Your Spotify is about to sound much, much better. The music streamer has finally released its highly requested lossless audio format after a long four-year wait for subscribers.
This high-quality sound format is designed to accurately and precisely replicate the original recording, minimising distortion and preserving sound details to create a lifelike and immersive listening experience.
When listening to Spotify's new lossless feature, you're supposed to feel like you're in the recording studio with the artist. What's the catch? You might need to wait a little longer, as it's not available to everyone yet.
To gain access to Spotify's new offering, you'll need to be a Premium subscriber, which costs £11.99 a month.
This development arrives after initial rumours started swirling in 2017. Then in 2021, Spotify announced it was coming "later this year," with the company taking considerable time after to officially roll it out to the public.
"The wait is finally over," stated Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify Vice President of Subscriptions. The company has prioritised "quality, ease of use, and clarity at every step, so you always know what's happening under the hood."
Spotify will also send you an automatic notification within your Spotify app once the feature becomes available to you | SPOTIFY PRESS OFFICEDespite the requirement to have a Premium subscription, you don't need to pay extra for this enhancement. There was earlier speculation about a pricier subscription tier, but Spotify has integrated lossless streaming directly into existing Premium memberships.
Access to the new audio system will be rolled out in stages, and the company expects to complete the global distribution by the end of October.
If you're in the UK, US, Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, or Sweden, you're among the first to receive this upgrade.
The service covers "nearly every track" in Spotify's 100-million-song library, meaning you might occasionally encounter songs without lossless support | SPOTIFY PRESS OFFICESpotify will also send you an automatic notification within your Spotify app once the feature becomes available to you.
Once you receive your notification, though, you'll need to manually activate lossless streaming. To do this:
- Navigate to your profile icon
- Select Settings and Privacy,
- Then choose Media Quality to find the new lossless option alongside existing quality settings
Remember to enable this feature separately on each device you use, as the setting doesn't automatically sync across your connected devices.
You can only access the new Spotify audio feature if you're a Premium member | PASpotify's lossless audio offering is competitive, yet not quite matching rival services' highest specifications. For instance, Apple Music introduced free lossless streaming in 2021, providing CD-quality audio alongside higher-resolution tiers. Amazon Music similarly eliminated extra charges for HD streaming after Apple's announcement of a more competitive offering.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of both Spotify's normal and lossless audio systems:
| Feature | Spotify Regular Audio ("Very High") | Spotify Lossless (New FLAC Format) |
|---|---|---|
| Format / Codec | Ogg Vorbis (mobile/desktop) or AAC (web) | FLAC (24-bit/44.1 kHz) |
| Bitrate / Quality | ~320 kbps | Up to ~1,411 kbps (CD quality) |
| Compression | Lossy – reduces audio fidelity | Lossless – preserves full fidelity |
| Sound Fidelity | Very high for lossy, but some detail lost | Full, true-to-source quality |
| Device Support | Works on all devices | Supported on select devices at launch (Sony, Bose, Samsung, Sennheiser), expanding to more |
| Availability | Global for Free and Premium users | Rolling out to Premium users in select markets (Sept 2025) |
| User Action | Available under “Very High” settings | Must enable via in-app Media Quality settings once available |
The service covers "nearly every track" in Spotify's 100-million-song library, meaning you might occasionally encounter songs without lossless support. A clearly marked "Lossless" symbol will indicate when you're streaming in high quality, appearing in the Now Playing bar.
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You'll also need compatible equipment to enjoy lossless quality fully. Bluetooth currently lacks sufficient bandwidth for lossless streaming, so you should use wired headphones or speakers for optimal results. Wi-Fi connections work best for wireless streaming through Spotify Connect.
Compatible devices at launch include products from Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser. Sonos and Amazon device support arrives next month.
If you're out and about, the larger file sizes in the feature mean you could consume more cellular data when streaming over mobile networks. You can monitor your data usage within the app and adjust quality settings separately for Wi-Fi, mobile data, and downloads.
If you're not yet a Spotify Premium member, you can subscribe to the following plans:
- £11.99 for Premium Individual
- £16.99 for Premium Duo
- £19.99 for Premium Family
- £5.99 for Premium Student
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