During the June 6, 2022 Keynote, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, announced that iOS 16 users will be able to use their iPhone’s TrueDepth camera to create a custom Spatial Audio profile!
Introduced last year by the company, Spatial Audio technology creates a three-dimensional sound space and a vast soundstage for a more precise placement of sound objects. With Apple AirPods Max headphones, Apple AirPods 3 or Apple AirPods Pro True Wireless IEMs, users can then enjoy a more immersive, concert-like sound experience.
The iPhone’s TrueDepth camera is already used by the Cupertino company for facial recognition. It does this by projecting and analyzing thousands of invisible points to create a depth map and capture an infrared image of your face. iOS 16 applies this feature to measure the characteristics of your ear. According to Apple, the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera can now scan the user’s ear canal, as well as the surrounding environment, to provide much more accurate three-dimensional sound. Presumably, the user will need to take several pictures of their ears from different angles in order to create a tailored sound profile and enjoy a unique listening experience.
