Why is my MacBook pro 2020 not able to use spatial audio?

Hello, Gary0302,

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities, it's great to have you here.

Spatial Audio is a really cool feature and we want to help make sure it's working at its best for you. As you mentioned, spatial audio isn't available on all apps but Apple Music is definitely one that it should be working with. With that in mind, we want to recommend that you open up System Preferences > Accessibility and double check that "Play stereo audio as mono" isn't enabled here as this may interfere with spatial audio availability.

If that doesn't do the trick, see if you can reset your AirPods and reconnect them to your Mac. This may help refresh the connection and get this feature working as expected. If you have an iPhone available, here is how you can reset: How to reset your AirPods and AirPods Pro - Apple Support

We hope that this information is helpful.

​Have a great day!

Hi Gary0302,

Thanks for following up with us. Just to confirm, were you able to test the issue with "Play stereo audio as mono" turned off? If so, did that improve the issue? That information will help us determine how to proceed.

You can also find information on how to manage and change Audio settings for accessibility on Mac here, which may help: Change Audio settings for accessibility on Mac

Change Audio settings for accessibility on Mac

On your Mac, use Audio settings to make the screen flash when an alert occurs, play stereo sound as mono, turn Spatial Audio on or off, set accessibility options for Apple earbuds and earphones paired to your Mac, or play background sounds to mask unwanted environmental noise.

To change these settings, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Accessibility  in the sidebar, then click Audio on the right. (You may need to scroll down.)

Thanks!