Spotify is about to sound a whole lot better.
After years of anticipation, the world’s largest audio streaming platform is finally introducing high-quality, lossless HD audio to its Premium subscribers. The feature, long requested by users, is now rolling out gradually in more than 50 markets, with full availability expected by the end of October. Free, ad-supported Spotify accounts won’t have access to the upgrade.
Where It’s Available
Premium users in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden are among the first to receive access. Subscribers in other regions will be notified directly in the app once the feature is enabled.
What Lossless Means
The new feature allows subscribers to stream tracks encoded in FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) at up to 24-bit depth and 44.1 kHz. Unlike Spotify’s previous highest-quality option — Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) at 320 kbps — FLAC preserves all the details of the original recording without compression loss. However, this comes at the cost of much higher bandwidth usage. For comparison, Amazon notes that similar FLAC files can average around 1,600 kbps.
“The wait is finally over,” said Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify’s VP of subscriptions. “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.”
Years in the Making
Spotify first announced its intention to launch HD audio in 2021 but later put the plan on indefinite hold. In the meantime, competitors like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Tidal surged ahead with their own lossless offerings. Apple rolled out lossless audio in May 2021, while Amazon Music has offered it since 2019.
With this rollout, Spotify is finally catching up to industry standards that audiophiles have enjoyed elsewhere for years.
Supported Devices and Settings
Lossless streaming is available across Spotify’s mobile, desktop, and tablet apps, as well as through a range of third-party devices compatible with Spotify Connect. Early partners include Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser, Denon, Marantz, Bluesound, and Yamaha, with support for Sonos and Amazon devices coming in October.
Users can manually enable the feature per device in Settings & Privacy → Media Quality, with options for Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads. Spotify provides multiple quality levels — Low, Normal, High, Very High, and now Lossless — letting users balance audio quality with data consumption.
Once enabled, a “Lossless” indicator will appear in the Now Playing screen and the Connect Picker. For the best experience, Spotify recommends listening over Wi-Fi with wired headphones or speakers, since Bluetooth currently lacks the bandwidth to transmit true lossless audio without compression.
How to Turn It On
To enable lossless audio (if available on your account):
- Tap your profile icon (top left).
- Go to Settings & Privacy → Media Quality.
- Choose where you want lossless audio: Wi-Fi, cellular, or downloads.
With this long-awaited upgrade, Spotify is finally delivering the crystal-clear sound that millions of music fans have been asking for.
