According to serial leaker Jon Prosser, streaming audio to AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max will get a major upgrade in the near future with a software update that will enable Lossless Audio via AirPlay, skirting Bluetooth’s limitations.
Apple confirmed yesterday that no AirPods currently support lossless audio in any way, but used the word “currently.”
Before announcing AirTag, Apple announced a broader Find My Network with support for 3rd party accessories. Prosser suggests that in light of recent anti-trust investigations, Apple is doing the same thing here: Announce support for lossless audio that works with 3rd-party devices weeks ahead of announcing a new proprietary Apple format for streaming HiFi music.
MacDailyNews Take: If this rumor is correct, thanks to AirPlay, Lossless Audio may soon be arriving on AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max – and likely to various Beats headphones, too.
Currently 😉, you can listen to Apple Music Lossless using the latest Apple Music app on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. With iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, or tvOS 14.6 or later – coming soon – turn on lossless audio in Settings > Music > Audio Quality. You can choose between Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless for cellular or Wi-Fi connections. Note that Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment such as a USB digital to analog converter.
All Apple Music subscribers using the latest version of Apple Music on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV can listen to thousands of Dolby Atmos music tracks using any headphones. When you listen with compatible Apple or Beats headphones — AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, BeatsX, Beats Solo3 Wireless, Beats Studio3, Powerbeats3 Wireless, Beats Flex, Powerbeats Pro, and Beats Solo Pro — Dolby Atmos music plays back automatically when available for a song. For other headphones, go to Settings > Music > Audio and set Dolby Atmos to Always On. You can also hear Dolby Atmos music using the built‑in speakers on a compatible iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, or HomePod, or by connecting your Apple TV 4K to a compatible TV or audiovisual receiver.
Thats great If true.
I use AirPods Pro as wireless mics while filming. The audio quality through Bluetooth is abysmal. I really hope this update would allow the earbuds to always talk to the phone by airplay.
You guys are doing a disservice by repeating things that have 0% chance of being true. None of the AirPods have a wifi radio – so, how exactly are they going to support AirPlay? Bluetooth doesn’t have the bandwidth to do this.
Me, I’d expect the AirPods 3 to include U1 (Find My) as well as Wifi support for lossless radio (if Apple had enough forethought to include it) – if not we could be looking at next year before we have Apple headphones that support lossless.
H1 chip piggybacks the technology that is needed for Airplay.
This article is full of misinformation.