{"id":2646,"date":"2025-09-10T13:35:55","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/spotify-lossless-streaming\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T13:35:55","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T13:35:55","slug":"spotify-lossless-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/spotify-lossless-streaming\/","title":{"rendered":"Spotify is finally launching support for lossless music streaming &#8211; TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<h2>Lead<\/h2>\n<p>Spotify announced on Sept. 10, 2025 that it is rolling out lossless music streaming to Premium subscribers in more than 50 countries through October. The service will offer FLAC streaming up to 24-bit\/44.1 kHz and covers \u201cnearly every track\u201d in Spotify\u2019s 100-million-song catalog, the company said. Users who gain access will receive an in-app notification and can enable lossless playback from Settings; the feature must be switched on for each device individually. Spotify also noted Bluetooth connections remain constrained by bandwidth, so high-resolution playback is limited to Wi\u2011Fi or compatible networked devices.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Spotify has begun a rollout of lossless FLAC streaming (up to 24-bit\/44.1 kHz) for Premium subscribers across more than 50 countries through October 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Subscribers in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US and the UK are among those already receiving access.<\/li>\n<li>The company says the update will cover \u201cnearly every\u201d track in its roughly 100-million-song library, though some tracks may remain unavailable in lossless format.<\/li>\n<li>Lossless playback must be enabled per device via Settings > Privacy &amp; Media Quality > Lossless for streaming and downloads.<\/li>\n<li>Bluetooth-connected devices are generally not supported for lossless playback due to bandwidth limits; Spotify recommends Wi\u2011Fi streaming via Spotify Connect to compatible partners like Bose, Yamaha and Bluesound.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>Spotify first signaled plans for a hi\u2011fi tier in 2021, promising CD\u2011quality audio to users. That initial announcement encountered repeated delays, which the company has attributed in part to licensing and technical complexities of delivering lossless streams at scale. During 2024, CEO Daniel Ek described the company as being in the \u201cearly days\u201d of preparing lossless support, underscoring the work required to negotiate with rights holders and adapt infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Rival services have already moved into high-resolution audio: Apple Music introduced lossless options in 2021, and Amazon launched a paid HD tier in 2019 before making lossless streaming more widely available. Reports and app code hints in recent years suggested Spotify was weighing a higher\u2011priced tier for lossless audio, but the company\u2019s current rollout delivers FLAC quality to existing Premium subscribers rather than launching a separate paid label at launch.<\/p>\n<h2>Main Event<\/h2>\n<p>Spotify\u2019s rollout begins with a staged release covering more than 50 markets by October 2025. The company says eligible Premium users in a set of priority countries \u2014 including the US, UK, Japan, Germany and others \u2014 are receiving access first, with broader availability arriving via app updates and server\u2011side switches. When a user\u2019s account is enabled, the Spotify app sends a notification; the user then must navigate to Settings &gt; Privacy &amp; Media Quality to select \u201cLossless\u201d for streaming, downloads and cellular or Wi\u2011Fi use.<\/p>\n<p>The setting is device\u2011specific, so switching on lossless for a phone does not automatically enable it for a smart speaker, desktop app or another mobile device. Spotify highlighted that lossless files are larger than standard streams and added a data\u2011use indicator so subscribers can monitor consumption. For listeners who want high-resolution audio on home stereo systems, Spotify recommends Spotify Connect over Wi\u2011Fi and listed partners such as Bose, Yamaha and Bluesound as compatible device makers.<\/p>\n<p>On technical limits, Spotify cautioned that Bluetooth does not generally support the bandwidth necessary for uncompressed or lossless transmission, a constraint the company shares with other streaming services and device makers. The company\u2019s announcement says the delivered format will be FLAC at up to 24\u2011bit\/44.1 kHz; that preserves the original studio quality better than compressed formats commonly used for mobile streaming.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &amp; Implications<\/h2>\n<p>Strategically, Spotify\u2019s move narrows a long\u2011standing feature gap with competitors: Apple Music has offered lossless since 2021 and Amazon expanded HD options earlier. Catching up on audio fidelity helps Spotify retain audiophile subscribers and could reduce churn among Premium customers who have cited sound quality as a reason to switch. However, Spotify\u2019s decision to offer lossless to current Premium customers \u2014 rather than launching a separate, higher\u2011priced tier at rollout \u2014 changes the economics compared with earlier speculation about a paid Hi\u2011Fi product.<\/p>\n<p>Operationally, delivering lossless streaming to tens of millions of users raises infrastructural challenges. Lossless files are larger, increasing storage and CDN costs and placing higher demands on network throughput. Spotify\u2019s per\u2011device enablement and data\u2011use tracking are pragmatic measures to limit unintentional consumption spikes and help users manage network or cellular caps.<\/p>\n<p>For hardware and ecosystem partners, Spotify\u2019s reliance on networked playback (Spotify Connect) rather than Bluetooth puts an emphasis on smart speakers, network players and AV receivers that support Wi\u2011Fi streaming. That may boost demand for compatible devices from Bose, Yamaha and Bluesound, and could pressure other consumer\u2011electronics makers to add robust network streaming support or upgraded Bluetooth codecs for higher throughput.