Spotify finally rolls out lossless music streaming after years of delays
First teased in 2021 as a separate "HiFi" tier, the feature was postponed due to licensing hurdles and business strategy shifts.
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Spotify is finally delivering on a long-awaited promise - high-quality, lossless music streaming for premium account holders, as per media reports.
After years of anticipation and multiple delays, the streaming giant is rolling out support for up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality audio, offering subscribers a richer, more authentic listening experience.
First teased in 2021 as a separate "HiFi" tier, the feature was postponed due to licensing hurdles and business strategy shifts. Meanwhile, rivals surged ahead - Apple Music introduced lossless audio in 2021, while Amazon Music has offered it for free since 2019.
Spotify's lossless upgrade will become available in over 50 countries throughout October, with early access already live in markets such as Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the U.S., and the U.K. Users will receive an in-app notification once the feature is enabled, reports suggest.
To activate lossless streaming, subscribers must navigate to Settings & Privacy > Media Quality > Lossless, where they can adjust preferences for Wi-Fi, cellular data, and downloads.
The option must be set individually for each device, and larger file sizes mean data usage will be more significant compared to compressed formats.
While Wi-Fi connections can handle the higher bitrate, Bluetooth remains a limitation due to bandwidth restrictions, echoing concerns raised by Apple. However, listeners can turn to Spotify Connect to stream lossless audio on compatible devices from brands like Bose, Yamaha, and Bluesound.
Spotify confirmed that "nearly every track" in its 100-million-song library supports lossless audio, though some titles may remain unavailable in the format.
