Years after teasing “HiFi,” Spotify has confirmed the existence of lossless high-fidelity audio for its premium subscribers. The new feature, called simply as Lossless, streams FLAC music up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz and is being deployed progressively. It comes with Premium, needs a quick setting change on all your devices, and lets you control your music across mobile, desktop and Spotify Connect gear.
Listeners will receive an in-app prompt when Lossless is available in their country, Spotify said. The feature is rolling out in stages across 50 channels, and early access is available in key regions like the US, UK, Germany, Japan and Australia.
What Spotify Lossless delivers
Lossless on Spotify is delivered using the FLAC format at up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz. That’s the same sample rate as CD, but at higher bit depth, which in theory can minimize dithering and increase the amount of dynamic range. The company says the vast majority of tracks will be covered at launch, and you’ll see a Lossless badge in Now Playing and in the Connect device picker when you’re streaming bit-perfect audio.
Though some services go higher than 44.1 kHz in “hi-res” tiers, Spotify’s approach aims to deliver in perfect-bit playback at the catalog and native CD sample rate, where most recordings live. For a great many masters, that’s the sweet spot for fidelity without bloated data consumption.
How to get Lossless on your devices
On phones and tablets: Go to Settings > Audio Quality. In Streaming Quality, select Lossless (FLAC up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz). If you download music, make sure Download Quality is set to Lossless as well. If is lossless, a Lossless badge would show in Now Playing.
On desktop: open Settings > Audio Quality, and prefer Lossless for streaming (and downloads, if you cache tracks for offline listening). Note: Lossless must be enabled on each device.
For speakers and receivers through Spotify Connect: Tap the Connect icon from the Now Playing page, and select a device. Your device will receive a badge in the picker denoting full Lossless support. If a device isn’t supported, Spotify will automatically revert to a lower quality stream.
Bluetooth vs. wired: what your ears will actually hear
Most Bluetooth connections remain lossy. Most popular codecs like SBC and AAC compress audio; LDAC also can’t reach higher bitrates like SBC but LDAC still isn’t bit-perfect. With ideal circumstances, Qualcomm’s audio codec can achieve 16-bit/44.1 kHz, yet support is shallow in terms of hardware, and the company can’t offer support for 24-bit streams. In other words: don’t expect genuine lossless over run-of-the-mill Bluetooth earbuds.
To get bit-perfect guaranteed playback, you would have to use a wired pair of headphones or a speaker/receiver by utilizing Spotify Connect. Your smartphone, modern iPhone, or laptop, will barely require an inexpensive USB-C DAC dongle on Android devices and newer iPhones or a tiny USB DAC on laptops to unlock pristine Lossless. Brands such as FiiO, AudioQuest and iFi offer inexpensive, portable DAC designs that are easily capable of handling 24-bit audio.
Supported devices and ecosystem
Lossless is supported on the apps by iOS, Android, Windows and macOS. On the living-room side, Spotify Connect is enabled for numerous gear from suppliers like Sony, Bose, Samsung and Sennheiser, with more partners to come. The company also promised wider multi-room system support for popular platforms is coming soon.
If you don’t see a Lossless checkmark by a particular speaker or sound bar, make sure it has the proper firmware updates from the manufacturer and that your device is connected to the same network with enough bandwidth.
Use of data, storage and downloading
FLAC is both bloat-free and still widely-supported. You would be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 5–10 MB per minute depending on how dense the music was at 24-bit/44.1 kHz, so a 4-minute song might come in around 20–40 MB. WIFI HIGH-RESOLUTION STREAMING Lossless Wireless Streaming is strongly recommended to prevent mobile data overage fees and stuttering.
Lossless downloads will require more storage than “Very High” Ogg if downloaded for offline listening. If your phone is running low on space, you might also want to keep downloads at a lower quality for on-the-go and reserve Lossless for home listening or albums that are important to you.
How it stacks up against the competition
Apple Music and Amazon Music have lossless catalogs, and offer optional hi-res up to 24-bit/192 kHz on capable hardware. You’ve got Tidal, which also offers FLAC (and has quietly de-emphasized MQA), though it’s still on the hi-res tiers. Spotify is capping out at 24-bit/44.1 for now, citing universality and simplicity across its apps and Connect devices.
The bullet-point for listeners: Spotify finally pulls off bit-perfect, without adding a higher subscription tier.
“Yes, … but what does it mean?” I hear you ask.
If you already have Premium and the right gear, flipping on Lossless is an easy upgrade — and one that meaningfully elevates the ceiling on what you can hear from the world’s most popular streaming platform.