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &amp; Data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Service<\/th>\n<th>Lossless launch<\/th>\n<th>Max format<\/th>\n<th>Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Spotify<\/td>\n<td>2025 (rollout through Oct)<\/td>\n<td>FLAC up to 24\u2011bit\/44.1 kHz<\/td>\n<td>Rolling out to Premium users in 50+ countries; per\u2011device enable required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Apple Music<\/td>\n<td>2021<\/td>\n<td>ALAC up to 24\u2011bit\/192 kHz<\/td>\n<td>Lossless available across Apple ecosystem<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Amazon Music<\/td>\n<td>2019 (HD tier), later free options<\/td>\n<td>Varies (HD\/Ultra HD)<\/td>\n<td>Moved some lossless offerings into base plans<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The table highlights release timing and technical ceilings used by major services; Spotify\u2019s 24\u2011bit\/44.1 kHz cap matches CD\u2011origin fidelity at higher bit depth but is below the maximum sample rates supported by some competitors. Differences in codec (FLAC vs ALAC), delivery methods and device support will affect perceived quality for end users.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &amp; Quotes<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in the early days of rolling this out,\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO (quoted in coverage of the company\u2019s roadmap)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Context: Ek\u2019s comment was made as Spotify prepared the technical and licensing groundwork for lossless delivery; the phrase underscores a multi\u2011year effort rather than an overnight change.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cNearly every track\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Spotify statement (company announcement summarized in reporting)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Context: Spotify used this phrasing to describe catalog coverage; the company also cautioned that some tracks may not be available immediately in lossless form due to rights and technical reasons.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: What FLAC, 24\u2011bit and 44.1 kHz mean<\/summary>\n<p>FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) preserves the original audio waveform without the lossy compression schemes used by many streaming formats. Bit depth (24\u2011bit vs 16\u2011bit) affects dynamic range \u2014 the difference between quiet and loud sounds \u2014 while sample rate (44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, higher) determines the highest frequencies that can be accurately represented. CD audio is 16\u2011bit\/44.1 kHz; Spotify\u2019s 24\u2011bit\/44.1 kHz option raises bit depth while keeping the CD sample rate, improving headroom and dynamic detail for well\u2011mastered recordings.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Whether Spotify will introduce a separate, higher\u2011priced tier for even higher\u2011resolution audio remains unannounced and unconfirmed.<\/li>\n<li>The exact percentage of the 100\u2011million\u2011song catalog that will be in lossless format is unclear beyond Spotify\u2019s \u201cnearly every track\u201d claim; some recordings may be delayed or excluded for licensing reasons.<\/li>\n<li>Support for true end\u2011to\u2011end high\u2011resolution wireless playback over Bluetooth depends on specific codecs and device implementations and is not uniformly solved by this rollout.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>Spotify\u2019s introduction of FLAC\u2011based lossless streaming for Premium users is a long\u2011awaited functional upgrade that closes a conspicuous gap versus competitors. By delivering up to 24\u2011bit\/44.1 kHz streams to more than 50 countries during a staged rollout, Spotify addresses an audio\u2011quality demand from discerning listeners while avoiding an immediate shift to a separate paid Hi\u2011Fi tier.<\/p>\n<p>That said, practical constraints remain: larger file sizes, per\u2011device enablement, and Bluetooth bandwidth limits mean the feature will matter most to users with Wi\u2011Fi\u2011connected home audio gear or networked players. In the months ahead, observers should watch actual catalog coverage, whether Spotify expands sample\u2011rate ceilings, and whether the company revisits pricing or tiering for higher\u2011resolution offerings.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/09\/10\/spotify-is-finally-launching-support-for-lossless-music-streaming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TechCrunch<\/a> \u2014 news coverage summarizing Spotify\u2019s announcement and rollout (media)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.spotify.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify Newsroom<\/a> \u2014 official company announcements and product statements (official)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead Spotify announced on Sept. 10, 2025 that it is rolling out lossless music streaming to Premium subscribers in more than 50 countries through October. The service will offer FLAC streaming up to 24-bit\/44.1 kHz and covers \u201cnearly every track\u201d in Spotify\u2019s 100-million-song catalog, the company said. Users who gain access will receive an in-app &#8230; <a title=\"Spotify is finally launching support for lossless music streaming &#8211; TechCrunch\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/spotify-lossless-streaming\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Spotify is finally launching support for lossless music streaming &#8211; TechCrunch\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Spotify launches lossless streaming for Premium users - Guide","rank_math_description":"Spotify is rolling out lossless FLAC streaming (up to 24-bit\/44.1 kHz) to Premium subscribers in 50+ countries through October 2025; enable it per device in Settings.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"spotify,lossless,FLAC,premium,music streaming","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}