- Spotify’s new Lossless audio mode is finally rolling out after a five-year wait
- The rollout starts now for Premium users and will continue through October
- Spotify has also kept its original Low, Normal, High and Very High audio quality settings for added flexibility
The day that millions of loyal Spotify fans have been waiting for has finally arrived, with the music streaming service finally rolling out Spotify Lossless – a feature that we’ve been waiting five years for.
From today (September 10), Spotify Lossless will be rolling out to Premium users across over 50 regions including the US, UK and Australia. Spotify says the rollout is starting now and will continue though October. You’ll receive a notification alerting you when Lossless is available, but that’s not all.
Surprisingly, Spotify Lossless is free for Premium subscribers – a huge sigh of relief given that previous rumors suggested that lossless audio would come in the form of a paid add-on called ‘Music Pro’.
We’ve reached out to Spotify regarding how many songs in its catalog Lossless applies to, and it’s responded with the following statement: “Nearly every song on Spotify will be available in lossless, with a clearly labelled ‘Lossless’ symbol.”
Additionally, Spotify Lossless will also be available across an array of devices from mobile, to desktop and tablet, offering compatibility with devices that support Spotify Connect including Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and more.
There’s no doubt that lossless audio has been the platform’s most-asked for feature, and its absence has been the reason why many music fans have switched to its competitor Apple Music – which has long included lossless audio across its music catalog.
How good is Spotify Lossless?
Given lossless audio typically consumes more mobile data (or takes up more space on your device when downloaded), Spotify is keeping its custom audio quality settings (Low, Normal, High, and Very High). Although personally, I can’t imagine I’ll be settling for anything below its Lossless tier.
When it comes to the actual quality, Spotify Lossless offers up to 24bit/44.1kHz FLAC playback, which our audio editor Becky Scarrott has provided comment on:
“24-bit/44.1kHz is actually better than CD-quality (specified as 16-bit/44.1kHz) and so while Spotify’s calling it ‘Lossless’ it is technically hi-res audio. However, when Apple did it back in June 2021, it launched its entire catalog in CD-quality, with two higher-res tiers called Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless (which maxes out at 24-bit/192 kHz), so it’s not quite up to that resolution”.
On the Bluetooth front, Spotify Lossless isn’t quite there yet and the company says that “Bluetooth doesn’t currently provide enough bandwidth”. For now, Spotify recommends streaming Lossless audio over Wi-Fi, using wired headphones or speakers, or a non-Bluetooth connection device compatible with Spotify Connect.
How to find Spotify Lossless
As mentioned, Spotify will notify Premium users when Lossless becomes available. Once it’s live, it’s fairly straightforward to locate.
- Tap your profile icon in the top left of the Spotify app, and head to Settings and Privacy.
- Select Media Quality, and the Lossless option will appear with other audio streaming options for WiFi, cellular, and downloads.
- Enable Spotify Lossless, and say goodbye to years of crunchy audio playback.
Spotify also says that you’ll need to enable Lossless manually on each device, which is something to remember if you often switch between mobile, tablet, and desktop.
Once enabled, Spotify will let you know when you’re listening in Lossless via its Lossless indicator, which you can view in the Now Playing view or bar and via the Connect Picker.
