Spotify Unveils Lossless Streaming: What It Means for Listeners

Spotify is finally bringing high-quality, lossless music to its premium users after years of delays. The company first mentioned this feature in 2021 and promised CD-quality sound. But it was delayed many times because of licensing problems. Last year, CEO Daniel Ek said lossless streaming was still in the early stages. He did not give a date for release, but now it looks like it is finally coming.

Spotify now lets you play music in 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality. This keeps the original sound without compression. You hear the music just like it was recorded. Paid users in over 50 countries can get it during October. Some countries, like the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan, and Australia, already have the update.

When the feature is available for your account, you will get a notification in the app. To turn it on, go to Settings > Privacy > Media Quality and choose “Lossless” for streaming on Wi-Fi, mobile data, or downloads. Remember, you need to turn it on separately for each device — Spotify does not sync this setting across your devices.

Lossless files are much bigger than regular streams, so they use more data. You can check your usage in the app. You also cannot play lossless music over Bluetooth because it cannot handle that much data. For the best sound, use Spotify Connect with compatible devices like Bose, Yamaha, or Bluesound over Wi-Fi.

This update makes Spotify competitive again, though it’s a little late compared to rivals. Apple Music introduced lossless streaming back in 2021, and Amazon Music made its HD tier free after launching it in 2019. Spotify says “nearly every track” in its 100-million-song library supports lossless quality, but a few songs may still be missing for now.