Spotify Finally Rolls Out Lossless Audio for Premium Users in Select Regions

Spotify has finally rolled out support for lossless audio playback, more than four years after first announcing it in February 2021. The high-fidelity sound option is now available to Spotify Premium subscribers across more than 50 regions globally. While Spotify had previously suggested the feature could be tied to a more expensive plan, it is currently included in the existing Spotify Premium tier. Listeners who use the free, ad-supported tier will not have access to lossless audio on the platform. Notably, Spotify recently announced price hikes for its Premium plan in several markets. 

Spotify Premium Users to Get Lossless Audio in 50 Markets by October

Lossless audio streaming is rolling out to Spotify Premium users in select markets globally, the company confirmed in a press release. Subscribers will be notified on Spotify when Lossless becomes available on their account. To enable lossless audio in the Spotify app, tap your profile icon in the top left and open Settings & Privacy. Then, go to Media Quality and choose whether to turn on lossless audio for Wi-Fi, cellular, or downloads.

Spotify Premium users must turn on Lossless manually on each of their devices, according to the company. When enabled, a Lossless indicator will show in the Now Playing view, bar, or Connect Picker. The streaming service also offers custom settings for Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads. Users can select from Low, Normal, High, Very High, and Lossless quality, with data usage shown for each option to help them decide.

The company recommends streaming lossless music over Wi-Fi with wired headphones or speakers using non-Bluetooth options like Spotify Connect. This makes sense, as Bluetooth cannot transmit full lossless audio. Spotify also notes that because lossless files are larger, tracks may take a moment to start, but once cached, they will play smoothly.

With the new Lossless mode on Spotify, users can now stream up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC audio, giving Spotify Premium subscribers clearer detail across a vast portion of its music library. The feature is supported on mobile, desktop, and tablet, along with Spotify Connect devices from brands like Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser. Starting in October, compatibility will extend to additional devices, including Sonos and Amazon.

The rollout will expand to over 50 markets by October. Premium users in countries like Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK are already receiving access, according to the company.