Spotify launches ‘lossless audio’ feature. But what is it for?
On Sept. 10, Spotify launched lossless audio streaming support, delivering studio-quality sound to its listeners with a tap on the screen. Now available to Spotify Premium subscribers, lossless audio will gradually roll out within 50 country markets throughout October, marking one of Spotify’s most anticipated updates.
”We’ve taken the time to build this feature in a way that prioritizes quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step,” says Gustav Gyllenhamar, vice president of subscriptions on Spotify.
The new feature is set to overcome the competitive pressure from other streaming platforms with established lossless audio features, such as Apple Music, which has offered lossless audio since 2021.
So what is lossless audio, anyway?
In a nutshell, lossless audio aims to preserve the integrity of original music recordings, allowing listeners to hear every minute detail that artists and producers record in the studio, delivering vinyl or CD-quality sound, but on digital streaming. But unlike the smaller sizes of standard audio files, which are compressed to consume less data, lossless audio requires more data to process the larger file size.
To minimize this drawback, Spotify offers custom settings for Wi-Fi, cellular, and downloads to ensure “maximum flexibility and control.” This way, listeners can choose their sound quality between low, normal, high, and very high, depending on the date level they would like to consume.
How to go lossless
The new feature will be available across smartphones, tablets, laptops, and devices that support Spotify Connect, the platform’s remote control feature.
Note that lossless audio must be activated manually on each device. This can be done by going to the app’s “Settings & Privacy,” then “Media Quality.” Once activated, the “Lossless” indicator should be seen on the “Now Playing” bar.
Spotify recommends streaming on Wi-Fi through non-Bluetooth devices, such as wired headphones or speakers, as Bluetooth’s limited bandwidth cannot yet transmit lossless audio. And while there is no specific date for launch in the Philippines, the platform’s Premium subscribers should receive a notification once lossless audio becomes available.
