After four years of waiting, Spotify has finally introduced lossless audio streaming, which was first teased in February 2021. The company released a press release stating that this new option is rolling out for Spotify Premium subscribers in over 50 countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, and more. Free, ad-supported users will not get this new feature.
The new lossless audio feature will give listeners better sound quality and more control over streaming quality.
How To Enable Lossless On Spotify
The new lossless audio feature lets Premium users enjoy up to 24-bit/44.1kHz FLAC audio, which means clearer and crisper audio compared to the standard streaming quality.
To enable lossless audio, subscribers have to manually turn the option on in the app. Go to Settings & Privacy > Media Quality. Spotify has also given its premium users custom controls that allow them to select streaming quality for Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads, with data usage indicators shown for each option.
When enabled, a “Lossless” badge will appear in the Now Playing screen, bar, or Connect Picker.
Spotify recommends using wired headphones, wired speakers, or Spotify Connect-compatible devices for the best experience, since Bluetooth cannot transmit true lossless audio. The company also said that lossless files are larger and may take longer to start playing. Once cached, playback should remain smooth.
Spotify Supported Devices And Rollout Of Lossless Audio
This new feature will be available on mobile, desktop, and tablet apps, along with Spotify Connect devices from major brands like Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser.
Support will further expand to Sonos and Amazon devices in October. This will broaden the availability to home and smart speaker users.
Interestingly, Spotify previously hinted that the lossless playback would come with a more expensive subscription. However, it is currently included at no additional cost for existing Premium subscribers.
This move followed the increased premium subscription prices in several markets, making the new feature an added benefit to long-time users.
With this, Spotify is positioning itself against its competitors like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal, all of which already offer high-fidelity streaming.
