On Wednesday, September 10, Spotify revealed its Lossless Listening feature, allowing users to stream music in 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC. This format is the least compressed and offers the highest resolution, designed to provide audio that is richer than standard sound quality.
This feature will be accessible on mobile, desktop, and tablet, as well as on various devices compatible with Spotify Connect, such as those from Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser, and others.
In a press statement, Spotify mentioned, "We've dedicated time to develop this feature with a focus on quality, user-friendliness, and transparency at every stage, ensuring you're always aware of the underlying processes. With Lossless, our premium subscribers will now enjoy an enhanced listening experience." Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP, expressed excitement as lossless sound becomes available to Premium subscribers.
According to audio technology company Sonos, Spotify's Lossless Listening, or lossless audio in general, refers to compressed files that maintain all the original audio details of the recording.
Spotify's feature offers customizable settings for Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads, allowing users to select from low, normal, high, and very high quality. Additionally, users can view the data usage for each option.
Follow the steps given below to activate lossless audio in the Spotify app:
Step 1: Tap the profile icon at the top left.
Step 2: Navigate to 'Settings & Privacy' and then 'Media Quality'.
Step 3: Choose where you want to enable lossless audio, with options including Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads.
Users must manually enable the lossless feature on each device. Once activated, the lossless indicator will be visible in the Now Playing view or bar, and through the Connect Picker.
Spotify advises, "For the best and smoothest listening experience, we suggest streaming lossless music on Wi-Fi using wired headphones or speakers with a non-Bluetooth connection, such as Spotify Connect. Currently, Bluetooth lacks sufficient bandwidth to transmit lossless audio, necessitating compression of the signal before transmission."
Spotify has started introducing the lossless audio feature to Premium users in certain regions. The company announced that Premium members will be notified when the lossless option is accessible. This feature will be available in over 50 regions by October.
Premium users in countries like Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK have already begun receiving access.