Spotify Finally Launches Lossless Audio After 4-Year Delay

Reviewed by Corey Noles

After four and a half years of anticipation, Spotify has finally launched lossless audio for Premium subscribers. Not a tiny tweak, a big leap that brings the streaming giant in line with competitors who have offered high-quality audio for years. The feature delivers 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality across nearly every song in Spotify's catalog, ending one of the most prolonged feature rollouts in streaming history. What makes this launch stand out is that lossless is included with existing Premium subscriptions, no price hike required.

This long-awaited launch erases Spotify's biggest disadvantage against audiophile-focused services. It could change how people choose their streaming platform.

Better late than never: The long road to lossless

Let's be honest, this has been a journey. Spotify first announced HiFi in February 2021, promising CD-quality audio for subscribers. Then came delays, silence, and mounting frustration from listeners watching competitors race ahead. In 2022, Spotify put HD audio on indefinite hold without much to say, until now.

The timing says a lot. Apple Music introduced lossless in May 2021. Amazon Music added HD back in 2019. Tidal has offered lossless HD audio too. Now, YouTube is the only major service without lossless.

As Apple Music and Amazon made lossless free for existing subscribers, Spotify had to abandon plans to charge extra for HiFi. The pause cost potential premium tier revenue and pushed some quality-conscious users to rivals offering better sound for the same price.

What you're actually getting with Spotify lossless

Here are the basics. Spotify's lossless audio supports up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, essentially CD-quality audio. That is a clear jump from Spotify's previous maximum of 320 kbps using the lossy AAC codec.

But there is a catch, and it is a big one. Lossless audio only works with wired headphones, not Bluetooth. According to Spotify, Bluetooth does not provide enough bandwidth to transmit lossless audio, so the signal is compressed before it reaches your ears. For the best experience, Spotify recommends Wi-Fi streaming with wired headphones or speakers.

This Bluetooth limitation hits most casual listeners who love wireless convenience. Even the latest Bluetooth codecs like LDAC and aptX HD cannot meet true lossless bandwidth needs, so your AirPods Pro or premium wireless headphones will not deliver the full lossless experience. Convenience versus fidelity, your call.

PRO TIP: For the optimal lossless experience, use quality wired headphones or Spotify Connect with compatible Wi-Fi speakers. The bump in clarity is obvious on decent gear.

The feature works across mobile, desktop, and tablet apps, plus many Spotify Connect devices from Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser, Denon, Marantz, Bluesound, and Yamaha. Support for Sonos and Amazon devices arrives in October.

How the rollout actually works

The setup is straightforward. Premium subscribers will receive an in-app notification when lossless becomes available, and you need to enable lossless manually on each device. Once activated, a lossless indicator appears in the Now Playing view and Connect Picker.

Premium subscribers in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the US, and the UK have started getting access, with lossless gradually rolling out to more than 50 markets through October.

You get granular control over when to use lossless. Choose Low, Normal, High, Very High, or Lossless quality settings, and the app shows data use for each option. Lossless audio consumes more bandwidth.

On mobile data, pay attention. A typical 4-minute song at 320 kbps uses around 9 to 10 MB. The same track in lossless FLAC can hit 40 to 50 MB or more. If your plan is tight, save lossless for Wi-Fi and use the lower settings on cellular.

The competitive landscape just shifted

This launch changes the usual tradeoff. For years, listeners chose between Spotify's standout discovery tools and rivals' superior audio quality. That compromise is finally over. The feature will not be available on the free, ad-supported version, but Premium subscribers get it at no extra cost, a sharp turn from earlier premium tier rumors.

The timing feels deliberate. Spotify's paid subscriber base grew to 276 million in Q2 2025, up 12% year over year, and lossless arrives as the company aims to convert more users to Premium. Removing the quality objection helps fence-sitters make the jump.

There is still a ceiling. Apple Music, Tidal, and Qobuz offer HiRes FLAC up to 24-bit/192 kHz, while Spotify tops out at 24-bit/44.1 kHz. For most people, CD-quality is already a big improvement over compressed audio, and the audible gap between CD-quality and hi-res sparks debate even among audiophiles.

Gustav Gyllenhammar, VP Subscriptions at Spotify, said the company took time to build the feature with quality, ease of use, and clarity in mind. The result feels polished and easy to live with, not hurried.

What this means for your listening experience

Bottom line, this is the upgrade Spotify users have been waiting for. The difference between 320 kbps compressed audio and lossless FLAC pops on decent headphones or speakers. Vocals sit cleaner in the mix, instruments separate instead of smearing together, the soundstage opens up. In dense passages where compression once blurred the edges, details stick.

Some genres shine more than others. Jazz with intricate interplay, classical with wide dynamics, rock with layered guitars, these show the biggest jumps. Electronic and heavily produced pop still benefit, though the improvement can be subtler when tracks are mastered with heavy digital compression.

For existing Premium subscribers, this is a strong value, a major feature upgrade without a price bump. If you are on the fence about Premium, lossless audio is a compelling nudge, especially paired with Spotify's recommendation engine and playlist curation.

It also signals something bigger. Spotify is acknowledging that audio quality matters to its base. Earlier studies suggested waning interest in high-quality streaming, yet once people hear the difference, going back to compressed files is a hard sell.

Spotify's massive catalog means lossless access to virtually everything in their library from day one. Unlike competitors that rolled out lossless in stages, Spotify arrives with comprehensive coverage. That matters for playlist continuity and discovery, you are less likely to hit jarring quality gaps when exploring new artists or genres.

The streaming wars just got more interesting, and this time listeners win. This likely signals future premium tiers with extra audiophile features. For now, Premium subscribers finally get the audio quality they were promised for more than four years. The wait is over, and the result earns it.