked questions

If I turn up the volume of Dolby Atmos tracks, I notice that stereo tracks will play much louder. What should I do?

Turn on Sound Check. Here's how:

• On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Music, and turn on Sound Check.
• On your Mac, open the Apple Music app. In the menu bar, choose Music > Preferences. Click the Playback tab, then select Sound Check to turn it on.
• On your Apple TV, go to Settings > Apps > Music, and turn on Sound Check.

Is Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking available for music?

How can I see if a song is available in Dolby Atmos?

Play the song, then check for the Dolby Atmos badge in Now Playing. If every song on an album is available in Dolby Atmos, you'll see the Dolby Atmos badge on the album's detail page. Some songs are only available in Dolby Atmos on a particular version of an album.

What's the best way to find music in Dolby Atmos?

How can I get a Dolby Atmos version of a song that I've already downloaded to my library?

To get a Dolby Atmos version of a song that you've already downloaded from Apple Music, just delete the song and redownload it from the Apple Music catalogue.

Make sure that you turn on "Download in Dolby Atmos" in Settings on your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Android device. Here's how:

• On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Music, and turn on Download in Dolby Atmos.
• On your Mac, open the Apple Music app. In the menu bar, choose Music > Preferences. Click the General tab, then select Download in Dolby Atmos.
• On your Android device, open the Apple Music app. Tap the More button 
  , tap Settings, then turn on Download Dolby Atmos.

How can I listen to the stereo version of a song that's downloaded in Dolby Atmos?

When you've downloaded a Dolby Atmos version of a song, a stereo version of the song will be downloaded too. To listen to the stereo version of a song, just turn off Dolby Atmos in Settings, then play the song.

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Published Date: March 30, 2022

Does MacBook Air have Dolby Atmos?

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