Key Points:
- Spotify is launching lossless audio streaming for premium subscribers, offering up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality in more than 50 countries.
- Users must enable lossless manually on each device, with playback indicators confirming when the higher-quality stream is active.
- Bluetooth cannot deliver true lossless due to bandwidth limits, so Spotify recommends Wi-Fi or wired headphones, with Spotify Connect support on devices from Bose, Yamaha, Sony and more.
Spotify is rolling out high-quality, lossless music streaming for its premium subscribers, ending years of speculation and setbacks around the long-promised feature.
On Tuesday, Spotify confirmed it is now enabling support for up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC-quality streams — a format that preserves the original audio without compression. The feature is rolling out in more than 50 markets through October, with subscribers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Australia and several other countries among the first to gain access.
Subscribers of the $12 per month service will receive an in-app notification when lossless streaming becomes available. To turn it on, users must navigate to “Settings and Privacy,” then “Media Quality,” where a new “Lossless” option appears for Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads. Unlike lower-quality options, lossless must be manually activated on each device tied to a Spotify account.
“The wait is finally over,” Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify’s Vice President of Subscriptions, said in a statement. “We’ve taken time to build this feature in a way that prioritizes quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what’s happening under the hood. With Lossless, our premium users will now have an even better listening experience.”
Lossless streaming consumes significantly more bandwidth than compressed formats. Spotify has added tools that show users how much data each quality setting uses, helping customers decide whether to stream in lossless over Wi-Fi, cellular, or when downloading tracks for offline playback. Bluetooth remains a weak spot: the format cannot be transmitted in true lossless quality due to bandwidth restrictions.
Spotify recommends wired headphones or Wi-Fi connections for the best results. Users can also stream over Wi-Fi to compatible speakers through Spotify Connect, with supported devices from Bose, Yamaha, Bluesound, Sony, Samsung, Sennheiser, Denon, and Marantz. Sonos and Amazon devices will be added in October.
Spotify first revealed plans for a “Hi-Fi” tier four years ago, saying it would offer CD-quality audio to listeners willing to pay extra. Licensing issues and shifting priorities pushed the project back, with CEO Daniel Ek saying last year that Spotify was still in the “early days” of developing lossless support. App updates and reports hinted at a pricier tier, but no firm launch ever materialized.
Spotify arrives late to a market where rivals already offer high-quality streaming. Apple Music launched lossless audio in 2021 at no extra charge, while Amazon made its HD tier free for subscribers after debuting it in 2019.
By comparison, Spotify insists its rollout covers “nearly every track” in its 100-million-song catalog, but acknowledges some gaps remain.
