OMG, Spotify actually launched lossless audio, and it comes with Premium tier
This is a moment to savour. A moment to enjoy. And a moment to remember.
Spotify has finally launched lossless audio, four-and-a-half years after initially announcing it in February 2021. In this period, the company teased and promised that the feature – which every other major music streaming service already offers – is actually coming one day.
The day is finally here, and we've got some additional good news to share. On its official blog, Spotify said that lossless audio is going to be a part of Spotify's Premium subscription. The company originally hinted that the feature might be a part of a new, pricier plan, but there's no such plan at the moment.
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Instead, lossless audio is now rolling out to Premium subscribers, who will be able to listen to their favorite tunes in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz quality by way of the FLAC audio format.
In the simplest of terms, this means better-sounding audio. But you do need good audio equipment to take advantage of it - which is also why the feature only works with wired headphones, not Bluetooth. For a detailed overview of what lossless audio is and how it works, go here.
“The wait is finally over; we’re so excited lossless sound is rolling out to Premium subscribers,” said Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP Subscriptions at Spotify, in a statement.
You got that right, Gustav.
“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," he said.
To enable lossless audio, open your Spotify app, tap your profile icon in the top left, go to Settings & Privacy → Media Quality, and choose where you want to enable lossless audio, with the choices being Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads only. While ticking all the boxes might seem like a no-brainer, have in mind that lossless audio takes up considerably more streaming data, which might reflect on your monthly cellular plan.
If you don't see the feature just yet, don't worry. According to Spotify, subscribers in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK have already started to get access. But lossless audio will gradually roll out to "more than 50 markets through October," said Spotify.
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
