Apple Music for Android Reportedly Won't Support Dolby Atmos

Apple Music on Android devices will not include Dolby Atmos support when Apple launches Spatial Audio on the streaming service in June. That's the claim from MySmartPrice, which says it received confirmation from Apple India that the sound technology would not be crossing the divide between Apple and Android ecosystems.

apple music android listen now
For anyone confused by all the audio nomenclature that's been bandied about since the ‌Apple Music‌ announcement on Monday, Dolby Atmos is based on surround sound technology that first appeared in cinemas but is now found in many home cinema setups.

It improves on standard 5.1 and 7.1 channel setups by adding extra channels that sound as if they're coming from overhead, resulting in a more immersive experience. The virtualized technology has since been used by sound engineers to enrich the recordings of both original and remixed music tracks.

Spatial Audio, based on Dolby Atmos, is basically Apple's way of delivering a similar immersive three-dimensional audio to listeners through Apple hardware. Spatial Audio takes Dolby Atmos signals and applies its own directional audio filters to make sounds appear to be coming from all around you. However, as mentioned, it only works on Apple devices and Apple headphones like AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, and there's no dynamic head tracking for Spatial Audio music like there is for movie soundtracks.

It's not clear exactly why Dolby Atmos won't be available for ‌Apple Music‌ users on Android when it launches, but it could be due to the lack of control Apple has over the handset and tablet hardware used, or perhaps rollout could come later. On the flip side, however, the higher quality Lossless audio streaming tier that Apple announced this week will be available on Apple Music for Android.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...

Top Rated Comments

AhRiHmAn Avatar
56 months ago
Yesterday many comment were like "Spotify is dead" but now that we know all those things about AirPods , HomePods not compatible and now this about Dolby Atmos on Android , I think Spotify is not scared at all anymore.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
krspkbl Avatar
56 months ago
i know some people will think "It's only android who cares!" but Apple has totally messed up this whole announcement. If Apple really want to seriously compete with Spotify then they need to get their **** together and focus on not just people who buy iPhones/Macs but those with Androids and Windows PCs.


Yesterday many comment were like "Spotify is dead" but now that we know all those things about AirPods , HomePods not compatible and now this about Dolby Atmos on Android , I think Spotify is not scared at all anymore.
Apple has a long way to go before they can match Spotify. Apple Music is a great service but only if you own an Apple device. Spotify works great on everything.

I'm on my 3 month trial of AM and it's great on my 12 Pro Max. Using CarPlay is great (when the Music app launches...) but it's a god awful experience on Windows. Also, it's non existent on my TV which I would sometimes play music on.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Expos of 1969 Avatar
56 months ago

i know some people will think "It's only android who cares!" but Apple has totally messed up this whole announcement. If Apple really want to seriously compete with Spotify then they need to get their **** together and focus on not just people who buy iPhones/Macs but those with Androids and Windows PCs.


Apple has a long way to go before they can match Spotify. Apple Music is a great service but only if you own an Apple device. Spotify works great on everything.

I'm on my 3 month trial of AM and it's great on my 12 Pro Max. Using CarPlay is great (when the Music app launches...) but it's a god awful experience on Windows. Also, it's non existent on my TV which I would sometimes play music on.
Owning an Apple device does not guarantee Apple Music being a great service. On my brand new MacBook Air M1 Apple Music is terrible. Slow as molasses, buggy, search is garbage as it is on all Apple devices. However, Spotify is very good on the same Mac. Super fast and responsive, not buggy at all.

Things are seriously messed up in Apple HQ when they either cannot or have little interest in making Apple Music work smoothly in their own Operating System. What a way to run an operation...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Musicfanatic815 Avatar
56 months ago

Owning an Apple device does not guarantee Apple Music being a great service. On my brand new MacBook Air M1 Apple Music is terrible. Slow as molasses, buggy, search is garbage as it is on all Apple devices. However, Spotify is very good on the same Mac. Super fast and responsive, not buggy at all.

Things are seriously messed up in Apple HQ when they either cannot or have little interest in making Apple Music work smoothly in their own Operating System. What a way to run an operation...
Agreed!! I thought it was just me! Apple Music on my M1 MacBook Pro is horrendous! Very slow, doesn’t always load when clicking on listen, browse, radio etc…. Spotify has no issues on the same device.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vagos Avatar
56 months ago

I'm on my 3 month trial of AM and it's great on my 12 Pro Max but it's a god awful experience on Windows.
Exactly. The right way to build an ecosystem is to offer great user experience everywhere. Not by being good only in your own hardware.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CJM Avatar
56 months ago
They need to update iTunes on Windows before I give up Spotify.
As the above commenter mentioned, people use a range of devices and platforms and high end streaming hardware often has Spotify built right in, saving you from having to AirPlay to the device from your phone.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)