In a highly anticipated move, Spotify has announced the arrival of lossless audio on its streaming platform, a feature that has been much-requested by subscribers over the years. According to a recent post from the company, premium subscribers will now have access to 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC audio across nearly every song available on Spotify, marking a significant enhancement to the listening experience.
Subscribers will now have the option to adjust their music quality settings, choosing between low, normal, high, very high, and the newly introduced lossless option. This flexibility allows users to select a sound quality that suits their needs while also monitoring the data consumption associated with each audio tier.
Unlike compressed audio formats such as MP3 or AAC, which reduce file sizes by discarding some audio data, lossless formats like FLAC and Apple’s ALAC maintain the original sound quality without any loss. This means that listeners can enjoy the full depth and range of their favorite songs, providing a richer and more immersive listening experience.
In addition to being available on Spotify's apps, the lossless audio feature will also be compatible with select Spotify Connect devices from prominent manufacturers such as Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser. The company has further revealed plans to extend support to Sonos and Amazon audio devices in the coming month, enhancing the accessibility of this new feature.
The introduction of lossless audio has been a long-awaited feature for Spotify, which launched in 2008 and became available in the US in 2011. While Spotify has promised a lossless music tier for many years, originally referred to as Supremium, it has lagged behind some of its competitors in this regard. Both Apple and Amazon incorporated lossless and hi-res audio files into their services back in 2021, leaving YouTube Music as one of the few platforms that still primarily offers compressed music.
Spotify has confirmed that the lossless audio feature will gradually roll out to a total of 50 different markets, expanding its availability to a wider audience of music enthusiasts. This strategic move demonstrates Spotify's commitment to enhancing user experience and keeping pace with industry standards.
Once you receive a notification from Spotify indicating that lossless audio is available, you can easily enable the feature through the Spotify app. To do this, tap on your profile image, navigate to Settings & Privacy, then select Media Quality. Here, you can choose to enable lossless audio over Wi-Fi, cellular data, or in your downloads. It’s important to note that you will need to manually enable this feature for each device you use.
With the introduction of lossless audio, Spotify is taking a significant step toward enriching the listening experience for its subscribers, ensuring that high-quality sound is more accessible than ever before.
