You don't need AirPods to use the spatial audio feature in Apple Music. Apple confirmed to What Hi-Fi? that subscribers can get the 3D effect of spatial audio with any headphones, even if they are not Apple or its Beats sub-brand.

While Apple and Beats headphones and earbuds have spatial audio turned on by default, you must manually enable this feature.

Apple announced earlier this week that Apple Music will support spatial audio and lossless streaming in June. In its announcement article, it was only mentioned that Apple and Beats headphones with Apple H1 or W1 chips, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, will "automatically" play spatial audio content.

When the update arrives, it seems all you need to do is go into the music settings on your iPhone or iPad and make sure Dolby Atmos is set to "Always On." The question remains whether the same settings can be enabled if you are using Apple Music on a non-Apple device. But at least you don't have to shell out the big bucks for AirPods Pro or AirPods Max to enjoy digital surround sound on your headphones.

Speaking of Dolby Atmos, Apple Music's implementation does not appear to be spatial audio as we know it: currently, spatial audio can only be employed when wearing AirPods Pro or AirPods Max while watching videos . These headphones use head tracking with on-board sensors and source device sensors to use the screen as an anchor point, so the origin of different sounds remains constant as you move your head.

By opening up spatial audio to other headphones that do not have gyroscopes or accelerometers, it appears that Apple Music's version will be without head tracking capability. It may be more accurate to say that you will be listening to Dolby Atmos content instead, but you should still get a 3D effect that sounds like various instruments and vocals are positioned around you.

It was revealed yesterday that Apple Music's other big new feature, lossless and high-res audio, will not work with the current AirPods. Apple giveth, Apple taketh away.