Spotify is finally delivering on a promise it first made years ago, lossless, high-quality music streaming for paying subscribers. After repeated delays, licensing wrangles, and endless speculation, the platform has started rolling out support for CD-quality audio to premium users across the globe. Now, the wait is over. Spotify has confirmed that premium subscribers will be able to stream tracks in up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality, a format designed to deliver music exactly as it was recorded, without the compromises of compression.
The idea of a dedicated hi-fi tier was first floated back in 2021, but it quickly became one of those “coming soon” features that never seemed to arrive. Even last year, CEO Daniel Ek admitted the company was still in the “early days” of bringing lossless audio to listeners, despite a steady drip of reports and even snippets of hidden code in the app hinting at a pricier subscription plan.
Spotify lossless audio: Availability and how to enable it
The rollout will cover more than 50 countries through October, with users in markets such as the UK, US, Germany, Japan, Australia, Sweden, and the Netherlands already seeing the feature appear in their apps. Subscribers will receive a notification when their account is eligible, after which they can activate the option by heading to Settings and Privacy > Media Quality and selecting “Lossless” for Wi-Fi, mobile data, and downloads.
The company states, “Lossless is available on mobile, desktop, and tablet, as well as on many devices that support Spotify Connect, including Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser, and more. Support for additional devices, including those from Sonos and Amazon, arrives next month.”
There are, however, a few caveats. The setting needs to be switched on individually for each device you use, rather than syncing across your entire account. Because lossless files are chunkier, Spotify will also let you monitor your data usage more closely. And while you can enjoy lossless streaming over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth remains a frustrating bottleneck. The wireless standard simply doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle FLAC-quality files, a limitation Apple has been vocal about as well.
To get the full experience, Spotify recommends using Spotify Connect, which allows you to stream directly to compatible speakers and sound systems from brands like Bose, Yamaha, and Bluesound. This bypasses Bluetooth entirely, ensuring your high-quality tracks actually sound as intended.
Still, Spotify is undeniably late to the party. Apple Music has been offering lossless streaming since 2021 at no extra cost, while Amazon Music made its HD tier free after initially charging for it back in 2019. By comparison, Spotify’s promise of hi-fi has been the subject of jokes and frustration among loyal users.
The company insists, though, that this launch represents a huge leap forward, claiming lossless playback now covers “nearly every track” in its 100-million-song catalogue. There may still be gaps, but for most listeners, the difference will be more than enough to justify the hype.
For audiophiles who have been waiting patiently – or impatiently – for Spotify to catch up with rivals. But now it is finally here, so dust off those premium headphones, check your settings, and get ready to hear your favourite tracks in all their uncompressed glory.
