How to Record Spatial Audio in iOS 18 Camera

Apple’s iOS 18 introduces native Spatial Audio recording capabilities to the Camera app, allowing supported iPhone models to capture multi-dimensional, surround sound alongside high-definition video. By configuring the correct audio capture settings, users can record true-to-life soundscapes that separate vocal tracks from background ambient noise, providing professional-grade audio that can be played back on surround systems or fine-tuned using iOS 18’s new Audio Mix editing tools.

Enabling Spatial Audio in iOS 18 Settings

To capture immersive surround sound, Spatial Audio must be selected as the default audio capture format.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
  3. Tap Record Sound.
  4. Select Spatial Audio.

When Spatial Audio is selected, the iPhone uses its advanced microphone array to track and position sound sources in a 3D space relative to the camera lens. If this setting is left on "Stereo" or "Mono," the camera will condense all sound into two channels or a single channel, eliminating the surround effect.

Supported Hardware Requirements

Spatial Audio recording requires an iPhone equipped with a multi-microphone studio array capable of beamforming and spatial capture. This feature is supported on:

  • iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max (with spatial capture capabilities)

Older iPhone models running iOS 18 will default to standard stereo recording.

Adjusting Surround Sound with Audio Mix

Once a video is recorded using the Spatial Audio setting, iOS 18 allows you to adjust the surround sound profiles directly inside the Photos app.

  1. Open the recorded video in the Photos app.
  2. Tap Edit, then select the Audio Mix icon at the bottom.
  3. Choose from the available audio profiles:
    • Standard: Retains the original Spatial Audio balance captured during recording.
    • In-Frame: Isolates and emphasizes voices captured within the camera frame, dropping voices and noise outside the field of view.
    • Studio: Reduces background reverb and environmental noise to make voices sound as though they were recorded in an acoustic sound booth.
    • Cinematic: Places dialogue in the center channel while moving background environmental noises and atmospheric sounds to the surround channels, mimicking movie-style audio.
  4. Adjust the Intensity Slider to increase or decrease the strength of the chosen mix.
  5. Tap Done to save the changes.

Best Practices for Capturing Spatial Sound

  • Avoid Blocking the Microphones: Ensure cases, accessories, or fingers do not cover the microphones located near the rear camera bump, the bottom edge, or the front receiver.
  • Enable Wind Noise Reduction: In Settings > Camera > Record Sound, toggle on Wind Noise Reduction to prevent heavy air movement from distorting the spatial microphone array.
  • Monitor with Spatial Playback: Listen back to your recordings using AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or surround sound speaker setups to accurately review the positioning of directional audio.